Issuu

Siuslaw News $1.25

thesiuslawnews.com

Number 35 • 133 years

We Pride ourselves on providing the best customer service possible.

Now Serving Florence 541-746-4621 • www.rdpropane.com

‘We’re committed to this until the end’

Siuslaw News sold to Country Media Inc.

US Forest Service discusses Three Buttes Fire

“When we listed this group, it was important to us to find a company with ties to the coast,” Tompkins added. “We couldn’t be more pleased that Steve and Carol Hungerford of Country Media are the new owners. We know they are committed to local journalism. They have more people and more resources to make these individual publications even stronger.” Country Media, founded in 2000, also is a family-run company focusing on local journalism. Carol and husband Steve Hungerford oversee the business from the central office in Salem. Veteran newspaper executive David Thornberry, who lives in Florence, serves as Country Media’s chief executive. “Carol and I are longtime Oregon residents and know full well what Florence, Cottage Grove and Newport mean to this state and its residents,” said Steve Hungerford. “Being involved with these newspapers is a very meaningful step for us and our colleagues.” “We’re grateful to the Tompkins family for the opportunity to build on their heritage here,” added Carol Hungerford. “We’re committed to sustaining these newspapers for many years to come.”

The Three Buttes fire continues its burn north of Florence, as 181 fire personnel have been working on suppressing the 144 acre fire. Included in the effort are 3 fire crews, 8 engines and 26 heavy equipment. We’ve had 160 plus people working this indirect fire line all around the perimeter of the fire, boxing it in, and we’re nearing completion of that,” US Forest Service Siuslaw Management Officer Nathan Shinkle told Siuslaw News. “We are in this until the bitter end. We’re working with every tool available to us to do it in a safe manner for the firefighters and the com-

munities. The fire began on Aug. 16, sparked by lightning deep in the Siuslaw Forest. It was first reported at 65 acres and soon jumped to 145, “but that was due to the fact we hadn’t been able to map it during those days,” Shinkle said.

The fire itself has remained steady at that acreage as crews have worked to suppress the fire, helped in part by cooler temperatures this week and small rainstorms soon after the fire began. While the fire is 11 miles from Florence as

the crow flies, it takes crews an hour-and-a-half to leave from their base camp in Florence to the fire’s edge. Shinkle does not believe the fire will grow large enough to threaten communities like Deadwood, Swisshome, Mapleton and Florence. “It’s not something we’re concerned with, as far as making an impact on those communities,” he said. “It’s in a real remote piece of ground. We’re not concerned it’s going to move that much.” At press time (Sept. 6) the lightning caused fire was still at zero percent containment, but Shinkle See FIRE page 4A

The state of childcare in the Siuslaw region City of Florence and childcare providers discuss challenges, plans for childcare The current landscape of childcare in the Siuslaw region, along with current efforts and challenges facing childcare providers, was the topic of discussion for the City of Florence during an Aug. 24 work session which included the City Council, staff, and various stakeholders in childcare, including Siuslaw Family Connection, Onward Eugene, Head Start and Onward Eugene. “We have been working with them for well over a year in the childcare arena,” City of Florence Manger Erin Reynolds said opening the meeting.

“There are quite a bit of elements of quality of life and livability, making it possible for people to have a full life experience, have their careers, their jobs, earn income and be able to have a place for their children. We want to bring everybody up to speed on the current efforts, the landscape and the challenges.” And the challenges are steep, with Lane County as a whole being listed as a “childcare desert,” with only 16 available childcare slots for every 100 children in the county. And the care is expensive, with average monthly

