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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 23, 2020)
SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 23, 2020 | $1.00 E BR 2020 RS M ONDAY , M AY 25 EA CEL SN S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S AT I N G 1 30 Y S EE I NSIDE — A9 & 10 E LECTION R ESULTS Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY May Primary Election Results for local, state levels The following 2020 Primary Election results have been report- ed by the Oregon Secretary of State. The totals posted for most races are not final and will be up- dated later today by the Secretary of State. Results are current as of May 22 and compiled from Lane County Elections and the Oregon Secretary of State. Lane County Results Measure 20-306 Lane Community College: Bonds to construct, improve fa- cilities, address safety and tech- nology needs Yes — 58.45 percent (63,260) No — 41.55 percent (44,978) See RESULTS page 8A VOL. 130, NO. 41 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Casino reopens with new safety measures face covering requirements for all guests and limited seating. “We are taking this seriously,” Three Rivers Director of Marketing hree Rivers Casino Resort opened Richard Colton said. “We’re hoping its doors for the first time in to set the example that everybody months on Friday, with various social will follow, because it’s easier to distancing measures enforced to en- manage if everybody applies the sure the safety of its guests, including same rules.” temperature checks at the front door, As for Friday at noon, Colton said T Story & Photo By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News that a good number of guests had al- ready come to the casino, but crowds had been manageable. “We opened about 8:30 a.m., and it’s been a nice, slow and steady pace,” Colton said. “We have about 225 people right now in the building, staying safe, playing and having a good time. See RESORT page 6A Port of Siuslaw Campground ‘It’s about our seniors and our set to reopen Tuesday, May 26 families – and honoring them’ Guidelines in place to reduce visitors, maintain distancing By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Port of Siuslaw held its reg- ularly scheduled Board of Com- missioners meeting on Wednesday, May 20, via audio teleconference. the meeting was chaired by Com- missioner Bill Meyer, and all com- missioners except Craig Brandt were in attendance. The evening’s agenda primarily called for the commission to con- sider adopting a budget, in the form of Resolution 5-20-20, for the 2020- 2021 fiscal year in the amount of $2,262,770. The second important decision facing the group was when and how to reopen the port’s campground facilities. The meeting began with a pub- lic request from Amber Novelli, who owns and runs a small seafood market and restaurant on the docks, that the port inspect the underwa- ter area around her business for damage to her drainage and water systems. As she sells live crab, Novelli said she needs a steady and reliable sup- ply of water for her crab tank to en- sure the creatures don’t die. Novelli stated the recent dredging of the river bottom near her busi- ness, has somehow damaged this water system. Commissioners were responsive to Novelli’s concerns and Port Man- ager David Huntington said he will follow-up on the situation and re- port to the commission. During the meeting, the com- mission discussed with Huntington how the reopening of the Port of Siuslaw Boat Launch went on the preceding weekend. “We had about 10 boats total and no issues whatsoever,” Huntington said. See PORT page 6A Mapleton’s virtual graduation to include in-person ceremonies The Mapleton School District will be going virtual with its grad- By Jared Anderson u a t i o n ceremony Siuslaw News this year, but is also looking at ways to have a smaller, in-person ceremony just for se- niors and close family. “Between surveying our se- niors, contacting our seniors and talking to other school districts about what they’re doing, we have decided to put together a virtual graduation,” Mapleton Superin- tendent Jodi O’Mara said. “We wanted every senior to be able to watch each other graduate, along with family members that don’t live in our community and state.” The virtual ceremony will con- sist of the usual pomp and cir- cumstance, including speeches by the valedictorian and salutatorian and the traditional handing out of diplomas. Starting next week, seniors will be coming to school grounds in one-hour appointments to film individual graduation ceremo- nies. “They get to choose who they bring in, and whoever they bring in has a role,” O’Mara said. “A role may be a candle lighter. The role might be to hand the graduates their diploma.” Speeches from a guest speaker and students will also be filmed, and then edited together to create a full ceremony for the seniors. The photography and editing is being done by Deadwood, Ore., photographer Kate Harnedey. As Mapleton regularly has small graduating classes, this shouldn’t take too much time. See MAPLETON page 8A Partly sunny with a high of 61 and a low tonight of 47. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Oregon Air National Guard to flyover Florence INSIDE — A3 LIFESTYLE Waterfront Depot finishes remodel INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW New OCHS Director begins among COVID-19 Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B4 Self-quarantine just one challenge as Charles Brown joins humane society CLASSIFIEDS By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News S Siuslaw News thesiuslawnews.com COURTESY PHOTO Oregon Coast Humane Society Executive Director Charles Brown who brought an outstanding record of accomplishment and excellence in animal care, along with high integri- ty, community en- gagement and suc- cessful fundraising and who shares the board’s mission, vi- sion and goals. “Charles brings all of this to the ta- ble and so much more,” Robbers said. “We are ex- tremely excited to welcome him to Florence and look forward too many years of great leadership.” Brown had hoped to begin work at OCHS last month, but his concern for the staff and volunteers led him to postpone his start date at the organization, which has dealt with its share of challenges in recent months — including the unexpected resignation of its previous executive di- rector Mark Curran in Janu- ary. Brown is just beginning the process of familiarizing himself with his staff and the facility but said he is confi- dent in the new guidelines now in place for adoptions and volunteer safety. See DIRECTOR page 5A 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 | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2020 The Oregon Coast Hu- mane Society (OCHS) is one of many organizations in Florence that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. OCHS’s new ex- ecutive director, Charles Brown, just finished a two- week self-quarantine period due to the virus. OCHS Board President Shauna Robbers said she is excited to have Brown join the organization, believing his previous experience will prove to be a great asset for OCHS. “We received more than 15 responses from qualified candidates for our executive director position,” said Robbers. “With his high energy lev- el and enthusiasm, Charles immedi- ately stood out. We wanted someone who saw the ad- vantage of becom- ing a part of our coastal community as well as someone who our employees could trust.” Robbers went on to say that the board wanted an executive director DONATE online at givebutter.com/SupportSiuslawNews or call 541.997.3441 We feel the Siuslaw News is as much a part of the fabric of our community as the Siuslaw River. You’re part of our family and like all family members, we don’t have to agree all the time to love and be there for each other. We want to thank everyone who has stepped up to help support us and your feedback! 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