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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION Dental donation SAILORS END SEASON TODAY SPORTS — B 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 82 ❘ OCTOBER 14, 2017 ❘ $1.00 INSIDE — A3 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON Exploration and discovery Beyond labels — Part II Siuslaw region’s diverse LGBTQ members discuss community, ‘normality’ B Y JA RED A NDERSON Siuslaw News COURTESY PHOTOS Third-grade students from Siuslaw Elementary School take the opportunity to get up close and personal with sea creatures of many types on a water-based field trip in Newport on Oct. 3. The class climbed aboard The Discovery for their “exploration voyage.” Siuslaw third-graders take a two hour exploration cruise with focus on learning B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News S iuslaw Elementary School students from Susan DeVries’ third- grade class recently had the chance to get out of the class- room and onto the water for a unique educational opportunity. DeVries and her class took a trip to Newport as part of an Oregon Coast Education Program (OCEP) project initiated by STEP (Salmon Trout Enhancement Program) members Jim Grano and Dennis King. The purpose of the trip was to familiarize the youngsters with the important role the ocean and the coastal environs have played in developing the culture of Florence and the surrounding area. An additional benefit was the chance to get outside and enjoy a trip that expands the classroom to include the coastal waterways and the inhabi- tants of those waters. “Susan and I continued an OCEP project started by Dennis King and me last spring that involved using OCEP lesson plans for developing units of study. In August, we attended the four-day ‘Finding the Hook’ workshop in Newport that informed and inspired the project,” Grano said. “We were able to use OCEP and Bandon Submarine Cable Council funds to take 24 students and 12 chaperones, including Dennis and me, on the Marine Discovery Boat Tour’s two-hour Exploration Voyage on Yaquina Bay.” Marine Discovery Tours is a regional leader in coordinating edu- cational tours for Oregon public schools. A 65-foot long boat named The Discovery acts as an interactive classroom and floating laboratory for the students and their teachers. Participants are able to observe and interact with marine creatures from small invertebrates to whales and larger animals, depending on the time of year and the conditions at sea. The Discovery is equipped with all types of technologically sophisticated equipment that allows students to “see” the ocean floor using sonar and learn how the ship navigates safely through the water. There are also opportunities to observe sea birds and sea lions, por- poises, pelicans and bald eagles in their natural habitat. Before the trip, guest speakers vis- ited the class and talked to the stu- dents about different aspects of the marine culture that is an important part of the history of Florence. STEP member Brian Hudson spoke on the commercial history of Florence’s port, the Port of Siuslaw; Siuslaw Middle School Principal Andy Marohl discussed commercial salmon fishing; and Mapleton resi- dent and retired Coast Guardsman Wayne Gage talked about the partner- ship between the U.S. Coast Guard and fisheries. Dunes City to revisit marijuana grow operations Spurred by public comment, Dunes City Council will review applications by pot growers I n what councilors praised as a civil meeting, marijuana continued to be the major topic of public discussion at the Dunes City Council meet- ing held on Wednesday, B Y J ARED A NDERSON Oct. 11. Siuslaw News As a result of the public comments, the council agreed to review at a later date the applications sub- mitted by marijuana grow facilities located in the city. The facilities, which have been a focus of a heat- ed debate in the city, spurred the council to pass Ordinance 245 in September, which banned future marijuana growing operations but kept existing grows in tact. Of particular concern during this Wednesday’s meeting was a Land Use Conformance Statement (LUCS) for a marijuana grow that was approved by the city council months earlier. Residents at the meeting, and in a guest view- point in The Register Guard on Oct. 11, requested the LUCS be reviewed by the city council. The guest viewpoint read, “A citizen contacted Jesse Sweet, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s (OLCC) process administration director, and Danica Hibpshman, the OLCC’s statewide licensing director, who are now aware of the residential conflicts presented. The Dunes City Planning Commission has been invited to contact them. The OLCC has indicated that it wants them to return the Land Use Conformance Statements for further review by the city.” After giving contact information for OLCC, the