Habitat Home Nears Completion
The 30th home built by Florence Habitat for Humanity is nearing completion. Habitat Board Chair Alice Burns says for the first time, the family moving in will be a retired couple who also take care of a disabled adult child. Everyone who receives a home through Habitat for Humanity is responsible for helping the organization build either their own home, or one for someone else. In this case, according to Burns, they’ve surpassed that requirement.
“This couple has been a part of the build the entire way. They have more than their sweat equity hours.”
Burns finds her volunteer work with Habitat to be very satisfying.
“Well there’s no better feeling than seeing a family or a couple have a safe place to live.”
The actual dedication date has not yet been set, but will come very early in 2024.
Logo For Rhody Days
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce has released the new logo for the 2024 Rhododendron Festival. 
The colorful circular logo features a large wave, sunset, the lighthouse and a pop of rhododendron blossums announcing High Tides and Good Vibes. The 117th annual festival will take place from May 16th through the 19th. the logo design was created by Shaun Brown of 4 Color Design it is his third win in the last 6 years.
Beach Monitoring
Heceta Beach made the list of beaches to be monitored for bacteria in the coming year. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality released the names of the beaches that it plans to keep track of in 2024. along with the Oregon Health Authority the DEQ takes samplings from Oregon beaches to determine if there are any potential risks. The testing will occur between May and September.
