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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2019)
SN Siuslaw News WEDNESDAY EDITION | DECEMBER 11, 2019 | $1.00 TH THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SAVE AN EXTRA SAVE $ 875 10% $ 1980 ON ALMOST EVERYTHING! Now - Dec. 14th REG. 2854.94 3YR WARRANTY! Delivered 685 Hwy 101, Florence 541-997-3273 Out of area delivery applies L OVE OF A NIMALS — I NSIDE A10 PEDESTALS SOLD SEPARATELY 22-41362, 22-81362 Postal Customer Florence, Ore. 97439 VOL. 129, NO. 99 Lighting up Old Town NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON B ay Street in Historic Old Town Florence was the center of attention on Saturday as Santa Claus arrived in a fire truck and Mayor Joe Henry lit Florence’s living Christmas tree. There was a timely break in the weekend’s rain as Santa arrived at the Florence Holiday Festival, thanks to an assist from Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue. Hundreds attended the celebration, which spanned between Ga- zebo Park and the Siuslaw River Interpretive Center. The Old Town area stayed busy as families and holi- day decorations made for a festive and upbeat after- noon. There were tractor powered hayrides, hot chocolate and cookies while Bay Street businesses remained open for the festivities. WEATHER Rainy with a high of 53 and a low tonight of 49. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Travel Oregon explores Florence INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Local singer Nyah explores diverse musical styles By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News Wrestling and basketball INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KID SCOOP Activities and comics every Wednesday Inside — A7 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 Editor’s Note: This is Part II of this feature on Nyah Vollmar. Part I ap- peared in the Dec. 4 edition of the Siuslaw News. “It’s nice to have people you don’t know listen and like the music,” said Nyah Vollmar, whose music has now been heard around the world. “If even one person listens to my music and says, ‘Hey, I like this song,’ it’s re- ally nice to know that people are lis- tening to it.” At just 15, Nyah is on a steady rise to fame through her performanc- es on local stages, connections with Portland-based opportunities and her work with Los Angeles-based In- Rage Entertainment. See NYAH page 6A Mapleton School Board discusses ‘Student Success’ By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News The Student Success Act (SSA) was the major topic of discussion at the Mapleton School Board last week, as the district discussed the newly passed Oregon law that will pump $1 billion to schools across the state. The money will be divided into three separate areas; 20 percent of the money will be set aside for ear- ly education, such as preschools; 30 percent goes to statewide education initiatives, such as school safety and expansion of nutrition programs; 50 percent will be for a student invest- ment account, which the schools can use at their own discretion on two main goals — behavioral health and increasing academic achieve- ment for students, with an emphasis on groups that have historically ex- perienced academic disparities. The statewide initiative funds are mostly locked in, with the monies going to specific projects already in place, while the early education funding could prove to a boon for Mapleton’s newly created pre- school. For the most part, Maple- ton’s program fits the state’s criteria. “But one of the requirements is that you have to be six hours a day,” said Mapleton District Super- intendent Jodi O’Mara. “Right now we’re five-and-a-half, and that’s be- cause of issues with transportation. Next year we believe we’ll be at six hours.” The bulk of the SAA funds rest in the student investment account, which could help alleviate a wide variety of issues, from student mental health to class sizes. How- ever, there are a few snags. First, Mapleton is unsure exact- ly how much money it will be re- ceiving from SAA. Some estimates have been as low as $50,000, while others could show up to $600,000 Filling the needs of the season By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 Last week’s Florence Area Community Coalition meeting encouraged con- versation and the sharing of needs for the holiday season. During the round-table dis- cussion, it soon became ev- ident how many community organizations were not only celebrating winter holidays, but helping people with the more concrete needs of food and shelter. Here is a list of organiza- tions working to make the holidays a healthy, happy season for all in the Siuslaw region. Winter Food and Shelter • Soroptimist Baskets: On Saturday, Dec. 14, the So- roptimist International of Florence Christmas Basket Project will give out boxes of holiday food and pantry sta- ples from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Siuslaw Middle School, 2525 Oak St. This free community event aids nearly 400 families each December. Call Soropti- mist member Carol Bennett at 541-991-3455 for more info or to donate money. • Cold Weather Shelter: Each night the tempera- ture drops below freezing, the Florence Emergency Cold Weather Shelter opens its doors to any who need shelter. Signs go up around town and on Highway 101 showing pickup locations. People get fed warm meals and receive snacks, then sleep on air mattresses. The shelter could use donations of twin-sized air mattresses and money for operation- al expenses. Contact Greg Wood at 541-991-8208 for more info. • Christmas Dinner: Flor- ence Elks Lodge #1858 is again providing a free com- munity Christmas Dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 25, from noon to 3 p.m. All are wel- come to this full holiday meal at the lodge, 1686 12th St. • Florence Food Share: or more. While the higher number is more probable, “I haven’t seen enough preliminary numbers, and it’s not solid,” O’Mara said. Another issue is the time that it’s taking for the small rural district to do the applications. Creating the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) to submit for the monies has been an involved process, in- cluding creating multiple surveys for staff, students and community members with the help of the Lane Education Service District (ESD). The information from those sur- veys were matched with raw data, such as graduation rates and test scores, to create a three-year plan for the funds. The CIP is not a new idea — Mapleton and other school dis- tricts regularly make long term plans to improve schools, based on that same data. But the CIP has to match the goals of the SAA. See MAPLETON page 5A Projects to feed, shelter & give for the holidays The local food pantry at 2190 Spruce St. serves fami- lies in western Lane County. It is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.; and on the second and fourth Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more info, contact Florence Food Share at 541-997-9110 or florencefoodshare.org. • Mapleton Food Share: The upriver food pantry, 10718 Highway 126 in Ma- pleton, is open the second Thursday and fourth Sat- urday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mapleton Food Share also opens its Resource Center on those days. For more info, contact 541-268-2919 or mapleton- foodshare.org. • Food for kids: Food Backpack for Kids provides bags of food for children during the school year. For more information or to do- nate, visit foodbackpack- forkids.com. Holiday Gifts and Toys: • Soroptimist Toy Give- away: Soroptimists also give out toys on Saturday, Dec. 14. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Florence Church of the Naz- arene, 1536 12th St., adults can select toys for each of their children. For more See NEEDS page 8A
