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❘ AUGUST 19, 2015 ❘ $1.00
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CHALLENGE
Sandboarders
compete at Xwest
SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A3
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Church LOCAL COAST GUARD CREW REUNITES
to open
youth D
center
Station Siuslaw River hosts commissioning
crew during reunion weekend
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Cross Road program
open to teens interested
in academic help
uring the weekend of Aug.
8 and 9, and just a few
days after the U.S. Coast
Guard’s 225th birthday, the com-
missioning crew of the U.S. Coast
Guard Station Siuslaw River came
“on board” to spend time with the
current crew.
The Station Siuslaw River crew
listened to the hardships and chal-
lenges faced by the men and
women who stood the watch
decades ago, a commissioning crew
that was full of joy, laughter, sea
stories and camaraderie, according
to Chief Ben Snider, executive
petty officer.
“We really valued our time with
the reunion crew that was onboard,”
Snider said. “It was great to watch
the connection between past and
See
Siuslaw News
Cross Road Assembly of God
Church recently announced plans to
open an after-school teen program
next month to help local youth with
academic studies.
“Our heart is to create an atmos-
phere and a space to serve families,”
said Cross Road Student Pastor Jeff
Gowing. “Specifically junior high and
high school students of our communi-
ty through a teen-center-type model.”
Gowing and other church staff and
members are concerned about the high
dropout rate of local junior and senior
high school students.
“We believe in education and assist-
ing our community in that,” Gowing
said. “Reversing some of the gradua-
tion troubles that we have had in the
last few years.”
The details of the program, which
will have a dedicated room within the
church, have not been completely
worked out, but the overall concept is
to have a safe, secure place where
teens can come to interact and get help
with homework.
“We are in the process of recruiting
volunteers right now for tutorial coor-
dinators, food preparation and securi-
ty, to make sure we don’t have any
unwelcome guests on the facility, to
keep kids safe and also to make sure
that the kids are being appropriate on
the campus,” Gowing explained.
A six-station computer lab is a part
of the program’s future wish list,
according to Gowing. He envisions
students taking half-hour blocks of
time on the computers to complete
homework assignments.
Although the church, at 1380 10th
St. in Florence, will operate the youth
center, the program will be open to all
teens that might be interested in the
help being offered.
“We are faith based, but in no
means are we going to dogmatically
preach at kids,” Gowing said.
PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
M
iller Park hosted Florence Cub Scouts Pack 777’s
Olympic Games over the weekend, during which
participants fielded an obstacle course, kicked
soccer balls through a goal and jousted with foam
swords. More than 15 children participated, including 10 Cub
Scouts, their families and prospective scouts. They finished the
Aug. 15 games with an air-powered rocket launch.
YOUTH 7A
C O O L P L A C ES
Oregon Dunes Overlook
TO VISIT THIS SUMMER
Highway 101, south of Florence ❘ 541-271-6000
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.
Births . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5
In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A5
MANNY MERCADO
CUB SCOUT OLYMPICS
B Y J ACK D AVIS
See
CREW 7A
Former
crew
members
of the
U.S. Coast
Guard
Station
Siuslaw
River
recently
spent a
weekend
with the
station’s
current
crew.
A T A GLANCE : Just 10 miles
south of Florence on Highway 101
near mile marker 201, the Oregon
Dunes Day Use — also known as
the Oregon Dunes Overlook —
offers breath-taking views of the
dunes and the ocean.
The site, part of the Oregon
Dunes National Recreation Area,
features a three-mile roundtrip
trail through the dunes to the
beach that gives the opportunity
for hikers to explore every aspect
of this unique landscape.
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
COURTESY PHOTO
THIS WEEK ’ S
A $5 parking fee is required to
visit the day-use area, which also
provides wheelchair-accessible
viewing platforms that overlook
the dunes. The area is open year-
round, but there are beach restric-
tions from March 15 through
Sept. 15 to protect the Western
Snowy Plover nesting areas.
For more information, stop by
the ODNRA Visitor Center at
855 Highway 101 in Reedsport
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday.
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
71 57
67 55
70 53
76 52
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
S IUSLAW N EWS
125 TH Y EAR ❘ I SSUE N O . 66
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