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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2016)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION VIKS NAB DOUGLAS ❘ JANUARY 30, 2016 ❘ $1.00 PHYSICS IN ACTION SCHOOL ZONE SPORTS — B 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 9 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON Siuslaw explores new high school bond funding B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News During the Jan. 13 meeting, Siuslaw School Board members discussed placing a bond measure on the May 17 ballot to fund a new high school. This would be the first capital- improvement bond measure submitted to voters by the district since the $15.6 million middle school construction bond was approved in 1999. That bond will expire in 2019. A new state school district capital improvement grant, which could pro- vide up to $4 million toward the proj- ect, added to the sense of urgency. Siuslaw School District Business Manager Kari Blake said, “For the first time, the state has sold bonds at the state level so that districts could utilize those Districts were ranked one through 197, with those in greatest need placed at the top of the list and given priority access to the funds. Because Siuslaw was ranked 165, the district was required to apply for the grant and then be put into a lottery with other districts less in need. See SCHOOL 8A TH Dunes City E gains major with the 2016 Rhododendron Court triathlon SENIOR sponsor COURt CATCH Three Rivers Casino Resort backs 4th annual open-water swim, bike and run event WAVE PRINCESSES Hanna Anderson Taylor Coolidge Lyndsey Keppol B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News JUNIOR COURT PRINCESses INSIDE Dunes City interim administrator Jamie Mills announced at the Jan. 14 council meeting that Three Rivers Casino Resort had agreed to be a $4,000 presenting sponsor for the May 7 Dunes City Triathlon and Duathlon. “Oregon Dunes Triathlon and Duathlon is a fantastic opportunity to bring in competitors from all over the state to visit our local area,” said Mike Rose, chief operat- ing officer at Three Rivers Casino Resort. “We are thrilled to be a presenting sponsor in this year’s races.” The Dunes City Triathlon, now in its fourth year, has grown every year in participants and spectators. Last year’s event attracted 203 participants and more than 200 spectators. The race is the first open-water triathlon and the first USA Triathlon sanctioned event of the season. It is also the only Olympic-distance triathlon on the Oregon coast. The race begins with a 1,500-meter (.932- mile) swim around a course set up in Woahink Lake, followed by a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) bike race and culminating with a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run that finishes atop the tall sand dune at the south end of Cleawox Lake. The event also has a Duathlon that includes the bike and run portions, without the swim- ming. Both races have shorter “sprint” versions of approximately half the distance. Dunes City continues to seek additional sponsors at $100 community supporter, $500 silver sponsor, $1,000 gold sponsor, $2,500 platinum sponsor, $4,000 presenting sponsor and $7,500 title sponsor levels. For more infor- mation, call Dunes City Hall at 541-997-3338. Under new business at the meeting, the council announced that Tom Mallen and Brett McKnight have been appointed to the Planning Commission and that Mallen, McKnight, Jim Ryan and Larry Overman were appointed to serve on the budget committee. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B9 Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . A10 Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Rhealeigh Dascher — first grade Riley May Selig — second grade Lexis Flansberg — third grade Kristin Wall — fourth grade Sunshine Armer — fifth grade JUNIOR COURT PRINCES Tony Garcia Galvan — first grade Roman Meadows — second grade Chance Jones — third grade Cort Waggoner — fourth grade Kenji Tanikawa — fifth grade COURTESY PHOTOS New team-focused format announced for this year’s court “C atch the Wave” is the theme of the 109th Rhododendron Festival this year, and the 2016 Rhododendron Court will get into the momentum with a whole new format. “This is a pivotal year,” said Rhody Court adviser Cindy Wobbe. “This year we chose to continue the conscious effort of moving away from a pageant. We want to hold on to the B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News showcase, but we want to ________________________ focus the whole Rhody Court program on mentorship, citizenry, community service and bringing our young people up to be good citizens.” Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Word on the Street . . . . . . . A9 THIS WEEK ’ S Three Siuslaw High School students make up the entire Senior Court this year: senior Lyndsey Keppol and juniors Hanna Anderson and Taylor Coolidge. The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and Eric Tanikawa worked to add five Junior Princes to the festival court. “I am really excited to help coordinate the Junior Prince Court and for them to be part of a Florence tradition,” Tanikawa said in an announcement last year. The five boy students are Tony Garcia Galvan, first grade; Roman Meadows, second grade; Chance Jones, third grade; Cort Waggoner, fourth grade; and TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 48 37 47 36 48 42 50 46 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 Kenji Tanikawa, fifth grade. Five students make up the Junior Court Princesses. They are Rhealeigh Dascher, first grade; Riley May Selig, second grade; Lexis Flansberg, third grade; Kristin Wall, fourth grade; and Sunshine Armer, fifth grade. With the 10 members of the Junior Court, that left the three Senior Court Princesses outnum- bered. “Rather than pit three high school girls against each other and have one winner, we decid- ed to create a team environment so each senior court member will have a team,” Wobbe said. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 See RHODY 8A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK dollars for capital improvement.” Through a complicated formula, the state has ranked all 197 school dis- tricts according to poverty levels with- in the community, property tax values and enrollment. Blake said the state legislature has set aside about $125 million for the current biennium, of which up to 60 percent may be used this school year. State program could grant up to $4 million toward construction