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.