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WEDNESDAY EDITION
ENDING ON
A HIGH NOTE
Eighth-graders
learn about ‘Life’
INSIDE — SCHOOL ZONE
SPORTS — B
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 85
❘ OCTOBER 25, 2017 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Florence
It’s a great pumpkin,
Florence Oregon! hosts State
KCST holds annual Great Pumpkin Giveaway Thursday
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
I
t was 6 a.m. on a
Halloween morning
when KCST made its
first transmission back
in 1988.
Every year since, the broadcast-
ing organization has been cele-
brating that day with the Great
Pumpkin Giveaway, set for its
28th annual event this Thursday,
Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. The pumpkins
will be given out at 4 p.m.
The event started in 1989
when the station decided to give
away pumpkins to celebrate its
first anniversary.
“They wanted to celebrate
their anniversary and give back
to the community,” said KCST
News Director George Henry.
“This was an opportunity to
do everything all at once. Get
the kids involved and get the
pumpkins out.”
Thousands of pounds of the
orange gourds have been given
out to children 18 and under
through the years, with up to 400
pumpkins expected to be handed
out this year alone.
See
GIVEAWAY 7A
H O ME C OM I NG G A LA 2 0 17
A S E NI O R - S E N IO R P R O M
S TORY AND PHOTOS
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
O
n Friday, the first annual
Homecoming Gala Senior-
Senior Prom was held at Three
Rivers Casino Resort. The Gala
was a fundraiser for Boys and Girls
Club of Western Lane County.
The total raised at the event is
still being calculated but Club
Director Jack Davis said the event
was a great success.
“Everyone who attended the
Senior-Senior Prom had the time of
their life, and all of us at the Boys
and Girls Club are so grateful for
the generosity,” he said.
The fundraiser featured a silent
auction with art and collectables
donated by community members
and a dessert auction, which raised
more than $4,000.
Davis said more than 50 spon-
sors contributed to the success of
the gala.
“We couldn't have held this
fundraiser without the support of
Three Rivers Casino, which pro-
vided the room for the banquet and
the staff for the evening,
Roseburg’s Reustle-Prayer Rock
Vineyards, which provided the
wine for the evening, and the busi-
nesses and individuals who con-
tributed to this effort,” Davis said.
“Without this outpouring of local
support, this club would not exist.”
of the Coast
Conference
Speakers include artists,
scientists, politicians and
community organizers
The 2017 State of the Coast Conference, an
annual event that focuses on the issues and oppor-
tunities facing Oregon’s
B Y M ARK B RENNAN marine environment, will be
Siuslaw News
held on Saturday, Oct. 28, at
the Florence Events Center.
The State of the Coast Conference is primarily
science based and featured educators from Oregon
State University (OSU), the University of Oregon,
National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and a number of elected
officials.
The overall umbrella organization that provides
much of the direction and funding for the event is
Oregon Sea Grant, which was established in 1971
at OSU to provide a better understanding of
Oregon coastal communities and ecosystems.
Flaxen Conway is the director of the Marine
Resource Management Program at the OSU
College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric
Sciences and point person for the event.
“The idea behind the conference is that folks
can come and get a glimpse into the 2017 ‘state of
the coast.’ In other words, they can come and
share and learn about the latest science and art
regarding pressing issues and opportunities for the
coast,” Conway said. “The theme this year is
innovation and the topics on the program relate to
these issues and opportunities.”
The conference will feature an early morning
keynote address given by Dr. Richard Spinrad, a
former Chief Scientist for NOAA and vice presi-
dent of research at OSU from 2010 to 2014.
Spinrad will kick off the event on Saturday
morning with a presentation entitled, “The
Ecosystem of Innovation Addressing Coastal
Issues.”
See
CONFERENCE 7A
Sen. Roblan,
Rep. McKeown
to hold town hall
COURTESY IMAGES
Kim Stokes’ fourth-grade Siuslaw Elementary class creates patriotic, nonpartisan posters in an attempt to motivate the commu-
nity to vote in the Nov. 7 Special Election. Measure 20-281 is the only local measure on the Lane County ballot.
Students encourage community to vote Nov. 7
Western Lane County’s only measure is Siuslaw School District’s local option levy renewal
“I served 14 years on the school board
so I have seen the problems the district
faces up close,” she said.
She felt the stakes were too high this
election to sit on the sidelines doing noth-
ing.
“Another problem is the number of peo-
ple voting is so low,” Rickard said. “Folks
need to know that we need them to partic-
ipate. Regardless of their position on the
measures on the ballot, I really want to
encourage people to look at the issues. It’s
not so much about how you vote, it’s more
about becoming informed about the issues
and then voting for the measures you sup-
port. ”
The upcoming special election will
focus on the renewal of a local option levy
for school operations, Measure 20-281.
T
INSIDE
he fourth-graders in Mrs. Kim
Stokes’ class at Siuslaw Elementary
School District really
B Y M ARK B RENNAN want to encourage
Siuslaw News
people to vote in the
Nov.
7
Special
Election. The stu-
dents were so determined to remind peo-
ple that they each made small posters
meant to motivate residents to vote.
The posters were designed and colored
by the students and are nonpartisan, with
the emphasis on encouraging citizens to
turn in their ballots.
The project started out as a contest. As
Stokes received the posters, the quality of
the work was so high that no individual
winners were selected and all entrants
were declared winners.
Florence resident Nancy Rickard is the
sole sponsor of the poster contest this year.
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3
Kid Scoop . . . . . School Zone
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A5
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
See
THIS WEEK ’ S
ELECTION 7A
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
68 48
69 47
53 45
72 48
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
A town hall meeting hosted by State Sen. Arnie
Roblan and Rep. Caddie McKeown will be held in
the Bromley Room of the
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw Public Library at 4
Siuslaw News
p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.
The topics to be dis-
cussed by the elected officials, both of whom rep-
resent residents of coastal areas of Lane, Coos,
Douglas and Lincoln counties, are issues related
to transportation and education.
McKeown said she is looking forward to shar-
ing about the progress made this term on the
issues of education and transportation, but also on
other topics raised by attendees.
“I appreciate the opportunity to recap this leg-
islative term with our coastal community mem-
bers. Sen. Roblan and I are members of the coastal
caucus, and we meet once a week, when we are in
session, to discuss issues that effect our con-
stituents,” she said. “It will also give us the chance
to preview the upcoming 2018 short session and
what we hope to accomplish during the term.”
McKeown currently serves as chairwoman of
the Transportation and Economic Development
Committee and is a member of the Agricultural
and Natural Resources Committee. She is also a
co-chair of the Joint Committee on
Transportation, Preservation and Modernization.
S IUSLAW N EWS
3 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2017
See
TOWN HALL 7A