10 December 2014
Investigators Say Sunday Fire Was Intentional
Investigators aren’t stating the cause of a fire that destroyed a Florence law office; but they are now saying the Sunday morning blaze was intentionally set.
Siuslaw Valley Fire Marshall Sean Barrett, two Oregon State Police arson investigators and a Deputy State Fire Marshall spent a total of 22 hours at the 1932 Pine Street location.
It’s been marked as a crime scene.
Oregon State Police are taking the lead on the investigation; they’re assisted by the Florence P.D.
Barrett said the fire cause investigation took longer than usual because of the severity of the blaze.
29 firefighters, with 12 pieces of apparatus spent four hours extinguishing the fire Sunday morning.
STEP cycle begins anew
Volunteers with the Salmon Trout Enhancement Program spent one morning last week spawning four-pair of adult hatchery Coho salmon that had returned to their facility on Munsel Creek.
That work translated into more than 10-thousand fertilized eggs incubating at their small hatchery facility.
The volunteers have set up a new water bath system for the eggs after losing their entire stock last year. Possible water contamination from Munsel Creek was cited as the likely cause.
STEP President Ron Caputo said this year they’re taking water direct from the City’s well field, filtering it and exposing it to ultra-violet light before it flows over the egg trays.
The eggs will be reared at the hatchery and, after having their fins clipped to identify them as hatchery raised, will be released.
(an earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the number of fertilized eggs at 100-thousand. Coast Radio regrets the error.)
Storms could bring debris to roads
The Oregon Department of Transportation has issued a travel advisory for the Highway 38 corridor east of Reedsport. Possible debris flows could deposit mud and rocks on the road surface in several locations.
Similar warnings are posted today for roads in several parts of Western Oregon.
State Land Board facing dilemma
The state of Oregon is looking for an unusual buyer for the Elliott State Forest – some mix of private and public ownership that would leave areas open to hikers and hunters.
Meeting Tuesday, the State Land Board directed its staff to develop a proposal to elicit offers to buy the 90,000-acre state forest in the Coast Range south of Reedsport, keeping as much as possible in public ownership.
Board spokeswoman Julie Curtis says it could be ready for the board’s June meeting.
The board – made of the governor, secretary of state and state treasurer – is looking for some way out of difficult problem.
They are required by law to maximize forest revenue to benefit schools. But court rulings upholding protections for threatened birds have stymied timber sales.
Local gas prices continue to be lower than state average
The average cash price for a gallon of regular gas in Florence held steady this week at $2.88… while the statewide average fell by eight cents. It’s still a nickel higher than the local average at $2.93
Triple-A also reports the nationwide average price for regular fell by 11 cents and is now at $2.65 a gallon.
Continued falls in wholesale prices are the cause of declining rates that are at their lowest in four years. Analysts with Triple A estimate nationwide prices could fall below $2.50 by Christmas.
Accused Lincoln County woman searched internet for defense
Prosecutors have told a judge that a woman accused of throwing her 6-year-old autistic son off the Yaquina Bay bridge in Newport had earlier done Internet research on the terms “guilty but insane” and “not guilty by reason of insanity.”
Jillian McCabe will undergo a mental health evaluation at the state mental hospital in Salem later this month. The 34-year-old Waldport woman’s lawyers earlier asked the court to determine if she was mentally fit to stand trial.
Police say a woman called 911 on the night of Nov. 3 to report she had thrown her son off the Yaquina Bay Bridge.
Emergency crews and the Coast Guard searched for hours before London McCabe’s body was found.
Jillian McCabe has been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder, and manslaughter. Her next court appearance is set for Dec. 22.
