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SATURDAY EDITION
FOOTBALL
CAMP
❘ AUGUST 15, 2015 ❘ $1.00
Mayor takes an
‘express’ ride
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS — B
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
WATCH
OUT FOR
SCAMS
SECOND STAR FESTIVAL
AN
EYE
Police, bankers urge
residents to be on alert
for fraudulent callers
FOR
creativity
B Y R YAN C RONK
Siuslaw News
Lane County Sheriff’s Office and
Oregon Pacific Bank are warning resi-
dents about two different scams hitting
the area this week, including a money
wiring scam that stole more than
$10,000 from a Florence man.
According to Ellen Huntingdon,
marketing coordinator at Oregon
Pacific Bank (OPB), the bank has seen
an increase in money-wiring scams
over the past few months and urges the
community to be on alert for instances
of fraud.
“The scammers seem to be targeting
the elderly and talking them into allow-
ing access to their computers,”
Huntingdon said.
In the most recent case, a fraudulent
company contacted an 80-year-old
Florence man over the phone and told
him they needed to perform updates on
his computer. He agreed and paid them
$350 to access his computer.
The company logged into the man’s
online banking account and transferred
money from his money market account
into his checking account. They told
him the funds were from them but that
they mistakenly deposited $5,500
instead of $500 and asked if he could
wire the excess amount through
Western Union.
This transaction happened twice, and
the man ended up wiring a total of
$10,000 of his own money out of his
account, Huntingdon said.
Local small businesses also are being
targeted by this scam. OPB reminds the
community that reputable businesses
and financial institutions should never
ask customers for their personal or
account information over the phone
unless you initiated the call and they
need to validate your identity.
“If someone calls or emails you ask-
ing for personal information, do not
respond,” Huntingdon said.
Lane County Sheriff’s Office
(LCSO) also received reports this week
from residents who are receiving calls
from a male claiming to be from the
sheriff’s office and identifying himself
using names of actual employees.
The caller tells the person they owe
money because they have a warrant, or
have missed jury duty, and if they don’t
pay immediately, they may be arrested.
The person is usually directed to pur-
chase a “green dot money pack” from a
local retailer to pay their fine.
“These calls are a scam, and commu-
nity members should hang up immedi-
ately and not engage with the caller,”
said Sgt. Carrie Carver, LCSO public
information officer. “These calls are not
associated with the Lane County
Sheriff’s Office in any way.”
Carver said LCSO does not make
phone calls to community members
regarding warrants and would never
ask a community member to purchase
“cash cards” to pay fees. Anyone who
is a victim of a phone scam should
report it to local law enforcement.
INSIDE
See
SCAM 7A
Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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FLORENCE, OREGON
SteamBaby
owner Mac
McGowan
shows off his
steampunk
goggles at the
Second Star
Festival.
PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Eugene couple brings two days
of ‘mirth, myth and mayhem’
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
S
ince J.M. Barrie wrote
“Peter Pan, or The Boy
Who Wouldn’t Grow Up”
in 1904, people have been
captivated by the eternal youthful-
ness of Pan, the mischief of Tinker
Bell, the antics of the Lost Boys and
delight in the imaginative world of
Neverland. For Matt and Kesha
Hawk of the Second Star Festival,
Neverland is a real place, or at least
a real feeling. Last week, they
brought a little Neverland to the
Florence Events Center.
Matt and
Kesha Hawk
organized this
year’s festival
at the Florence
Events Center.
See
FESTIVAL 7A
Police
‘pick up’
vehicles
City gains truck,
SUV; transfers old
car to Dunes City
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Florence City Council
approved the purchase of two
new
Florence
Police
Department (FPD) vehicles at
its Aug. 3 meeting. During the
same night, the council also
authorized giving an out-of-
use vehicle away.
According to Police Chief
Tom Turner, “You need to sit
on a phone book just to see
over the dashboard” of the
2005 Crown Victoria he cur-
rently uses.
In the council packet, city
staff said that the 2015-16
budget included $55,000 in
the police department fund for
the purchase of replacement
vehicles.
The FPD purchased a new
2016 Ford F250 XL 4x4 crew
cab pick-up truck at $31,588
from Johnston Motors in
Florence.
There were enough funds in
the budget to also purchase
and install a new two-way
radio, siren and grill-mounted
emergency lights, including
taillights and mirror lights, for
the new truck.
“Everyone’s happy with
this proposal,” Florence
Mayor Joe Henry said. “We’re
also replacing another vehicle
within the same cost. That’s
good.”
The FPD had enough funds
to purchase a 2007 Ford
Explorer that will be used by
the department’s detective.
City
Manager
Erin
Reynolds thanked staff for
their work on the proposal and
budget and for teaming up
with Turner.
“This was a good way of
showing how the tone at the
top (of the department) in
encouraging
partnerships,
even amongst the internal
staff, has really been paying
off for us,” Reynolds said.
Later in the council session,
Reynolds again mentioned
partnerships.
See
CITY 7A
Explore new full-day kindergarten facility at open house
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
Siuslaw Elementary School
will hold a kindergarten
open house Tuesday, Aug.
18, from 9 a.m. to noon, and
Thursday, Aug. 27, from
4:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the new
kindergarten building locat-
ed next to the elementary
school north parking lot on
Oak Street.
During the Aug. 27 open
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SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Word on the Street . . . . . . . A7
house, a ribbon-cutting cere-
mony and hot-dog barbecue
will start at 6 p.m.
Parents and students are
invited.
This is the first year the
school will offer full-day
Kindergarten to all students.
The new kindergarten
facility has four classrooms
and more than 5,000 square
feet dedicated exclusively to
the kindergarten program.
Kindergarten
student
THIS WEEK ’ S
enrollment will be Sept. 8
through 10 and will consist
of a 30-minute individual
family conference and
student assessment to deter-
mine appropriate classroom
assignment.
Families will be notified
of homeroom placements on
Sept. 11, and kindergarten
classes will begin Sept. 14.
Parents are reminded that
kindergarten classes begin
on a different date than the
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
68 53
69 56
71 56
75 58
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
New
Siuslaw
school
building
offers
separate
classrooms
just for
kinder-
garteners.
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
elementary school.
For more information, call
the elementary school office
at 541-997-2514.
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