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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2019)
SN Siuslaw News VOL. 129, NO. 9 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 F LORENCE , O REGON WEDNESDAY EDITION | JANUARY 30, 2019 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM TH Jim Hoberg is proud to be CELEBRATING 30 YEARS in real estate as a Realtor here in Florence. JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner • R ESIDENTIAL • L AND • C OMMERCIAL • P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT 541-997-7653 • WWW.JIMHOBERG.COM 1870 H WY . 126, S UITE A • PO B OX 3040, F LORENCE , OR • F AX 541-997-7654 A&E S ECTION P RINTED I NSIDE Winter Music Festival brings toe-tappin’ sounds WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 58 and a low tonight of 39. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN & CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS (From left) Groups from various genres — including Katie Jane Lubiens and Adam Easley’s lively Ameri-Celtic, True North’s folk and bluegrass and gospel with Andiel Brown and the U of O Gospel Choir — performed at the Florence Events Center Jan. 25 to 27 as part of the 2019 Florence Winter Music Festival. 17th annual music, arts festival features 11 groups at the Florence Events Center By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News T Three Rivers, Tribes continue donations to local Coast Guard INSIDE — A3 SPORTS he 2019 Florence Winter Music Festival took place at the Florence Events Center (FEC) this past weekend, fea- turing bluegrass, Americana, folk and gospel music as well as local art and community concerts. The event was pre- sented by Sea Lion Caves and produced by the Friends of the FEC. “It went shockingly well,” said Rachel Pearson, Winter Music Festival chairperson. “It was what a festival is supposed to be within the space of the FEC.” While the bulk of the fes- tival took place at the events center, including the Kiwanis Kids Concerts on Thursday RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KID SCOOP Newspapers in Education every week Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM The festival kicked off with the annual Kids Concerts, hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Florence with addition- al sponsorship. These lively performances bused in nearly 900 students from Mapleton, Reedsport and Siuslaw ele- mentary schools. Pearson thanked Siuslaw Elementary Principal Mike Harklerode and his staff for organizing the logistics for seating and buses for each of the shows, as well as the teach- ers and bus drivers from each school in attendance. At the start of the concert, she told the enthusiastic stu- dents, “If you want to clap, you can clap; if you want to bounce in your seat, that’s OK. No one has hit the ceiling yet.” See FESTIVAL page 8A of Freedom Lane County Local vets Voice KXCR continues on alert for mission by advocate for livestreaming measles, flu county services in 2019 Health officials brace By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Viks excel in Bowling Championships INSIDE — SPORTS and the two-day Florence Re- gional Arts Alliance’s (FRAA) Winter Arts Festival, addi- tional music events took place throughout town. Oregon Pacific Bank host- ed a community concert and ICM Restaurant hosted two evening acoustic jam sessions, with Siuslaw Public Library providing an additional jam on Friday. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 Leadership from Florence-area veterans’ groups met with Lane County Commissioner Jay Boziev- ich and Lane County Veterans Services (LCVS) Program Super- visor Joseph Reiley last week at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 23 headquarters in Florence. Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3232, DAV, American Legion Post 59 and the informal coalition of vets known as the of “Band of Brothers” all participated in a discussion of the needs of area veterans, in regard to the county’s Veterans Service Officer program. Bozievich and Reiley were here to respond to requests from the veterans for an increase in the time that a Veterans Service Officer (VSO), provided by Lane County Veterans Services, would spend in Florence to assist veterans with claims and other matters related to previous military service. There were also concerns ex- pressed by the vets that the current location of the intake interviews was not adequate for the meetings between the VSOs and those need- ing assistance. Bozievich began the meeting with a brief disclaimer, citing the need for the county commission to approve the additional funding needed to increase the hours a VSO could spend in Florence. See VETERANS page 6A I WILL HEAR BETTER THIS YEAR Story & Photo By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News “‘Charlie’s Place’ is an imaginary bar,” Charlie Walker said. “I refer to it as a place where you can live it up and never have to worry about living it down. It’s located on the corner of your fondest memory and your wildest fantasy. So, come on down.” The atmosphere, along with an eclectic mix of jazz and blues, is the main attraction of KXCR Commu- nity Radio’s show “Charlie’s Place.” “We don’t mention the booze, we just assume its presence,” Walk- er said. “But there’s a lot of strange creatures visiting the club. We have Lionel, our resident philosopher, and he does a lot of strange humor like, ‘He’s very happy because he just found out he’s going to be the last person to die during his lifetime.’” After a long pause, the reporter interviewing Walker laughed. “It takes a minute, doesn’t it?” Walker said with a wry smile. “He was the same one that was raised by his father because his mother left home before he was born. Nice trick.” After 100 episodes, “Charlie’s Place” has closed its doors at KXCR 90.7 FM as Walker is searching for a new project for the radio station. “It’s almost two years of shows,” said Walker. “I figured, either the show or I will get stale fairly easily. I said all I have to say. Now I’ve got to find a new format and say it again. Might put something together that has some nostalgia attached to it. At the age I am, nostalgia’s what I’ve got KXCR DJ Charlie Walker going for me.” Walker, age 90, stated that he’s not realistically active anymore, heavily relying on a cane for mobility, “but the mind is still working. I figure that I enjoy life so much, so if I can share it with joy with somebody else, I’m happy to do it.” And it’s through the airwaves that Walker, along with the dozens of other community radio practi- tioners, have a place to share that joy. “FM is the voice of freedom,” Walker said. “KXCR is a voice cry- ing in the wilderness. I don’t know what listenership we have, or if it’s a potential money maker. What I do know is that if I want to express my opinion, I can come here and do it. And it will be accepted because it’s my opinion, as a citizen. That’s a very, very important freedom, in my way of thinking.” Walker believes that KXCR is freedom, giving a voice to those that don’t have one. It’s a sentiment that Larry Bloomfield, who was just pro- moted to station manager, shares. “We give a voice where a voice can be given,” he said. “We give a local voice to a local area that has a wealth of knowledge that needs to be passed on. And we’re really lucky to have such a wonderful community.” See RADIO page 7A for potential measles outbreak as first case surfaces in Oregon By Damien Sherwood For Siuslaw News Lane County Public Health (LCPH) has issued a general health alert after 22 cases of measles had been confirmed in Southwest Wash- ington as of Tuesday — with one confirmed case in Portland last Fri- day. The department is encouraging the public and medical profession- als to watch for symptoms and take steps to reduce the virus’s spread. Individuals with confirmed cas- es were reported by LCPH to have traveled throughout the Portland Metro area during their communi- cable period, prompting health offi- cials to issue a warning down the I-5 corridor. “Given the proximity of these cas- es to Lane County, the amount of travel that happens daily between us and the greater Portland Metro area, and the particularly contagious nature of measles, we are concerned about the risk of exposure,” said Lane County Senior Public Health Officer Dr. Patrick Luedtke in a press release. Clark County Public Health has so far confirmed at least 35 cases this year alone. The county is lo- cated directly across the Columbia River from Portland, and includes Vancouver, Wash. See MEASLES page 6A The first step to better hearing? HEARING ASSOCIATES Getting your hearing tested by the ONLY doctors of audiology in Florence. Hear the TV through your hearing aids! * With purchase of a set of level 5, 7, or 9 devices. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 2/14/19. FREE TV Adapter* of Florence Call today to start your year off right! 541.991.4475 1901 Hwy 101, Ste A | Florence HearingAssociatesOfFlorence.com | Doctors of Audiology
