2A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
On The Record
City’s annual residential backflow testing taking place this month
With spring also comes
the City’s annual residential
premise isolation backflow
assembly testing.
Beginning this month,
the City of Florence will
begin the annual testing of
residential premise isola-
tion backflow assemblies
throughout the City.
These tests are required
for compliance through the
City Code and the Oregon
Administrative Rules to
help protect the city water
system.
The City is contracting
with Olson LLC to per-
form these tests during
the spring. Olson person-
nel will be conducting the
tests during the next several
weeks in order to complete
the testing cycle in a timely
manner.
Olson LLC personnel
have been completing the
City’s residential backflow
assembly testing for the last
several years.
In an effort to reduce
the risk of contracting
and/or transmitting the
COVID–19 virus, Olson
LLC staff will be practicing
social distancing anytime
they have an interaction
with a customer.
As well, they are working
independently and travel-
ing in individual company
vehicles.
For the majority of our
residential customers, the
testing of the premise iso-
lation backflow preven-
tion assembly is simple
and quick. Most customers
won’t even know that the
testing crew has been to
their residence.
The testing of the back-
flow assembly does require
the water to be turned off
for a few minutes while the
test procedure is performed.
The testing procedure is
to knock on the door and
let the resident know what
the crew is doing. Again,
Olson LLC personnel will
practice social distancing at
all times.
If water is being used,
the contractor will move to
the next location until the
water is no longer being
used by the resident. In the
event no one answers the
door, the installer visually
inspects the meter to make
sure there isn’t an appliance
using water or to make sure
the homeowner isn’t in the
shower and didn’t hear the
door knock.
The City also realizes that
there are some customers
that don’t answer the door
because they assume the
installer is a solicitor, and
in these cases Olson LCC
staff will rely on the visu-
al inspection of the meter
by observing the low flow
indicator on the meter to
avoid a water disruption.
The contractor strives to
time the 2-minute water
interruption for backflow
assembly test to be between
usage intervals by the resi-
dent, so no one is without
water or inconvenienced.
There can be rare occa-
sions when an expansion
tank is installed in the
home, that a shower or ap-
pliance can be started with
the water turned off at the
street and water will appear
to be available for a short
time.
This is rare and Olson
LCC staff will try to avoid
the situation by commu-
nicating directly with the
resident.
Oregon Department of Revenue warns of increased COVID-19 scams
Department of Revenue
warns of COVID-19 scams
The Oregon Department
of Revenue is warning tax-
payers of calls and email
phishing attempts related
to the novel coronavirus,
or COVID-19, pandemic
and federal government re-
lief payments. These scams
can lead to tax-related fraud
and identity theft.
Taxpayers should watch
not only for emails but text
messages, websites and so-
cial media attempts that
request money or personal
information.
“Oregon
taxpayers
should take extra precau-
tion to guard their personal
information from these un-
scrupulous scam attempts,”
said Oregon Department of
Revenue Director Nia Ray.
“Most people who qualify
to receive a stimulus check
do not need to sign up, ap-
ply, or verify any personal
information, online or else-
where.”
The Oregon Department
of Revenue and the IRS re-
mind taxpayers that scam-
mers may:
• Emphasize the words
“stimulus check” or “stim-
ulus payment.” The official
term is economic impact
payment.
• Ask the taxpayer to sign
over their economic impact
payment check to them.
• Ask by phone, email,
text, or social media for ver-
ification of personal and/or
banking information say-
ing that the information is
needed to receive or speed
up their economic impact
payment.
• Suggest they can get
a tax refund or economic
impact payment faster by
working on the taxpayer’s
behalf. This scam could be
conducted by social media
or even in person.
• Mail the taxpayer a bo-
gus check, perhaps in an
odd amount, then tell the
taxpayer to call a number or
verify information online in
order to cash it.
Taxpayers should look
out for phishing emails
asking them to verify their
personal information in or-
der to receive an economic
stimulus check from the
government.
While talk of economic
stimulus checks has been in
the news cycle, government
WEATHER DATA
D ATE
Earth System Research
Laboratory Global
Monitoring Division
Dec. 2019: 412.02 ppm
Dec. 2018: 408.94 ppm
Last updated: March 5, 2020
H IGH
March 31
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
51
48
48
49
45
56
48
L OW
R AIN
38
36
33
33
34
42
40
0.27
0.34
0.10
0.03
0.42
0.92
0.08
agencies are not sending
unsolicited emails seeking
taxpayers’ private informa-
tion in order to send them
money.
Phishing emails may also
claim to be related to: Char-
itable contributions, gen-
eral financial relief, airline
carrier refunds, fake cures
and vaccines, as well as fake
testing kits.
The IRS doesn’t initiate
contact with taxpayers by
email, text messages, or so-
cial media channels to re-
quest personal or financial
information. People should
be alert to scammers posing
as the IRS to steal personal
information.
