Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2020)
2020 RS Twila Lenington Owner/Stylist / Estetician E EA CEL SN BR WEDNESDAY EDITION | DECEMBER 9, 2020 | $1.00 S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S AT I N G 1 30 Y 179 Laurel Street, Suite A • Florence 541-997-8440 • WWW. KREATIONS101.com Offering: • Massages,Facials, • Botox and fillers • All Your Hair Care needs • All exclusive AVEDA Salon Gift Certificates available. ‘On behalf of my family, my business and my community of Florence’ City Lights takes action to weather COVID-19 While entertainment venues remain closed, local theater rolls out request to community Hundreds of people sign petition from local restaurateur to the governor By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN AND CHANTELLE MEYER/ SIUSLAW NEWS A s many residents of Florence will tell you, City Lights Cin- emas is more than just a movie the- ater. In the six years since its open- ing, it has also become a meaningful cultural, environmental and infor- mational hub for the community. Movies have been an important aspect of America’s history and en- tertainment for two centuries, and they continue to hold a unique po- sition as influencer, silent observer and social commentator for many — from sprawling urban cities to small towns. While City Lights Cin- emas has brought the magic and excitement of movies to Florence, it has also added levels of sophisti- cation not usually found in a small community theater. Co-owners Michael Falter and Susan Tive arrived in Florence 2014 with a vision to use the theater to not only show films, but also serve as a cultural and informational touchstone for areas of community interest. According to Falter, “We dedicat- City Lights Cinemas, 1930 Highway 101 in Florence, has found sev- eral solutions to remain a part of local life despite the COVID-19 pandemic: through a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe and by providing popcorn and concessions on Friday and Saturday nights. ed ourselves to making the best the- atre experience we could, right here in Florence. With the help of (staff members) Mister, Art, Alex, Jared, Evan, Paul and more, we turned the place into the community’s living room, complete with craft beer and Oregon’s best popcorn with all the fixings.” In the six years since opening the theater, that vision had come to fruition — until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last March. The on-and-off-again nature of the state’s COVID-related executive order shutdowns has, as with many businesses in Florence, created an uncertainty as to how — and if — the theater can survive. See THEATER page 7A ReVision Florence’s gateway monument repairs continue Repairs to the newly installed, but not yet completed, ReVi- sion Florence gateways at Maple Street and Highway 101 con- tinued last week, as portions of the bases of the obelisks cracked during their initial installation were refitted and placed. The gateway is intended to direct visitors off the highway into Historic Old Town. The repairs are still ongoing, according to Florence Public In- formation Officer Megan Mess- mer. “The monuments are not yet complete. The area word- ing on the south monument is not there, as it was cracked. See REPAIRS page 5A BEGINS D EC . 10 Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 99 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 55 and a low tonight of 37. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Free drive-up community concert INSIDE — A3 LIFESTYLE Sheltering cats from the cold INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 NEW: TV GUIDE Inside — A10-A11 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS 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 | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2020 Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Community member and busi- ness owner Jordan Stone has started a petition to ask Gov. Kate Brown to “Assess Oregon COVID-19 Risk Levels on a Zip Code Basis.” Already garnering more than 840 signatures, the petition on change. org is gaining momentum as small communities across the state seek a solution to keep their businesses open and people safe. Stone began the petition with a letter, stating he was “writing on behalf of my family, my business and my community of Florence.” From there, he presented a re- quest that the governor consider- ing reevaluating her metrics. “While I understand and ap- preciate your new approach to handling COVID-19 restrictions on a county-by-county basis, I would love to draw attention to the ways in which this approach may overlook small communities like my own,” he wrote. “We are part of Lane County which currently sits in the ‘extreme risk’ category. Based on the data provided on the Lane County website, our town’s categorization in the extreme risk category is more a reflection of the fact that we are in the same county as Eugene, as opposed to a reflec- tion of the risk COVID-19 cur- rently poses to our community.” Stone referred to the governor’s new Risk and Safety Framework, which she announced as a way to extend restrictions from the two- week freeze which ended Dec. 3. During a press conference on Dec. 4, Brown explained, “The majority of the state has moved into the ‘extreme risk’ level, which means the virus is still widespread across 25 counties, and these coun- ties remain under strict restric- tions.” Under this category level for bars, restaurants and breweries, indoor dining is still prohibited. Outdoor dining is allowed, with a capacity of 50 people. Takeout is highly recommended. Other aspects of the “freeze” continue in Oregon. Religious cen- ters have an indoor capacity of 25 percent occupancy or 100 people total, whichever is smaller, and an outdoor capacity of 150 people. Stores may only have 50 percent of their maximum capacity, and gyms, pools and museums are closed. In addition, masks and face coverings are required in all pub- lic spaces and whenever people are near those from outside their household. See PETITION page 6A H ANUKKAH We are having a drive-thru Santa event! December 13th Sunday, 1 PM to 4 PM Jawsome Kids Resale 1901 Highway 101 Florence 541-997-5183 Bring your Santa Letters and hand them directly to Santa and grab a goody! We will be taking pictures and having a food drive to help those in need. All food is appreciated including baby formula and baby food.