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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ MAY 10, 2017 ❘ $1.00 AN ARTISTIC EFFORT O R E G O N D U N ES T R I AT H L O N & D U A T H L O N PROGRAM INSIDE COAST LIFE — INSIDE 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 37 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON 90-YEAR-OLD FLORENCE RESIDENT BECOMES U.S. CITIZEN With assistance from her family, Zoila Jimenez’s 30-year struggle to ‘come to America’ ends B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News Citizenship. It’s one word that expresses so much. Rhetoric during the 2016 election was often focused on the issue. In recent months, implemen- tation of new policies and directives from our nation’s capital have led to an examina- tion of the larger questions: Who should be allowed to be an American? And when can one become a citizen? These questions facing the nation have been playing out in Florence, in real time, in the case of 90-year-old Zoila Esperanza Alfonso Jimenez. Born and raised in Cuba, Jimenez is the mother of three sons, two of whom live in Oregon. She has been in the United States for seven years. One of her sons, Enrique, lives and works in Eugene. Twenty-five years ago, he left Cuba in a small boat and made County Parks invites public comment Lane County Parks continues to develop Master Plan Lane County Department of Public Works held its second public meeting in the area May 4 B Y M ARK B RENNAN at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Main Station. The Siuslaw News presentation was the fifth in the current series of public meetings, which is intended to solicit input on the department’s Master Park Plan. The presentation was an interactive exercise between department administrators and the Florence community, similar to a previous meet- ing held in Mapleton. The format employed used charts and informational slides to prompt audi- ence members to consider and discuss the direc- tion that the county should take in developing and maintaining the various parks in the county system. Lane County Public Works Director Tim Elsea commented on the desire of his department to get as much information from the public as pos- sible. “We are working with the residents to create a Parks Master Plan that will not only serve the county for the next 20 years, but for the next generation,” Elsea said. According to the meeting, Lane County’s parks system includes 71 parks and more than 4,000 acres. See MASTER PLAN 7A the decision to risk his life and cross the shark-infested ocean to get to Florida. He made it to America’s shores and eventual- ly became an U.S. citizen. Mrs. Jimenez speaks Cuban quickly and very precisely, laughing often and smiling while speaking. Her nephew, Luis Sanchez, interprets for his, “Tia,” telling the story of how his family ended up in Florence. “Tia says she wasn’t happy in Cuba. When Fidel Castro took power, everything changed. She remembers that she could speak, she could say anything she wanted about the government or whatever. See (From left) Marsala Sanchez, Zoila Jimenez and Luis Sanchez, Jimenez’s nephew, all live in Florence. All recently became American citizens. INSIDE Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Coast Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Master felter creates unique exhibit Made-for-Florence exhibit uses wool, water and friction for trip ‘Under the Sea’ B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News T he local art scene is a vital component of life in Florence. There are numerous gal- leries and rooms available to show and view art from different artists and work from a variety of genres. One of the oldest and most unusual of those crafts is now being shown at Siuslaw Public Library, 1460 Ninth St. in Florence. This month’s featured artist is Kathy Elfers and her creations are made from felt. The art and craft of felting is gaining notice among art admirers. Elfers work will undoubt- edly further that appreciation. Mary Colgan-Bennetts, circulation supervi- sor and art committee liaison for the library, is excited about the unique nature of Elfers’ cre- ations. “This collection is called ‘Under The Sea,’ and it is truly amazing. The pieces are huge,” Colgan-Bennetts said. “It’s one thing to have a skill set and it’s another to have that ‘vision thing’ and Kathy has that. She is able to take it from a concept all the way through to the fin- ished product.” Elfers has been felting for years. She said she thought the larger community would be inter- ested in her work. “Mary has asked me to do a felt show for a few years now. I spent three months creating these pieces exclusively for this show. I rarely make pieces this large due to limited space in the galleries, so this was the perfect opportuni- ty to get out of my box and do something dif- ferent,” Elfers said. “I really wanted to do something that the Florence community could PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Kathy Elfer’s large scale felt exhibit at Siuslaw Public Library features jellyfish, sea stars and a popular fish known as “Puffer.” The “Under the Sea” show is scheduled to hang for two months. both enjoy and relate to. ‘Under the Sea’ seemed like the perfect theme.” Colgan-Bennetts sees Elfers enthusiasm for the work as one of the qualities that separates her from others who felt. “When Kathy gets an idea in her head she makes it happen. She had this idea about doing a jellyfish. So she pondered it and figured out how to do it and it ended up being too large for Florence Police Y A D N officers assaulted, A GREE NCE E R O L male suspect dead IN F At approximately 9 a.m. on May 8, Oregon State Police troopers were notified of assistance needed at the Florence S TAFF R EPORT Police Department Jail. Siuslaw News Troopers and officers responded and discovered two officers who had been seriously assaulted while attempting to release a 40-year-old male from the custody of the Florence PD jail. As medics arrived to attend to the two injured officers, the male became non-responsive. Medics turned their attention to him and trans- ported him to Peace Harbor Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Oregon State Police Criminal Division was requested to assist with the investigation. In the meantime, the two offi- cers were transported to a hospital for their injuries. The officers names have not been released. The name of the deceased is also being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. There is no further threat or danger to the pub- lic. All information is being released through the Lane County District Attorney's Office. CITIZEN 9A her living situation. So she worked on it outside and it’s just amazing,” Colgan-Bennetts said. lorence Green Fair returned for its eighth year May 6 with new vendors showing environmentally- friendly products, services and lessons at the Florence Events Center. Attendees also got the chance to “grab some green” in Three Rivers Casino Resort’s Cash Cube, where Siuslaw News gave away money and certificates throughout the day. Oregon Coast Humane Society hosted the second Give and Take event for people to recy- cle the old and take home something new. The big winner of the day was Mapleton Food Share, which received 400 pounds of donated food and $160 to purchase additional items. The 2017 Green Fair was sponsored by County Transfer and Recycling and hosted by Siuslaw News and KCST Coast Radio. THIS WEEK ’ S PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 59 49 54 44 52 45 53 44 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 EXHIBIT 7A EIGHTH ANNUAL FLORENCE GREEN FAIR F Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 Senior Calendar . . . . . . . . . . B8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C See S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS ❘ 26 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017
