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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2021)
SN THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY EDITION | AUGUST 18, 2021 | $1.00 RADIO AUCTIOn AST CO THIS FRIDAY AUGUST 20 @ 9:15 AM DEALS ON 120+ ITEMS KCST 106.9 FM & KCFM 104.1 FM SEE PAGES 9A & 10A FOR A COMPLETE AUCTION LIST ITEM LIST & PHOTOS ALSO AVAILABLE AT KCST.COM Siuslaw News Siuslaw News Efforts towards affordable housing take community work NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY Study shows roughly 30 percent of Oregonians worried of eviction or foreclosure VOL. 131, NO. 66 A UGUST 18, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 67 and a low of 54. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY By Reina Harwood Siuslaw News Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Oregonians were ex- periencing the pre-existing symp- toms of income inequality in 2019, which amplified the harsh eco- nomic fallout that erupted as the pandemic went on. One of the biggest impacts has been to housing. First, when state and federal governments provided protections for renters against evictions and homeowners from foreclosure. As those mor- atoriums have ended, the hous- ing market has tightened yet further, with houses selling with- in days of listing and a scarcity of rentals. Despite the far reach to afford- able homeownership and housing availability, the Florence commu- nity has taken it upon themselves to collaborate and seek resourceful ways to support employees, lo- cal businesses, families and long- term residents in search of a living space. Last year, the U.S. Census Bureau launched a new Household Pulse Survey. It studied how COVID-19 has impacted households and communities across the nation to pinpoint what areas needed assis- tance the most. According to the survey, rough- ly 30 percent of Oregonians fell under the likelihood of eviction or foreclosure as of Aug. 2, 2021. On a national scale, around 32 percent of the U.S. population is at risk of falling behind on payments and rent. Meanwhile, 4.3 percent of Oregonians have missed their payments in the week of Aug. 2, and are not feeling confident. While Oregonians have faced financial setbacks affecting their housing, local non-profit orga- nizations like the Florence Food Share, an emergency food pantry based in Florence, continue pro- viding resources to prevent hunger in the community. Florence Food Share Executive Director Colin Morgan spoke on the local housing crisis and its im- pact on the food pantry. “Hunger doesn’t just stay at the dinner table, it goes throughout the community,” he said. See HOUSING page 5A Siuslaw Teacher Librarian Jennifer McKenzie receives Census data released for Lane County Fulbright Award A big birthday INSIDE — A3 SPORTS SYSA trains youth referees INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 TV GUIDE Inside — B3-B4 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS Listings & notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/ SIUSLAW NEWS Jennifer McKenzie By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased have announced that Jennifer McKenzie of Siuslaw School District in Oregon has received a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Pro- gram award. As a Fulbright recipi- ent, McKenzie will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and abroad. “It’s such an honor, as Fulbright awards are con- sidered the most prestigious international education grants in the world,” McK- enzie said. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon return- ing to their classrooms in the United States, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, in- viting foreign scholars and educators to their school or campus and encouraging their colleagues and stu- dents to go abroad. According to McKenzie, she will collaborate virtually with a team of internation- al teachers this academic school year, attend a Global Education Symposium this spring in Washington D.C. See FULBRIGHT page 7A All of town’s a stage C ROW Advanced Acting Students presented three showings of their “History of Live The- ater” play around town on Friday. Two perfor- mances drew large crowds at the Port of Siuslaw Boardwalk and Gazebo Park in Historic Old Town Florence. The students wrote and then act- ed in the play, which was directed by CROW Artistic Director Melanie Heard and her col- league Diane David. The students also cre- ated their own set, which had scenic design from Brian Sandahl. The show drew laughter as the students showed theater’s progression from ancient Greece to “Hamilton,” complete with singing, soliloquy and stage deaths. For more information, visit www.crowkids. com. The 2020 Census was re- leased last Thursday during a nationwide virtual press briefing given by U.S. Census Bureau Acting Director Dr. Ron Jarmin and Chief James Whitehorne of the Redis- tricting and Voting Rights Office, along with other se- nior staff members. The release of the data col- lected during the 2020 Cen- sus has drawn scrutiny due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandem- ic and the former U.S. ad- ministration. However, the Supreme Court eventually rejected the additional ques- tions added to the census, which asked for the immigra- tion status of respondents. Jarmin addressed these concerns and the actions tak- en by the bureau to provide accurate and well-founded information, which policy makers and municipal lead- ers will use in future plans. The Census data is also central to possible redistrict- ing for Congressional seats as well as the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds. See CENSUS page 6A Ambassadors represent Florence New volunteers needed for public functions By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce represents its members and local business interests by com- municating news and connecting resources. It is an essential link in the chain which draws new residents and new businesses to the area, as well as supporting current members. One of the most visible aspects of the chamber is the all-volunteer Florence Ambassadors, which acts as the publicity arm of the Chamber. Mike Bones is the chair of the Ambassadors, which elected its new board of directors in July. “The Florence Area Chamber Ambassadors had our first meet- ing in over a year,” Bones said. “We enjoyed getting to see one another and getting back down to business! We welcomed our elected officers and we are looking forward to being active with our Chamber activities again.” The board now includes President Mike Bones, Vice President Igor Kusznirczuk, Secretary Kathy Bones and Treasurer Terry Woodward. “We are looking for potential and interested new members,” Bones said. Many volunteers are needed to support local nonprofits. During the pandemic, volunteer numbers have dropped. According to Bones, filling the open spots on the board was a minor challenge. However, the need now is to add to the number of individuals participating in the activities associ- ated with the ribbon-cuttings, grand openings and recognition ceremo- nies that take place in and around Florence during the year. “We really do need some new vol- unteers,” he said. “A lot of our mem- bers are getting older and some have See AMBASSADOR page 5A Save the heavy lifting for us! Atiyeh Bros. area rug cleaning and repair service to the Florence area will be August 25th , with return service September 8th and September 22nd for repair orders. We will pick up your rugs, deep clean them in our state of the art facility, repair if needed, and deliver to your home. Please call us at 541-342-3678 to schedule your pickup!