1 May 2015
Learn how to grow your own at tomorrow’s green fair
Having a green thumb isn’t as mportant as having good dirt when you’re planting your garden.
In fact, says Lisa Walter-Sedlacek, it is all about the dirt. She says having nutrient packed, organic soil when it’s time to plant your garden can make all the difference in the world.
She and her staff at Laurel Bay Gardens have been working on developing their “Gro-More” potting soil. They’ll be offering free samples of it this weekend during the Florence Green Fair.
In addition to the dirt, they’ll have displays of native and other compatible flowers, trees and shrubs… things that can either attract wildlife to your yard if that’s what you like… or plants that will discourage the deer if that’s what you prefer.
Laurel Bay Gardens will also be helping “Jack” grow his bean stalk… a kid’s potting station will be set up and every kid can plant their own bean plant to take home
The Green Fair is from ten until four tomorrow at the Florence Events Center.
Axial eruption
Scientists at Oregon State University and the University of North Carolina say an undersea volcano 300-miles off the Oregon Coast is currently erupting… just as they predicted.
Geologists Bill Chadwick of OSU, and UNC’s Scott Nooner said last fall their research showed how Axial Seamount inflates and deflates similar to a balloon in a repeatable pattern as it responds to magma being fed into it.
The region has been showing signs of seismic activity and flowing magma below the surface with thousands of tiny earthquakes and a drop in the sea floor of about eight feet.
Chadwick, who works at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, said “it’s not yet clear whether the earthquakes and the deflation at Axial are related to a full-blown eruption.”
He added there are some “hints” that lava did erupt, but they won’t know for sure until they can get there with a research ship.
He and Nooner predicted the last eruption at Axial… four years ago.
Local tribe opening second casino
Call it TRC-two if you want… but the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians call it Three Rivers Casino Coos Bay.
It’s set to open next week in the Empire District of Coos Bay. Tribal Council chair Bob Garcia says it’s smaller than Three Rivers in Florence and will offer more limited gaming because of its classification under federal rules.
But, he added, it will still employ as many as 100 people.
Garcia told the World Newspaper in Coos Bay they are aiming for a local trade and an atmosphere resembling the TV bar “Cheers”.
It will be only a few miles away from the Coquille (KO-kwell) Tribe’s Mill Casino in Coos Bay.
Rotary honors speech contest winner
Andrew Dewberry won first prize in the Florence Rotary Club’s 4-way speech contest last month. The home-school high school sophomore will present his speech, based on the Rotary Club’s guiding principal… the Four Way Test… May 9th in Eugene at the District 5110 speech contest.
In his speech, Dewberry talked about recognizing unsung heroes as part of that four way test… Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And will it be beneficial to all concerned?
He won a $500 cash prize for winning the local contest. Second place and $350 went to foreign exchange student Kashni Kalra from Siuslaw High School. He talks about “immersion in a culture”.
Local bank consolidating operations in Florence
Florence based Oregon Pacific Bank will be consolidating all of its local services in the main branch by August First.
OPB will be closing the in-store branch at Safeway on that date.
A bank spokesperson said despite a growth in the number of local banking clients, transactions at the Safeway branch have steadily decreased over the past two years.
President and CEO Ron Green said they’ll be offering Saturday banking at the main branch and the drive up teller lanes will be open Saturday mornings.
Green added online and mobile services are always available to bank clients who need access to their banking at any time.
