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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2020)
E BR SATURDAY EDITION | JUNE 13, 2020 | $1.00 NEW MEMBERS 1/2 PRICE ENROLLMENT FEES FOR JUNE Open and keeping you safe and healthy. Call or stop by and see how we do it 541-997-8086 RS 2020 EA CEL SN S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S AT I N G 1 30 Y I NSIDE — A11 Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 47 F LORENCE , O REGON Community members rally in support of law enforcement Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News A group of 50 or so individuals gathered Wednesday at the corner of Highways 101 and 126 with signs and flags display- ing their support for r law enfo enforce- f rcce ment officers in Florence and across the country. The Florence rally took place in the wake of worldwide protests against police brutality targeting people of color, inspiring similar marches last week in support of na- law w enforcement enfo en forc rcem emen entt across acro ac ross ss t the hee n a tion. In some instances, protests in many major cities over the past two weeks that began as peace- ful evolved into violent clashes between law enforcement and protestors. These confronta- Banner Bank works with Florence Chamber as 2020-21 membership dues relief sponsor By Scott M. Steward Creative Wave Marketing Banner Bank in Florence has joined the exclusive rank of cor- porate underwriter in the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce with a contribution of $10,000. Banner Bank joins fellow corporate under- writers Driftwood Shores Resort and Conference Center, Three Riv- ers Casino Resort and TR Hunter Real Estate. The funds are designated to help other member businesses pay their annual dues that renew in July. Tess Yahyazadeh, AVP/Branch Manager at Banner Bank in Flor- ence, jointly announced the pro- gram with Bettina Hannigan, exec- utive director of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. “Watching our business commu- nity struggle through COVID-19 restrictions, I wanted to find a way to help our local business owners and the Chamber,” said Yahyaza- deh. “Being involved with the Cares Florence Area Chamber of Commerce board members Tom Bassett, Shauna Robbers, Rich Colton and Bonnie Stone and Chamber Executive Director Bettina Hannigan receive a check contribution from Banner Bank’s AVP/ branch manager Tess Yahyazadeh and Banner Bank staff. CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS Act Payroll Protection Program and hearing the stories of how this crisis has affected our local business com- munity really motivated me to find a way for Banner Bank to help.” At-risk members at the Business Partner level can pay the first $125 toward their dues for the 2020-21 fiscal year and leverage $100 from Banner Bank’s membership match contribution. The program is avail- able for member renewals due July 1 on a first-come-first-served process until funds run out. People can access this by contact- ing Hannigan at bettina@florence- chamber.com. See PARTNERS page 5A Board members discuss wages, benefits and contracts in some instances, tional and, a violent interactions that includ- ed widespread looting over- night, have sparked a national debate over distinguishing the difference between enforcing the law and inciting violence See RALLY page 6A Mapleton School District names Milbrett to board COMMUNITY Decorate for 4th of July Porch Parade INSIDE — A3 LIFESTYLE wish we were not in this situation. It’s very difficult, it’s very awk- ward.” SVFR and WLFEA board member Ron Green started the meeting by stating the issue at hand for WLFEA. “SVFR approved a budget for the authority, and it’s different from the one approved by WLAD,” he said. “So, we’re hoping that the WLFEA board can resolve those differences, and can we come up with a budget that is acceptable to both boards.” WLFEA, which employs ad- ministrators from both districts, does not have its own tax base. Instead, it is funded by WLAD (51 percent of costs) and SVFR (49 percent of costs). Both districts are in the process of union labor negotiations, but the financial outlook is different — with SVFR being relatively stable and WLAD in danger of being un- derfunded in the next few years. To help stave off financial hardships, some WLAD budget committee and board members have suggest- ed making cuts to what has been viewed as overgenerous compensa- tion for employees in comparison to other comparable employers. In the WLFEA meeting, Fire and EMS Chief Michael Schick pro- posed some cuts to WLFEA, most notably in eliminating the position See BUDGET page 8A This week, The Mapleton School District Board of Direc- tors chose Andrea Milbrett to replace outgoing board member John Simington. Milbrett had worked for the Mapleton district for years, and is currently working at a charter school in Veneta as a student services director. This role includes keeping track of attendance, schedules, tran- scripts “and a gamut of addition- al things that are needed,” she told the school board during her interview. “I have worked in the school district for years so I have seen the positives and negatives inside the school that come from decisions made outside of the school,” Milbrett wrote in her application. “I have coached in the school district and see how sports have been affected in dif- ferent ways. I also have had one child finish school there and one child in the middle of finishing school there, and the differences between both of their times at Mapleton. I also now work in a different school district so I have had and continue to have the opportunity as to how other dis- tricts have done and/or handled things.” Milbrett will be replacing Simington, who left the board due to scheduling issues. “John has been a valued mem- ber of the school board,” said Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara. “His knowledge of our community from an alumni See MAPLETON page 5A Girl Scouts prepare for virtual summer 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 | 12 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2020 The Western Lane Fire and EMS Authority (WLFEA), which con- sists of members of Western Lane Ambulance District (WLAD) and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue (SVFR), held a budget meeting this week to try to address concerns regarding budget discrepancies be- tween the two districts. WLFEA and WLAD board member Larry Farnsworth stated, “While the board did not unani- mously agree to pass the WLFEA budget, I appreciate the candid conversation that we have, and that reasonable people can disagree. I Light rain with a high of 57 and a low tonight of 47. Full forecast on A3 By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News WLFEA approves budget after extensive discussions By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News WEATHER Help support your neighbors in need who have been unemployed due to the Covid-19 shutdown. Send your kind contribution to: Christmas in June, P.O. Box 1041, Florence, Oregon 97439 Questions? Call Sam Spayd @ 541-991-6139 This ad sponsored by AeroLegends Biplane Rides