Thank you for voting us best Publisher/Publishing Company in 2020! Port Hole Publishing 179 Laurel St. Suite D, Florence, Oregon 97439 541-999-5725 2020 VOTED F BEST O E SN SATURDAY EDITION | APRIL 10, 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM F LO E N C R Let us publish your book! PortHolePublishing.org Greater Florence Area B usiness Quarterly Owner/Publisher: Best Selling Author, Ellen Gunderson Traylor Email: info@ellentraylor.com • ellentraylor.com Siuslaw News Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY INSIDE — A9-A10 Vets rally ‘round flagpole, local family Community offers support, fundraising after tragedy VOL. 131, NO. 29 A PRIL 10, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Partly sunny with a high of 48 and a low of 36. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Local veterans and community members met at Clawson’s Wheelhouse on Monday to hold a fundraiser for a restaurant employee and her family. The event doubled as the chance to celebrate the restaurant’s new flagpole and the flying of the American flag. Local groups plan events INSIDE — A3 Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News SPORTS T he owners and clientele of local restaurant Clawson’s Wheel- house held a fundraising breakfast April 5 to help defray costs asso- ciated with the tragic suicide of Siuslaw High School junior Adam Price late last month. Adam’s mother, Jaime Price, is a waitress at Clawson’s. Her son’s Softball returns 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 death has reminded the commu- nity that the dangers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond the virus itself and older members of the community. The impacts of isolation experienced by many is still being felt and an- alyzed. But though the reasons for Ad- am’s death by suicide may have been amplified by the isolation associated with the pandemic, the roots of his anger and pain stretch back well before 2020 and, unfortu- nately, stem from an all-too-com- mon source: domestic abuse. “Adam had been through hell because of his dad, and Adam had made it back. It was almost like a miracle,” said Jaime, who was forth- coming with her thoughts on the possible motivations behind her son’s death. “All of us [in the fami- ly] are survivors of domestic abuse. Adam had spent a lot of time with his dad and, for a long time, he Safe Families, 90by30 partner to prevent child abuse S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 The 90by30 Child Abuse Pre- vention Program of Lane County has the aspirational goal of reduc- ing child abuse and neglect by 90 percent by the year 2030. When west Lane County communities were surveyed in 2014, nearly 90 percent of respondents said the goal was important and the re- sponsibility of the whole commu- nity. Given this directive, a growing number of stalwart community volunteers have been working to implement “preventive strategies” throughout the Siuslaw region, with each of the strategies backed by research that demonstrates ef- fectiveness. “If a community has enough of these preventive strategies in place, parents will feel more sup- ported, will know how to access resources in times of difficulty, and will be less apt to hurt or ne- glect their children,” said Suzanne Mann-Heintz, director of the 90by30 program. “It’s like building a safety net for children to keep them from falling into the sea of adversities that can take them down.” One of the newest strategies is the development of Host Home Teams using the model employed tried to be like him” Jaime contin- ued. “But he realized he was differ- ent than his father and didn’t want to be like that. Deep down, he was a really good kid — but he was just so hurt that it was tough for him for so long.” In many ways, young people have been more impacted by the isola- tion and lack of social contact with peers and educators than adult fam- ily members. That is particularly See SUPPORT page 5A Improving mental health in Lane County Prevention Lane addresses suicide, wellbeing in western Lane County By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News COURTESY PHOTO Blue pinwheel gardens are sprouting all over western Lane County as businesses, homes, nonprofits and more vow to pre- vent child abuse. by Safe Families for Children. care of children in times of need. Safe Families is an international Arrangements can be short- program based on the mandate term or long-term; maybe a single “to care for the most vulnerable parent is having surgery and needs amongst us.” West Lane Safe Fam- someone to care for their children ilies for Children was officially for a few weeks; maybe a parent formed in February of 2021 in becomes homeless and needs their collaboration with Safe Shelter for children to be cared for while they Siuslaw Students; Safe Families for take steps to find a home; maybe Children of Lane County became a working parent needs childcare a partner with 90by30 in July 2020. but can’t afford it or find a pro- The Host Home Teams mod- vider; or maybe a teenager can’t el provides a structure for taking See PREVENT page 7A Throughout the COVID-19 pan- demic, one of the talking points has been concerns about mental health. With so many people working from home and students enrolling in comprehensive distance learning, how were people coping with isola- tion and stress? Roger Brubaker, MPH, Senior Community Health Analyst with Prevention Lane, is one of the peo- ple following research on how the past year has impacted people’s mental health in Lane County. As a branch of Lane County Public Health (LCPH), Prevention Lane’s mission is to lead efforts to plan, promote and create the opti- mal social environmental conditions See HEALTH page 6A Earth Day Porch Parade. Restore Our Earth. Decorate your front porch or yard or business. Pick up an Earth Day sign at Beaux Arts, Silver Lining or Austentatious for only $3, OT 2/$5! Decorate your mailbox with flowers, fill a wheelbarrow with plants, create animals with recycled materials, put roadside trash clean-up in a bag with a smiley face, paint an old pallet, hang bird feeders, make a ladder planter. Use what you have! Be Creative! Certificate awards go to the Most Imaginative Use of Upcycled Materials, Best Child Created, Best Group Entry, Best Theme Related. Send name and address to florenceoregonearthday or teenasan67@gmail.com.