Ten-digit dialing; Cleawox Market robbery; Oregon Unemployment Rate; and Lane County Human Rights Commission.

Phone Transition begins this week…

Telephone users in most of Oregon are facing a big change in six months…
210 – “We’re running out of numbers, I know it’s hard for people to believe that.”

Unless something was done in the next couple of years according to Public Utilities Commission Chair Lee Beyer, the number of seven-digit phone combinations in the 541-area code would be exhausted.
211 – “We asked people throughout the 541 area, which would you rather do? Should we split that area in half or some proportion and change everybody’s numbers there? Or go to an overlay which is what we do in Portland.”

The preferred option: adding a second area code.
212 – “Nobody likes change, but the preference was 10-digit dialing”

Actually that option minimizes change. Had they split the area code, Beyer says everyone in one of the two new areas would have had to change their numbers. This way nobody changes but everyone must dial three more digits than they used to. The transition period for ten-digit dialing began over the weekend. That means for the next six months if you want to call across town you’ll have the option of using the area code. But, he says, it’ll be required by January 12th, 2010.

Oregon's unemployment rate hovered at 12.2 percent in June, essentially unchanged from May. The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained well above the U.S. rate of 9.5 percent as Oregon's recession-bound economy shed another 7,200 jobs last month. In all, there were 241,000 Oregonians on the unemployment rolls last month, compared with 114,000 jobless a year ago. Industries such as manufacturing, trade and business services continue to mirror national trends of job declines, but the bright spot was construction, which posted a gain of 3,600 jobs in June.

Police arrested a man at a Florence residence early Sunday morning after the report of an armed robbery south of town. Oregon State Police Sergeant Ron Martin said a white male claimed to have a bomb and demanded cash from the clerk at Cleawox Market on Highway 101 Saturday evening. The employee emptied the cash register and the suspect left with the money. Witnesses were able to provide a description of the man and his vehicle. Police arrested 29-year old John Jeremy Angeli several hours later. He reportedly had evidence linking him to the robbery along with ‘user amounts’ of methamphetamine.

Lane County’s Commission for the Advancement of Human Rights will meet in Florence tomorrow night. Program Specialist Sascha Cosio says the 11-member panel is committed to ensuring human rights are a “central part of every County program”. They’ll meet at the Florence Events Center tomorrow evening at 5:30.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

American Legion Baseball:

The Three Rivers Sandblasters fell below .500 in league play last night with an eight-run shutout loss to the Post 9 Highwaymen in Salem. Three Rivers will host Corvallis’ Richey’s Market today at Jiggs Dodson Field. Game time is 5:00 with the pregame show on Coast Radio Sports at 4:45…

Northwest League Baseball:

The Eugene Emeralds swept both halves of a double-header last night in Eugene, beating the Spokane Indians 7-5 in the opener, then, closing the night out with a five-nothing shutout. The entire Northwest League has the night off for the All-Star break. The Ems will hit the road tomorrow where they’ll open a three game series against the league-leading Volcanoes in Keizer.