Community sets welcome home for Honor Flight Vets
A group of three veterans, each with one guardian, from the Florence area will arrive home this afternoon to a hero’s welcome. The soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are all veterans of the Vietnam War. They left town Thursday night for a whirlwind tour of memorials and historical sites in Washington, D.C. Cal Applebee is a volunteer helping out with the welcome. He says the travelers will come home to a lot of commotion. (Applebee 1) – “The Kiwanis Club puts the flags out and we have the flags at the Elks Lodge parking lot. Folks from the Jeep Club, the Rhody Cruisers, Daughters of American Revolution, Elks members, other members of the Band of Brothers, and then they’ll come into town with a police escort.” He said the group is expected to arrive close to two o’clock this afternoon, and the public is invited to be at the Elks Lodge on 12th street as they arrive or even watch the procession on Highway 126 between the Casino and Highway 101.
Elks to Feed You Well at Rhody Festival
The 118th Rhododendron Festival is less than three weeks away, and preparations are well under way. The Florence Elks Lodge announced over the weekend that they are preparing their traditional events to add to the weekend festivities. This year, they’ll be serving their barbecue chicken dinners to go on Saturday, May 17, only. Follow the smoke to the parking lot for a half-chicken dinner, potato salad, and beans for just $15. That starts at 11:00 and lasts until it is sold out. At the same time, the Ladies of the Elks have their homemade pie and bake sale. Sunday, May 18th the Past Exalted Rulers of the Lodge will be serving their traditional pre-parade breakfast from seven AM to eleven for just ten bucks. All proceeds from the festival community events are used by lodge members to support local causes.
Ballots To Hit Mailboxes This Week
Ballots for the May 20th election will begin showing up in mailboxes later this week. Acting Lane County Clerk Lorren Blythe says they’ll begin mailing them Thursday, May 1st. Once you receive yours, you can mark it and return it immediately by regular mail, a ballot drop box or you may even take it directly to the elections office in Eugene. The county has drop boxes in several outlying areas, including one at the front door to the Florence Justice Center just off 9th Street. If using the drop box or taking it to the elections office it must be returned no later than 8 PM Tuesday, May 20th. If you use the mail, it must be post marked no later than May 20th.
West Lane Voices Have Input on Two LCC Board Seats
When you get that ballot, if you live in Western Lane County, you’ll find two races listed for the Lane Community College board of education. Zone 1 covers Western Lane County. The incumbent is not seeking reelection and that race has drawn two candidates. First up is former Lane County Commissioner and Siuslaw Valley Resident Jerry Rust. He says he is looking to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion and will fight to protect immigrants and transgender students. His opponent is Jeffrey Cooper, who lives in Junction City. Cooper brings a background in the trades and wants to focus on job readiness and high school outreach. He says he supports equal opportunities for students but doesn’t believe DEI should be a prioritized policy. The other race on the ballot for local residents is that for Zone 7. Because the previous office holder, Lisa Fragala, was elected to the Oregon Legislature last fall she has resigned and there is just one candidate for the two years remaining on Fragala’s position. Jesse Maldonado is an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon.
