8 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
Produce
from 1A
“Our prices are way under
what the other stores are,”
Lee said. “Since I grow it, I
can sell it a lot cheaper. We
even have things that grocery
stores don’t carry because of
the shelf life, like lemon
cucumbers. They are a big
seller, but they only have
about a one-day shelf life.”
Lee grows dozens of fresh
vegetable varieties on his
farm and fruit, including
apples, cherries, plums,
peaches and pears, from his
orchards.
He gets an early start on
the Oregon growing season
by utilizing two greenhouses
that cover approximately
5,000 square feet. This allows
him to offer vine ripe toma-
toes early in the season.
“I sell a lot of Heirloom
tomatoes,” Lee said, “which
people just love. I have three
kinds of Heirlooms. They are
wonderful.”
Another big seller for Lee
is fresh basil. A container sells
for $2.50.
On his trip to Florence yes-
terday, Lee brought between
60 to 70 boxes of tomatoes.
On an average day, Lee and
his helpers pack up and haul
between 4,000 and 6,000
pounds of produce to the
coast for the day in his 20-
foot produce trailer, plus 800
pounds of melons in the back
of his pickup truck.
Lee normally starts his day
at 4 a.m. in order to have the
truck and trailer loaded in
time to drive to Florence and
open at 9 a.m. in the Mini Pet
Mart parking lot along
Highway 101. He and his
crew sell produce until they
pack up at 3 p.m. to head
back to Winston.
“I normally knock it off
around the middle of October
when the heavy rains start
destroying my tomatoes. I
quit then,” he said.
“I’m thinking this will be
my last season,” he confided.
“But I have a gentleman who
said he’d like to buy my place
and do the same thing I’m
doing. He’s a lot younger than
me.”
__________
Follow Jack on Twitter
@SNews_Jack. Email him at
jack@thesiuslawnews.com.
I N BRIEF
gist Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff, plus
prostate cancer survivors and
their spouses and loved ones,
the Us TOO Florence meeting
is an excellent source of
prostate cancer information.
Bring questions and get
answers, or just come to listen
and learn.
Call Bob Horney at 541-
999-4239 for more informa-
tion.
SSWCD meeting
canceled for Monday
Siuslaw Soil and Water
Conservation District has can-
celed its regular meeting for
Monday, Sept 7, due to the
Labor Day Holiday.
LCC campus closed
for Labor Day
Lane Community College
summer Friday closures ended
Aug. 28 and the college now is
back to regular hours Mondays
through Fridays.
The next holiday closure is
Monday, Sept. 7, for the Labor
Day holiday.
Learn about bridge
protection Sept. 9
Toastmasters to host
speech contest
Florence Toastmasters will
host a club speech contest. The
public is invited free of charge
to enjoy the impromptu con-
tests on Wednesday, Sept. 9,
Willamette Valley
Arms Collectors Association
The Oregon Department of
Transportation is protecting,
restoring and improving the
safety of the historic Siuslaw
River Bridge on Highway 101
in Florence.
The community is invited to
an open house Wednesday,
Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
at Florence City Hall, 250
Highway 101.
At the meeting, ODOT will
explain September’s major
construction on the bridge and
answer questions from the
community.
Us TOO meeting
Tuesday
The next meeting of the Us
Too Florence Prostate Cancer
Support Group will be Sept. 8,
at the Presbyterian Church of
the Siuslaw from 5 to 7 p.m.
Come celebrate National
Prostate Cancer Awareness
Month.
With the presence of urolo-
from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., upstairs
at the Siuslaw Valley Fire and
Rescue main station, 2625
Highway 101.
Contact Irma Geller at 541-
999-0912 for more informa-
tion.
2015 FALL SWAPAROO GUN SHOW
Saturday, September 12th • 9am to 5pm
Sunday, September 13th • 9am to 3pm
A T THE L ANE C OUNTY F AIRGROUNDS (in the Auditorium)
FREE Parking • Eugene, Oregon
Admission: $6.00 • Kids under 12 Free (with adult)
Active Military FREE with I.D.
