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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
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