The Siuslaw news., April 11, 2015, Image 1

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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF FLORENCE • DUNES CITY • WESTLAKE • MAPLETON • SWISSHOME • DEADWOOD • YACHATS AND ALL POINTS BETWEEN
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APRIL
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Schools
unhappy
with state
budget
BETS
Legislators stress
social services over
public education
•
2015
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Following on the heels of the
Oregon House of Representa-
tives, the state Senate passed
the $7.255 billion K-12 educa-
tion budget April 6, and Gov.
Kate Brown is expected to sign
the two-year school funding
plan soon. Both Siuslaw and
Mapleton school district super-
intendents, however, oppose the
amount approved.
“The new budget stops us in
our tracks as far as adding back
things into our program that
have been gone for several
years due to recession cut-
backs,” Siuslaw Superintendent
Ethel Angal said.
Mapleton Superintendent
Jodi O’Mara said, “Yes, the leg-
islature is talking about allocat-
ing more money than they did
two years ago, but there has
been an increase in the number
of students. And they have
mandated increased services,
like full-day kindergarten.”
In an address to the state
Senate, prior to the passage of
the budget, Sen. Arnie Roblan
explained why other areas of
the state’s budget were taking
priority over education.
“We have an obligation to
take care of our kids throughout
the budgeting process,” Roblan
said. “We are not budgeting in a
vacuum and the big picture has
to take into account all the
things we need to do to take
care of our kids.”
Roblan listed examples of
state programs that were com-
peting with the education budg-
et for dollars: the Oregon
Health Plan, self-sufficiency
programs, the Emergency
Housing program, the Oregon
Hunger Response Fund and the
Low Income Rental Assistance
program.
“Every area of the budget is
interconnected with the others,”
Roblan said.
See
BUDGET 6A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Siuslaw News
PHOTO BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Dunes City Mayor Rebecca Ruede engages in a friendly game of tug-of-war with Florence Mayor Joe Henry. Ruede challenged Henry
to host a team in Dunes City’s third annual Oregon Dunes Triathlon and Duathlon set for Saturday, May 9, at Honeyman State Park.
Florence accepts Dunes City’s challenge for duathlon race
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
I
n February, Dunes City Council issued a chal-
lenge to Florence City Council to participate in
the Oregon Dunes Duathlon on May 9. Florence
mayor Joe Henry accepted the challenge and this
week announced the team.
“Our team will be City Manager Erin Reynolds
and Councilor Susy Lacer,” said Henry. “We are rar-
ing to go. ... I will of course be there to cheer on our
winning team at the finish line.”
Dunes City’s team consists of councilors Maurice
Sanders and Duke Wells.
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce executive
director Cal Applebee said, “The two in the Dunes
City team are veterans. They’ve done it for a couple
of years, but they’re old guys. The Florence team are
the rookies, and they’re the younger gals.”
“Experience makes the difference a lot of times, I
think,” said Dunes City Mayor Rebecca Ruede.
The duathlon features both a bike and running
course. The triathlon includes a swim through
Woahink Lake.
The mayor from the winning team in this chal-
lenge gets to put the mayor from the losing team to
work for three hours of community service.
“I’m going to the mayor of Veneta on Tuesday to
get her to participate,” Ruede said. “She may get in
on it, too.”
The mayors hope that their involvement will help
other participants sign up for the annual duathlon or
triathlon.
Ruede added, “Mayoral bragging rights will be
well worth the energy and publicity that we put into
this.”
The Oregon Dunes Triathlon and Duathlon begins
May 9 at Woahink Lake and continues through
Honeyman State Park, south of Florence. Events run
from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Go to oregondunestriathlon.com for more infor-
mation and to register.
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
‘Once Upon a Mattress’ opens this weekend as CROW preps for new building
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
PHOTO BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Cecile Fleming as the Jester dances with Topher
Keppol as the King and Nyah Vollmar as the Minstrel
in CROW’s “Once Upon a Mattress” at the FEC.
SPORTS — B
INSIDE
S AT U R D AY
Angling
Births
Classifieds
Community
Courts
B1
A2
B7
A5
A2
In Brief
Obituaries
Opinion
SideShow
Sports
Children’s Repertory of
Oregon Workshops (CROW)
can now live as “happily, hap-
pily, happily ever after” as the
characters in their production
of “Once Upon a Mattress,”
which opened at Florence
Events Center last night.
Director Melanie Heard
announced Friday that CROW
acquired its new building at
3120 Highway 101.
“We’re at a place where we
have so many exciting proj-
ects ahead of us,” she said.
The leaders at CROW
weren’t sure they were going
to be able to purchase the
building, as there were multi-
ple offers on it already.
Heard said, “It was very
upsetting because it’s the per-
fect facility for everything
Your
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M ONDAY
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we’re trying to do. It has the
artistic, storage and construc-
tion space and dressing and
green rooms that we need.”
Then, an anonymous spon-
sor stepped in.
“Basically out of the blue,
an angel came and stepped
forward and said that they
would be willing to secure the
building for us for the period
of one year,” she said.
CROW will use that time to
continue to raise funds and
apply for local and national
grants. It will cover the operat-
ing expenses of the building
and begin the permit process
for necessary renovations.
“It needs a lot of work, but
it’s going to be fabulous. ...
I’m really confident that
CROW is going to be able to
do this,” Heard said.
See
CROW 6A