6 May 2015
On with the show… this is it.
Five young women and four young men will be on stage this evening, each competing to wear a crown and reign over the 108th Rhododendron Festival. The Rhody Scholarship Showcase will feature the five Rhododendron Princesses: Kennedy Roylance, Trista Lane; Courtney King; Bailey Wells; and Natalie Madden. Princes Joseph Dotson; Keoni Castro; Trey Cornish and Jonathan Griffes will compete for the title of King of the Coast.
Last year’s first-ever King of the Coast, Derek Kennedy will co-host the showcase. He said each of the nine will be faced with two separate challenges:
Derek Kennedy – “The talent is very exposing as something that you’ve been working on a very long time to show what you’re good at. And then the platform is something that you talk about that is very near and dear to you. And that was very emotional for me. And I listened to the platforms of the current court last night and I know they’re all going to do a fantastic job.”
The showcase begins at 6:30 this evening at the Florence Events Center. Kennedy’s co-host is Cindy Wobbe. Queen Rhododendra CVIII will reign over next week’s annual festival… she’ll be escorted by the second King of the Coast. Tickets are $13.
Voters asked to approve vehicle registration fee
Lane County is asking voters this month to approve a $35-per-year vehicle registration fee. The fee would generate an estimated $11-million each year that would be split on a 60-40 basis with the 12 incorporated cities in Lane County. Approximately $6.5-million would go directly to the county’s road fund. Lane County Commission Chair Jay Bozievich is asking for approval.
Jay Bozievich – “Voters should say yes because what we’re looking for is a local solution to a local problem of road maintenance. That’s also a regional solution, that’ll be shared with the cities.”
Bozievich says the county’s share would be used only for making repairs and doing maintenance of roads and bridges.
Dunes City Councilor Ed Scarberry… who makes it clear he’s speaking for himself… says he’s going to vote no.
Ed Scarberry – “It’s a permanent tax… excuse me… a fee.”
Scarberry is opposed to the fee on a variety of fronts. While he didn’t offer an alternative, he believes officials have not worked hard enough to find another source of money.
Ed Scarberry – “You know to me it’s a permanent fix to maybe a temporary problem. We know the economy is down and budgets are down and the county has a lack of funds.”
Bozievich and Scarberry will be on this afternoon’s Our Town on KCST where they’ll speak more in depth about their positions. Our Town airs on 106.9 from 4 to 6 PM.
Earthquake Time Bombs
An emeritus Oregon State University geologist accurately predicted last month’s devastating earthquake in Nepal. Robert Yeats is also one of the first scientists to point out the risks of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Oregon Coast; and just a week before the catastrophic earthquake five years ago in Haiti, talked about the tectonic risks in that region. That quake subsequently flattened most of Port Au Prince and claimed more than 100-thousand lives
Yeats recently completed “Earthquake Time Bombs”, a study of several areas that may be subject to seismic disasters. In it, he pointed out the risks in Kathmandu, Nepal.
His book will be published later this year.
Other so-called “ticking time bombs” Yeats identified: Tehran, the capital of Iran; Kabul in Afghanistan; Jerusalem; Caracas, Venezuela; Guantanamo, Cuba; Los Angeles; and the Pacific Northwest.
While scientists cannot yet accurately predict an earthquake, Yeats said they can identify potential trouble, allowing officials and residents to take steps to minimize casualties and damage should a quake occur.
Ford-AAA Auto Skills competition set this week
20 high school juniors and seniors representing ten different Oregon High Schools will meet this Friday in Gresham for the 2015 Ford-Triple-A Auto Skills competition.
One of those teams will be from Siuslaw High School… it will consist of Jeff Anderson and Kyle Jones, led by instructor and coach Travis Blake.
Anderson and Jones will race the clock to correctly identify and repair intentionally installed “bugs” in a 2015 Ford Fiesta SE.
Teams must properly diagnose and repair their vehicle, then drive it across the finish line at Mt. Hood Community College. Their accuracy and workmanship will be judged.
The highest ranking team will represent Oregon at the National Finals, June 7th, 8th, and 9th, at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
Early visit to church, nets mid-morning visit to jail
Police in Florence arrested a Eugene man early Sunday morning on charges of burglary, trespass and theft.
An intrusion alarm just before 4:30 AM at the New Life Lutheran Church brought an officer to that location on Spruce Street. He saw someone inside.
The man came out, carrying property that had been taken from within the church. 42-year old Jason Eugene Sherman was arrested.
The case has been submitted to the Lane County District Attorney.
