Rural Communities and Postal Coverage
The American Postal Workers Union is pushing back against proposed changes to the postal service that they say would slow delivery. Among other things, the proposal aims to cancel afternoon deliveries and pick-ups for areas that are more than 50 miles from a regional hub. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy says elimination of night pickups could save the post office more than 3-billion dollars a year. Daniel Cortez, with the Oregon Postal Workers Union, says reducing services does not make sense financially.
“To think that eliminating services, reducing standards, basically providing the American people with less reliable service is somehow going to make money, it’s nonsense. “
This is the most recent in a series of changes included in Dejoy’s 10-year “Delivering for America” plan. The union says Dejoy, who was appointed under President Donald Trump, has already raised prices for stamps while closing post offices across the country, especially in rural communities.
Parks Rate Increase
Day use fees at the 25 Oregon State Parks that currently charge for parking will double from $5 to $10 per day beginning January 2nd. But, savvy visitors can take advantage of an annual discount by purchasing a 12-month pass before December 31st. Each year Oregon Parks discounts the 12-month pass from $30 to $25 between December 1st and the 31st. They do offer a 24-month pass for $50 but no discounts are offered on that. Of the 250 parks in the Oregon State Parks system, 225 do not charge day-use fees. The money that is collect helps to pay for operations and Maintenance.
Soroptimist Food Baskets
On Saturday the Florence Soroptimist club handed out food baskets to more that 300 individuals. Volunteers were greeted with a break in the weather for the event at the Siuslaw Middle School. Families receive the makings for a full holiday meal is what one volunteer called a well oiled machine when referring to the organization of the event. Items that were left over went to the Florence Food Share for distribution.
Public Arts
At this evening’s Public Arts Committee meeting members will go over the finalists of the Art Exposed sites. The list has been whittled down to 18 for the 8 available slots. Artists have submitted their work from all over the region. The committee meets this evening at city hall at 5:30
