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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2020)
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM THE SATURDAY EDITION | JANUARY 25, 2020 | $1.00 FRAA A RTS F ESTIVAL I NSIDE — A8 Siuslaw student expelled after January threat Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 7 F LORENCE , O REGON By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News There has been an expulsion with regards to an anonymous threat sent to Siuslaw Middle School on Jan. 13, according to Siuslaw School District. The threat was anonymously on a texting app, and threatened violence against a group of middle school students and one staff member. Hours later, investigators discovered who had made the threat, and determined that the threat was not credible. By Jan. 22, the school had investi- gated the matter, which resulted in an expulsion of one student. “Any individuals that did receive the threatening messages or were men- tioned in those messages are being contacted with regards to the outcome,” District Superintendent Andy Grzesko- wiak wrote in a letter to the district this week. “The Florence Police will also forward the legal violation to the district attorney for this threatening conduct.” The letter also details regret over the word “hoax,” which had been included in previous reports about the threat once it was deemed to no longer be viable. “If there is any issue regarding the choice of the word ‘hoax’ to describe the resolved threat in any previous communications, I apologize,” Grz- eskowiak wrote. “The resolved threat was a malicious attempt to cause fear in those that received the messages. See THREAT page 5A WEATHER Rain and wind with a high of 54 and a low tonight of 47. Full forecast on A3 Dredging could bring more vessels, visitors to Siuslaw Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News W aterways are essential to the survival of human- ity. The successful movement of people, food and goods has been central to the exponential increase in the number of hu- mans on the planet and in the geographic area we control as a species. The need to maintain the ports and estuaries which allow for the transport of goods from one place to another is critical in main- taining the quality of life people have come to expect, not only in America, but around the world. Here in Florence, there has been a growing realization that the ac- cessibility of the Port of Siuslaw has been diminished and is now a deterrent to visiting ships. The primary method used to clear away the sediment and debris that are the main imped- iment to safe navigation in and around America’s ports is dredg- ing, which has been documented as a technique used for clearing waterways for more than 6,000 years. Tacitus, a historian during the reign of Nero, discounts the story of Nero burning Rome but does commend the disgraced leader Feeling the groove with Winter Music Festival 3-day festival weekend opens with Kiwanis Kids Concert Story & Photos By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News Greg Blake and Real Country, along with fiddler Annie Savage, play at the Winter Music Festival Kiwanis Kids Concert at the Florence Events Center. The festival continues this weekend. “What an awesome group of each year.” young people. It’s great to see all He warmed up the audience that energy. Do you know what by encouraging the students to one of the best things about being shout out “Thank you!” to Flor- mayor is?” Henry asked. ence Events Center staff, event He was answered by kids in the volunteers, bus drivers, teachers, audience yelling out, “What?” school staff “and all the other “I get to go out into the com- people who got you here and help munity and attend events such make this event possible.” as this one,” Henry continued. “This is one of my favorite ones See MUSIC page 7A First Baby of the New Year INSIDE — A3 SPORTS See DREDGE page 8A FURA targets new development in first meeting of year Sailors land Eagles INSIDE — SPORTS By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News RECORDS The first Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) meeting of 2020 took place on Jan 22 at Florence City Hall with all directors present. The meeting’s two action items were centered around requests from city staff for direction on two different, but related fronts. City Manager Erin Reynolds wel- comed directors to the meeting and set the stage for the first presentation of the evening, given by City Project Manager Megan Messmer regarding FURA grant procedures. “Megan is going to be walking through with you a proposed idea from staff. This is something that we had as kind of a concept, or idea, as we went through the budget process and this is putting some meat to the bones of that idea,” Reynolds said. Messmer then spoke to councilors re- garding the possible establishment of an additional element to the city’s FURA toolbox. The new program, the FURA Development Assistance Program, would provide the opportunity for busi- ness and property owners to apply for grant funding to make improvements to industrial and commercial properties in the FURA District. See FURA page 5A 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 S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2020 “The only thing better than two fiddles and an awesome bluegrass band is two fiddles and an awesome bluegrass band — and a disco ball!” shouted fiddler Annie Savage, who, along with Greg Blake and Real Country, opened the 18th annual Winter Music Festival Thursday at the Florence Events Center. The players consisted of Greg Blake on guitar and vocals, Sav- age on fiddle and vocals, Isaac Callender on mandolin, Nico Humby on bass and Miles Zu- rawell on dobro slide guitar. The second fiddler, who came out as a special treat for the well-behaved audience, was Louise Steinway, Callender’s wife. Each year, the Winter Music Festival begins with the Kiwan- is Kids Concerts for elementary students from Siuslaw, Mapleton and Reedsport. Festival organizer Rachel Pear- son and Florence Mayor Joe Henry welcomed the students. for clearing the debris left after the sacking of Rome using ele- mentary dredges. Leonardo DaVinci designed a dredge known as the “Draga Cavafango,” or the Mud Dredger, which has been adapted for cur- rent needs and is produced and used in Italy. Designed to clean the beds of harbors, lagoon ca- nals and locks, the Mud Dredger is placed on two boats and has four revolving paddles operat- ed by a crank. The shape of the dredge channels the falling mud into a raft, which is moored be- tween the two boats. COMMUNITY Don’t Sit on the Sidelines! PLAY TO WIN! Sponsored by: PRO FOOTBALL’S BIG GAME CHALLENGE Test your know and enter to win a Weber Gas Grill plus one of our local prizes Go Online to enter thesiuslawnews.com
