Charter School Meeting
The Siuslaw Valley Charter School board has released several documents in draft form ahead of their meeting tomorrow evening. The documents cover areas like board member ethics, conflict of interest, board member power and duties and standard of ethics policy. At tomorrow’s meeting they will give an update on the Siuslaw School District grievance and get other updates from legal counsel regarding contract verbiage and clarification and the charter school conference update. More information on the meeting can be found at the website whitmoreacademy.com. the meeting will take place at the charter school admin office at 534 Laurel street at 4pm tomorrow.
Wind Storm
Last night’s wind storm took out power to about 500 PUD customers. Most of the outages were south of Florence and down to Coos Bay, but about 200 of them were in the Florence, Dunes City area. Central Lincoln PUD reported that they are actively out repairing issues and have been since about 11pm last night. Some local businesses and one senior living center reported outages here in Florence. Today’s forecast includes windy conditions, but according to the National Weather Service they will not be as severe as the winds overnight with gusts up to 25 miles per hour.
Gas Prices
Gas prices are at their lowest levels of 2024, with Oregon’s average now at $3.53 per gallon, down from $3.79 at the start of the year. The national average sits at $3.06, and for the first time since May 2021, it could dip below $3. Florence drivers are paying even less, with local prices averaging $3.10 per gallon. AAA projects record Thanksgiving travel, with public affairs director Marie Dodds expecting prices to drop further in the coming weeks. Oregon’s highest average this year was $4.51 in May, showing significant relief at the pump as the holiday season approaches.
Yachats Winter Festival
The Yachats Winter Festival, a two-day celebration on the Oregon coast, kicks off Friday, December 6, with a vendor fair at the Yachats Commons from noon to 8 p.m., featuring holiday shopping, wreath-making, and gingerbread house-building. The fair continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday highlights include the Santa Breakfast from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Lions Hall and a Hot Cocoa Trail through town from 2 to 5:30 p.m., capped by caroling and a Christmas tree lighting at 5 p.m. Visitors can also enjoy a barbershop quartet at the Pavilion each afternoon and the Ladies Club Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.