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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2021)
SN SATURDAY EDITION | JUNE 19, 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM And when they do, we’re here in Florence. 4480 Hwy 101, Suite G · 541.997.1251 Siuslaw News Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 49 J uNe 19, 2021 F loreNce , o regoN WEATHER Sunny with wind. High of 67 and a low of 54. Full forecast on A3 JUNETEENTH Freedom Day June 19 Walk-ins welcome -or- schedule online at novahealth.com Honoring Juneteenth and liberation New federal holiday begins today By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News I n a rare show of bipartisan co- operation, the U.S. Senate voted 100-0 on Wednesday to pass the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making it the nation’s 12th legally recognized federal holiday. Is also the first federal holiday added to the national calendar since 1983. The U.S. House of Representa- tives joined members of the Senate in passing the legislation, although by less than a unanimous vote of 415-14. The legislation was then signed by U.S. President Joseph Biden in Washington D.C. Thursday, in a cer- emony held in the East Room of the White House. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were visibly pleased with the situation presented to them after re- turning earlier in the evening from a busy G7 meeting in England and a short summit with Russian Fed- eration President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. Harris welcomed the group of as- sembled supporters of the act, mem- bers of Congress and a small group of specially invited guests, many of whom had been working for years to achieve a federal recognition of the events of June 19, 1865. During the event, the vice presi- dent spoke of the need to recognize America’s collective history and stat- ed her belief the enactment of the Juneteenth Holiday was important Radio club trains for emergency Central Oregon Coast Amateur Radio Club prepares for next Field Day COMMUNITY to all Americans. “Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names: Ju- bilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day, Emancipation Day and, today, a national holiday,” Harris stated to a standing ovation. “When we es- tablish a national holiday, it makes an important statement. National holidays are important. These are days where we as a nation have de- cided to stop and take stock, and often to acknowledge our history. See JUNETEENTH page 5A The return of Rotary Club brings back popular auction as it prepares to resume in-person meetings Let it snow with area ice makers INSIDE — A3 SPORTS SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO FROM 2019 BY MARK BRENNAN COCARC members will participate in the ARRL Field Day to prepare for a natural disaster which might disrupt cell phone, internet or traditional phone service. The group will be conducting this year’s exercise from home, unlike in 2019, when the group exercise was held at Sutton Lake Campground. By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Mapleton Seniors play final games 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 The need to prepare for emergen- cy situations has become painfully apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Florence and the central Oregon coast are located in an area which has a high likelihood of ex- periencing a different type of emer- gency, such as a large scale seismic or ocean related incident. Prepar- ing to deal with the aftermath of a major destructive event is part of the training for all first responders in this vicinity, as well as a small group of dedicated volunteers that use an older form of first response — the radio. As more people become vac- cinated, the restrictions on gath- erings have eased and now allow emergency preparedness organiza- tions to resume training for natural and man-made disasters. The Central Oregon Coast Am- ateur Radio Club (COCARC) is a group of amateur, or “ham,” ra- dio operators that train to operate equipment to communicate with others in the event of a disruption to traditional or digital communi- cation platforms. It is primarily because of the de- velopment of very complex, mod- ern communications systems that ham radio has been called into See RADIO page 8A Siuslaw bids farewell to two school board members District gives updates on staffing S iuSlaw N ewS 2 S ectioNS | 24 P ageS c oPyright 2021 On Wednesday, four members of the Siuslaw School Board were able to attend an in-person meet- ing at the Siuslaw School Dis- trict Office. An additional two members were able to attend via Zoom, and the public was able to livestream the event through YouTube. The June 16 meeting was espe- cially poignant as it was the final meeting for Board Vice Chair Paul Burns and Director Suzanne Mann-Heintz, as well as the last meeting before summer break began. Siuslaw Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak also made the an- nouncement on Thursday, the students’ last day of school, that current Siuslaw Elementary Prin- cipal Michael Harklerode will Story & Photo By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News Siuslaw School District staff joined four members of the school board on June 23 for an in-person meeting at the district office. be the next principal of Siuslaw the Hillsboro School District for High School. two years as a teacher on special “Mr. Harklerode has served the assignment, with seven prior district with distinction at Siu- years as a classroom teacher. slaw Elementary School for the At the board meeting, directors past 11 years and is excited about and staff took the time to con- this new challenge taking over the gratulate Burns on his 16 years helm at SHS,” Grzeskowiak said. on the Siuslaw School Board and Prior to his time at Siuslaw, Mr. Mann-Heintz on her four years. Harklerode had supervisory and instructional coaching duties in See SIUSLAW page 6A Now that Lane County is in lower risk for community spread of COVID-19, the Rotary Club of By Chantelle Meyer Florence is preparing Siuslaw News to resume some familiar activities. Starting Thurs- day, June 24, and running through Sunday, July 18, the club is bring- ing its popular annual auction to virtual life. Then, on Tuesday, July 6, the club will begin meeting in person again at the Florence Events Center (FEC) after more than a year limited to online. “We’ll follow all the guidelines, but people are anxious to get back,” said Rotary President Kim Erickson. “It’s been 15-16 months since we have met in person. For a lot of people, this is what they rely on each week.” She quoted fellow Rotarian Ron Green, who often says that Tues- days at Rotary are “the best hour of his week.” “It is that way for a lot of people. And while we’ve been doing Zoom the whole time, it’s not the same as in-person,” Erickson said. The club has remained active throughout the pandemic, still meeting weekly, only this time through the group meeting app Zoom. Rotarians have also contin- ued to give generously to causes, including to support local youth. One way Rotary raises money for its funds is through the annual Rotary Auction, which usually takes place in March. Some of the money raised through the auction go towards the club’s scholarships, which it awards each year. “We’ve still provided over $50,000 worth of scholarships, both years, to graduating stu- dents,” Erickson said about the two school years included in the pandemic so far. “We’re very lucky as a club that we had built up a reserve to be able to provide that, but now we need to get back.” Inside this issue — A9-12 Dads & Grads Special commemoration of Father’s Day and high school graduations for Mapleton and Siuslaw Seniors See ROTARY page 6A