editorial urged citizens to write the commission and give their views on the effects the grows have on families, neighborhoods, property values and water. It went on to say, “It is imperative that they hear from Dunes City residents. It was never the intent of the OLCC to thrust these commercial recre- ational grows into our neighborhoods.” The Siuslaw News contacted OLCC and spoke with Sweet about the LUCS. See (Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series examining the LGBTQ community in the Siuslaw region.) “Different isn’t scary” Jason Wood is not sure if his drag queen character, Fanny Rugburn, is a force for LGBTQ rights in Florence. Rugburn is a foul-mouthed, over the top hurricane of raunchy jokes, lively songs and 30 pounds of make- up, wigs, costumes and padding. Wood performs her at least once a month in Florence, usually at Class Act Theatre. He also tones the charac- ter down for family shows where he sings Disney songs and makes puns. “Fanny Rugburn is an even truer version of myself,” he said. “The fil- ter is cut off. In that sense, she’s the truest form of myself.” Wood is not a cross-dresser, some- one who feels more comfortable in female clothing. “I have a definite femininity about me, but the only time you catch me in drag is in performance,” he said. “It’s not just because I want to wear this stuff. I have to wear four pairs of panty hose, and that’s not fun. My fake breasts weigh 10 pounds, and I’m a big guy, so I get hot.” But he has always been drawn to strong female characters like Rugburn throughout his life. “Little House on the Prairie” was all about Nelly Olson in his opinion. Miss Piggy was his idol. And, as the gay stereotype goes, he loved “The Wizard of Oz.” But for Wood, it was all about the ruby slip- pers. He was coaxed into moving to Florence by his longtime friend, Melanie Heard, the artistic director for the Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshop (CROW), after Wood was recovering from a close friend’s death from AIDS. Florence was a chance to reinvent himself. Not long after he arrived, he was working with CROW, and was soon giving private lessons for singing and piano. “My favorite thing is when I’m preparing someone for an audition DUNES CITY 10A See LGBTQ 10A SIUSLAW SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUESTS LEVY RENEWAL Administrators say current state, federal cutbacks make local option levy more important than ever B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News A INSIDE n important component of fund- ing for the Siuslaw School District (SSD) is up for review and possible renewal by Florence voters on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The SSD is asking the electorate to renew a local option levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed proper- ty value. The current levy was ini- tially approved by voters in 2008, renewed in 2012 and will expire in July 2019. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 The SSD Board of Directors feels on residents, but would continue the while only a small part of the district’s the Levy renewal is needed to con- current rate of taxation for Florence overall funding, is critical to maintain- tinue to provide and maintain educa- property owners. ing current levels of student support. tional services at their “The Local Option current levels. Levy is very important The requested “Without the levy funds, there simply would not to our day-to-day opera- renewal would be for be the level of programs and options for stu- tions here in the Siuslaw five consecutive years, School District. Six-and- dents that we have today.” beginning in 2019-20, a-half percent of the — Andy Grzeskowiak general operating fund and would raise a total Siuslaw School District Superintendent may not seem like much, of approximately $5,387,099, during that but it is the piece that time. SSD Superintendent Andy keeps many aspects of school opera- The renewal of the local levy Grzeskowiak wants voters to know the tions going. It is the margin between option would not raise current taxes money raised by the levy renewal, running a full school year or cutting Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast . . . A10 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 60 42 61 43 61 47 57 47 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 days,” Grzeskowiak said. “ The Local Option Levy also helps to keep class sizes reasonable, with the most pro- nounced impacts at the elementary and middle school levels.” According to Grzeskowiak, the levy is also responsible for keeping more elective, enrichment and vocational programs available for students. “Without the levy funds, there simply would not be the level of pro- grams and options for students that we have today,” he said. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017 See LEVY 9A
