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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
SN TH THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM Florence prepares for 13th annual Veterans Day Parade Siuslaw News VOL. 129, NO. 89 NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON WEDNESDAY EDITION | NOVEMBER 6, 2019 | $1.00 I NSIDE — A3 OCHS opens annual Christmas Store I NSIDE — A6 Postal Customer Florence, Ore. 97439 T R U E C O L O R S Siuslaw School District holds annual Color-A-Thon WEATHER S iuslaw School District’s annual Col- or-A-Thon event was held on Satur- day, drawing hundreds of children, parents, educators and school supporters who splashed a rainbow of powdered color over their clothes and ran (or walked) a 5K marathon to help support the district. “This is the largest event yet,” said organiz- er Crystal Osburn. “It was just phenomenal, all the way around. It was great to see a huge dynamic of people show up to support the schools.” Thanks to registration fees and sponsor- ships from 19 local businesses, this year’s event raised over $20,000. After paying for the color and prizes for the runners, such as rainbow wigs, tutus, color blasters and tie- dye bandanas, the Color-A-Thon brought in $17,286.70 for the school. The kids also earned a bouncy house par- ty because they raised over the year’s goal of breaking $20,000. On race day, the morning started out with a swarm of children descending on the Siuslaw Middle School parking lot, dressed mostly in white or pastel colors. Prizes were handed out, along with multiple forms of color that participants can paint, throw or dump over each other. Partly cloudy with a high of 60 and a low tonight of 41. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Yachats festival celebrates local art INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Story & Photos By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News See COLORS page 12A Florence-Yachats Connector introduces Saturday service Mapleton plays under the lights INSIDE — SPORTS New bus offers great views, relaxation on Highway 101 RECORDS By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KID SCOOP Activities and comics every Wednesday 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 S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 The Florence-Yachats Con- nector Service, operated by the Lane Transit District (LTD), recently celebrated one year of operation with the addition of a new Saturday schedule. The additional trip offers rid- ers four more opportunities to enjoy a reasonably priced ride to the small, but popular, tourist destination of Yachats, located just 25 miles north of Florence. Yachats has become a higher profile destination in the last few years, receiving accolades in 2011 from travel guide au- thor Arthur Frommer, who pro- claimed the community as one of his top 10 favorite vacation destinations in the world. The name Yachats, according to the reference book Oregon Geographic Names, is derived from the Native American Siletz Tribe’s phrase that translates as “Dark waters at the foot of the mountain.” This description rings true to any that have sat at the many public viewing areas that skirt the bay and motels just south of PHOTO BY MARK BRENNAN.SIUSLAW NEWS The Florence-Yachats Connector Service will now operate on Saturdays. For more info, visit lcog.org/1068/Public-Transit. town. The gulls are often hun- kered down, picking their way through the suds and seafoam in search of a meal. The wind is not as impactful as it is fur- ther north, as the large hill that serves as the backdrop for the town protects it from the worst of the coastal winds. Now resi- dents and visitors to Florence can visit this quaint seacoast town without the stress of driv- ing up Highway 101. Local operation of the Flor- ence to Yachats Connector route for LTD is managed by Josh Haring, owner of a com- pany that operates two other transportation sector business entities, The Rhody Express and River Cities Taxi. Haring is a member of the City of Florence Environmental Management Advisory Com- mittee and is an active volunteer at the Siuslaw School District. He has had been an advocate for expanding the transporta- tion options in Florence and was instrumental in acquiring the funding and the permission from LTD to explore and ulti- mately initiate the Florence to Yachats Connector service. As part of this story, I was asked by Siuslaw News Editor Ned Hickson and Haring to take a ride to Yachats on the first Sat- urday of the new schedule and share my thoughts on the trip. Simply put, I may never drive to Yachats again. Like many Florence residents, I have made the trip to Yachats on dozens of occasions. Usu- ally, I drive, but the potentially fatal dangers that are a real part of the drive to the north have always caused me to focus pri- marily on navigating the chal- lenging route safely. See SERVICE page 11A Florence approves new Public Art Committee workplan The first of two Florence City Council meet- ings scheduled for November was held Mon- day evening at Flor- By Mark Brennan ence City Hall with a Siuslaw News small group of citizens in attendance. Perhaps the most anticipated agenda item facing councilors Monday was consideration of Resolution No. 23, Series 2019, a resolution approving the City of Flor- ence’s Public Arts Committee (PAC) workplan. The meeting began with the introduction of a new public works employee, Teresa Samuel, who has been hired as a building maintenance worker. Samuel was introduced by Public Works Director Mike Miller and will now be- come a full-time employee following a stint as a seasonal worker for the department. See COUNCIL page 10A alert Police seek man in school incident The Siuslaw School District has issued a warning to residents to be on the lookout for a white male driving a white Crossover SUV who tried to coerce a student into the vehicle Tuesday morning. Florence Police Department and its law enforcement partners are currently looking for the van. The incident occurred at a bus stop near Highway 101 and Surfview Lane. Reedsport, Mapleton and Lincoln County school districts have been alerted as well. Anyone who sees the suspect should noti- fy local police by calling 911. Veterans Day - November 11, 2019 Florence, Oregon • Parade Begins at 2pm Great viewing along the Port Parking Lot and Bay Street. Tributes and treats for Veterans will be available at Veterans Memorial Park and at several local restaurants. www.facebook.com/FlorenceVeteransDayParade/
