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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS WEDNESDAY EDITION COAST CENTRAL SIGN UP NOW FOR SALMON RUN SPORTS — B 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 61 ❘ AUGUST 2, 2017 ❘ $1.00 A&E — INSIDE SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON Mapleton resident earns diploma decades later Leona May Walton receives her Mapleton High School diploma on her 92nd birthday B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News I t was the history class that broke the camel’s back. “I despised history,” Leona May Walton said as she celebrated her 92nd birthday. “Why do we have to learn all about this stuff way, way back?” she asked That’s partly why Walton didn’t graduate from high school in 1944. It just so happens she was also too busy making history to finish up that last course. It was a warm and sunny day on the riverbank in Mapleton Saturday. Walton was celebrating a family reunion with her chil- dren, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. Several members of the family have birthdays in August — Walton was born on Aug. 25, 1925 — so they celebrate everyone in one fell swoop. This party was different, how- ever, with a special surprise for Walton: A high school diploma. It was all planned by Connie Walton, Leona’s daughter-in-law. Knowing that Leona had never graduated, she went to Mapleton High School and asked them to issue a diploma. Instead of histo- ry, her last credit would be “life experience of history.” Connie started the graduation ceremony speaking about her mother-in-law. When Leona was a freshmen in high school, she fell in love with Dwight Walton. See GRADUATE 7A JARED ANDERSON /SIUSLAW NEWS Leona May Walton receives her diploma from Mapleton High School on July 29 at the age of 92. B r in gi n g ar t t o t h e s t re et s of F l o re nc e HIGH HEAT ALERT Fire threat Public Art Committee seeks to establish art experiences, increase community engagement level rises M to ‘extreme’ to stay in a community. Recreation, parks, arts — all those things some peo- ple consider ‘fluffy’ are a big part of what makes people want to stay and move here.” PAC Vice Chair Susan Tive agreed. “We want arts to have an impact on everyone who lives in Florence and the community. It’s as essential as the roads PAC, made up of seven members and being safe and the water being good to two city ex-officio members, has been drink. We want people to know it’s for working since B Y C HANTELLE M EYER them,” she said. “Public art is for July 2015 to Siuslaw News Florence, not just the people who are vis- bring art to the iting.” streets and cre- PAC volunteers have spent the past ate a cohesive public art plan for the City two years gathering data from successful of Florence. art destination cities in Oregon, research- The committee’s tagline is, ing mural codes and creating five action “Experience Florence — where every items. day is a celebration of the arts.” “All of us love the arts, we love our “Most cities in Oregon already have community and we want the City of public art and a public art committee,” Florence and our area to prosper,” said said PAC Chairman Harlen Springer. “A Committee Member Jo Beaudreau. “The lot of cities do this, and do it very suc- main projects we have picked will make cessfully. We’re kind of late to the game.” a nice groundwork for future projects Since PAC is funded through the and future generations.” Florence Urban Renewal Area, which The first project has already been par- budgeted $250,000 for PAC, most of its tially rolled out: Creating art from the efforts are centered around Historic COURTESY PHOTO Old Town Florence, though members “Totem Pole” was made by Steve Benson and donat- utilities on Bay Street. In May, PAC members Jennifer hope additional funding sources will ed to the City of Florence Public Art Committee by allow for public art to spread throughout Gerald Curran. It is now located in Gallagher Park on French and Ron Hildenbrand coordinat- ed with the art programs in Siuslaw the area. Highway 126. School District to invite youth to paint “We want Florence to be known for the covers of 15 trash receptacles. Plaques more than sand dunes,” Springer said. “We need arts are very much a part of the city’s fabric. to expand the economy here to the arts and for “It ties into the city’s objectives of livability showing the students’ names and the titles are people to interact with the arts.” and quality of life and economic development,” now included. Florence City Recorder Kelli Weese said the she said. “It’s one of the reasons people to want See PUBLIC ART 7A embers of the Florence Public Art Committee (PAC) want to bring the “wow factor” to Florence through increased visibility of murals, sculptures and other artwork. High temps, unstable weather conditions lead to ‘Red Flag Warning’ for Lane County On July 31, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue (SVFR) responded to a brushfire that spread quickly, due to the dan- B Y M ARK B RENNAN gerous conditions creat- Siuslaw News ed by high winds and heat, and posing a much a more difficult situation for firefighters. This set of factors is precisely the reason the National Weather Service (NWS) has recently issued two important warnings to the public. The first is an Excessive Heat Warning, which alerts the public to the possibility of dangerous- ly high temperatures. The Excessive Heat warning took effect at 2 p.m. on Tuesday and extends through 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. The second warning is a Red Flag Warning, issued to alert first responders and citizens to the unique challenges presented when dealing with a fire under “unstable” conditions that combine high winds and high heat. This was the situation that first responders faced Monday evening, according to SVFR Fire Marshal Sean Barrett. “The weather was a critical factor of the fire start and spread. The warm dry weather with the north wind caused the fire to burn intensely and move quickly,” Barrett said. He added, “We are going to an extreme fire danger level this week and several restrictions will be in place.” NWS predicts western Lane County will reach highs in the triple digits this week, with many areas experiencing potentially record set- ting high temperatures. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) also warned the public of significantly unstable See HEAT 5A T EXAS MAN DROWNS WHILE KAYAKING ON Body of Nicholas Wayne Lewoczko recovered Sunday after a multi-agency search B Y N ED H ICKSON Siuslaw News The body of a 31-year-old Houston, Texas, man who went missing last Friday evening on Cleawox Lake was discovered by Lane County Sheriffs Sunday afternoon. Nicholas Wayne Lewoczko was camping at Honeyman State Park over the weekend when his older brother, Matthew, left the camp- ground to pick up dinner for the two of them in Florence. Nicholas, who stayed behind to go fishing on the lake in a kayak, told his brother he would be back C O O L P L A C ES Torex ATV Rentals TO VISIT THIS SUMMER 83960 Highway 101, Florence ❘ 541-997-5363 A T A GLANCE : Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is a treasure meant to be experienced, not just seen. Torex ATV Rentals, located on the same property as Sand Dunes Frontier, allows riders to drive directly onto the dunes and get the full picture: sand, sun and wind. The rental company features individ- ual quads, multi-rider ATVs and even youth-size models. All safety equipment is included. Ride some of the biggest dunes and catch the most breathtaking views along the Oregon INSIDE S PECIAL F EATURE : This summer we are highlighting unique spots that make the central Oregon coast one of the coolest places to live and play. New locations will be featured each month. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . B4 A3 B3 A5 C LEAWOX L AKE Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S by dusk. When Nicholas hadn't returned by nightfall, Matthew went look- ing for his brother before calling 911 just before 9:30 p.m. Lane County Sheriffs were noti- fied, along with personnel from Oregon State Parks, Oregon State Police, Siuslaw Valley Fire and See SEARCH 7A Don’t want to walk to the beach? COURTESY PHOTO 4 miles south of Florence (541) 997-5363 TOREXATVRENTALS.COM N O G E R O , Y T I C S E N U D Coast with Torex. To reserve online or for additional informa- tion, visit TorexATVRentals.com. TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 92 59 75 57 71 55 68 56 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 Rescue and Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, all of which responded. At approximately 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, Lewoczko’s kayak was discovered mostly submerged and floating in the lake, with Located at Sand Dunes Frontier S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 14 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017
