Proposed Charter School Public Hearing
A public hearing on a proposed charter school for the Florence area has prompted the Siuslaw School Board to move this week’s meeting. Board meetings, on the second Wednesday of each month, are typically held in the board room at the district office at Oak and 21st Street. If a large crowd is anticipated they usually meet at Siuslaw Middle School, but that facility is in use this week. Wednesday’s board meeting will instead be held in the “commons” area at Siuslaw High School. It’s slated for a six o’clock start, but a private executive session to consider information exempt from public inspection will take up the first 30-minutes. Representatives of the Siuslaw Valley Charter School will then present their application for the Whitmore Classical Academy, a charter school that, if approved, anticipates opening in the fall of 2024.
Tourism Boost
Travel Oregon is reporting that the tourism industry for Oregon has definitely bounced back post pandemic. Direct travel spending increased by 26.5% over the previous year soaring to 13.9 billion dollars, generating more than 16,000 new jobs. The spending split was about 60/40 with 60% being out of state visitors. Of the remaining 40, about 5% was from international travelers.
Stamp Our Hunger
Letter carriers in the Florence Area will be increasing their load this Saturday as they make their rounds. It’s the 31st annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. Rural Carrier Patrick Lewis says it’s easy to help out.
“Simply leave a bag or box of non-perishable food next to your mailbox. All food collected will stay right here in Florence.”
Or, says Lewis, you can drop your donation off at the Florence Post Office between 11 and 2 on Saturday. Last years total collection was down according to Colin Morgan with the Florence Food Share. They attribute that to the wet weather on collection day, they are hoping that the warm sunny weather this week will get people to the stores and fill up the shelves.
National Nurses Week
It is National Nurses Month and this week is National Nurses Week. Dave Rigsby, executive director with the PeaceHealth Peace Harbor foundation says your gifts can help support nursing by offering scholarships to assist with nurse tuition and education, provide opportunities for advanced certifications and help improve patient outcomes.
