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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2021)
SN SATURDAY EDITION | JUNE 5, 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FLORENCE SENIOR CENTER WILL OPEN STARTING Siuslaw News June 7th, 2021 We welcome you all back and hope to see new faces as well. ALL AGES WELC0ME Card games, yoga, line dancing, billiards, Cribbage, chair exercise. Bingo starts up June 10 11:00 am and 12:30 pm We will practice mask wearing and social distancing. 9 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday 1570 Kingwood St - Florence • 541-997-8844 Food Share reopens to public Siuslaw Valley, Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY Western Lane conduct poll VOL. 131, NO. 45 J UNE 5, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON Districts seek input on future of combined fire, EMS services WEATHER By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Morning rain with a high of 59 and a low of 45. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Members of the Florence Food Share team (from left) Bart Mealer, Brittany Goldberg, Jeff Kernan, Michelle Perry, Executive Director Colin Morgan and Stephen Beale show off the food share garden this week. Florence Food Share has reopened for client shopping while maintaining masking and distancing requirements. Community members can now shop the Florence pantry in person Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News As state mandated restrictions are lessened on businesses and nonprofits, local foodbank Flor- ence Food Share has reopened to serve those in need of nutrition- al support. There has been food available at the pantry during the pandemic, but the opportunity to enter the facility and for volunteers Habitat selects next family for housing INSIDE — A3 SPORTS to assist clients has been severely limited. Florence Food Share Executive Director Colin Morgan said he be- lieves the resumption of more nor- mal services will be well-received by the people he and his staff serve in the community. “For the past year, the public has not been able to enter the building, but was still able to receive food with the help of volunteers shop- ping the pantry for them,” Morgan said. “Clients will now once again be able to shop the shelves for themselves with the help of a vol- unteer. We will continue to follow all safety guidelines and ask clients to please wear a mask when enter- ing the building.” One of the most appreciated as- pects of the food support program at Florence Food Share is the op- portunity to offer fresh vegetables to clients. See FOOD page 6A Expanded program brings support to veterans Disabled American Veterans hosts counselor to address wellbeing By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Elks support Little League INSIDE — B Florence veterans have a new opportunity to share their mili- tary experiences and other mem- ories at a program taking place at the Florence Chapter of the Dis- abled American Veterans (DAV), 1715 21st St., just off Highway 101. Veterans will now have the opportunity to speak one-on- one with a Licensed Professional RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B5 Counselor about stress or psycho- logical issues they may be facing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a ma- jor reduction in services offered to veterans as Veteran Service Officers (VSO) operating under COVID restrictions have been unable to assist veterans with state and federal military service issues. This has led to an increase in veterans in crisis — and a cor- responding increase in veteran suicides — across the country, in- cluding the Oregon coast, among many other problems. Florence DAV is hosting a se- ries of workshops focused on wellness coordinated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vet Centers to address issues not related to obtaining benefits but to ensuring the mental and emo- tional health of former service members. See VETS page 6A The merger of administration ser- vices between local first responders from Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Western Lane Ambulance Dis- trict has been in the works for three years. Recent discussions of the joint boards of directors, known as West- ern Lane Fire and EMS Authority (WLFEA), have often centered on the need to reevaluate the integra- tion of the two districts. One suggestion from the WLFEA discussions was to initiate a more direct way to determine what dis- trict voters, who will have to pay for changes through taxes, want to support. See INPUT page 5A School district notified of COVID-19 case The Siuslaw School District has been notified that an employee at Siuslaw Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19. The sixth-grade on-campus co- hort should be in isolation through June 15, and may return to campus on June 16. Sixth grade students should be monitored for any symptoms of COVID-19 over the next few days. Any changes in health conditions should be reported to your primary care doctor or Lane County Public Health. This isolation period does not im- pact the seventh and eighth grade classes, and they may continue their regular routines on campus. See CASE page 7A Students receive acknowledgment, support Lane County now Regional scholarships go to Mapleton, Siuslaw students in ‘moderate risk’ Modeled after the world famous board game, Florence-Opoly is customized to our great city. Fun for the whole family! Siuslaw News • 148 Maple Street • Old Town Florence or call 541-997-3441 each 9 ay 101 m Highw 1749 trhunter.co www. ... 24. s, S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 Y L O P O - E C N E On Sale FLOR $ 9 at T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM us @S IUSLAW N EWS SALEM—On Tuesday (after press deadlines), Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced updates to county risk levels under the state’s public health framework to reduce transmis- sion and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. Effective June 4 through June 10, there will be 13 counties in the High Risk level, 4 at Moderate Risk, and 19 at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is avail- able here. Among the changes is a shift downward for Lane County, See LEVEL page 5A Vis it /S IUSLAW N EWS On May 28, the 2021 Siuslaw Regional Scholarship Awards Ceremony awarded 42 students from Mapleton and Siuslaw high schools with a total of $222,300. “Each honored senior has plans for the future, and tonight those plans take a step closer to becom- ing reality,” said Siuslaw High School Counselor Steve Moser, who helped coordinate the event along with Bob Orr. “There are costs associated with these future goals and career aspirations. That sacrifice of time, energy and free- dom will become well known to Originally published on June 1 at TheSiuslawNews.com disc ho over me vi inte ntag rio e clo rs, an thin d co g, ok an�q ies! ue LATEST NEWS : students into a database for the 153 awards. This is just the sec- ond year that the form has been available to students. Previously, high school seniors at Siuslaw and Mapleton would have to fill out multiple paper copies, write different essays and send in their resumes and transcripts to indi- vidual awards. “This system was created to simplify and streamline the way students consolidate their information to submit to local providers,” Orr said. “It is our hope to continue the use of the regional application in the years to come.” See SCHOLARS page 7A ...to FOLLOW US FOR THE these students. Although the cost we hope to limit tonight is one of financial debt.” In total, there were 153 indi- vidual scholarships presented by 33 local presenters and organi- zations in a virtual ceremony re- leased that Friday night. “I want to thank you all for tak- ing the time to be present tonight as we gather to acknowledge the achievements of tonight’s hon- ored seniors and to support their educational and career aspira- tions,” Moser said. To be eligible for the scholar- ships, students filled out the Siu- slaw Regional Scholarship form, which automatically entered ibrary.or iuslawL www.S 97-31 32 541-9 By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News OUT CHECK S.) (WE EVEN GAME BOARD g Listings and public notices Inside — B6 rd aboa g Climb readin ad! the real railro CLASSIFIEDS Framing es Fram ence Quality Custom of Flor • Mirrors s • Needlework • Watercolors Shadowboxe Photography Oils • 43 97-20 G 541-9 101, Suite Hwy. 2285 OR 97439 Florence,