THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
❘
/ SIUSLAWNEWS
❘
@ SIUSLAWNEWS
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 9, 2017 ❘ $1.00
2 ND S ATURDAY
G ALLERY T OUR
TACKLING
PROBLEMS HEAD-ON
SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A3
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 63
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
Port of
Siuslaw
fires Steven
Leskin
FLORENCE, OREGON
R EAL SCIENCE
M us i c f o r M al ak ai
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
A
INSIDE
See
PORT 6A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
A3
B5
A5
he idea of the summer of the Solar
Eclipse came into clearer focus on
Saturday with the appearance of world-
renowned physicist Dr. James Brau at
the Siuslaw Public Library.
Brau, a longtime academic star at the
University of Oregon, made this stop in
Florence en route to a high-profile con-
ference in China, where he will continue
to share his insights into the upcoming
Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21.
The physicist’s 90-minute, multi-
media lecture was scheduled as a way to
provide information about the upcoming
celestial event.
“This is a very rare event,” Brau said.
“It is the first total solar eclipse to come
all the way across the United States in
99 years. The shadow of the moon will
come on shore in Oregon and pass all
the way across the country in about an
hour and a half.
“Here, it will be 99 percent totality,
which is still pretty amazing, but if you
are really interested in experiencing the
full extent of the event, you really
should try to get into an area in the path
of totality.”
This 65- to 70-mile wide corridor
stretches from Waldport to Pacific City,
centered around Depoe Bay, and will
pass east through Salem Madras and
Baker City. Other states included in the
path of totality are Idaho, Wyoming,
Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina.
“During totality, what you will see is
a dark sky, possibly with planets visible,
and the stars will probably come out.
Venus should be very visible and you
will be able to see the corona around the
sun,” Brau said. “It should be a very
exciting experience.”
Brau emphasized that people should
wear protective eye coverings during the
eclipse.
“People should be using the official
eclipse glasses, not sunglasses, to watch
the eclipse. The special glasses dramati-
cally reduce the effects, more than sun-
glasses would,” he said.
Brau’s classes on the University of
Oregon campus are often filled semes-
ters ahead, and subjects regularly
T
Port manager fired
‘with cause’ — sexual
harassment claim
unsubstantiated
(Editor’s note: Information used in
this story was collected from public
records, meeting tapes, local and state
agency documents and confirmed
sources. By law, we are not allowed to
include any information obtained dur-
ing executive session.)
fter an executive session held
Monday, Aug. 8, the Port of Siuslaw
commission unanimously voted to termi-
nate the employment of Port Manager
Steven Leskin with cause. The decision
comes after allegations of insubordina-
tion and inappropriate behavior, fol-
lowed by a three-month paid administra-
tive leave due to an investigation over a
sexual harassment claim.
The five-member commission includ-
ed Terry Duman, Nancy Rickard, Mike
Buckwald, David Huntington and Bill
Meyer.
Meyer, who is new to the commission,
had not worked with Leskin; Meyer
replaced past commissioner Ron Caputo,
who was the commission’s president
during Leskin’s tenure.
In a statement regarding the dismissal,
Port Attorney Jim Brewer stated, “The
port has a policy not to discuss personnel
matters, but it is fair to say that the port
was unable to substantiate the sexual
harassment complaint.”
The termination comes at the end of a
year’s worth of bitter arguments and
public outbursts that resulted in accusa-
tions of fraud, collusion, illegal voting,
insubordination, misleading the Oregon
Government Ethics Commission, misuse
of taxpayer funds and, most recently,
sexual harassment.
While disagreements between the port
commissioners and Leskin were minor
after Leskin’s initial hiring on Feb. 1,
2016, tensions rose incrementally until
March 17, culminating in the commis-
sion’s unanimous decision to terminate
Leskin on Monday.
At a Feb. 15 public meeting, Leskin
proposed a port resolution that would
clarify what constitutes a commercial
vessel versus a recreational designation.
Leskin said he was concerned that peo-
ple were “gaming” the port by erro-
neously claiming they were commercial
fishing vessels but not actually fishing.
The annual moorage rate for a 38-foot
commercial vessel (fees vary based on
ship size) was $997. The recreational
rate would $1,680 — which is a large
source of income for the port.
“Those fishing licenses cost 25
bucks,” Leskin said. “Then they’re not
fishing. We hear people bragging about
it.”
Leskin stated he knew of at least four
boats that were never leaving their slips,
which Duman agreed with. “We know
the boats,” he said.
But the resolution proposed by Leskin
was vague, with no set criteria on how to
judge what a commercial vessel was.
“It needs to be black and white,”
Duman insisted.
Physicist Dr. James Brau
lectures on upcoming
Aug. 21 Solar Eclipse
PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
usic for Malakai, a fundraiser
for
Florence sixth-grader
Malakai Kirk (with his family,
left, in a hat), took place on
Saturday at Three Rivers Casino
Resort’s Event Center. Music was
provided by Florence band Los
Bastardos (above) and Eugene reg-
gae band Sol Seed. Malakai’s
mother, Laurie Stone, said, “This
is another example of the won-
derful community we live in. We
are extremely lucky to have
friends and neighbors who really
care about each other. We want
to thank everyone who made this event possible. Los
Bastardos and Sol Seed provided great music for us to enjoy.” The turnout for the event
was strong and all the money raised will go towards Malakai’s medical expenses.
M
See
CO O L
P LA C ES
TO VISIT THIS
SUMMER
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 loca-
tions will be fea-
tured each
month.
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
ECLIPSE 8A
SHIPWRECKS OF THE OREGON COAST
A T A GLANCE : While
some of the Oregon coast’s
shipwrecks are visible
throughout the year, some
prove elusive except when
conditions are perfect. Here
are six, from the north coast
to North Bend:
1. Peter Iredale — Fort
Stevens
State
Park.
Remnants of the 275-foot
sailing ship’s rusted bow and
masts are still visible jutting
out of the sand where it ran
aground in 1906.
2. Emily G. Reed —
Rockaway Beach. Lost en
route to Portland with a cargo of coal
from New South Wales, the 215-foot
sailboat crashed into rocks near the
mouth of the Nehalem River in 1908.
Storms and erosion periodically reveal
the wreck.
3. J. Marhoffer — Boiler Bay,
Depoe Bay. The steamboat’s remains
helped Boiler Bay get its name after a
gas fire wrecked the J. Marhoffer in
THIS WEEK ’ S
5. Sujameco — Horsfall Beach,
North Bend. Like an eerie skeleton,
onlookers can sometimes see the
remains of the Sujameco, a 324-foot
steamship that ran aground in 1929.
6. George L. Olson — Horsfall
PETER IREDALE BY MATT CONWELL
1910. The best time to view the 12-
foot diameter boiler is at low tide.
4. The Bella — Siuslaw River
South Jetty. The Bella was built in
Acme (now Cushman) on the
Siuslaw River. Winter storms some-
times uncover the bow of the 121-
foot schooner, which was blown
ashore in 1906 while waiting to
cross the bar.
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
66 54
67 54
67 54
69 54
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 18 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2017
Beach. Only seen briefly in 2008, the
George L. Olson has since been
reburied by sand and the tide.
However, this steam schooner, built in
1917, that wrecked in 1944 will likely
appear again.