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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2016)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION VIKS OPEN WITH WIN DECEMBER COAST CENTRAL SPORTS — B 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 96 ❘ DECEMBER 3, 2016 ❘ $1.00 A&E — INSIDE SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON Community comes together in wake of student’s death t’s a sobering fact that, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for peo- ple between ages 10 and 34 in the state of Oregon. It isn’t a statistic limited to large cities, urban areas, the wealthy or poor. And early Thursday morning, it was a statistic that unfortunately found its way into Mapleton with the suicide of high school student Brandon Kimble — a good-humored freshman who moved to the area two years ago and played on the Sailors’ football team as a wide receiver this past fall. According to Lane County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Billy Halverson, the call came in at 3:21 a.m. from a family member who had found Kimble. Police arrived and determined that the I NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS A symbol of strength stands outside the Mapleton gymnasium. Chamber adds fourth underwriter B Y N ED H ICKSON Siuslaw News 15-year-old had taken his own life. Sheriffs contacted the school to allow faculty to prepare for the arrival of students and initiate a crisis response team, which arrived from Siuslaw High School at about 10 a.m. and opened a “Care Room” in the school’s library, where the news was given to the school’s students. “It’s a conversation you never expect to have,” said Mapleton School District Superintendent Jodi O’Mara. “The nice thing about Mapleton is the amazing closeness of the community. It also happens to be the hardest thing when something like this happens. “It effects everyone very deeply.” O’Mara contacted Siuslaw School District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowski, who offered extra sup- port from school counselors in addi- tion to the crisis team headed up by school psychologist Robyn Wallace- Blanchard. “Once everyone was here, we met, determined those students who were most at-risk emotionally, and then tried to establish a sense of normalcy for those who needed it, as well as spe- cial help for those who needed some- thing more,” said Wallace-Blanchard. “That included staff members and par- ents.” While students were given the option to return home with a parent’s consent, most opted to stay on the school grounds. See MAPLETON 11A Filling up E m p ty B ow l s Driftwood Shores joins Korando Dental, TR Hunter, Three Rivers as supporters F lorence Area Chamber of Commerce now has a fourth corporate underwriter in Driftwood Shores Resort and Conference Center. B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Chamber Siuslaw News Executive Dir- ector Bettina Hannigan began pursuing additional corporate sponsorship earlier this year during annual chamber membership renewals. TR Hunter Real Estate became a new underwriter in August and Korando Dental Group became one in September, joining longtime underwriter Three Rivers Casino Resort. Hannigan said that Driftwood Shores has a lot to offer the local community, especially with its Surfside Restaurant and Lounge, premium rooms, suites and condos, indoor pool and per- fect location to watch the early “Florence Area winter sunsets. Chamber of “Driftwood Shores has Commerce keeps us always been a involved with our distinguished sponsor,” she local community.” —T AMI C LARK , said. “Sales and Marketing D RIFTWOOD S HORES S ALES Director Tami AND MARKETING D IRECTOR Clark app- roached me about increasing their membership. They know the value of working with the chamber and saw how much more bang for their buck they can get from being an underwriter.” The chamber’s four underwriters get premium placement on the chamber’s website and publi- cations, live leads from people requesting relo- cation packets and Visitor Center information and additional event advertising, public relations and chamber resources. Clark said, “Driftwood Shores Resort believes in the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and wanted to support it at a higher level. We have received tremendous value from our involve- ment with the chamber over the years.” She said that the chambers’ efforts to bring new business and more visitors, host fundraisers and workshops and connect local business own- ers has helped grow her operation at Driftwood Shores. INSIDE See UNDERWRITER 11A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 A2 A4 A2 PHOTOS BY JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS Annual event helps fill Florence Food Share pantry M ore than 700 hand-crafted bowls and ceramic ware are for sale through Sunday at the Florence Events Center during the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. Now in its 21st year, Empty Bowls dedicates all proceeds to Florence Food Share. Local artists and more than 75 Siuslaw High School students created the handmade bowls. Dozens of silent auction art items are also up for bid with bowl prices starting at $5. Each bowl comes with a certificate good for one free bowl of soup at participating local restaurants. Oregon homeless student numbers increase Department of Education reports that area districts’ rates are higher than state average B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News A newly released report from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) provides unsettling new data regarding the number of homeless K-12 students in local communities. The new numbers, verified by Siuslaw School District Super- intendent Andy Grzeskowiak, state that 61 students in the Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Side Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A7 THIS WEEK ’ S Siuslaw district currently self identify as homeless. The study also shows that the Mapleton School District cur- rently has 31 students that have no permanent home or shelter. These individuals amount to approximately 4.3 percent of the student body at Siuslaw, slightly higher than the statewide aver- age of 3.7percent. According to the ODE study, these numbers are similar to those of the past few years and indicate the ongoing need for local schools to provide support for students that goes beyond the basics of books and instruction. “These kids and families, that self identify (as homeless) are eligible for basic supply assis- tance,” said Grzeskowski. “They can get clothing and toiletries, study materials and some addi- tional support if needed.” He believes that the district’s TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 54 46 51 38 45 36 46 34 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 responsibility is more than sim- ply teaching; it is also about pro- viding a framework of accept- ance and caring for all of his stu- dents. “Our goal is to be as inclusive as we can be to every kid, and especially to kids living in tough situations,” Grzeskowski said. “We want to reduce stress in their lives, to make it easier to S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 See RATES 11A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Mapleton High School freshman Brandon Kimble died Thursday
