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❘ JULY 2, 2016 ❘ $1.00
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126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 53
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
CRIME
Police offer reward
for details related to
Thursday’s burglary
Car shows, fireworks, parades
and more fill 4th of July weekend
events in Florence area
B Y R YAN C RONK
C HANTELLE M EYER
AND
Siuslaw News
An AK-47 rifle and several
other guns were stolen Thursday
morning during a burglary at
True Value Hardware store in
Florence.
According to the Florence
Police Department, officers
responded to a report of a broken
window in the front of the hard-
ware store at 1750 Highway 126
at about 6 a.m. on June 30.
Upon their arrival, police dis-
covered that the business had
been burglarized and an AK-47
rifle, a short-barreled shotgun and
several Glock handguns were
missing.
The investigation is ongoing,
police said. There was an alarm
system and video surveillance.
Lt. John Pitcher said that no
other businesses in the area
reported burglaries.
Florence police are offering a
$500 reward for information
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
s America gears up to celebrate the 240th
anniversary of its independence on
Monday, July 4, events in the Florence
area provide a great way to celebrate locally.
Check out these events to find the best place to
watch fireworks, compete in an eating competition
and enter a raffle for a flight in a vintage plane.
A
Saturday, July 2
CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
A window is boarded up near the entrance of True Value Hardware, where some of the store’s
firearm merchandise, including an AK-47 rifle and shotgun, were reported stolen Thursday.
leading to the arrest and convic-
tion of the suspect or suspects
involved. Anyone with informa-
tion is asked to call 541-997-
3515.
“At home, I definitely recom-
mend locking up firearms in a
safe, one that can’t be picked up
and removed,” Pitcher said.
“Keep them secure and make
sure you have an alarm.”
True Value is located in the
Dunes Village Shopping Center
near the intersection of Highways
101 and 126.
W INGS & W HEELS F LY -I N & C AR S HOW
The annual Wings and Wheels, featuring vin-
tage vehicles, planes and demonstrations, will be
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Florence Municipal
Airport, 2001 Airport Way.
Food will be provided by Ada Grange and
Florence-Siuslaw Lions Club.
There will be a raffle for a ride in Erickson Air
Museum’s visiting World War II warbird, a P-51
Mustang — which landed Friday in Florence
(pictured below) — as well as rides provided by the
Oregon Central Coast Military Vehicle Group.
Plans for Mapleton preschool in the works
Dinner and auction fundraiser July 9 to launch district preschool initiative
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
A lasagna dinner and auction fundraiser
will begin at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, July 9, at
the Mapleton Elementary School cafeteria to
raise seed money to bring a preschool to the
district for the 2017-18 school year.
Kelsie Allen with help from Mapleton
School Board member Mizu Burruss put the
preschool fundraising event together.
The cost for the meat or vegetarian lasagna
dinner, including garlic bread, green salad
and soda or water is $10 for adults and $7 for
children 11 and under. Dinner will be served
from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Dinner tickets are available at the
Mapleton and Florence Banner Bank loca-
tions, Mapleton Food and Fuel and
Deadwood Market. Diners are asked to pur-
chase tickets in advance to allow for an accu-
rate head count.
In addition to the dinner, a silent auction
will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and a live
auction with auctioneer Chris Sain will begin
at 6 p.m. Credit cards will be accepted for
live and silent auction items.
“We have some antique items that have
been catching a lot of people’s eyes,” Allen
said. “We also have handmade wooden items
like a pair of bookends that look like a hand
saw, a toddler’s chair, a new tool chest, gift
baskets and gift certificates from several area
businesses and restaurants, a day spa certifi-
cate and more. We have had a lot of support
from people in the community.”
According to Allen, the bulk of the cost for
the preschool funding will come from grants.
“We are going to be applying for grants to
help cover the cost of the preschool,” she
said. “A lot of these grants are not available
until next December, so we will be applying
for the 2017-18 school year.”
See
PEGGY MCHALE/SIUSLAW NEWS
O REGON C OAST M ILITARY M USEUM
Florence’s newest museum, the Oregon Coast
Military Museum, 2145 Kingwood St., is celebrating
its first anniversary and will feature food by Pop’s
Smokehouse of Mapleton, from noon to 3 p.m.
N EED A RIDE ? F REE SHUTTLE SERVICE
Rhody Express will offer a free shuttle service
from Siuslaw Middle School, 2525 Oak St., to the
airport and museum, starting at 9:45 a.m. until
noon and from 12:30 to 3:15 p.m.
See
SCHOOL 6A
EVENTS 6A
CAT’S MEOW
Class Act Theatre sets grand opening,
variety show next weekend to open first season
A
CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
INSIDE
COURTESY PHOTO
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . .
Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B7
A8
A2
A7
Owners David and Rosemary Lauria
(left) at Class Act Theatre, 509 Kingwood
St., invite all to its grand-opening cere-
mony and variety show on July 9.
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Word on the Street . . . . . . . A7
THIS WEEK ’ S
ccording to Paula Burnette, “big
stuff” is happening at Class Act
Theatre (CAT), 509 Kingwood St.,
Florence’s newest gathering place and per-
forming arts center.
Burnette and CAT owners David and
Rosemary Lauria are working together to
make the theater’s first year an exciting
season of versatile shows and experiences.
“It’s going to be a grand opening on July
9,” Burnette said.
Mayor Joe Henry and world-class bag-
piper Ron Wallace will be present for the 2
p.m. ribbon cutting, officially welcoming in
CAT’s first season.
The Laurias will then give tours of the
space. At 6 p.m., CAT will reopen its doors
for a free variety show at 7 p.m., with con-
TODAY
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TUESDAY
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WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
cessions available for sale in the newly
refurbished lobby.
“It will show the capabilities of the the-
ater,” David said. “We will have Debra
Young play piano with members of the
Siuslaw school
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
choirs, Jason
Siuslaw News
Wood and
________________________
Maree Beers as
singers, Angela Palmer’s bellydancers, a
dramatic piece by me, a humorous piece
from ‘Greater Tuna’ and Mat Korso will do
a bit from ‘Santaland Diaries’ as a preview
of what’s coming later in the year.”
Wallace will also talk about bagpipes
during the performance.
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2016
See
THEATER 6A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Multiple guns stolen at True Value