E BR AT I N G 1 3 RS 2020 EA CEL SN S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S 0 Y SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 16, 2020 | $1.00 Virtual 113th annual Rhododendron Festival Grand Floral Parade Watch online on Sunday, May 17, at noon on Facebook. See www.ci.florence.or.us/ community/2020-rhody-parade H ECETA H EAD L IGHT K EEPERS ATTEND 3 RD ANNUAL R HODODENDRON F ESTIVAL I NSIDE — B Lane County enters Phase I of reopening Rights of employers, employees as Oregon reopens Guidance from state, county shape Florence’s metrics for reopening Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 39 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER What small businesses need to know By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News After two months of stay- at-home orders, 28 counties in Oregon are slowly beginning to reopen this week as small busi- ness owners and their employees learn how to work in the age of COVID-19. The shutdown has created eco- nomic devastation matching the some of the worst crises in Amer- ican history, with rural commu- nities being hit the hardest. “We have the highest unem- ployment in the state on the coast because we are so tourist driven,” Oregon Sen. Arnie Roblan said last week. Roblan, along with Lane Coun- ty and Oregon RAIN (Regional Accelerator and Innovation Net- work) hosted a webinar on the ins and outs of reopening, includ- ing what’s expected of employees and employers in the first phase of reopening, along with what financial assistance is available for businesses still struggling. The panel included Roblan, David Gerstenfeld from the Or- egon Employment Department, Melissa Drugge from Business Oregon and Leah Horner from the office of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, and was hosted by Flor- ence City Manager Erin Reyn- olds, who is also the incoming vice-chair of RAIN. The focus was on small busi- nesses with 25 employees or less. “They have been the backbone of the economy and our state for a long, long time,” Roblan said. “We have to figure out ways we can support them.” One of the most pressing questions businesses have had this week is whether or not they should open in the first place. While businesses that have re- mained open through the See BUSINESSES page 6A Rain showers with a high of 60 and a low tonight of 50. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Many of Lane County’s restaurants are opening this weekend under Phase One of Oregon’s reopening. Diners are able to sit indoors and outside once more as long as tables are six feet apart, as they are at Off Bay Street Bistro in Historic Old Town Florence, and restaurant employees must wear facemasks. Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News T he next stage in the rapidly evolving COVID-19 para- digm began Friday, May 15, following Gov. Kate Brown’s an- nouncement Thursday that Lane County was one of the Oregon counties whose applications for a Phase One designation has been ap- proved. “It has been over seven weeks since I announced Oregon’s Stay Home, Save Lives order,” Brown said. “Our success this far gives me confidence as we take these next steps toward reopening.” The governor’s office received applications from 33 counties be- ginning May 8 seeking to enter Phase One reopening. According to Brown, the applications were exam- ined and forwarded to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), where OHA’s team of medical and public health experts reviewed each appli- cation. “In some cases, we asked for clar- ifying information and, after a thor- ough and detailed review, I have approved 28 of these applications,” Brown said Thursday. In each of these counties the state will continue to monitor testing rates, effectiveness at contact trac- ing, isolation of new cases, hospi- talization rates and other metrics that are required to remain open during the initial 21-day Phase One period. Brown was also clear on the spe- cific guidelines regarding newly authorized reopening for segments of the business community which have been temporarily closed. See REOPEN page 8A Siuslaw School Board looks at budget, fiber In a board meeting Wednesday night, the Siuslaw School District By Jared Anderson discussed several Siuslaw News issues, in- cluding the possibility of providing internet to low-income students for five years through a deal with local fiber op- tic internet provider Hyak. The deal, which would cost the district $1.4 million, would ensure that a num- ber of students would receive inter- net access at a reduced cost, while also ensuring access to students if social-distancing measures due to COVID are still in place during the next school year. The board decided to wait on a final decision, instead opting to review further options, including partnerships with local govern- ments and nonprofits. But the dis- cussions led to broader questions regarding distance learning as a whole, as board members and staff spoke on the issues teachers face with at-home learning, the shorten- ing of the school year, budget issues, community support and the uncer- tainty of the future of all school dis- tricts beyond Siuslaw. School Board President Guy Ros- inbaum began the night by discuss- ing the feedback he had received regarding the proposed project with Hyak. “I heard a lot of people who are really excited about the project, I’ve heard some people that are really upset,” Rosinbaum said. “We even heard some people make some ac- cusations about Hyak running out of money and they’re using their connections with the board.” Rosinbaum stressed the latter was not the case. See SCHOOLS page 5A Representative shows how he ‘CARES’ by procuring millions for Oregonians By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News by the COVID-19 pandemic. All ballots are now due at Lane Coun- ty ballot drop boxes. In Florence, can be dropped off outside the Florence Municipal Court, 900 Greenwood St. In his role as chairman of Trans- portation and Infrastructure, De- Fazio said has been disappointed in the leadership provided by President Donald Trump during this crisis and has been very pub- lic with those criticisms. His most recent disagreement with the ex- ecutive branch centers around airplane travel and the safety of passengers that travel while ig- noring Centers for Disease Con- trol (CDC) guidelines regarding personal behaviors related to hy- giene. DeFazio’s staff shared a letter the congressman sent to an air- line trade association requesting a stringent mask-wearing policy on all American airlines. “Who among the CEOs of your association’s members would want a member of their own family to be assigned to a mid- dle seat between two potentially See REP page 5A LIFESTYLE The Rhody King of Florence INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B4 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B5 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 U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio is the longest-serving Congress mem- ber in Oregon history. First elected to represent Ore- gon’s District 4 in 1986, DeFazio has served as a member of the House Transportation & Infra- structure Committee since 1987, and in 2019 was elected to the chairmanship of that committee. The Transportation and Infra- structure Committee has jurisdic- tion over the U.S. Coast Guard, highways and transit, water re- sources, railroads, aviation and economic development. DeFazio has previously served as the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Com- mittee, where he focused on sec- tors of the economy including ocean, fisheries, federal lands and energy resources. DeFazio had little to say to Siu- slaw News regarding his May 19 primary challenge from Doyle Canning, instead focusing on what the congressman said he sees as the extreme danger posed Market opens for drive up INSIDE — A3 Gutter Covers • Gutter Service