Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS FRIDAY EDITION V ETERANS D AY S ATURDAY , N OV . 11, 2017 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 90 ❘ NOVEMBER 10, 2017 ❘ $1.00 READY TO WRESTLE SPORTS — B SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON T WO BROTHERS , TWO WARS — A SHARED EXPERIENCE Local brothers, John, 96, and Bill Weiser, 84, served in World War II and the Korean War WEISER BY BILL HOTOS P IC R HISTO During th e Korea n War, B these ph ill Weise otograp h r too s of his sh Guadalu ip, the U k pe, and his crew .S.S. “liberty” m and time ates during at sea. MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS From left, brothers John and Bill Weiser of Glenada mericans will recognize the service of all veterans on Saturday, Nov. 11, in honor of the Armistice that ended World War I (WWI) on Nov. 11, 1918. President Woodrow Wilson created Armistice Day in 1919 on the one-year anniversary of the end of WWI, and the holiday was renamed Veterans Day years later in 1954. The connection to WWI may seem A B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News simply a matter of history to most of us, but to 96-year-old Florence-area resident John Weiser, it is a matter of personal history. John was born in 1922 and the dis- tant memories associated with the time immediately following WWI were the experiences of his youth. See BROTHERS 6A Voters pass local Community rallies around Florence Food Share New corporate programs and a slew of donations help the local program option levy by wide margin Renewal will allow Siuslaw A B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News School District to continue to offer classes, enhance learning F INSIDE lorence voters had only one ballot measure to consider in Tuesday’s special election — the renewal of a local option levy for the Siuslaw School District, Measure 20-281. A total of 5,606 votes B Y M ARK B RENNAN were cast in the district’s Siuslaw News three precincts, with 3,511 (62.63 percent) voting to continue the levy and 2,095 (37.37 percent) vot- ing against. Siuslaw School District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak was hopeful the measure would pass and was pleased with the strong support the renewal received once the ballots were counted. “The general comments people have shared with me over the past few weeks have been very positive with regards to the renewal of the oper- ating levy,” he said. “I was fairly confident the levy would pass, and when I downloaded the first results Wednesday night I was surprised that the margin of victory was so significant. With the ‘yes’ votes coming in over 62 percent, that really shows that our community cares about education and kids.” The funds generated by the passage of 20-281 will provide the money needed to fill in the fiscal gaps in a number of district programs. In the last year, the federal administration has significantly cut the funding for the Department of Education and has scaled back or completely eliminated the funding for many after school pro- grams, the teachers for those programs and need- ed technology upgrades. According to Grzeskowiak, the renewal of the levy option will bridge these funding gaps. “The school district is very appreciative of the support the community has shown for education here locally as demonstrated by the election results,” he said. See LEVY 9A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 fter Florence Food Share’s financial difficulties were brought to light last week follow- ing a dearth of cash donations and changing corporate sponsorships, the nonprofit has seen a rash of donations and support from local corporations. “Since then, the community has stepped up and the donations have been pouring in all week,” Florence Food Share Executive Director Norma Barton said. “Thank you, Florence communi- ty.” In addition, two major compa- nies in town have promised major donations within the coming months. Florence manufacturer Top Hydraulics Inc. will be a second sponsor of Cindy Wobbe’s 18th annual Pounding for Florence Food Share, which will be held next Saturday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grocery Outlet. “For every pound of food donated on that day, Top Hydraulics will donate $1,” Barton said. “That means, for this year only, along with our original anonymous donor, we will have a two-for-one match. For every pound of food donated at the Pounding fundraiser, Florence Food Share will receive $2.” Three Rivers Casino Resort, which had put its philanthropic endeavors on hold while going through a corporate reorganiza- tion, announced this week that it will be using its Tuesday night Progressive Jackpot Bingo pro- motion to raise food donations for food share. Beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 14, individuals will be able to bring three cans of food for one extra bingo card, once from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 6 to 9 p.m. “The promotion is set up with- out an end date,” Three Rivers Director of Consumer Marketing Richard Colton said. While it’s possible the promo- tion itself may end if it doesn’t bring interest, Colton said giving to the food share will always be a priority of the casino. “It will be really easy to move it to another promotion that is work- ing well for us, so we can contin- ue to support Florence Food Share,” he said. Three Rivers will also continue its Toy and Food Drive through Thursday, Dec. 14, which will allow Players Club members to bring in unwrapped toys or three cans of food to receive $5 in free play. See DONATIONS 9A Dunes City marijuana grow operation may be denied Oregon Liquor Control Commission application may be at risk due to improper approval B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News O ne of the proposed marijuana grow operations that has been in the middle of a hotly contested debate in Dunes City during the past few months may have its applica- tion pulled by Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), according to information released at the Dunes City Council meeting on Nov. 8. The application that may be denied was submitted by Valerie Caine-Mathis. According to Dunes City Administrator Jamie Mills, Caine- Mathis first came into the office in February to apply for a Land Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS) to create a marijuana grow on her property. Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast . . . A9 THIS WEEK ’ S Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) requires potential commercial growers to submit a LUCS to city officials, who then must verify that the pro- posals meet city ordinances. The Caine-Mathis LUCS states, “I will have three green houses, each measuring 30 feet wide and 60 feet deep.” However, there was no mention of a residential structure. The green houses would be considered acces- sory structures, which are only allowed in combination with resi- dential property. At the time, Mills was at a con- ference in Eugene and the LUCS was approved by former Permit Technician Renee Green. When Mills came back from her confer- ence, she reviewed the LUCS and stated that the LUCS could not be approved as is. A residential proper- ty had to be built on the premises, and, to do that, a residential permit had to be purchased. Dunes City staff contacted Caine-Mathis. “I wasn’t privy to that conversa- tion,” Mills said. “But I do recall them telling her, ‘You have to have something different. You have to have the residence.’ She said, ‘OK, we’ll bring in a site plan for the res- idence.” But, according to Mills, the new plans were never submitted and a new permit was never purchased. The old LUCS, which Mills states should have been denied, was submitted to OLCC. Therefore, the existing LUCS OLCC has does not meet city code, according to Mills. As to why this occurred, Mills TODAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY 54 45 56 46 55 46 51 46 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 stated the issue is still under investi- gation. On Oct. 31, Mills drafted a letter to OLCC informing them that the existing LUCS does not comply with the city’s land use regulations. However, Mills stopped short of stating that the city requested the withdrawal of the LUCS. She instead requested that OLCC deter- mine whether the LUCS needed to be simply amended, or pulled all together. In that case, the decision of rescinding the LUCS would fall squarely on OLCC, not Dunes City. OLCC Media Representative Mike Pettinger stated that OLCC is evaluating the situation, review- ing the chronology of events and examining the LUCS itself. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017 See APPLICATION 8A
