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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 12, 2015 ❘ $1.00
FLORENCE
GOT TALENT
Learning forest
stewardship
SPORTS — C
INSIDE — A3
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
WALKING TO WIN
2015 Relay For Life small but successful, organizers say
B&G Club
announces
new director
Chuck Trent takes over
unpaid administrative job
as club stabilizes, grows
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Survivors and their families and caregivers take a victory lap during Relay For Life of Florence’s opening ceremony Aug. 8 at Miller
Park. More than $36,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society. View more Relay photos in this issue’s Coast Life, section B.
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
he American Cancer Society’s 2015
Florence Relay For Life lasted for more
than 12 hours through sun and rain last
Saturday at Florence’s Miller Park.
This year’s event was co-chaired by Nancy
Bosket and Nicole Hundley, who opened the
relay with, “We’re here for one purpose — to
T
kick cancer in the tush!”
The 16th annual Relay For Life was dedicat-
ed to Barbara Miller, who passed away in 2014.
“Barb was dedicated to the Florence commu-
nity, and we miss her dearly,” said Hundley.
“For the next 12 hours, we will honor all those
that have battled cancer with every step we take
around this track.”
In her invocation, the Rev. Carol Thompson,
of United Methodist Church, said, “May we all
be reminded that this is a walk of hope.”
Bosket said, “One big part of Relay is the
community support through businesses in
town.”
A total of 28 sponsors worked throughout
2015 to raise $36,500 for American Cancer
Society, including the 13 relay teams who raised
$10,000 on Saturday alone.
See
RELAY 7A
SONSHINE PRESCHOOL AND CHILDCARE TO CLOSE
Healthcare mandate, accounts receivable
cited as causes for closure
the fall of 2011. According to the
church, the closure will not affect
the church’s elementary school pro-
gram, Sonshine Christian School.
“Operational costs, primarily
those of the now-required employee
health insurance, have made it
impossible to continue operations,”
Pastor Andy Wittenburg said.
“Several of our denomination’s
other preschools around the state
have shut down for the same reason.
We hung on as long as we could, but
we simply could not keep our costs
affordable for our clientele.
“In addition, our accounts receiv-
able became unmanageable,”
Wittenburg added. “Our staff and
board did all that they could, and we
are grateful for their dedication.”
The board of Sonshine Kids
Preschool and Childcare announced
Monday that the facility would
close Sept. 4, possibly earlier if all
parents are able to make other
arrangements.
The Florence Seventh-day
Adventist Church has operated the
program at 4445 Highway 101 since
C O O L P L A C ES
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
TO VISIT THIS SUMMER
2400 Highway 101, Yachats ❘ 541-547-3289
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
INSIDE
S PECIAL F EATURE :
This summer we are
highlighting unique
spots that make the
central Oregon coast
one of the coolest
places to live and play.
A new location will be
featured each week.
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5
Coast Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A5
A T A GLANCE : The trails of Cape
Perpetua Scenic Area wind through
miles of old-growth forest with
breathtaking ocean views that capti-
vate locals and visitors alike. Located
two miles south of Yachats off
Highway 101, the 2,700-acre area
includes a campground and spectac-
ular sights along the way.
Just before the turnoff for Cape
Perpetua, take a moment to visit the
Cook’s Chasm turnout and view the
Spouting Horn, a saltwater fountain
driven by the ocean’s current. A little
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Police Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
COURTESY PHOTO
THIS WEEK ’ S
further north is Devil’s Churn,
another impressive display of
exploding waters. Both are best seen
during high tide.
The area also offers an array of
tide pools to discover during low
tide. Sturdy shoes and a walking
stick are recommended.
Stop by the Cape Perpetua Visitor
Center, open daily from 9:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m., for more information.
All trails and viewpoints remain
open for daytime use, even when the
visitor center is closed.
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
66 56
65 57
66 53
70 54
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane
County voted retired business executive
Chuck Trent, 63, as
acting
executive
director during the
club’s board meeting
July 30.
Trent will serve
without pay in order
to help the club con-
tinue to stabilize
financially.
“We can’t afford
Chuck Trent
an executive director
at this time,” Trent said, “but that position is
critical to everything we are doing here in
the local club and with our ties and commu-
nications with the parent organization, Boys
and Girls Club of America.”
Trent has made a one-year commitment to
serve as director.
“Hopefully, by that time we will be far
enough along in bringing the club back to
stability that we would then be able to hire
an executive director,” Trent said.
The phrase Trent likes to use, “changing
lives one child at a time,” has special mean-
ing for him. His appreciation for how posi-
tive intervention can change a young per-
son’s life comes from personal experience.
“I was about 12 years old when my dad
went to prison for armed robbery,” Trent
began. “My mom was left with five kids. I
was the oldest. It’s hard enough for
teenagers as it is, making the transition from
middle school to high school and then my
dad literally disappearing overnight.”
Trent, his siblings and mother faced des-
perate times. Food was scarce but scorn was
plentiful in the small Missouri town where
he grew up.
“We lived in a small community and word
of mouth got out very quickly,” he contin-
ued. “When something bad happened, then
it had to be one of the Trent boys. I was
probably one of the most innocent kids you
could ever imagine, but I had to grow up on
the street and I had to grow up fast.”
There was no Boys and Girls Club where
Trent grew up. He said he was fortunate,
however, to be mentored by a Sunday school
teacher named Leon Munhollen.
“When you invest in a child and take the
time to care about them, it can change their
whole future. It certainly did for me,” he said.
S IUSLAW N EWS
125 TH Y EAR ❘ I SSUE N O . 64
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