Local elections driven by fire and ambulance agreement
Voters in Western Lane County will be deciding between a pair of candidates for at least one position on the Western Lane Ambulance District board of directors. Anne Stonelake is completing her fifth term and has drawn opposition in her reelection bid. Larry Farnsworth says he wants to preserve an intergovernmental agreement finalized last year between the district and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue. Fire Chief Jim Langborg is now overseeing both agencies, but just a few months into that agreement Stonelake said she wanted to end it.
Farnsworth says it just began and both agencies have too much invested in it bail out without giving it a chance.
That intergovernmental agreement appears to be driving two races for the fire board as well. Ron Green is running against Marvin Tipler. Tipler recently retired from Siuslaw Valley Fire and reportedly clashed with his former boss Langborg several times.
Ned Hickson is seeking the other open seat on the fire board. Hickson spoke out at a public meeting in August 2015 regarding declininng morale and the loss of volunteers. His opponent is Crystal Farnsworth, Larry Farnsworth’s spouse.
The filing period for the May 16th election ends late next week… March 16th.
***Earlier versions of the story indicated that Hickson had spoken in support of firing Jim Langborg during that August 2015 meeting. Hickson clarified that he was speaking as the president of the volunteer firefighter’s association and was voicing concerns about the morale and decline in volunteers under Langborg’s leadership. His main concern was for everyone to “come together for the good of the department and the community”.
Where to go when the lights go out?
One of the biggest questions facing officials this summer during the solar eclipse could be “where will everyone go?” Literally…
Portable restrooms were just one topic of discussion February 23rd when representatives of Governor Kate Brown hosted an interagency meeting in Waldport to talk about the August 21st solar eclipse. It’s slated to cross the continental United States beginning at Lincoln County on the Oregon Coast.
And, it is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Oregon, stretching lodging and dining capabilities, along with public safety, sanitation and transportation.
Scott Stewart was at the meeting on behalf of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. He said one bit of information he picked up: during an eclipse in Australia recently more than twice as many people showed up to watch as what had been planned for.
Local seafood?
Do you know where that seafood you’re eating came from? After all, you live on the Oregon Coast so it must have come right out of the Pacific Ocean. Right?
Not always. Finding truly local seafood can be hard according to Port Orford food and travel writer Jennifer Burns Bright. She says about 90-percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, while at the same time, a nearly equal amount of locally harvested bounty is exported. That applies, she adds, to the Oregon Coast as well.
Bright will be at Siuslaw Public Library March 15th to talk about the traditions and challenges of seafood in Oregon. Her presentation is part of the “Conversation Project” offered by Oregon Humanities and aims to engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives.
Her presentation will be March 15th, one pm at the Bromley Room.
Job Fair
33 different employers will be making their pitches to potential workers March 23rd during the annual community job fair at Three Rivers Casino and Resort.
Pam Hickson, a recruitment specialist for Three Rivers and the Confederated Tribes says in addition to getting a large number of potential employees in the same room as nearly three-dozen businesses, there will also be several job placement and training resources on hand.
The Oregon Department of Employment will be there along with other agencies that provide technical and physical assistance.
The job fair is free to all involved and will run from ten am to three pm at the casino Thursday, March 23rd.
Rifle raffle
A vintage World-War II M-1 rifle is being recycled again. The 30-caliber weapon was manufactured in January 1945. Cal Applebee with the Oregon Coast Military Museum says it was the “iconic weapon” carried by GI’s throughout that war, and the conflict in Korea.
The museum has one on display right now, courtesy of the Florence Post of the VFW. That organization is selling raffle tickets for the rifle to help bolster their building fund.
VFW Post Commander Paul Gargis said this is the second time they’ve raffled the rifle… Last year’s winner donated it back to “do it all over again”.
Tickets are just ten-dollars each and can be purchased from any VFW member… or at the museum on Kingwood Street. It’s open Thursday through Saturday each week from ten to four.
The winning ticket will be drawn Saturday, July 1st during the annual Wings and Wheels fly-in and car show at the airport.
