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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2019)
SN TH THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SCHOOL ZONE May/June School Zone inside + Siuslaw & Mapleton Grad Shout outs Siuslaw News VOL. 129, NO. 45 NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER WEDNESDAY EDITION | JUNE 5, 2019 | $1.00 Bad grads The Class of 2019’s journey to overcome its title as the “bad class” of Siuslaw By Annalee Griffis Siuslaw News Intern Cloudy with a high of 60 and a low tonight of 51. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Essay Contest Winners INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Family Fishing INSIDE — SPORTS Graduation is steadily ap- proaching. Excitement is buzzing throughout the entire commu- nity, and members of Florence are eager to see the Class of 2019 receive their diplomas after 13 years of hard work. Some may even be surprised that the class has gotten this far, considering this particular group has carried with them throughout the years a reputation of being a “trou- bled” class. Teachers, staff and past alumni still kid with each other about how rowdy and mis- behaved the 2019 seniors were in past years. But three graduating students, Hope Garcia, Audrey Lowder and Alyssa Richards, are ready to put an end to their class’s infamy, one accomplish- ment after the next. Hope prefers to stay out of the limelight in her day-to-day, but once there’s a camera pointed on her, she’s a star. She has already performed in several films, two of which, “Good Boy Connor” and “Missing Indigenous,” won “best film” awards at festivals. “I’ve done acting since I was 12,” says Hope. “I’ve always been pretty into it. I come from a pretty artistic family.” With the support of her family, Hope plans to remain in Flor- ence for a year to save up to attend the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy (NYFA). She’ll be getting a taste of what it’s like to be a NYFA RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KIDSCOOP Activities and comics for kids Inside — B3 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B4 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM See GRADS page 8A MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Competitors in the Fun Bass Tournament show off their trophies for best bass at Darlings Marina. Who’s going to be bass boss? Florence Siuslaw Lions Club hosts 37th Fun Bass Tourney By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News T he Florence Siuslaw Lions Club held the 37th annu- al Fun Bass Tournament at Siltcoos Lake on June 1 and 2. More than 20 teams and 40 partic- ipants fished in the long-running tournament, which raises funds to support a variety of charitable ac- tivities in the Florence area during the year. Lions Club International is a non-political service organization formed in Chicago in 1917. It now has more than 1.7 million mem- bers worldwide. These members, and the chapters they represent, are dedicated to helping with com- munity-based issues that can best be addressed by providing needed funding. The Florence Siuslaw Lions Club donates directly to school scholar- ships for two Siuslaw High School seniors each year and provides glasses, hearing aids and eye care to students and others with finan- cial challenges. The tournament is one of the Lions Club’s most im- portant yearly fundraising events. The two-day tourney, held at Darlings Marina, is the only open bass competition currently held in the state. This means that anyone who wishes to enter and catch fish can do so without qualifying or competing to obtain entry into the tournament. See TOURNEY page 9A Florence approves $58 million city budget By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The first of two Florence City Council Meetings scheduled this month took place on Monday, June 3, to a mostly empty room. The low public turnout for the meeting was unusual given the nature of the action items present- ed to the council by City Manag- er Erin Reynolds and her staff for consideration and approval. Reynolds was asking councilors to approve the City of Florence’s Biennial Budget proposal of near- ly $60 million in public expendi- tures over the next two years. The lack of community presence was a stark contrast to recent council meetings, which have included public debate between council- ors and citizens over placement of public art; the issues decided at Monday’s meeting involved much larger amounts of money with more significant longterm ramifications for the city. Despite that, not one member of the pub- lic chose to question or offer com- ment. Reynolds and recently hired City Administrative Services Di- rector Anne Baker’s presentations followed City Special Projects Manager Megan Messmer’s update on the 2019 Community Block Party. Messmer provided an overview of the City’s plans for the event scheduled for July 19, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., in the Historic Old Town District. ‘To further their dreams & education’ Night honors Siuslaw graduating seniors with $244,950 in community scholarships By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS | 22 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 On May 30, the Siuslaw community gathered to celebrate Siuslaw High School’s Class of 2019 and award 35 seniors with 137 local scholarships total- ing $244,950. The event, held at the Florence Events Center with music from the SHS Jazz Band, brought together high school stu- dents, their families and the large network of ser- vice groups, businesses and organizations that admin- ister scholarships at a local level. SHS Principal Kerri Tatum opened the evening. “Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Gradu- PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS Siuslaw’s scholarship night on May 30 honored dozens of students. (Left) Senior Ella Stidham accepts the Elks Lodge National Foundation Scholarship, presented by Chris Rowbotham. (Right) Seniors Grace Hammonds and Alyssa Lydick react to winning Central Coast Board of Oregon Realtors scholarships. ation is our big event at the high school, but tonight is by far our favorite. This night, more than any oth- er, our community shows how much they support our young adults. Thank you for your generosity,” she said. Counselor Steve Moser emceed the event, intro- ducing each provider, the awards and the presenters. “I want to be very clear that we want to thank our A SAMPLING OF HOMES FOR SALE IN FLORENCE... 614 38TH PLACE $430,000 #11823 MLS#19434722 See CITY page 8A One of Florentine’s fi nest homes, this luxurious es- tate-type Silvercrest Manor II has undergone an ex- tensive interior & exterior remodel. Oversized rooms with an open and airy feel, this home is move-in ready. All the work has been done - ready for you to enjoy. Backs to common area for privacy. Work bench in oversized garage w/ shop area. 5854 MERCER LAKE ROAD $384,500 #11784 MLS#19552202 COUNTRY HILLTOP PRI- VACY - Spacious tri-level home with ocean & territo- rial views, out of the wind & fog. Huge living room and modernized country kitchen. Heat Pump. 3 decks for out- door living and entertaining. Enjoy the peace & quiet of the North Lakes area, just 10 minutes from town in this 3,000+ square foot, 4+ bed- room country home. 4939 SANDRIFT COURT $325,000 #11821 MLS#19106269 First time offered for this 3 BD/ 2 BA home. Many “age in place” features here - large lot w/ low maintenance. Steps to the top of the hill at the rear of the property. The dou- ble garage has a ramp into the home, large kitchen, living room, and spacious bedrooms - split fl oor plan. Outstanding home in a prime neighborhood. providers for being here tonight,” he said. “From the students, staff and families of Siuslaw High School — without our providers here, those organizations that generously donated schol- arship dollars, we wouldn’t be here tonight. This is the first of many ‘thank yous’ for being here.” Many of the awards, list- ed at the end of this article, went to students who filled out applications by the May deadline. Scholarships were then awarded by each provider based on merit, work ethic, community service, GPA, participation in the arts and more. Some even required an interview. See AWARDS page 7A “We’re next to the Bridge” 100 Hwy. 101 See all Florence Listings at cbcoast.com COAST REAL ESTATE 541-997-7777
