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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2015)
WEDNESDAY WWW.THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM 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 . 48 JUNE 18 • 2014 75 C E N T S Two die in plane crash at North Jetty A Florence-area pilot and his pas- senger died in a Sunday morning plane crash into the Pacific Ocean near the entrance to the Siuslaw River. Richard Munger, 68, was found dead in the ocean surf off the North Jetty, June 15, after the U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a boat from the Siuslaw River Station and a helicopter from the North Bend Station in response to a 9-1-1 call. Family, friends plan to gather Friday for a celebration of life. The public is invited. S TORY AND P HOTO BY T HERESA B AER Siuslaw News Munger had been flying his small, single-engine Grumman American AA5 on a short scenic trip on Father’s Day along the coast with his grandson, Benjamin Dressler, 15, of Washington state. Witnesses at the Florence Municipal Airport saw Munger and a passenger take off Sunday morning, and some said they later heard his return approach, perhaps as little as a half-hour after take off. But the plane took off again before landing, possibly to try another approach. Witnesses said that Munger was an experienced pilot and that the weather — overcast with low clouds — may have been a factor in the crash. According to Senior Chief James Greenlief, the officer in charge at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River, a number of agencies, including the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Coast Guard North Bend, Oregon State Police and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue, responded to a call that came in around 9:45 a.m., June 15, in which witnesses who were jogging near the North Jetty reported hearing a low-flying plane enter the water. A Coast Guard helicopter crew first See PLANE 7A S TORY AND P HOTO BY J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News With the help of grants and volunteers, the Florence Food Share garden has grown in size and variety. If properly nurtured, a single seed can grow to produce an entire bushel of tomatoes. The same holds true for ideas, like the Florence Food Share’s raised garden project, launched in 1993 with a few raised beds and a handful of volunteer gardeners. This unassuming beginning has grown into one of the state’s most successful food share programs. Today, Florence Food Share has the smallest per- cent of reliance on Lane County Food Bank of the more than 100 food pantries in Lane County, due in no small part to the success of the Florence Food Share garden. Florence Food Share Executive Director Norma Barton explained. “Currently Florence Food Share has 42 raised beds covering over 10,000 square feet, two high tunnel green houses, 10,000-gallon rainwater catchment tanks, a timed irrigation system and composting bins.” With the help of several grants and many volun- teer gardeners, the program continues to expand. “In 2011 Food Share produced 2,600 pounds of food; in 2012 we installed the first high tunnel greenhouse and production increased to 6,000 pounds,” Barton said. “In 2013 the harvest jumped to more than 9,000 pounds. We have chard, onions, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, cilantro, beans, egg- plant, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, snow peas and carrots. It’s incredible, just incredi- ble.” The addition of the high tunnel green house not only allowed Florence Food Share to lengthen the growing season to nearly year-round, but also allowed the planting of crops needing a warmer climate, such as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. On average, the temperature inside the greenhouse stays 20 degrees warmer than outside. “We installed our second high tower greenhouse last month and for this year we are hoping for 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of food,” Barton said. As ideal as this all sounds, there is no perfect world, especially when it comes to compost gar- dening in bear country. The composting area in the back is adjacent to nine acres of undeveloped land that is home to a group of local black bears. This has presented more than a few problems. Police Scoreboard Sports Tides Weather Firefighters tackle major blaze in Florentine Estates B Y T HERESA B AER A2 B2 B B1 A2 Florence Food Share is an emergency food pantry serving Florence, Westlake, and Dunes City. Many people are surprised to learn that they qualify for assistance under the 2015 eligibility guidelines. The application process is simple and food may be picked up the same day. Clients are treated with dignity and respect, and all infor- mation is confidential. The shopping-style pantry has an informal and welcoming atmosphere where clients self-select items suitable for their households. Bread, surplus produce and foods with a short shelf life are available in the pantry lobby to everyone who can use them; no registration or sign-in required for lobby selections. Our energetic and compassionate volunteers make Food Share what it is. We can always use more! They pick up donations from local retailers, greet folks who come in, assist shoppers, break down bulk products for easier distribution, help in the warehouse and garden, and love what they do. Come in and check us out. We are located behind Gro- Family Size Monthly Income Annual Income cery Outlet, in the north end of 1 $1,799 $21,590 the parking lot of the New Life 2 $2,425 $29,101 Lutheran Church. Donations of 3 $3,051 $36,612 food are accepted at the pantry 4 $3,677 $44,123 from 8:30am-3:30pm each week- 5 $4,303 $51,634 day. Please come around to the 6 $4,929 $59,145 back of the pantry for all dona- 7 $5,555 $66,656 tions. We also accept money! 8* $6,181 $74,167 Donations are tax deductible. For each additional member, add $626 per month. Por cada miembro adicional, agregue $626 por mes. ***Rates effective July 1, 2014 - June 30th, 2015*** Siuslaw News On Thursday, June 12, about 2:30 in the morning, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue was called to a fire in Florentine Estates. At 628 Glenbrook Circle, RV and car garages attached to a 1,369-square-foot manufactured home, as well as an adjacent RV garage, were involved in a major fire. Falling debris made it difficult for firefighters to get close to the blaze, and it took two hours for 16 firefighters and eight pieces of apparatus to extinguish the fires. According to Fire Marshal Sean Barrett, the fire traveled into the attic space of the manufac- tured home and the department’s ladder truck was used to extin- guish from above. No injuries were reported. The fire became two separate fires, spreading manpower between a property at 627 Glenbrook and the main engulfed building. FOOD 7A Weather T ODAY T HURSDAY F RIDAY S ATURDAY Partly sunny 63 50 Partly cloudy 64 52 Partly sunny 63 50 Partly cloudy 63 50 4 • F AVORITE F RONT P AGES 2014 PHOTO BY LOU INVERNON Firefighting crews worked simultaneously on two properties on Glenbrook Circle last Thursday. One home and its garage and motor home were destroyed. Damage to the property at 628 Glenbrook Circle, the home of Glen Howson, is estimated at Sports—B Ambulance A2 Classifieds B5 Library Tidings A5 Obituaries A2 Opinion A4 PHOTO BY THERESA BAER/SIUSLAW NEWS Miller Park was briefly the newest “dog park” in town June 14, during the first Bark For Life held in Florence. Participants walked the park, like Relay For Life events, with their canine companions to raise money for the Florence Relay, which is set for August. The first walk Saturday was led by Anthony Nickolaus, a Korean War veteran and cancer survivor. After the offi- cial walk, guests could visit booths, a silent auction and dog agility course. The Bark For Life project raised about $2,500, which will go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Florence. Your INSIDE W E D N E S D AY Food Share would like to help! First-time event, Bark For Life raises cancer awareness, research funds Florence Food Share bounty continues to grow See D O Y OU K NOW S OMEONE W HO M IGHT B E H UNGRY ? $185,000 for the structure and $200,000 for contents, including a 38-foot motor home. The property next door, owned See WE WANT TO HELP -- WE CAN HELP! FIRE 6A Open 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Mon. thru Fri. 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Mon. & Wed. 2190 Spruce Street – 541-997-9110 PO Box 2514, Florence, OR 97439 www.florencefoodshare.org