ODOT Hack
The Oregon Department of Transportation has officially recognized the hacking of its data as part of the global MOVEit Hack. Information was compromised on June 1st of 2023. Upon learning of the invasive software on its servers ODOT activated its emergency response procedures, but learned on June 12th that the actors behind the MOVEit transfer has successfully accessed ODOT data. The information breached includes personal information related to current holders of Oregon Drivers licenses and IDs. Including date of birth information and actual addresses of individuals. ODOT officials say the information gathered does not include financial information regarding credit cards. It also did not include social security numbers. Officials say they are working closely with a third party cybersecurity firm to see what can be done. ODOT was just one of many entities that were part of the hack and the problem is nationwide. ODOT recommends that you actively monitor your account statements and credit reports for irregularities.
City Council Meeting
Tonight’s city Council Meeting will include several items of interest to the public including an annual report from the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, a request for a street closure for the annual Block Party put on by the city, and some supplemental budget appropriations. The city council will also consider approving the purchase of a new CAT compact track loader from Peterson CAT in the amount of $176,040.45. the city of Florence is also considering a new contract with Tyler Technologies if approved they will take the place of Caselle which has been responsible for accounting and software services including the processing of payments to and from vendors, technical support and timekeeping services for the city. According to city documents the city services have grown since the initial contract with Caselle 22 years ago and the services provided by Tyler Technologies better suit the current needs of the city. The city Council meeting will be this evening at 5:30 at City Hall.
Paint Recycling
Oregon’s PaintCare program encourages recycling of excess and left over architectural paint. Florence Habitat for Humanity director Janelle Morgan says the local ReStore is an authorized drop off location. All paint accepted must be in a sealed container with the original label.
“The paint that goes back to the state, this company actually takes that, they filter it and they take all the dyes out of it and filter it again. And then they dye it into one of 18 colors.”
Morgan says some of that recycled paint makes it back to ReStore because they’re an authorized retailer for the finished product called “Green Sheen”. Last year, Florence ReStore accepted more than 20-thousand gallons of old paint out of the waste stream.
New Business to Open
A pair of new businesses in Florence have reached their final stages of construction and one of them will open tomorrow. The Human Bean coffee kiosk will open. The franchise business has been operating in a training state over the past several days and will move to full time operations tomorrow. This is the third store the owners Sean and Jessica Randle own, and they say they are looking forward to “sharing the energy” and serve the Florence community. The Human Bean first opened 24 years ago and has grown to a nationwide chain consisting mostly of franchise owned stores. The Human Bean is located on Highway 101 at Rhododendron. Their hours of operation are 5am to 7pm daily.
