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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS C OMMUNITY V OICES ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ MARCH 14, 2018 ❘ $1.00 SAILORS SPRINT INTO TRACK SEASON INSIDE — A8 128TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 21 WEDNESDAY EDITION SPORTS — B SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON P ORT OF S IUSLAW HIRES D AVE H UNTINGTON AS INTERIM MANAGER Port commissioners, deadlocked on hiring a new manager, vote to extend search in near future B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News The Port of Siuslaw has named cur- rent Port Commissioner David Huntington as interim port manager after the commission decided to reopen the search for a new manager. The position became open after cur- rent Interim Port Manager, Dina McClure, accepted a position at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Western Lane Ambulance District. Her last day will be Thursday, March 15. “We have reviewed and interviewed the current applicants for the manager position and we have come to an impasse that is not going to be Alzheimer’s Association offers free classes resolved,” Commissioner Terry Duman said during a public meeting Monday night, following an executive session. “At this time, the board would like to close its search and terminate the appli- cations we have. They have the right to reapply, which we would encourage, at a later date to be determined.” Later in the meeting, Duman stressed that the candidates the com- mission interviewed were equally good, but that the board was unable to gain a majority vote on a final appli- cant. Huntington, who has served on the commission for three years, did apply for the position in the current round of applications, and recused himself from S u p e rs t a rs s hi n e Workshops offer info on aging, memory loss and planning any discussion or vote regarding the matter. “I wasn’t involved in any of the exec- utive session meetings on the position, so I was surprised and honored that the board had confidence in me at this point to give me this interim position,” See PORT 11A ‘Get Wild’ with new Vision Quest B Y M ARK B RENNAN Initiative to explore outdoor aspects of coast, upriver Siuslaw News B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News The Alzheimer’s Association Oregon Chapter Cascade Coast will hold two educational workshops, both of which are open to the public and free of charge, on the subject of aging and memory loss today in the Bromley Room at the Siuslaw Public Library, 1460 Ninth St. Regional Coordinator Abby Gershenzon, who works in Lane and Douglas counties, said that the semi- nars being presented are among the most meaningful that her organiza- tion offers to the public. “These are two of my favorite classes, out of the 15 different educa- tion programs that we present,” Gershenzon said. “Once people gain a deeper understanding about this disease, they are able to make better decisions, which can provide greater quality of life for both for their loved ones and themselves.” The first workshop, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is “The Basics: Memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” This 90-minute class will discuss the differences between normal aging and dementia, the basics of the dis- ease, the diagnostic process and man- agement strategies. There will also be information that will offer ways for caregivers and family members to help those with Alzheimer’s. The second workshop, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., is titled “Dementia Conversations.” This class will provide informa- tion to caregivers and individuals suffering with dementia so they can develop plans for dealing with potentially contentious issues, such as when to stop driving and when to See ALZHEIMER’S 7A P TA h ol d s an n ua l S iu s l a w S up er s t a r s T a l e nt S h o w A plethora of youth talent was in full force on Thursday as the Florence Community Parent Teacher Alliance (PTA) held its annual Siuslaw Superstars Talent Show to a packed house at the Florence Events Center (FEC). S TORY AND PHOTOS B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News “The evening was a huge success,” PTA President Tiffany Holdahl said. “We are very proud of all the kids who performed, the parents and teachers who supported them and all of the fans from our commu- nity who came out to cheer them on.” Elementary students sang, danced and joked their way throughout the night, which was hosted by Siuslaw Elementary Principal Michael Harklerode. See TALENT and more photos 7A Mapleton to hold community fair Suicide, substance abuse and home safety to be discussed Substance abuse, suicide, gam- bling prevention and internet and electronic B Y J ARED A NDERSON safety will Siuslaw News be some of the topics covered as Mapleton School District hosts the Community Awareness Health Fair and Dinner tomorrow, March 15. The event, which will bring in a whole host of community leaders from around the county, looks to educate parents and youth in Mapleton and beyond about some of the issues facing youth today. “It started with a conversation around suicide and the need to sup- port families, schools and kids about suicide prevention,” Mapleton School District Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said. “From there, we branched out.” Multiple issues can factor into a youth’s risk for suicidal behavior, which led to broadening the scope of Mapleton’s discussion. See Continuing the conversation B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News INSIDE Healthy Directions, an area prevention and health promotion coalition that was formed through Lane County Public Health, celebrated its first annual celebration last Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Voices . . . . . . . Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . B8 A3 A8 B7 week as the initiative reviewed the progress it has made thus far, and the plans it has for the future. The goal of Healthy Directions is to bring about awareness of, and attempt to lower, teen alcohol use in the Siuslaw region. Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B The prevalence of alcohol use in Florence among teens is high, more so than other intoxicants like marijuana. The coalition polled 11th- graders from Siuslaw High School, asking about their use of addictive substances within the past 30 days. THIS WEEK ’ S While 21 percent of respondents stated they had used marijuana, 34 percent stated they had at least one drink in the past 30 days and 22 percent had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row during one drinking session. “That’s very concerning Full Forecast, A3 MAPLETON 10A See GET WILD 11A Healthy Directions celebrates 1 year of curbing teen alcohol use in region because when we look at what kids are drinking, they’re not drinking beer or wine so much as they are drinking hard liquor,” said Lane County Community Health Analyst Emily Buff Bear, who is one of the main leaders of Healthy TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 49 39 48 38 49 38 49 39 WEATHER Education and outdoor adven- tures are two aspects of the Siuslaw Vision 2025’s Vision Quest, which opens its Get Wild series this weekend during coast- wide whale watching season. On Saturday, March 17, “Gray Whales of Oregon” will feature a talk by marine biologist Carrie Newell at City Lights Cinemas, 1930 Highway 101, at 3 p.m. Then, on Sunday, “The Art of Whale Watching” will take people to Cape Perpetua at 10:30 a.m. for a how-to with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Interpretive Ranger Luke Parsons. Vision Quest Coordinator Dina Pavlis said, “The idea of this Get Wild program is that we have an indoor session that teaches you, and then the next day we’re going to put our boots on the ground and put in action what we’ve learned.” People can attend one or both of the events — and they are free and open to the public, though some Get Wild programs may have nom- inal parking fees. “Our goal is to make everything accessible to the community,” Pavlis added. That includes a variety of times, dates and locations to make sure people can attend the events. Russ Pierson, dean of Lane Community College (LCC) Florence Center and the adminis- trator for the Siuslaw Vision, talked about the organic process of the Vision up to this point. “The Vision Keepers are a group of volunteers just interested in connecting the dots,” he said. Directions. “The keggers that used to happen are not what we’re seeing anymore. We’re seeing them using vodka, rum and all kinds of hard alcohol. That’s especially concerning when you’re S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018 See DIRECTIONS 10A