West Lane ballots to be recounted

12 June 2014

Coast Radio News
Local News

Ballots in West Lane Race to Be Recounted After All

The results of the May 20th primary election may be certified, but they’re not yet final. After initially saying there would be no recount of votes cast in the race for the West Lane seat on the Lane County Commission, the Elections Department reversed course yesterday.

That’s because of input from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office about a law that took effect three years ago changing the requirements for automatic recounts.

Previous law required recounts when the margin of difference between two candidates was two-tenths of one-percent or less. Since 2011, recounts are also required in non-partisan races when one candidate gets at least 50-percent of the votes cast, but less than that same two-tenths-of-one-percent margin.

Official results show Jay Bozievich with more than twice the required margin of votes over challenger Dawn Lesley; about one-half-of-one-percent. But, his margin over the 50-percent mark was only 17 votes which is just over one-tenth-of-one-percent.

If he still has at least one voter over the 50-percent mark following next week’s recount his name will appear alone on the November ballot. If not, there will be a runoff between him and Lesley.

Burns Earns Rise to the Future Award

A local man has been recognized for getting local students involved in helping to restore runs of wild salmon.

Paul Burns, a fisheries biologist for the Siuslaw National Forest was recently awarded a regional “Rise to the Future” recognition from the U.S. Forest Service.

Central Coast District Ranger Michelle Jones said the award acknowledges Burns’ “outstanding work” in fisheries and watershed programs in Oregon and Washington national forests involving local students.

Burns has worked with the Salmon Trout Enhancement Program and the Siuslaw Stream Team for nearly two decades to engage youth in salmon habitat and population restoration efforts.

Two of those projects are the internationally recognized Karnowsky Creek restoration; as well as the Knowles Creek smolt-monitoring trap. That began in 1995 with his suggestion to include students in a “hands-on” trapping and monitoring project. Since then an estimated three-thousand students from Florence and Mapleton have participated.

Flag Day Ceremony Set to Retire Banners

Worn and damaged flags will be retired in Florence once again this weekend as part of the local observance of Flag Day.

The American Legion and VFW posts, along with area firefighters, will join together June 14th in Old Town Florence near Veteran’s Memorial Park for the retirement ceremonies.

The U.S. Flag Code requires flags to be burned rather than simply discarded. For more than a decade local veterans groups have been providing the service; one of the few in Western Oregon.

Residents, businesses and other groups with flags needing to be retired can drop them off at the main fire station at 26th and Highway 101 today or tomorrow… or bring them to the ceremony Saturday evening beginning at five pm.

Welcome!

Olive Patricia Dougherty, 8 lbs, 11 ox., 20-inches, born ten PM, Wednesday, June 11th.