Scams Abound
Scams continue to be perpetrated on the elderly and unaware. Reports of calls coming in of a 3 million dollar win have hit the Florence area. The scammers are congratulating the caller and telling them all they have to do is to get a prepaid card with a $500 balance specifically in one case from the local Safeway. The scammer tells them it is for the processing of the windfall. The person is then instructed that they will call back in an hour for the numbers on the card so that they can process their winnings. Scams account for billions in losses each year and the scammers are constantly working on new ways to relieve individuals of their money. If you have received such a call, hang up and notify local law enforcement.
National Night Out
Tonight is the National Night Out. The concept was first conceived in the 1980’s by a community watch volunteer in Philadelphia to create an event that would foster social connections between neighbors and Law Enforcement. The event in Florence is held each year at Miller Park on the first Tuesday in August. This evening from 6-9 pm at Miller Park residents can meet and mingle with members of the Florence Police department as well as first responders from Western Lane Fire and EMS Authority. The U.S. Coast Guard will also be there along with some members of the Lane County Sheriff’s office and the Oregon State Police. There will be free Hot dogs and Hamburgers, chips and sodas for all who attend.
Mail Delays
Perhaps you have noticed a delay in mail recently. Some businesses are reporting that important correspondence is taking longer than usual, some have reported two weeks for a local piece of mail. Mail is being routed through Portland in some cases and causing delays and criticism of a plan to restructure U-S mail service is mounting. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s ten-year plan, called Delivering for America, was announced in 2021 but has kicked into high gear this year. Intended to make the U-S Postal Service more efficient and cut spending, the plan has involved moving mail through larger processing centers rather than smaller, local ones. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley says that’s led to a slowdown in mail delivery.
“He has had a plan for getting rid of our regional sorting centers or downgrading them, which means that the mail from Bend and Medford and Eugene – basically all over the state – has to go just to Portland and be sorted there and then returned.”
Merkley says he’s heard from constituents as delays in mail delivery increase. For instance, people are getting late fees for sending checks for bills or rent through the mail. He also says medications aren’t making it to people in a timely manner.
“In some cases, they can’t apply until they’ve run out of their medicine or nearly out, which means they have to apply at the last minute and by the time the slow mail operates, they have a space. So, they either miss their meds or they have to buy them locally at a much higher price.”
DeJoy has paused his consolidation of U-S-P-S centers through the end of the year but says he will continue pursuing his Delivering for America plan. He was appointed to the position of postmaster general in 2020 during the Trump presidency by the Board of Governors of the U-S-P-S. Merkley says the Delivering for America plan isn’t realistic and should be reversed.