23 September 2013
DeFazio Cancels Coastal Town Halls
Town Hall Meetings in Reedsport and down the coast will go on as scheduled today and tomorrow; but Fourth District Congressman Peter DeFazio has cancelled more than a dozen more meetings; including one originally set for Wednesday in Florence; in order to return to the Capital.
Leadership in the U.S. House has made last minute changes to the schedule and will hold votes beginning Wednesday evening in D.C. on the federal spending bill.
The Springfield Democrat leveled criticism at the Republican leadership saying their refusal to compromise on a short-term spending bill has lead to the cancellation of the September recess. Instead of talking with constituents at town halls, he said he’ll be back in Washington “voting on a bill that should have already been signed”.
DeFazio will hold a telephone town hall meeting October 1st to replace the cancelled in-person meetings.
Florence Man Struck by Car
A 46-year old Florence man remained in serious condition yesterday in a Springfield hospital after he was struck by a vehicle on Highway 101 south of Florence.
Oregon State Troopers say Jeffrey G. Miller ran out onto the highway near Cleawox Market just before nine PM Saturday where he was struck by a sport utility driven by 55-year old Nancy Pearson.
The Florence area woman told authorities she didn’t see Miller until the last second and could not avoid striking him.
No citations have been issued.
First Fall Storm
Yesterday was the first day of fall and the weather opted to celebrate along the Oregon Coast. A small weather system brought moderately high winds and scattered rain showers to the area yesterday.
Brief power outages were reported in some areas following the heaviest winds in the early afternoon.
A wind gust of 47 miles an hour, along with sustained winds of 39-miles an hour were recorded at the North Jetty in the 1 o’clock hour yesterday afternoon.
Tsunami Debris
2 ½ years after a devastating earthquake struck Japan, debris continues to wash up along the west coast of the United States. Most of it is attributed to the resulting tsunami, but officials are saying they’ve not confirmed it.
Seven items collected so far this year in Hawaii, including a plastic bin with a live bird inside, are confirmed as coming from the March 2011 tsunami. One group in Alaska has reported picking up more than 250-thousand pounds of debris just since January. They attribute much of that to the tsunami.
It’s not clear just what is still out there, but debris is expected to continue washing up on shore for years.