$1 off coupons available at local area Gun Shops and all regional
BI-MART STORES
FOR MORE INFO. CALL JOHN AT (541) 689-9829
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Fire
from 1A
Often, the siding on build-
ings like this one will contain
aluminum.
Barrett said, “It will get hot
enough to melt, and puddle
aluminum on the ground.”
The location has since been
cordoned off and is not acces-
sible to the public.
On Thursday morning,
Barrett could only confirm one
person died in the fire.
“We haven’t been able to
confirm the number yet
because of the damage. We’re
waiting on the detectives. We
will do a complete search to
make sure that is correct,” he
said.
By Friday, Barrett could
confirm the one death.
He worked with a represen-
tative from the Oregon State
Fire Marshal’s Office and the
Lane County Sheriff arson
detective once the sun came up
Police
from 1A
FPD discovered a red St.
Louis Cardinals baseball cap
near the body. Detectives
believe the cap was purchased
at a local donation or thrift
store recently.
According to the medical
examiner, the man is missing
all four wisdom teeth and has
two distinctive tattoos — one
on the left forearm and one
large tattoo on the upper back
between the shoulder blades.
As previously released, this
death appears to be the result of
a suicide but the circumstances
are still under investigation.
at the scene. From there,
Barrett and the arson detective
took over the investigation.
“As far as the investigation
goes, we are in waiting mode
until the autopsy is complete,”
Barrett said.
The body was discovered in
the back end of the building in
the master bedroom. That is
where Barrett said the fire
started as well.
“At this time, we do not
have an exact cause that we
can prove,” Barrett said. “We
have some theories and the
autopsy will determine which
one
is
most
likely.
Unfortunately, we won’t be
able to positively prove exact-
ly what happened.
“Right now it is considered
unintentional, but that is still
undetermined.”
__________
Follow Chantelle on Twitter
@SNews_Chantelle. Email her at
cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com.
School
from 1A
AVID is a nationwide pro-
gram designed to help students
transition to college or post-
high school careers. A grant
from Nike allowed Mapleton to
implement the program for
grades one through 12.
Mapleton Superintendant
Jodi O’Mara said, “I am very
excited about our new staff
this year. All districts have
some amount of turnover each
year and Mapleton is no
exception. We feel lucky to
have three outstanding new
staff members to add to our
already amazing staff.”
The district will be hosting
its annual open house barbe-
cue Wednesday, Sept. 9, from
6 to 7:30 p.m.
“If you’d like to meet all of
our staff, and check out the
Mapleton School District, I
invite families and communi-
ty members to our open house
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barbecue. We are meeting in
the high school gymnasium
for staff introductions,”
O’Mara said.
Lane County Sheriff’s
Deputy Aaron Hoberg will give
a short presentation on
Mapleton School District’s par-
ticipation in Alert, Lockdown,
Inform, Counter and Evacuate
(ALICE) training that took
place last spring. He will also
discuss what parents can expect
from the new Active Shooter
Drills the district will be having
this year with students.
After the presentation, par-
ents are encouraged to visit
their student’s classroom and
meet their teachers.
The barbecue, including free
hot dogs, chips and water,
begins at 6:30 p.m. in front of
Mapleton Middle School.
__________
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VISIT THE
GREENMAN
Celebrating our FIRST ANNIVERSARY!
Thank you for your patronage.
Remember that every Tuesday is “Tie Dye Tuesday” Wear
tie dye into the store on Tuesdays and
get 10% off all purchases.
375 Laurel St.
Mon-Sat. 9am-5pm
Follow Jack on Twitter
@SNews_Jack. Email him at
jack@thesiuslawnews.com.
541-741-3106
Missing person records
from Lane, Lincoln and Coos
County have been reviewed
and at this point there are no
known matches.
“We’ve gotten some calls,”
Pitcher said, “but so far none
of our leads have gone any-
where.”
Anyone with any informa-
tion regarding this case is
asked to contact FPD
Detective Brandon Ott at 541-
997-3515 or email him at
brandon.ott@ci.florence.or.us.
__________
Follow Chantelle on Twitter
@SNews_Chantelle. Email her at
cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com.
Let me Showcase your property.
WORD
ON THE
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E UGENE
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed above are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Siuslaw News or its advertisers.
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