2 October 2014
School Forum tomorrow on food service
Parents and other members of the community are being invited to talk about school food-service programs during a special forum tomorrow morning. Kari Blake is the Siuslaw School District Business Manager. For the past several months she has been gathering information on whether or not Siuslaw could take the food-service program “in house”.
The district currently contracts with North Carolina based Chartwells; which provides meals to about 575 school districts nationwide. That contract ends in June of next year.
Advantages of going “in-house” include more flexibility and direct control over costs and content of the meals. But, there are advantages to contracting the service out as well.
Blake says input from district residents would be “very valuable” in helping the Board of Directors make a decision.
That forum is set for the district office at ten AM.
Pot Taxes Considered
Lane County Commissioners directed staff this week to begin drafting ordinances that would allow for a sales tax to be levied on both recreational and medical marijuana.
The former would be contingent on voter approval of recreational use of pot.
The move follows similar actions on the part of the Cities of Eugene and Springfield. Florence City Councilors make take up the discussion next week.
Measure 91 contains language that would bar cities and counties from tacking their own taxes onto the measure’s proposed state tax. But, some local governments believe their taxes would be grandfathered if enacted prior to the November Fourth election.
Fuel Prices Continue Fall
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Florence is at the lowest price it’s been since early April.
This morning’s average cash price at the five local stations is $3.60… down seven cents from last week… and 23-cents a gallon less than it was September First.
By contrast, the statewide average price as measured by Triple-A is down five cents in the past week to $3.67.
According to Triple-A the national average price fell this week to $3.38 a gallon.
Pancakes Battle Neo Natal Tetanus
The pancake breakfast that will start this weekend’s Oktoberfest at the Florence Events Center will be one of several organized by Kiwanis Club members in the Northwest.
Proceeds from the pancake feed will go towards supporting the eradication of maternal and neo-natal tetanus, a condition that kills an estimated 60-thousand children every year.
Oktoberfest is organized by the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, which is selling advance tickets to the German food and music celebration for $10. Six dollars of that goes to Kiwanis.
Florence Kiwanis Past President Gary Vawter, who is in charge of the breakfast, said a local donor has also stepped up and said she will match every ticket sold with another $6 of her own up to a maximum of $1,200.
Advance tickets are available today and tomorrow at the Chamber Visitor Center and Coast Radio; they’re also available at the Florence Events Center Saturday morning from 8 to 11.
