Burn Piles
The U.S. Forest Service at the Siuslaw National Forest has announced that it will be starting 4 burn piles beginning today and lasting through Friday. The closest one to Florence is the Eel Creek area just south of the Lane County Line. There could be residual smoke coming from the area into the Florence area. Smoke may be visible from nearby trails, roadways and waterways while the burns are in progress. Public Affairs Officer Joanie Schmidgall says they do not expect to have any closures due to the burns. She says the burn piles come from restoration projects and noxious weed removal and the burn is necessary to remove any woody debris before it becomes a hazardous fuel in the dry summer months.
Stamp Out Hunger
Saturday’s Stamp Out Hunger drive was more successful than the previous year according to Patrick Lewis with the Postal carriers in Florence. They collected 3,523 pounds of food. Lewis says it was not a record collection, but it was a significant amount of food. The food was delivered to the Florence Food Share where it will be available to the more than 700 families that it serves annually. Food Share is still accepting donations of food and money and has need for staples like peanut butter, canned goods and other items.
Election Day
Today is Election Day and the Lane County Elections Department will begin posting partial results on their website this evening at eight. That’s also the same time that ballot drop boxes, including the one at the Florence Justice Center will be closed. For those who mail their ballots, a May 16th postmark will ensure your vote is counted. But, be sure you double-check what time the mail will be picked up at that location. Officials strongly urge you to mail it as early as possible today. As of Monday afternoon approximately 17-percent of the nearly 275-thousand ballots mailed for this election have been returned. Historically, voter turnout in odd-year special districts elections can range between 20 and 35 per-cent. Four hotly-contested school board races in the Siuslaw District will likely drive a higher-than-average turnout in the Florence area. Updated results can be found at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/Elections.
Time Capsule
Second graders in Alexandria Wachtel’s class at Siuslaw Elementary school learned about time capsules last month. They were in the process of putting one of their own together when:
“We learned that there was actually a real time capsule that had been buried in 1991.”
Mrs. Wachtel said it was Mrs. Anderson’s 4th grade class that buried it that year. As part of the second graders’ assignment, they’ll be digging that time capsule up this Wednesday at one PM.
“We are formally inviting people who were in the fourth grade class to come join us, they just need to call the school and let the office know that they would like to come”
There is a list of what is in that time capsule. One notable piece of antiquity is a “floppy disc”. For those former 1991 fourth graders that can’t be there, Mrs. Wachtel said it will be livestreamed on FaceBook.