Misleading voter letters; Vision Keepers; the disappearing whale; business scam warning; SOLVE beach cleanup; and “build your own bill”.

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Secretary of State warns of misleading voter registration letters

Election officials in Oregon are reporting the receipt of several complaints from voters who have received letters from the Voter Participation Center.  Those letters say the recipient is not registered to vote, when in many instances they are.  Several of the letters also contain outdated information such as incorrect names and addresses.

The Voter Participation Center is a national non-profit group with the mission of increasing election participation among millennials, people of color, and single women.

A press release from the VPC says more than 11-million notices were sent to voters in 18 states, including Oregon, earlier this month.  In most cases the recipients are currently registered to vote, even though the mailer says they are not.

Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins said “unfortunately, these mailings often cause more confusion than necessary”.  She urges people with questions about their voter registration status to visit www-dot-oregon votes-dot-gov, or contact their county clerk.

Vision Keepers meeting to monitor progress

The group that has been quietly working for the past two years to develop a “vision” for the community will get together briefly tomorrow morning.

The Siuslaw Vision Keepers recently completed the process of surveying thousands of area residents and developed a list of target goals.  Those goals are things like creating a series of small community centers; increasing transportation options; improved access to medical care; and development of “workforce housing”.

The Vision Keepers is a steering committee that arose from that process.  Their purpose, according to co-chair Suzy Lacer, is to help accomplish the goals in that vision.

The Vision Keepers will meet at Siuslaw Public Library, Thursday morning from 8:15 to 9:45.

Beached whale washes out, then returns

First it was there, then it was gone, then it reappeared.

A dead humpback whale that washed up on a northern Oregon beach over the weekend was gone Monday morning when researchers arrived to examine the carcass and try to determine why it died.

All that was left was a 35-pound kidney.  Scientists said it appeared the whale had been dead for quite some time before washing ashore.  It had apparently decomposed enough that it left the organ behind when a high tide overnight Sunday washed it back to sea.

Not to worry… by late Tuesday it had reappeared two miles south on a beach at Oswald West State Park.

Scientists plan on conducting a necropsy Thursday.  Meanwhile, Oregon Parks and Recreation personnel will be stationed on the beach through Sunday to talk with visitors about the giant mammal… and also to advise people to stay away from it.

Business scam warned

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is warning of yet another scam attempted against area businesses.

Sergeant Carrie Carver said they received a report of a man who contacted a business in person, saying he was there to collect $5-thousand on an advertising contract.   When the business operator refused, the man left, but a woman called shortly thereafter saying the amount had now doubled to $10-thousand… and threatened legal action.

Carver said in this case, no money was paid and there was no knowledge of a legitimate contract.

She offered some tips to business owners… be wary of documents represented as being legal that do not look professional, or appear to have been altered; and she added, ensure invoices are from a legitimate company that you have done business with.

She also pointed out that legitimate businesses do not generally collect in person, nor will they used threats or coercion.

Fall beach cleanup

This Saturday is the Fall installment of the semi-annual Great Oregon Beach Cleanup.  Thousands of volunteers are expected on Oregon beaches to pick up trash and debris that has been left behind by visitors, the wind and the surf.

The day coincides with National Public Lands Day September 24th.  That means day use fees at Siuslaw National Forest sites will be waived… fees at Oregon State Parks will remain in effect for the day.

The cleanup… organized by SOLVE… has expanded away from the coastline in the past several years and includes cleanups along several waterways in Oregon.

You can go to www-dot-solve Oregon-dot-org for more information.

Build your own bill

Oregon Lawmakers are in Salem the rest of this week, meeting in committees as they prepare for the next session in February.  State Senator Arnie Roblan says while he is in the office he’s inviting constituents to engage in the process.

Arnie Roblan – “The end of this week, the beginning of next week, we have unlimited number of bills that we can introduce.  And one of the things that we’ve done in our office is that if a person really has an idea that they think they want is really going to make all the difference in the world, we may not agree with it but we’re going to go get it written for them and we’re going to give them the knowledge to see that through if they can.”

He says he will listen to your concern and guide you through the process of having the bill written and introduced into the next legislative session.