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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2020)
E BR 31 2020 st RS Anniversary EA CEL SN WEDNESDAY EDITION | APRIL 8, 2020 | $1.00 YOUR #1 LOCAL YARD, GARDEN, AND LANDSCAPE EXPERTS! WE’RE GLAD TO GET YOU GROWING! S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S AT I N G 1 30 Y 88493 Hwy. 101 Florence Open 7 days a week Senior Discount Every Tuesday 997-5973 How to keep kids busy & connected I NSIDE — A8 U.S. Census limited to online answers for now Dunes City votes to become a 2nd Amendment Preservation City Interviews delayed due to COVID-19 Council considers issues, declares state of emergency By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News One of the unexpected casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the 2020 Census. The census is conducted nationwide ev- ery 10 years and previously has been conducted on a door-to-door basis by indi- viduals trained specifically for the task. Unfortunately, restric- tions put in place by state, county and local officials have hampered and, in many instances, completely curtailed the possibility of onsite interviews. The Census Bureau has The Dunes City Coun- cil discussed a variety of issues during its last meet- ing on March 25, including declaring the city a Second Amendment Preservation City as well as declaring a state of emergency regard- ing the novel coronavirus COVID-19. However, the council first discussed the goals of Dunes City, which included filing an extension of water right permits which are set to expire in 2021; obtain- ing and install new security system in and around city hall; finishing and adopt- ing land use codes; issuing regular newsletters; and installing a rough trail on the Rebecca’s Trail proper- ty and removing dangerous trees from the right of way. The council also looked at Dunes City’s strategic plan, which covered a wide variety of issues, including expanding local business. “There’s so minimal busi- ness, is this something we want to encourage?” asked Councilor Alan Montgom- ery. “And if so, we’re going to have to change the whole zoning and everything in order to give them some place to work.” Councilor Susan Snow replied, “It’s not like we wanted a whole bunch of businesses in. We want the See CENSUS page 7A PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS W hile people in the Siuslaw Region thank essential workers — people COURTESY PHOTO in the medical and emergency re- sponse fields, as well as banks, restaurants, grocery stores, media outlets — some people are finding a way to connect with and thank each other. At PeaceHealth Peace Harbor’s main campus, community members installed giant signs reading “Heroes Work Here.” At Siuslaw Elementary, where many staff members are working from home, people took time to install “We Miss You!” on the fence along Oak Street. Some teachers are venturing into the community, this time to parade around town and greet preschool- ers at Wildflower Montessori School. “With everyone missing each other so much we knew had to do what we could to see everyone in a safe and fun way,” said Wildflower’s Kristen Goodman-Christensen. Many businesses are also preparing their windows to put up signs of thanks and encouragement. Candidates announced for May 19 Primary Election By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The 2020 election cy- cle began in earnest April 3, when Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno began mailing ballots to voters for the May 19 Primary Elec- tion. Oregon has voted by mail since 2000, so unlike oth- er states which have been forced to move primaries due to the COVID-19 pan- demic, voting will take place as scheduled. The first to receive ballots will be military personnel and other voters that are currently out-of-country. Out-of-state ballots will be mailed April 20, and all oth- er ballots will be mailed to voters April 30 — which is also the date official ballot drop sites will open. There are a number of races Florence area resi- dents will be eligible to vote in which have national and regional implications, in- cluding presidential prima- ries for both the Democratic and Republican candidates for president, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Rep- resentatives. Nationally, Sen. Jeff Merkley is seeking re-elec- tion, as is Oregon’s 4th Dis- trict Rep. Peter DeFazio. Merkley is the ranking member on the Sub-Com- mittee for Agriculture and Rural Development and serves on the Foreign Rela- tions and Budget Commit- tees. He previously served in the Oregon House of Repre- sentatives, representing Dis- trict 47 from 1999 to 2009. DeFazio was first elect- ed in 1986 and is the lon- gest-serving representative in Oregon history. In 2019, DeFazio was elected to the position of Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Coast Guard, highways and transit, water resources, railroads, aviation and eco- nomic development. There will be a new repre- sentative for Oregon’s Ninth District as Caddie McKe- own, serving in the position since 2013, has decided not to seek re-election. The Democratic Pres- idential Primary is a two-person contest as Joe Biden leads Bernie Sanders in the race to face an un- opposed President Donald Trump in the fall. The Dem- ocratic primary will award 61 pledged and 14 Super delegates with a 15 percent threshold and are awarded proportionally. See PRIMARY page 5A See DUNES CITY page 5A Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 28 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Sunny with a high of 61 and a low tonight of 42. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Poetry on Oregon’s Highway 101 INSIDE — A3 SPORTS A local legend in athletics INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 NEW: TV GUIDE Inside — B3-4 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — B5 How the Paycheck Protection Program is ‘getting money into the hands of small businesses’ CARES Act provides $349 billion in small business loans through Small Business Administration By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News weather through the social distanc- ing and the stay-at-home orders that are in place that have literally shut down the economy virtually over- night.” A huge benefit to this loan is that for small businesses that use the loan for qualifying expenses, “most of that loan, if not all of it, is forgiv- able,” Green said. “If you can prove you used the money under the con- ditions outlined in the program, the federal government will forgive the debt, which is incredible.” The program is specifically meant to help businesses keep their work- force employed during the coronavi- rus (COVID-19) crisis. “It’s a challenge as we process this program, how we get the money out the door and how quickly we can get money into the hands of small busi- nesses. We’re working diligently,” Green said. In just one weekend, the staff at Oregon Pacific Bank received hun- dreds of applications. See BUSINESS page 6A Listings and 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 On April 3, Small Business Admin- istration (SBA) lenders began pro- cessing applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans au- thorized under the CARES Act. To help Oregon small businesses with questions about the PPP and the application process, Oregon RAIN (Regional Accelerator and In- novation Network) hosted two we- binars. The first meeting on Friday featured Ron Green, president and CEO of Oregon Pacific Bank. The second meeting was held Monday and featured Jason Alansky, Banner Bank Branch Manager for Veneta. The webinars are now free to view through RAIN’s website, www.ore- gonrain.org, and on YouTube. According to Green, “Essentially, the PPP is a program that was put in place to incentivize small businesses to keep your people on the payroll, keep all your employees paid and keep their benefits going, so we can CLASSIFIEDS Celebrating 30 Years in Real Estate SIUSLAW NEWS READERS CHOICE WINNER Voted Best Realtor for 5 Years! JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner 1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR
