Good Friday, Easter and Egg Hunts; Handy goes oh-for-three; Officials say some debris can be left on the beach

Coast Radio News
Local News

29 March 2013

Egg Hunts Punctuate Holiday Weekend

Today is, of course, Good Friday.  That leads into the holiday weekend that culminates on Easter Sunday.

It also means chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps and Easter egg hunts.  The Mapleton Lions will host their annual hunt tomorrow at noon at the Mapleton Junior High School.

In Reedsport, there will be a community hunt at 1:30 at Barrone Park near Highland Elementary.  In Florence, the annual hunt will is at Miller Park and starts at ten am sharp.

Gayle Waiss – “It’s not an event to be late to because once they start it’s like…. the locusts.  It’s pretty much it takes an hour to set up and it takes 32 seconds to clean up.”

Gayle Waiss is with the Florence Rotary Club which has sponsored the hunt for the past several years.  All of the work though, is done by members of the Siuslaw High School Interact Club.

Gayle Waiss – “They’ve taken ownership and they’ve planned it.  They put in the permit request to use the park.  I mean, it really is their project.  We’re just the financial resources behind it.”

Kids up to age 12 can participate.  In addition to lots of candy there are also several prizes.

Handy goes oh-for-three in the courtroom

Former Lane County Commissioner Rob Handy is now oh-for-three in the courtroom.  The embattled North Eugene resident lost a reelection bid last May.  This week his third legal challenge against Lane County and former fellow commissioners went down in flames.

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken dismissed Handy’s federal suit in a federal courtroom Wednesday  in which he alleged civil rights violations by fellow commissioners and Lane County Managers.

In her opinion, Judge Aiken said Handy failed to “allege any facts…” in the case.

He has been the subject of ethics complaints and investigations and has repeatedly battled with Lane County Management.  It’s estimated his legal challenges have cost the county nearly a million dollars and have diverted hundreds of hours of staff time away from other governmental services.

Not all debris needs to be removed…

The Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup is set for tomorrow from ten to one along Oregon’s 362-mile coastline.  Volunteers will spend the three hour period picking up things that have washed up on the sand over the winter… as well as trash left behind by less considerate beach visitors.  Some of that stuff can be left behind say organizers.

Officials believe there will likely be several pieces of debris from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

Chris Havel with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department says woody debris; structural timbers or small beams; poses no threat and can be left with the rest of the driftwood.

What officials are most concerned about are pieces of plastic and foam.  Wildlife will often ingest some of the smaller pieces, thinking them to be food.