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SATURDAY EDITION
❘ JANUARY 27, 2018 ❘ $1.00
S AILORS LAND
E AGLES
Chamber invites
people to take vacation
SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A6
128TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 8
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
Sheriffs warn of
scammers posing
as companies
FLORENCE, OREGON
2018 Rhododendron Court gets ready to
RHODY RENDEZVOUS
Upper North Fork resident
reports scam phone call to
authorities
Senior COURT PRINCESses
Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has
released a statement warning residents to be aware
of potential scammers
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
soliciting information or
Siuslaw News
credit card numbers from
county residents.
“The sheriff’s office has received reports that
community members have received calls from
someone identifying themselves as their insurance
provider or their satellite network provider,” said
LCSO Public Information Officer Sgt. Carrie
Carver.
According to Carver, the scammers ask the
community member several questions in effort to
help “clear up an issue” with their account.
“Callers so far have recognized the call as a
scam, but some have provided information that
may put them at risk for identity theft,” she said.
On Wednesday, an Upper North Fork resident,
who asked to remain anonymous, reported to the
Siuslaw News that he had been speaking to
authorities about a situation he perceived as a
scam.
The man said he was called at home one morn-
ing by an individual claiming to be a representa-
tive of Dish Network.
The caller was a woman who offered to
upgrade his viewing package. She said the
upgrade would cost $160 and he could pay for the
improved service package over the phone with a
credit or debit card.
The man told her he would consider an
upgrade, but was only willing to pay $100.
At that time, the caller turned him over to a sup-
posed “tech” associate who attempted to coerce
the man into providing his financial information,
which he declined.
He then called Dish Network and inquired as to
the nature and validity of the call he had received.
Thelma Gentry
Lainey Goss
Alex Saindon
Andrea Sanchez
Denielle VanWinkle
SENIOR
COURt
PRINCES
Colby Waters
Trent Reavis
JUNIOR COURT PRINCESses
Aleeya Thomas
— first grade
Siuslaw
Jasmine Krause
— second grade
Siuslaw
Abigail Mendez
— third grade
Mapleton
Kylee Stinger
— fourth grade
Siuslaw
Brittney Adams
— fifth grade
Siuslaw
COURTESY PHOTOS
See
SCAM 7A
ELECTION RESULTS
Measure 101 passes
by wide margin
INSIDE
Measure 101, which upheld health care taxes to
fund the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) through
2019, passed overwhelm-
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
ingly during the Tuesday,
Siuslaw News
Jan. 23, Special Election.
The current vote count
sits at 61.60 percent for the state of Oregon and
67.12 percent for Lane County. Precinct vote
counts were not available at press time.
“I’m especially proud of our state tonight,” said
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who supported the
measure. “The voters have said loud and clear that
everyone deserves access to affordable health
care.”
A “yes” vote means that the state will continue
taxation on hospitals and certain health insurers to
pay for OHP, which is Oregon’s version of
Medicaid. The taxes raise up to $320 million for
the program.
Proponents of the measure believe it guarantees
healthcare for Oregon’s most vulnerable — chil-
dren, seniors and people with disabilities. If the
measure did not pass, the state would be forced to
siphon OHP funding from other sources, includ-
ing schools.
Opponents believe the measure increases
healthcare premiums, disproportionately taxes
certain businesses and delays a more robust
debate on how OHP should be funded.
The taxes are short term, with the measure only
guaranteeing taxation until 2019, when lawmak-
ers will have to create a more long-term funding
plan.
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Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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A3
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A2
“R
hody Rendezvous” is the theme
of the 111th Rhododendron
Festival, and the 2018 Rho-
dodendron Court will continue
the grand tradition of Rhody Days.
Florence Area Chamber
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
of Commerce sponsors
________________________
the annual festival.
“This year’s ‘Rhody Rendezvous’ theme intends
to evoke a feeling of coming to Florence and meet-
ing up with friends and family for a great time
here in Oregon’s Coastal Playground,” said
Chamber Executive Director Bettina Hannigan.
R ECENT
For the Rhody Court, this
means a new batch of high
school seniors and elementary
students have been selected
from the Siuslaw and Mapleton
school districts.
Seven Siuslaw High School
students make up the Senior
Court this year. Princesses are
Thelma Gentry, Lainey Goss,
Alex Saindon, Andrea Sanchez
and Denielle VanWinkle. The
two princes are Trent Reavis
and Colby Waters.
For the Junior Court, four
Siuslaw students and one
Mapleton student are this year’s
princesses. They are first-grader
Aleeya Thomas; second-grader
Jasmine Krause; Mapleton
third-grader Abigail Mendez;
fourth-grader Kylee Stinger;
and fifth-grader Brittney
Adams.
The students found out about
their placement on the court
through a Siuslaw Elementary
School assembly right before
Winter Break, through a special
visit to Old Town Florence and
a meeting at Siuslaw High
School. Florence Mayor Joe
Henry delivered roses to each
prince and princess.
See
RHODY 7A
QUAKES HIGHLIGHT ALERT SHORTCOMINGS
Tsunami watch issued early Tuesday morning missed by most coastal residents
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
Offshore earthquakes this week
have reminded residents of
Oregon and the West Coast that
the possibility of a tsunami is ever
lurking.
Two separate seismic events,
two days apart, also helped to
point out fundamental flaws in
Oregon’s tsunami alert system.
These flaws add credence to a
new and unflattering report
released from the office of the
Secretary of State, “The State
Must Do More to Prepare Oregon
Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
This Week on the Coast . . . . A6
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
for a Catastrophic Disaster,” on
Jan. 25.
The report found the state does
not meet standards established in
2007 that cover basic elements of
an effective emergency manage-
ment programs.
“State planning efforts for a cat-
astrophic disaster are incomplete
and inadequate,” the report stated.
“Critical plans to insure continuity
of government services in the
wake of a disaster are either miss-
ing or incomplete.”
On Tuesday, a magnitude 8.2
earthquake struck in the Gulf of
Alaska at 12:31 a.m., according to
the United States Geological
Survey (USGS).
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA) and the National
Weather Service issued a combi-
nation of tsunami warnings and
watches through the U.S. Tsunami
Warning System at 2:32 a.m.
A tsunami warning is issued
when a tsunami with the potential
to generate widespread inundation
is imminent, expected or occur-
ring, while a tsunami watch is
issued when a tsunami may later
impact the watch area. A tsunami
advisory is issued when a tsunami
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
53 49
57 47
58 44
49 40
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
with the potential to generate
strong currents or waves danger-
ous to those in or near the water is
imminent, expected or occurring.
Tsunami warnings were issued
from the Aleutian Islands to
British Columbia and watches
were issued along the West Coast
of the U.S., including all of
Oregon.
Due to the early hour, many
Oregonians were asleep at the
time of the alerts and were not
aware of the potential danger that
might have been headed to shore.
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C OPYRIGHT 2018
See
ALERT 7A