Lane County Administrator looks back to prepare for new year

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State of the County to be delivered January 4th

With just five weeks remaining in the year, Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohiskey (mo-kro-HI-skee) is getting ready to move on to 2016.   Part of that process is looking back on the past year.

Steve Mokrohiskey – “You know I think we’ve made a lot of progress. You know we have developed a new strategic plan in late 2014. Closing out goals we’ve accomplished, moving on to new goals. You know we have a tough budget challenge heading into next fiscal year. So, part of our conversation is going to be how do we pull together a responsible budget that maintains core public safety services for the community.”

Mokrohiskey is working with Lane County Commission Chair Jay Bozievich on preparing the annual “State of the County” address that will be delivered by Bozievich January 4th.

Mokrohisky will also appear on tomorrow’s Our Town on KCST to talk about the ongoing county Parks Master Plan update. Our Town airs Wednesday from four to six on KCST, then Thursday morning from ten until noon on KCFM.

Anne Frank Auditions set

Auditions for the Last Resort Players presentation of the Diary of Anne Frank will be held this weekend. Directors Jennifer Connor and Cathy Dupont will team up again. Connor says the pair “enjoy creating pieces of drama that make you think and ponder history.”

Ann Frank’s diary is the most famous account of life during the Holocaust and has been read by millions of people.

Ten roles will be cast. Three, including the title role, will be for actors 12 to 18 years of age. Seven more will be cast for more mature actors.

The Last Resort Players will present the Diary of Anne Frank in April 2016. Auditions will be at the Florence Events Center Saturday One PM, then on Sunday at two.

Garbage fees blamed for illegal dumping

Douglas County has seen a 65-percent increase in littering calls since implementing a $3-per-can fee for trash disposal at transfer sites. Piles of trash have been accumulating in forests and woodlands across Douglas County. Timber Deputy Rick Held told the Roseburg News-Review that people have been dumping five or six bags at a time. Animals then get into the trash, spreading it across wide areas.

Douglas County commissioner Chris Boice said the county anticipated an increase in illegal dumping when they instituted the fee, so they built some money into the landfill budget for work crews to supervise and clean up illegal dump sites.

Up close and personal… with a mountain lion

Dave Thompson spent one summer as a seasonal ranger in California’s Redwoods National Park. He lived an idyllic life, most evenings just watching the wildlife.

What had been a peaceful coexistence changed one evening when he found himself in the middle of a hunt… standing between a mountain lion and its prey.

Thompson will retell that story this weekend at the Cape Perpetua Visitor’s Center. Thompson is the Siuslaw National Forest’s interpretive specialist. He’ll tell his tale and talk about the life and behavior of the secretive and oft-maligned cougar at two pm, Saturday.