Jail audit affirms; Local resident narrowly misses London attack; Rotary sets another record; School board races shaping up; PeaceHealth Palliative Care; Douglas County libraries to close

Audit shows Sheriff is keeping a promise to voters

For the third straight year, an independent audit of a special operating tax levy to fund jail operations has shown Lane County is using the money as it was promised… to restore local beds in the jail and critical youth treatment facilities.  Sheriff Byron Trapp said independent accounting firm Moss Adams verified the money was spent as intended.  Auditors not only reviewed the accounts, but actually toured the jail.

Byron Trapp – “They didn’t count every bed in the jail that was occupied, but they went into all the housing units that were opening and functioning that accounted for at least the minimum 255 jail beds.”

Trapp says there are, in fact, 317 jail beds for local offenders.  He also said a variety of circumstances combined to reduce costs in the past three years.  Because of that, Trapp requested an amount lower than the 55-cents per thousand approved by voters in 2013.

Byron Trapp – “The amount saved by reducing it from 55-cents to 38-cents I think was around 50 bucks.  Which really speaks to that this is really a very nominal tax for a… what provides for a substantial public safety service.”

That savings, he said, was an average amount for homeowners in Lane County.  Voters are being asked to extend the levy for another five years.  It’s set to expire in 2018, but it is on the May 2017 ballot.

Local resident narrowly misses London Terror attack

Florence City Councilor Joshua Greene was on London’s Westminster Bridge Wednesday morning; just 40-minutes before a man drove his car through a crowd there, killing two people.  The lone attacker then jumped from his car and stabbed a police officer to death before being shot and killed himself.

In a Facebook post to friends, Greene said he was in a cab on his way out of town, crossing the bridge prior to the attack and only learned of it later.  He said the reality of what he had just missed hit him “after the fact.”  Greene said the near miss made him contemplate that the “reality that all of us globally live with is real”.

Greene was in London this week working on final plans for a book about his father, photographer Milton Greene, and his father’s favorite subject, Marilyn Monroe.  He has been working on the book for four years, it’s due to be released in the fall of 2017.

Florence Rotary set third straight fundraising record

The final total raised by the Florence Rotary Club’s annual fund raising dinner and auction was just over $109-thousand.  Auction co-chair Kevin McMullen said that exceeded last year’s results by about ten percent… and it signifies the third straight year of record-breaking results.

McMullen, who headed up the event with Kim Erickson, said there were several items that brought in significant amounts of money, but the highest grossing item was a chance to work side-by-side with Dr. Brian Holmes on a medical mission trip to Central America next fall.  That went for $5,000.

McMullen and Erickson were pleasantly surprised at the entire evening’s results.  They said the money raised will be used for local programs and thousands of dollars in scholarships for local students.

PeaceHealth Palliative Care

The principals involved in the new Palliative Care program at PeaceHealth in Florence have been so successful in implementing their program, they’ve been invited to share it with a statewide audience.

Dr. Stephen Kerner and Medical Social Worker Donna Becker will present their findings April 20th in Hood River at the 2017 Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon.

In addition to what has worked well as they implemented the program, they’ll also talk about the challenges they have faced.

Palliative care serves patients who have been diagnosed with life-limiting illness.  The intention is to help alleviate symptoms and pain, while also treating the underlying disease or cause.

The program was implemented on a limited basis in Florence last year.

Douglas County closing library branches

Douglas County is expecting to be out of the library business by the end of this fiscal year.  County Commissioners in Roseburg ordered the closure of ten branch libraries earlier this year.  The list includes the branch in Reedsport.

The branches will close April 1st.  The main branch in Roseburg is set to close its doors June 1st.

Some of the branch libraries may remain open on a limited basis if local communities organize to staff and supervise them.  That would require intergovernmental agreements between the cities and Douglas County.  Even then they would likely only be allowed to open as “reading rooms” and not be allowed to lend books.  That’s according to Joe Ross.  He is organizing an attempt to keep the libraries open.  He said a hearing is scheduled for April 5th at the Douglas County Courthouse.  Commissioners are trying to find a long-term solution to funding their library system.

School Board Races shaping up

An effort to draw more candidates for local school board elections and give voters a choice seems to be paying off in Florence.  Two of the four seats up for election on the May 16th ballot have drawn challengers to incumbents.

Paul Burns, a U.S. Forest Service fish biologist has served three terms on the board in Position 4.  He is opposed by retired community relations consultant Elizabeth Miller.

At Position 6, Suzanne Mann-Heintz has been serving for six years.  She is a retired teacher.  Long-time area-resident Jesse Chapman is running against her. Chapman did not list an occupation on his filing.

Two other Siuslaw School Board members are running unopposed.  Current Chair Bill McDougle was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2015.  He’s running for the remaining two years of that spot.  John Barnett is seeking reelection to Position 2.

Ballots are scheduled to be mailed April 27th.