JANUARY 10, 2015 WWW.THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM COUPONS INSIDE www.shoppelocal.biz SATURDAY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF FLORENCE • DUNES CITY • WESTLAKE • MAPLETON • SWISSHOME • DEADWOOD • YACHATS AND ALL POINTS BETWEEN 124 Y T H E A R • I S S U E N O . 91 NOVEMBER 15 • 2014 $1.00 Hanging on, letting go BLACK Favorite Front Pages of 2014 T This sixth annual Favorite Front Pages sec- tion celebrates 12 of the best front pages of 2014, recognizing some of the year’s most creative photography and layouts, as well as significant articles about important local events. For a closer look, view these pages online at www.TheSiuslawNews.com. These are our Favorite Front Pages of 2014... MAGENTA CYAN The process begins and ends at the editing table, where staff look through photographs and decide which best represent the stories that will make the front page. From there, the process moves on to the design stage, where the lead photo is chosen and layout ideas are considered. Among the consider- ations are how the elements of color and graphic design work together to create an eye-catching front page that compliments the lead photo while, at the same time, not overshadowing the news elements. YELLOW wice each week, the editorial staff at the Siuslaw News is faced with the question of what to put on the cover of the newspaper. The decision is rarely a simple one. Staff members consider the merits of news stories as well as elements of style and design, including photos and head- lines, that chronicle the events, people and happenings within our community. Clockwise from top: Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara announces the release of balloons adorned with special messages, prayers and memories; family and friends of Weston Bowman and Abby Boydston wave goodbye as the balloons take flight from the Mapleton High School football field; the group waits in the cover of the bleachers for a break in the rain; Mapleton senior Katie Dearman, wearing a “Sailors Forever” T-shirt in honor of Bowman and Boydston, leads the way to the field for Thursday’s ceremony; and students write personal messages to be released skyward. Mapleton students and community send thoughts and prayers skyward in memory of Abby Boydston and Weston Bowman. A week to the day after the tragic auto accident that injured three Mapleton students and claimed the lives of MHS freshman S TORY AND P HOTOS BY N ED H ICKSON Siuslaw News Weston Bowman and senior Abby Boydston, friends and family gathered to remember and celebrate their lives by writing messages on balloons and then letting them go. “We mourned their loss ear- lier this week. Today, we are remembering what made them so special to us,” said Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara. The catalyst for the celebra- tion was Mapleton senior Katie Dearman, who had seen a simi- lar ceremony for students in Arizona. “I just wanted to do some- thing special, so I put the word out to friends and family after the memorial,” said Dearman who, with the cooperation of friends and the school, was able to organize the celebration in time for Thursday. Balloons were provided by Safeway for $1 each, with the final cost being covered by a Sheriff, OSP increase patrols on Highway 126 The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating with Oregon State Police to decrease motor vehicle acci- dents on Highway 126 between Eugene and the coast. Additional patrols will be out on Highway 126 reminding motorists to slow down and drive safely. The sheriff’s office is funding additional INSIDE S AT U R D AY Ambulance Angling Births Classifieds A2 B1 A2 B7 Community Opinion SideShow Sports patrols with a grant adminis- tered by the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association. The length of time patrols will have an added presence on the highway will be determined by the grant. The Sheriff’s Office also has placed a speed indication trail- er on Highway 126 to help increase driver awareness of Your A5 A4 B6 B their speed in an effort to slow down those who may be exceeding the speed limit. The speed trailer is placed in areas around Lane County at the request of residents or staff who have observed frequent speeding on particular road- ways. The speed trailer is managed and placed by Sheriff’s Office Weather T ODAY S UNDAY M ONDAY T UESDAY Sun, rain, clouds 50 38 Mostly sunny 53 42 Mostly cloudy 56 46 Partly sunny 56 49 Volunteers, and has been suc- cessful at slowing down speed- ing motorists in many commu- nities in Lane County. Sheriffs hope to be able to have the speed trailer on Highway 126 for at least the next few weeks. While the patrols are See SPORTS — B 126 6A pair of anonymous donors who overheard the conversation while shopping in the store. As the rains pounded the football field Thursday after- noon, everyone gathered in the bleachers waiting for a break in the downpour. When it finally came, participants holding nearly 100 balloons walked down to the field. After a quiet moment, the group simultaneously released their wishes, prayers and mem- ories into the sky in memory and celebration of Bowman, 16, and Boydston, 17, who will be “Sailors Forever.” Free Lunch Program in jeopardy of closing The Community Free Lunch Program is in jeopardy of closing due to a lack of volunteers to help prepare and serve the hot soup lunches. The free lunch program was started by the Florence United Methodist Church in 1995, using the kitchen and meeting facility adjacent to the church sanctuary on Kingwood at Second Street. See LUNCH 6A