PeaceHealth Responds to Governor Kotek Oregon Governor Tina Kotek raised concerns last week over PeaceHealth’s plan to transition emergency department staffing in Lane County to ApolloMD, urging a delay and greater transparency. In a letter to PeaceHealth leadership, Kotek said she was “troubled” by the potential loss of local physicians […]

Local Arrested on Drug Charges Florence Police, with assistance from Oregon State Police and Reedsport Police, executed a search warrant Thursday morning, March 19th, at a residence on 10th Street. The warrant followed a prior investigation. During the operation, Bryant McMullen was taken into custody without incident. He is facing […]

Lynn Greats Supporters in Florence Last night at the Rambling Rose restaurant, Claire Lynn laid out her reasons for running for Oregon 9th district seat.  The seat currently held by Boomer Wright.  Lynn spoke to supporters about the state of the state from her eyes and what she has seen […]

Gas Prices Still Rising Gas prices are surging just as spring break travel ramps up, with drivers paying the highest prices for the season since 2022. The national average has climbed to $3.79 a gallon, while Oregon now sits at $4.54, and Florence slightly higher at $4.55. AAA says rising […]

Mapleton Water District At last night’s Mapleton Water District meeting, officials highlighted several major infrastructure and funding projects totaling millions of dollars. A $900,000 water tank rehabilitation project is moving into the final USDA application phase, while a $37,500 security fencing project has advanced through the state legislature. Additional grant […]

Charter School Sets Cirriculum Siuslaw Valley Charter School’s Board of Directors has voted to adopt the curriculum for Whitmore Classical Academy following an extensive review process. School officials say more than 500 hours were spent developing curriculum crosswalk documents to show how Oregon Common Core State Standards are addressed in […]

Redistribution of Transient Lodging Tax Oregon lawmakers have approved a bill that could change how lodging taxes are used in communities like Florence. House Bill 4148 passed the Oregon House 40 to 12 and cleared the Senate 23 to 6. The measure would allow cities and counties to spend a […]

Snowy Plover Season Begins The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Siuslaw National Forest are reminding visitors that western snowy plover nesting season begins March 15th and runs through September 15th. Recreation restrictions are in place on designated beaches to help protect the threatened shorebird, which nests in dry […]