Wyden to make coastal stops; overturned truck disrupts 101 traffic; Habitat Beach Walk to include party

Coastal Residents to Have Senator’s Ear…

US Senator Ron Wyden will be making a rare appearance in Florence this weekend as part of a swing along the south coast. The veteran Democrat will hold four open forums in all. Two of them will be Friday… 10:30 in Gold Beach and then 4:30 at Sunset Middle School in Coos Bay. Saturday morning, Wyden will open up with a 10:30 Town Hall at Reedsport High School. Then, at 1:30 in the afternoon he’ll be on hand in the Siuslaw High School gymnasium. Wyden’s staff say residents are encouraged to ask questions and voice their concerns at the meetings. Since his election in 1996 Wyden has held 524 such town halls around the state… the forum in Florence will be number 528… as well as the 35th this year alone.

Highway 101 near Sea Lion Caves was closed for two hours early yesterday morning. Traffic was restricted another five hours as crews first worked to transfer the load of a chip truck that overturned on a sharp corner, remove the trailer itself and then finish cleaning up. Nobody was injured in the 4:30 AM crash and the name of the trucking company involved was not released. Oregon State Police did not respond because there were no troopers on duty that early in the morning and there were no injuries.

For the past several years, backers of Habitat for Humanity in Florence have held a beach walk on the third Saturday in September to raise money. It’s usually been over by noon, but this year’s walk will include a party expected to last until the afternoon. Local favorite the Kush Band will be the headliner as walkers are being invited to the Wakonda Brewery tasting room on Kingwood Street from 1:30 to 5:30 that Saturday afternoon. The beach walk itself begins at eight September 19th at North Jetty parking lot and will also include music at the turn around point at Driftwood Shores.

The investigation is continuing after the death of a third dog near Elkton. Two dogs belonging to a Eugene resident died suddenly August 21st after playing in Elk Creek near where it flows into the Umpqua River. Another, belonging to an Elkton resident died Sunday after being in the creek about 2 ½ miles upstream from where the first two were. The Douglas County Sheriff’s office is recommending people and pets stay out of Elk Creek until the danger can be identified.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Northwest League Baseball
After giving up three straight losses on the road to the Vancouver Canadians, the Eugene Emeralds came home and swept three straight from the Canucks at civic stadium. They completed that sweep with a 12-3 victory last night. This evening, the Emeralds begin their final three game series ever at Civic Stadium against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at 7:05… tomorrow’s game is at seven, then Thursday’s game has been moved up to 4:05 so as to not compete against the Oregon football opener.

Prep Football:
Home game Siuslaw Viking Football Season tickets go on sale this morning at the High School Office. Previous season ticket holders have the first opportunity to renew their seats beginning at eight AM, then sales open to all comers at nine. . The Vikings play five home games this season, beginning with their season opener September 11th against LaSalle.