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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | SATURDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS MAPLETON SEEKS GYM FLOOR IDEAS Octobcr Arts & Entcrtabnmcnt INSIDE SPORTS — B 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 78 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Lbvbng bn thc scrccn agc By Chantcllc Mcycr Sbuslaw Ncws O ver the past week, Siuslaw Mid- dle School and City Lights Cin- emas have sought to bring light to teenagers’ online use through the showing of an award-winning docu- mentary, “Screenagers.” On Tuesday, a specially-priced community screening was shown thanks to sponsorship from Florence Community PTA and Oregon Pacific Bank. Siuslaw Middle School Prin- cipal Andy Marohl and representa- tives from the Healthy Directions Coalition led a discussion with the families and community members in attendance. The film is about the effect on teens who overconsume social media and the internet and overuse their smart devices, such as phones, laptops, gam- ing consoles and computers. “Our kids now are growing up in an age where they never not knew the internet,” Marohl said. “I think I was in high school when it was invented, and it was this amazing thing. I remember in college, I got a computer with a dial-up modem that was 336k — all the beeps and buzz- es, when you clicked on a picture and you came back five minutes later to see if it loaded. And it was amazing. I felt like I could find anything. And On “Screenagers,” teens and trends of addiction now we wait 10 seconds and say, ‘What’s going on here? I gotta hit back or refresh.’ Everything has sped up so much.” This new age is affecting youth, as the Pew Research Center released in a report in May. It said 95 percent of teens 13 to 17 have access to a smart- phone, an increase of 22 percent from 2014-15, and 45 percent say they are online “almost constantly.” While there are some benefits to an online presence — they don’t call it “social” media for nothing — the dangers are in the amount of time that youth are spending glued in front of a screen, especially during crucial pre-adolescent development. In the early 2010s, Seattle physician Dr. Delaney Ruston began questioning her own children’s use of technolo- gy. Her son, a teen, spent many hours See SCREEN page 9A SVFR/WLAD approve interim chief director Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Boards move forward on chief, financial front DAMIEN SHERWOOD/SIUSLAW NEWS Signs, political and otherwise, are regulated by Oregon Department of Transportation and local municipalities based on their location. ODOT issues reminder on rules for outdoor advertising By Dambcn Shcrwood Sbuslaw Ncws A INSIDE s the gears of another election cycle churn life into the political ma- chine, the colorful by-product of political ads has blossomed once again along Florence’s roads and fences. The tradition of lawn sign advertising runs deep in the Unit- ed States and road-side inunda- tion is now common practice in this bi-annual competition for the public’s eye. For all their prevalence, stud- ies on the effectiveness of lawn- sign political ads have arrived at conflicting results, with some suggesting the pay-off is too low to warrant the money or effort. Some evidence exists, however, Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 A3 A4 A2 that candidates in low-informa- tion, local elections can score significant points at the ballot box with name recognition alone. Regardless of data, the battle for attention is in full swing and the Oregon Department of Trans- portation (ODOT) has issued a reminder of acceptable practices. Though the agency does not regulate content, there are state restrictions for any signs post- ed on trees, utility poles or fence posts within Oregon state highway right-of-ways. Widths of right-of- ways vary, with some measuring as narrowly as curb-to-curb, while others extend as far as 200 feet be- yond the pavement. ODOT encourages those post- ing signs to contact the depart- ment if they are unsure of their Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast. . . . . A6 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 sign’s legality. Improperly placed signs are removed and held by the local ODOT district mainte- nance office, though sign owners are usually notified prior to con- fiscation. Throughout the state, permits are required for signs posted in exchange for compensation, which includes not only money but anything of value, such as for- giveness of debt. Signs which are not at a place of business or other activity open to the public, such as crop fields and vacant lots, may also require an ODOT permit. There are also restrictions on il- lumination, flashing lights and other characteristics which may cause hazardous distractions for drivers. However, political signs typi- THIS WEEK ’ S FOLLOW THE CHARM TRAIL WKURXJK2UHJRQőV&RDVWDO 3OD\JURXQGDQGPDNHDSHUVRQDOL]HG NHHSVDNHIRUIULHQGVDQGIDPLO\ Organized by the Siuslaw News ŶRUHQFHFKDUPWUDLOFRPŘ TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 62 50 66 51 67 51 64 49 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 #)ORUHQFH&KDUP7UDLO See INTERIM page 8A cally meet the criteria for tempo- rary signs, which are defined as being posted for a maximum of 60 days in a year, limited to 12 square feet in area, and not on a perma- nent base. For signs of greater size and duration, a variance request can be submitted and are often approved within one or two busi- ness days. Additionally, in Oregon, polit- ical signs are not allowed within 100 feet of a voting location on Election Day. ODOT adheres to these rules with some rigidity, be- cause a failure to effectively con- trol signs puts Oregon at risk of losing up to 10 percent of federal highway aid — amounting to as much as $45 million per year. See SIGNS page 7A Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue (SVFR) and the Western Lane Ambulance District (WLAD) held a joint monthly By Mark Brcnnan meeting Thursday Sbuslaw Ncws evening, primarily to move forward in the process of finding a replacement for cur- rent Chief Director Jim Langborg and to ad- dress the possibility of an upcoming financial shortfall which could impact basic operations at SVFR. Langborg has taken a fire chief position in California and will be leaving the area in mid-October to begin his new assignment. Finding a replacement for Langborg will be challenging on a number of levels. One is the short amount of time before Langborg finishes his tenure at SVFR, making the selection of his replacement a high priority. OCHS members meet new leadership Organizational problems faced by the Ore- gon Coast Humane Society (OCHS) receded further into the By Mark Brcnnan rear-view mirror on Sbuslaw Ncws Wednesday evening when OCHS held a members-only meeting to introduce Interim Director Bob Murray and new Shelter Manager Marina Lewis. OCHS Board President Shauna Robbers introduced the pair to the 20 or so members in attendance, highlighting their experience and willingness to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. See FORWARD page 8A S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018