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WEDNESDAY EDITION
SPOUT SCOUTS
OCMM wraps up
wreath season
SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A3
126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 103
❘ DECEMBER 28, 2016 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
FEC comes
full circle
resh from a 12-day visit
to Hong Kong, where he
played a nightclub with
musician friends he met in the
Philippines, blues musician
Curtis
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Salgado is
returning
to Florence to play the final
performance of 2016 at the
Florence Events Center (FEC).
The blues show wraps up a
year-long celebration of the
event center’s 20th anniversary.
F
PHOTO BY JESSICA KEAVENY/COURTESY ALLIGATOR RECORDS
Blues musician Curtis Salgado plays Saturday at the FEC.
“The Hong Kong trip was very nice, a
little specialty thing. I played some music,
made some cash and got to visit Hong
Kong,” Salgado said.
Since he began playing professionally in
1973, Salgado has performed across the U.S.
and in Europe, namely the U.K., France,
Germany, Finland, Norway and Spain.
“I make it over there to Europe probably
every other summer. I wish it was every
year,” he said.
Salgado was born and raised in Eugene,
Ore., and used to visit the coast at least
once a year.
“Florence was a major part of my rais-
ing,” he said.
His mother used to comb the beaches in
winter, and he hitchhiked more than once
down Highway 126.
“I was a knucklehead, and used to camp
out on the beach with other knuckleheads.
We did it for the adventure.”
By that time, Salgado was already into
the blues, often playing harmonica with
local bands and in school.
“I grew up on the blues, grew up with
it,” he said.
His parents were jazz enthusiasts who
listened to big band swing and blues. Many
groups they listened to played the jazz
standards of Gershwin, “Dancing Cheek to
Cheek” and other boogie woogie songs.
See
BLUES 7A
SEARCH ENDS AT CAPE PERPETUA
U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River assists in Thursday night’s multi-agency search for missing California man
S TAFF R EPORT
Siuslaw News
U
.S. Coast Guard suspended the
search Friday for a 27-year-
old male who was swept out
to sea near Cape Perpetua, Ore.,
Thursday.
The man’s family identified him as
Tuan Kien of Orange County, Calif.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector
North Bend received the report via a 911
dispatch stating that Kien had fallen in
the water and that he was not in sight.
Another tourist also fell, but was able to
climb to safety. He was reportedly
“skinned up” from the rough rocks.
The watchstanders then directed the
launch of a Coast Guard MH-65
Dolphin helicopter crew forward
deployed in Newport, Ore., a Sector
North Bend Dolphin crew and multiple
47-foot Motor Life Boat crews from
Coast Guard Stations Siuslaw River
and Yaquina Bay.
Coast Guard helicopter and boat
crews searched for more than 15 hours
alongside Oregon State Police and
Yachats Fire departments.
“Suspending a search is one of the
hardest decisions the Coast Guard has
to make,” said Cmdr. Charles
Guerrero, acting commander of Coast
COURTESY PHOTO
Rescue personnel from Coast Guard Stations North Bend, Siuslaw
River and Yaquina Bay assisted Oregon Sate Police and Yachats Fire
Department during a 15-hour search for a 27-year-old man who was
washed into the ocean near Cape Perpetua Dec. 22.
District adds new operations manager
Highway 126 collision
seriously injures 2
WLAD veteran Matt House promoted to newly created position
s part of the intergovern-
mental agreement (IGA)
between Siuslaw Valley
Fire and Rescue and Western
Lane Ambulance District, former
district
B Y J ACK D AVIS
supervisor
Siuslaw News
M a t t
House was
chosen to fill the newly created
ambulance district operations
INSIDE
A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
B5
A5
A4
manager position on Nov. 1.
House, 42, has worked with
Western Lane since 1997, when
he started as a part-time emer-
gency medical technician.
“I graduated from Lane
Community College in 2003 with
my paramedicine degree and an
associate degree in applied sci-
ence,” House said. “I became a
full time paramedic in 2003.”
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Accident sends 2 to critical care
He was promoted to district
supervisor in 2012.
In addition to overseeing the
day-to-day operations of Western
Lane, House is responsible for
ongoing staff training.
See
Two people were seriously injured during a
head-on collision that occurred at milepost seven
on Highway 126 Monday
B Y J ACK D AVIS
night at approximately
Siuslaw News
9:20 p.m.
WLAD Operations Manager Matt House said,
“It took over an hour to extricate one victim
because the vehicle was so badly damaged.”
DISTRICT 7A
WLAD Operations Manager
Matt House
THIS WEEK ’ S
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
50 36
53 41
47 32
47 38
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
Guard Sector North Bend. “Our
thoughts and prayers go out to the fam-
ily and friends who have been impact-
ed by this tragedy.”
The search may resume pending
additional information.
Weather on scene at the time of the
incident was reported as 15-foot seas
and 10 mph winds.
Station Siuslaw River Chief Petty
Officer Ben Snider said, “It’s hard to
say if weather conditions were the
cause. It’s an extremely unforgiving
environment out there. We just advise
everyone to always wear life jackets
around the water and keep a weather
eye out.”
On the Cape Perpetua website, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Service said, “Use caution when
exploring the rocky coastline. Rocks
can be slippery and large waves may
catch you by surprise. Never turn your
back on the ocean.”
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is locat-
ed about two miles south of Yachats.
The area contains Devil’s Churn, the
Spouting Horn at Cook’s Chasm and
Thor’s Well. These spouts are a func-
tion of the high tide and size of ocean
swells, with wind as a factor. They are
especially dangerous and unpredictable
at high tide and during winter storms.
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 18 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2016
See
COLLISION 7A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Events center wraps up 20th year
with Curtis Salgado’s ringing blues