Wine and Chowder The Wine, Chowder and Glass Float Trail is this weekend in Florence.  The annual festival was moved to the February date after the effects of the Covid pandemic forced the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce to shut it down in October of 2020.  The move inevitably turned […]

Issues Group Wants Ligislature to Put in Focus Two issues that loom large over the state and are of significant interest in western Lane County are housing and child care.  Issues that are coming to the forefront of the short legislative session.  One group that is pushing to stabilize the […]

Access to Shelters and Housing A program to improve access and reduce barriers to shelters and housing options in Lane County was introduced by Lane County Human Services. The services combine the Lane County Coordinated Web Portal, the Real Time Shelter Finder and a new partnership with 211 to help […]

Charter School Board Responds The desire for some families to bring a charter school to the Siuslaw District continues.  At a special meeting of the Siuslaw School Board last night the board heard from Siuslaw Valley Charter School board member, Kay King.  King informed the school board that SVCS had […]

Signage Rules The election season is beginning to ramp up and it will not be long before signs start appearing on the roadways and on properties around the city and the county.  The City of Florence is reminding residents of the rules regarding placement of those signs.  February’s city of […]

City Services Expo – State of the City Later this month the City of Florence will have a City Services Expo at the Florence Events Center.  On Monday, February 26, the city will set up booths that highlight the services provided by the City of Florence.  The expo will begin […]

Legislative Session Begins – 110 Focus As the Oregon legislative session opens, lawmakers could make changes to a voter-passed measure that decriminalized small amounts of drugs and opened up more access to treatment. Backers of the measure say it’s a move in the wrong direction. Oregon voters passed Measure 110 […]

School Board Looks at Vaping and Other Policies A significant portion of last night’s School Board Work session focused on the problems of vaping and smoking among the student population. Principal Mike Harkelrode told the board he sees the problem as significant. Board member John Barnett says he would like […]