‘Hands Off’ Protest
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, more than 700 individuals lined the sidewalks of Highway 126 and Highway 101 to the Siuslaw River Bridge in Florence, Oregon, protesting against the actions of President Donald Trump and his senior adviser, Elon Musk. The demonstrators carried signs demanding the firing of Musk and the dismantling of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This local rally was part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” movement, which saw over 1,300 protests across all 50 states and U.S. territories, with participation exceeding 500,000 people nationwide. In Washington, D.C., tens of thousands gathered at the National Mall, marking the first mass protest there since Trump’s return to office. Internationally, protests were held in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London, reflecting global concern over the administration’s policies. The “Hands Off!” movement unified diverse groups opposing recent governmental actions perceived as threats to democracy and civil rights.
126 Accident Claims Eugene Man
A two-vehicle crash early Thursday morning on Highway 126 near milepost 6, just east of Florence, claimed the life of a Eugene man. Oregon State Police say 37-year-old Mathew Jacob Decker was driving a Ford T-350 van when it collided head-on with a semi-truck around 2:23 a.m. The truck driver, 64-year-old Joseph Jack Botelho of Veneta, reported minor injuries. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The highway was closed for about five hours. Western Lane Fire and EMS and ODOT assisted at the scene.
Water Tank Funds Eliminated
A federal grant to build a water storage tank in Mapleton has been eliminated, according to a personal post shared by community member Vanessa West. West emphasized she was not speaking in her official capacity as volunteer operations manager or board chair of the Mapleton Water District. The $3 million in funding was intended to add a water tower on the school side of town—boosting both drinking water reliability and fire protection. She called the loss a “huge safety concern” and a personal blow after hundreds of volunteer hours went into securing the grant. A $920,000 state grant for the water intake remains available, while an $800,000 federal grant to replace aging pipes on Rice Road is still on hold and may also be cut. The canceled grant may be part of a broader rollback of federal infrastructure funding, including FEMA’s termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which eliminated hundreds of community projects nationwide and reclaimed undisbursed funds.