Back to school

Thursday, nearly 240 teachers, administrators, faculty and staff met for the Siuslaw School District All Staff Meeting and 2023-24 Kick Off. The event, which was held on Aug. 30 at the Siuslaw Middle School, was also a chance for staff who were either new to Siuslaw School District, or who had been transferred to new roles or positions within the district. Pictured are the following staff, in a photo provided by the Siuslaw School District. Front row left to right: Josh Payne, Annie Kidwell, Gracie Aguirre, Jason Metting, Sara Yauger, Sheena Moore, Jaime Kitchen, Kathleen Garcia, Erika Paselk, Hayden Muller. Middle row: Debra Free, Ashley Juniper, Athena Howard, Jeanne Harris, Lindy Borrevik, Brandi Bailey, Alvin Cable, Cathy Kinyon, Audra Distifeno, Corina Carr, Jadzia Simpson-Berry, Julie Barry, Beth Latta. Back row: Laurie Cox, Amanda Richards, Patrick Peters, Donnie Danials, Jeff Moses, Robin Moses-Mielke, Joseph Niles, Josh Smith

INSIDE Obituaries — A2 Sports — B1

Residential and Commercial delivery service Family Owned and Operated Since 1983

News & views that define our community

Siuslaw NewsFriday, September 8, 2023 Florence, Oregon

News Media Corporation has announced the September 1 sale of the Newport News Times to an Oregon-based media company. Included in the sale is the Sentinel in Cottage Grove and the Siuslaw News in Florence, along with the three weekly newspapers’ websites, digital products and specialty publications. The buyer is Country Media, Inc., which owns eight community newspapers in Oregon and one in northern California. News Media Corporation, headquartered in Rochelle, IL, has owned up to 75 newspapers and digital companies in nine states. It was founded by the late John C. Tompkins in 1975 and continues the family’s ownership under his son, JJ Tompkins, who serves as president and CEO. News Media purchased the Siuslaw News in 2000, and the News Times and Cottage Grove Sentinel in 2006. “News Media Corporation is proud of its 20plus years doing business in Oregon,” NMC’s JJ Tompkins said. “It has been a successful run and would not have been possible without the many dedicated employees who have worked at these offices. We are so grateful for them.

R&D Propane

Library Tidings — A4 Classifieds — 6-7

costs of full-time childcare averaging $866 per child. Locally, the gap is particularly stark. As of right now, there are only a handful of childcare providers, which include Bright Beginnings, Little Blue Birds, Wildflower Montessori, Head Start and Early Childhood CARES, Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County, and four licensed providers, two of which are providing services exclusively for family members. “In total, these provide care for about 115 children in the 0-5 aged category, and about 83

in the school aged category,” Holly Mar-Conte, Child Sector Strategist for OnWard Eugene said during the meeting. However, “we know that there are about 581 children in that 0-5 age group at 115 slots. And then over 500 kids in K-5, and only 83 being served with after school opportunities. You start to see the gap.” Reynolds added that the numbers show the trend in the region’s growing population. “In the next two years, there’ll be almost double the amount of kids in high school than there was in See CHILD page 6A

Stop the Bleed By Bob Horney and WLFEA Chief Michael Schick If you are reading this and are on a blood thinner or anti-platelet, please raise your hand. Now, if you have been instructed on how to stop the bleeding, please raise your hand again. Strange, but not unexpected, I don’t see nearly as many hands in the air. Yes, I was one of those who raised my hand as being on an anti-platelet but not being instructed on what to do if I should happen to cut myself. You may remember that I wrote an article in the Siuslaw News about my New Eve’s Heart Attack and two of our Critical-Care Paramedics, Charlie and David, rushing me to Coos Bay Area Hospital while dissolving the life-threatening clots on the trip and saving my

life. Well, I was placed on Brilinta to prevent future clots (along with 3 stents) on New Year’s Day and discharged on January 2. That was it. Come March 19, I sustained about a ½ inch cut in the palm of my hand and found out what it was like to “really” bleed. That resulted in a couple calls, visits to Walk-In Clinic and, most importantly, instruction/demonstration of bleeding wound care by our super Triage Nurses. Naturally, right at the top of the list was “much” extended, direct compression (pressure) on the wound to: Stop the Bleed. It was at that point following my cut that I knew I didn’t have enough information dealing with Brilinta and bleeding. I had to make up my mind whether I needed help See STB page 5A

Celebrating Over 30 Years in Real Estate

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner

1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR