27 April 2015
Like pieces of a giant puzzle, a heavy-lift crane placed the sections of the new Siuslaw Kindergarten building into place last Thursday.
Delivery of the modular building had been held up a few days the week before because the size of the sections made them difficult to negotiate some stretches of Highway 101.
The segments were lined up in the Siuslaw Middle School parking lot by midweek, and by late Thursday they had been lifted into the final positions. Interior finish work will take a few more weeks.
Superintendent Ethel Angal said registration for next fall’s kindergarten is underway this week. An evening event for kindergarten students and families will be held May 19th.
Beginning in September, for the first time, Kinders will be attending classes full day. That’s what prompted the new facility. Angal said additional revenue from the State over the next five years will offset the cost of the new building.
Continued cougar sightings prompt another warning
Police and school officials in Florence have issued yet another reminder about several cougar sightings near area schools.
Sightings of a large cat have been made along Kingwood Street, just west of Siuslaw High School over the past few weeks.
Cougars are territorial animals and can range over a large area.
Megan Messmer with the City of Florence said while cougar sightings have increased; other animals can sometimes be mistaken for them. Coyotes, bobcats and even large dogs can be misidentified as cougars. Cougars are usually a consistent “tan or tawny” color, she said, with a very long, distinctive tail. That tail can make up as much as one third the cat’s overall length.
If you encounter a cougar, remember they will often retreat if given the opportunity. Stay calm and stand your ground, while maintaining direct eye contact. If small children are present, pick them up… trying not to bend down or turn your back; then back away slowly. Don’t run… wildlife experts say that could trigger a chase response which could lead to an attack.
Police are asking for people to immediately report any possible sightings.
Oregon link to civil war
The Siuslaw Public Library will be wrapping up a month-long focus on the Civil War’s impact on Oregon with the appearance tomorrow of historian and author Richard Etulain.
He’ll discuss his book, Lincoln and Oregon Country Politics in the Civil War, tomorrow afternoon at one.
Etulain has focused on the history of the West for most of his writing career. His most recent work is about a little-studied part of history… Abraham Lincoln’s ties to Oregon. Before he became the 16th President, Lincoln declined to take the position of territorial governor in Oregon. The library has hosted a series of events this month, recognizing the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination and the end of the Civil War.
One inmate in custody, one still at large
An inmate who escaped yesterday from Shutter Creek Correctional Institution in North Bend is now in custody in the Coos County Jail. Law enforcement officials arrested Daniel Oliver Fullmer this morning.
He was was one of two Oregon Department of Corrections inmates who escaped Sunday morning from the North Bend facility.
The second inmate, 44-year old Harlan Earl Brown, is still at large. He is Caucasian, 5′ 8″, 185 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. At the time of his escape, he was wearing blue jeans with the word “inmate” stenciled in orange on the knees and blue t-shirt with the word “inmate” on the front and back. He may have been wearing red gym shorts.
Anyone with information regarding Brown’s whereabouts is asked to call Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888.
