Mapleton man in intensive care; Dog license are a phone call home for lost pets, tuna catch good and gas prices continue to slide

Mapleton Man seriously injured in diving accident…

A Mapleton man suffered a serious spinal injury after diving into the Siuslaw River near Mapleton and striking a rock Sunday evening. 20-year old Johnny Barrows is in intensive care at River Bend Medical Center in Springfield. He was airlifted there following the accident. According to a family friend Barrows’ spinal cord was injured, but not severed in the accident. and doctors are waiting for swelling to subside before making any long-term diagnoses.

Representatives from Lane County Animal Services will be knocking on doors over the next two months providing information to pet owners about licensing. Animal Services Supervisor Tom Howard says canvassers will also renew or sell new licenses on the spot. He says pet licenses are really a lost dog’s phone call home. Law enforcement can check the registry 24-hours a day to determine the owner of a lost dog. License fees are an important revenue source for the Lane County Animal Services shelter. Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies in order to be licensed and fees will be reduced if you have proof that the animal has been spayed or neutered.

Good ocean conditions have contributed to one of the biggest weeks of sports tuna catches in recent history. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife more than 10-thousand sport-caught tuna were landed this past week. Average catches along the north coast have been 12 or 13 fish per boat. Averages along the central and south coast have been roughly half that with most fish being caught 30-miles out. Returns of hatchery Coho Salmon have also been relatively good. The same report shows catches are one to two fish per angler with many reporting two releases for every fish retained.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Florence fell this past week by seven cents to $2.53. That’s 17-cents less than this year’s high recorded three weeks ago. Oregon’s average price fell a similar amount in the last seven days. It’s currently at $2.67 a gallon according to Triple-A.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Northwest League Baseball:

The Tri-City Dust Devils roughed up the Eugene Emeralds’ bull pen for five runs late in the game for a 6-2 victory in Pasco, Washington last night. The Ems were scoreless until the ninth inning, but were unable to sustain a rally. Devils hitters combined for 15 hits in the effort, including a 3-for-5 stint at the plate from Jeremiah Sammy as well as a two-run triple off the bat of Tim Wheeler. The Dust Devils’ victory gives them a 3-1 advantage in the current five game series that wraps up tonight.