County Commission Race draws another; bogus Amber Alerts cause concern; Flu Vaccine; and North Fork Bridge opens

Lane County Commission Race draws another…

Two formal announcements will be made today as an Elmira man enters the race for the West Lane Position on the Lane County Commission. Jay Bozievich (BO-zih-vitch), a former chair of the Lane Community College Board of Education and a Senior Engineer with the Eugene Water and Electric Board intends to seek the $73-thousand a year post that has been held for the past three years by Bill Fleenor. Bozievich will formally announce on the Lane County Courthouse steps in Eugene this morning at 11:00 and then again this afternoon in Florence at 3:30 in front of the former Lotus Seafood Restaurant on Bay Street. He and his wife have lived in Elmira since 2006 and before that, lived in the River Road area of Northwest Eugene for 13 years. Fleenor announced suddenly last month that he would not seek re-election to a second term because of personal reasons. One other candidate has already filed for the May 18th primary election, LCC Instructor Anselmo Villanueva.

A series of hoax Amber Alert text messages and emails have been popping up around Oregon the past few days. Oregon State Police have been receiving inquiries about the validity of a reported involving a three-year old boy taken by a male in a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Reports of the spurious messages have been centered in the Portland Area and Douglas County with similar messages in California. OSP Lieutenant Molly Cotter, the Oregon Amber Alert Coordinator, says she’s very concerned about the false messages and adds the public should respond only to official alerts.

Flu shots at the Florence Events Center will not be offered after today because the company providing them says they are running short of seasonal vaccine. Pharmacies in Florence that have been providing the vaccinations will continue to do so however. Betsy Meredith with Lane County Public Health says they’re just beginning their public flu shot clinics. Meredith said about one-third of the vaccine ordered by Lane County has been delayed because labs are focusing on producing the H1N1 vaccine. She adds she hadn’t heard of any shortages.

Nearly a year ahead of schedule traffic is flowing across a new bridge on Highway 126 over the North Fork of the Siuslaw River. Mowat Construction crews will now focus on demolition of the old bridge, originally built in 1960. Steve Templin with the Oregon Department of Transportation says as a result, no left turns will be allowed coming out of North Fork Road onto Highway 126. But that’s only until work is complete.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Athlete of the Week:
Siuslaw Football standout Peter Tupua is Coast Radio Sports’ Athlete of the Week. The freshman tight end and running back carried the ball 11 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’s win over Yamhill-Carlton. Tupua scored a third touchdown on the night, scooping up a loose ball and running it back 65 yards for a score, plus he picked off one pass. Honorable mention is given to Viking sophomore running back Sonny Tupua who performed yeoman duties in the same game, carrying the ball 26 times for 139 yards and one touchdown.

On The Schedule:
Prep Volleyball will have the Siuslaw Vikings at home against the Douglas Trojans tonight for Far West League play….