Outage Remnants
There are still a few outages reported this morning by Central Lincoln PUD, but the majority of the restorations were completed yesterday. All of the Florence area has been restored. 4 active outages were still under repair with one in Mapleton and the other 3 in Seal Rock and Newport. Crews worked late into the night to get power up. Yesterday evening after the majority of power had been restored Central Lincoln PUD reported another outage around 6pm off of Rhododendron Drive on Sea Watch Place and Coast Guard Road. That repair was completed by 8:30. Winds today are expected to die down by the afternoon.
Affordable Housing Funding
Groups working to address Oregon’s shortage of affordable housing are backing a bill to fund the state’s Homeownership Development Incubator Program. Originally launched by the state in 2022, the program known as “H-DIP” funds developers who build housing for low- to moderate-income families. Katie Curry is with McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity, which was one of eight projects awarded the first round of H-DIP funds. She says the money helped them ramp up housing construction.
“We’re just able to build at a much quicker pace and offer these homeownership opportunities for people in our community. So, it’s been a game changer.”
H-DIP funds are available both for nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and also for Tribes and private developers. The homes must be priced based on the area’s median income. The state is seeking 50-million dollars to fund H-DIP again, and the bill is now in committee in Salem.
Gas Prices
West Coast gas prices are stabilizing after recent refinery outages led to a surge. In Oregon, the average price remains steady at $3.77 per gallon, while the national average has dipped two cents to $3.14. Florence residents are seeing slightly lower prices, with local stations offering regular gas between $3.35 and $3.49 per gallon. This comes after refinery maintenance and a shutdown at the Martinez, California facility disrupted supplies. AAA’s Marie Dodds notes that while prices are easing, the upcoming switch to summer-blend fuel could push them higher again. Oregon started the year at $3.45 per gallon, with prices peaking at $3.77 last week.
