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126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 67
❘ AUGUST 20, 2016 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
PeaceHealth holds town hall
Hundreds gather to hear local and corporate officials
answer questions, explain doctor recruitment process
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
Mayor Joe Henry moderated the town hall meeting for
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor and the Florence community.
DeFazio talks
on national,
local issues
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Rep. Peter DeFazio visited Florence
on Wednesday as he held one of 16
town halls in Oregon. More than 70 peo-
ple filled Siuslaw Public Library’s
Bromley Room to hear DeFazio speak
on trade partnerships and the inefficien-
cies of the current congress. He
answered questions about rural health
care, the timber industry, disaster prepa-
ration and more.
The congressman opened the meeting
with a review of
current bills and
trends on the
House floor.
“This is one of
the least produc-
tive Congresses
I’ve ever worked
in,” DeFazio said.
“There will be a
short fall session
Rep. Peter
and, unfortunate-
DeFazio
ly, there will be a
lame duck session. Nothing much good
ever comes out of a lame duck session.”
He said he has been working with
transportation and infrastructure to
improve the safety of roads and bridges,
on a bill to maintain jetties and harbors
and to keep Americans employed.
“We heard last week for certain that
President Obama is going to push for
the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This
would be the last and the worst trade
deal ever entered into in the United
States.”
See
ISSUES 7A
Dunes City
Expo today
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
INSIDE
Dunes City will hold its second
annual free Dunes City Expo today
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dunes City
Hall, 82877 Spruce St., Dunes City.
The event will feature live dem-
onstrations and seminars from 17 ven-
dors and emergency services person-
nel on a variety of topics, including
emergency preparedness, septic care
and drinking water quality. There will
be a free lunch and prizes for those
attending.
State Rep. Caddy McKeown has
been invited to speak and answer ques-
tions. People can also talk with city
administration and council members.
Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7
Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . A8
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A6
Almost 300 local residents
attended a town hall meeting
jointly
sponsored
by
PeaceHealth Medical Group,
Peace Harbor Medical Center
and the City of Florence at the
Florence
Events
Center
Thursday to talk about the cur-
rent primary care physician
shortage at Peace Harbor,
affecting approximately 6,000
patients.
Dr. Mark Adams, senior vice
president and chief medical
officer for PeaceHealth Medical
Group, addressed the audience,
offering an apology for the
problems the physicians’ short-
age has caused the Florence
community.
“I’m really sorry that we are
in this situation. But I want to
assure you that we will do
everything we can to make it
right,” he said.
Florence Mayor Joe Henry
moderated the meeting that also
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
was attended by city councilors
George Lyddon, Ron Preisler
and Susy Lacer. West Lane
County Commissioner Jay
Bozievich, State Sen. Arnie
Roblan, a representative for
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio and
See
HEALTH 7A
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HANTELLE
EYER
Siuslaw News
PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Costumed mermaids, steampunk enthusi-
asts, pirates and more enjoyed the
Second Star Festival at the Florence
Events Center last weekend. The annual
“magical” event brings a whole new atti-
tude to the area.
rganizers Matt and Kesha
Hawk brought the Second
Star Festival for its second
year at Florence Events Center Aug.
13 and 14. The event, featuring
steampunk art styles, multiple
stages, costumes, puppets and more,
drew hundreds from the local com-
munity and the Pacific Northwest.
O
“We are feeling so good at the end of our second
year,” Kesha said. “People saw that we were hav-
ing the festival and came by to check it out. We
saw a lot more traffic just from having the areas
outside and the visuals. People are out there hav-
ing fun, and that’s a huge draw.”
This year, Second Star Festival moved outside
with the Mermaid Lagoon, a Wish Wagon, a sec-
ondary stage and vendor booths in the Tesla Field.
Una the Mermaid brought the Traveling Fanta-Sea
Cove from the Portland area.
The Goblin Market transformed the interior of
the Florence Events Center with lamps, drapes and
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Word on the Street . . . . . . . A6
THIS WEEK ’ S
signs, creating alleys and spaces for vendors
selling steampunk accessories, fairy wings,
clothing pieces, fine art, handmade soaps, carv-
ings, books and more. One booth even sold
Feisty Fudge — “fudge with attitude.”
Second Star Festival’s motto is “Always cre-
ate, always encourage, never land!” It is a place
where the real and the magical intersect, where
fairy themed ideas meet up with steampunk and
science fiction.
Magician Matt Van Zee demonstrated real life
magic tricks while a mysterious man wandered by
on stilts, people in masks sipped Wildcraft Cider
and cosplayers — costumes based on pop culture
— posed as Deadpool, Star Lord, Wonder Woman
and more.
“Everything was really high energy and a lot of
fun,” Matt said. “We wanted to bring more activi-
ties to encourage more people to be creative. The
guest artists brought a lot to that this weekend.”
The Hawks worked with Buck Potter, a sound
and logistics technician in Florence, to bring
prominent steampunk artists Charles Mason,
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Full Forecast, A3
Tayliss Forge and J.W. Kinsey from
“Steampunk’d” to Florence. “Steampunk’d” is a
2015 reality TV show about crafters and designers
in the steampunk genre.
“The festival evolved first as a community,”
Potter said. “Over time it just built. Over the years
we kept adding people, parts and pieces.”
Potter also was instrumental in bringing head-
liners The Nathaniel Johnstone Band to the Second
Star Festival.
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