The IRS initiates most
contacts through regular
mail delivered by the Unit-
ed States Postal Service.
Reporting
coronavi-
rus-related or other phish-
ing attempts
Those who receive unso-
licited emails, text messag-
es, or social media attempts
to gather information that
appear to be from either
the IRS or an organization
closely linked to the IRS,
such as the Electronic Fed-
eral Tax Payment System
(EFTPS), should forward it
to phishing@irs.gov.
Taxpayers are encour-
aged not to engage potential
scammers online or on the
phone. Learn more about
reporting suspected scams
by going to the Report
Phishing and Online Scams
page on IRS.gov.
Official IRS information
about the COVID-19 pan-
demic and economic im-
pact payments can be found
refund, or make payments.
You can also call 503-378-
4988 or 800-356-4222 (toll-
free) or email questions.
dor@oregon.gov for addi-
tional assistance. For TTY
for hearing- or speech-im-
paired, call 800-886-7204.
OFF BAY STREET
BISTRO
Dunes Memorial Chapel
New Hours!
Take Out or Delivery
serving Florence and the surrounding area
Open Th ursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday
and Monday
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(closed Monday and
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2300 Frontage Road, Reedsport, Oregon 97467 • 541-271-2822
Life’s Short.
Get Dirty.
Visit us on
Time for Spring Planting at
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LAUREL BAY GARDENS!
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
Let’s Keep Your Gardens Growing!
WE WANT TO HELP YOU
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PROJECTS THIS SPRING!
Rainfall
Week: 2.16”
Month: 1.89” Year: 29.55”
on the Coronavirus Tax Re-
lief page on IRS.gov.
The page is updated
quickly when new informa-
tion is available.
For more information
on taxpayers protecting
themselves, or what to do
if they’re a victim of identi-
ty theft, taxpayers can visit
www.irs.gov, www.consum-
er.ftc.gov or visit www.ore-
gon.gov/dor to get forms,
check the status of your
S IUSLAW N EWS
Courtesy of Roger Cunningham
Take Advantage of our
Daniel V. Stinger
FLORENCE – Daniel V. Stinger
(Dan), 90, died on Monday March
23, 2020 in his home surrounded
by his family. Dan was a Timber
Faller (aka: Widowmaker), Log-
ger and Log Truck Driver for over
70 years. He retired in 2015 at age
84 due to health-related reasons.
His passion was hunting. He loved
to elk hunt in the coastal range for
many years, but his biggest joy was hunting in Eastern Oregon, mainly John Day.
At age 84, he was successful at drawing and harvesting a Pronghorn Antelope in
Fields, Oregon. His greatest treasure was his family. It didn’t really matter where
he went as long as he had his family with him. He was the most loving Dad,
Grandpa and Papa. Even if you weren’t related to him, you where still one of his
kids. He was truly loved by so many and will be missed by so many.
Dan was born on October 19, 1929 in McCammon, Idaho to John Wal-
ter and Anna Elizabeth Stinger. He married Vivian Jean Stinger on October 29,
1949 in Toledo, Washington. Th ey were married for 70 years. He has 11 brothers
and sisters. Preceded by Walter Leland Stinger, Anna Gwenlion Stinger, Melna
Stinger Nelson, Th omas Ross Stinger, John William Stinger, Keith Gill Stinger,
Herchell Francis Stinger, Henry Dale Stinger, Shirley Stinger Watson, and Joseph
Bert Stinger. Survived by Atherton Warren Stinger. He has 5 children. Preceded
by Diana Grover. Survived by Calvin Stinger, Daniel Stinger married and preced-
ed by Susan Stinger, Craig Stinger married to Leslie Stinger, and Tony Stinger. He
has 10 grandchildren. Survived by Angela Grover, Misty Berg married to Justin
Berg, Eric Stinger, Matthew Stinger, Shaundra Calkins married to Bruce Calkins,
Jeff rey Stinger married to Kimberly Stinger, Tiff any McMillan married to Wil-
liam McMillan, Crystal Ouellette married to Justin Ouellette, Heidi Lusk mar-
ried to James Lusk, and Kaleb Stinger married to Heather Stinger. He is survived
by his 24 great grandchildren; Madison Anderson, Chehalis Stinger, Shakina
Grover, Kya Jackson, Zachary Stinger, Dalton Stinger, Shantay McGraw, Jayden
Calkins, Brianna Jackson, Madelyn Stinger, Keonan McGraw, Coleton Calkins,
Hadley Lusk, Kylee Stinger, Zaelyn Stinger, Kydan Calkins, Brynlie Lusk, Vaeya
Ouellette, McCainley Berg, Nikila Berg, Skylyn Calkins, Taryn Stinger, Kynslee
Stinger and Evelyn Stinger.
Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.
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