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WEDNESDAY EDITION | MAY 22, 2019 | $1.00
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THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
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Deadlines for the following Wednesday’s issue, May 29, will be advanced to accommodate the short-
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press releases is noon Thursday.
VOL. 129, NO. 41
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
Morning clouds and
afternoon sun. A high
of 60 and a low of 51.
Full forecast on A3
112 TH
ANNUAL
C OASTAL C ANVAS
Story by Chantelle Meyer
Photos by Jared Anderson, Mark Brennan
& Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
“What I enjoy most about this community
event is the eclectic group of people who get in-
volved,” said Florence Area Chamber of Com-
merce Executive Director Bettina Hannigan.
Siuslaw takes state
INSIDE — SPORTS
RECORDS
Obituaries &
emergency
response logs
Inside — A2
SIDE SHOW
Activities and
comics every
Saturday
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
Siuslaw
Elementary
reports Monday
morning fire
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2019
Siuslaw Elementary School
held an unplanned fire drill
on Monday morning after
a fire was discovered in the
south girl’s bathroom before
school started. A teacher was
able to put out the fire and
pull the fire alarm. Siuslaw
Valley Fire and Rescue arrived
within minutes.
“We did so well with
evacuating students because
this is what we train for,” said
Siuslaw Elementary Principal
Mike Harklerode.
According to the prin-
cipal, teachers hadn’t yet
taken attendance when the
fire alarm sounded, which
caused the biggest problem
as every student needed to be
accounted for.
See SES FIRE page 5A
Diploma Diplomacy II
School Board approves petition to allow seniors to
work with administration on graduation request
It was a lesson in By Chantelle Meyer diplomas at graduation,
civics at the special
& Annalee Griffis
the board first went
meeting of the Siuslaw
Siuslaw News
over school board poli-
School Board on May
cy, Siuslaw history and
20 as directors reviewed
community relations
a petition submitted by the Siuslaw before a decision was reached.
Class of 2019. While the board ul-
On May 8, Siuslaw High School se-
timately voted to allow students to niors had submitted a petition to the
work with Principal Kerri Tatum on
deciding who will hand students their
See DIPLOMAS page 7A
Emergency response
agencies report
little trouble
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
Winners of a campaign conduct-
ed by the Planning Department to
highlight Building Safety Month, the
Dog-on-the-Job photo contest, were
introduced by Planning Adminis-
trative Assistant Vevie McPherren as
they accepted congratulations from
the council.
The human winners of the photo
contest were presented with a back-
pack, filled with city-related gift
While the Rhody Day week-
end rains may have kept crowds
away from events such as Satur-
day’s Coast Radio Classic Car
Cruise, it also kept away the
sometimes unruly behavior that
the festival can sometimes bring
from out-of-town revelers.
“Overall, it was a really calm
weekend. The rain kept people
away at night,” said Florence
Police Department (FPD)
Commander John Pitcher.
“Saturday nights is when [ar-
guments and fights] usually
happen, with people drinking
so much. This year we didn’t
have any people down there,
and I’m positive that was be-
cause of the rain.”
See COUNCIL page 6A
See ROWDY page 6A
City Council recognizes Public Works,
prepares for National Night Out
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The May 20 Florence City Council
meeting found councilors tackling
long-term public works issues as the
primary action of the evening. There
were also a variety of presentations.
Mayor Joe Henry opened the meet-
ing with the reading into the record of
two proclamations. The first recog-
nized May as Building Safety Month
and the second proclaimed May 19 to
25 as National Public Works Week.
Rain dampens
Rhody weekend
rowdiness
IC
5
RV
We provide full service trash & recycling removal for
commercial & residential accounts.
SE
as the only locally owned & operated
garbage company in Florence.
) 902-75
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PO 4
Celebrating 20-years
COAST DIS
AL
IL E
SPORTS
“From the people who run the 5K Rhody Run,
to the BeachKomber Car Show and Shine, the
Davis Shows NW Carnival, local restaurants
and bars — so many come together to make
the Rhododendron Festival each year.”
While the festival is the chamber’s largest
event each year, only some of the many week-
end activities are sponsored by the chamber,
such as the Rhody Court Coronation, Maple
Street Vendor Fair and the Grand Floral Pa-
rade. All the other events are planned by di-
verse community groups, such as the KCST/
KCFM Coast Radio, Florence Elks Lodge
#1858, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue, Kiwan-
M
T
he
112th
an-
nual Rho-
dodendron Festival brought out rich
bouquets of colorful rhododendrons
and highlighted the tapestry of people
who collectively make up the area’s
“Coastal Canvas.”
is Club of Florence, BeachKomber Car Club,
Eclectic Edge Racing, TR Hunter and more.
The chamber handles the marketing for the
whole event.
“There’s a high level of involvement,” Han-
nigan said.
While rain on Friday and Saturday thinned
the crowds at the Show and Shine, Car Cruise
and Kiwanis Kids Games, people remained in
good spirits. Indoor activities, such as the Siu-
slaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron
Society’s Rhody Flower Show and Sale and
Florence Regional Arts Alliance’s Art Festival
drew people inside the Florence Events Cen-
ter. According to Hannigan, a record number
of plants were sold over the two-day show.
“People still came to town, even if they had
a later start this year,” she said.
See FESTIVAL page 7A
41
COMMUNITY
More Rhody Photos
INSIDE — A10
R HODODENDRON F ESTIVAL
CEN
T
(5 R
Results from
the May 21
Special Election
will be in the
Saturday, May
25, edition of
the Siuslaw
News and on
T HE S IUSLAW
N EWS . COM
today.
E W I TH A S