County Commission reverses direction on O&C Association; Troopers double DUII Halloween arrests; HWD plans outages; bridge works prompts delays

Lane County Commission reverses direction on association membership

On a 3-2 vote the Lane County Board of Commissioners opted last week to rejoin the Association of O&C Counties. Earlier this year, citing budget constraints and differences in opinions on how public land should be managed, the board opted to not pay their $37-thousand annual dues. South Lane Commissioner Faye Stewart praised the reversal saying it would allow the county to “begin working with a network of counties nationwide to secure much-needed federal funding”. Stewart was joined by East Lane Commissioner Bill Dwyer and West Lane rep Bill Fleenor in voting to override the two Eugene commissioners Peter Sorenson and Rob Handy. Fleenor said Lane County can’t ignore the role that federal safety net funds and timber receipts play in balancing the county’s budget. He reportedly played a role in bringing the issue back to the commission and acknowledged the “balancing act” that the board is attempting. The Association of O&C Counties exists in order to fulfill the promises of the 1937 O&C Act which provides that revenues from former Oregon and California Railroad lands now managed by the Bureau of Land Management be used to support county general and road funds as well as local schools.

Oregon State Troopers made more than twice as many DUII arrests in the 12-hour period that began at six pm Halloween night as they did last year in the same time period. 15 DUII arrests were made by troopers in 2008 with 31 recorded statewide this year. A third of those arrests were made by troopers out of the Springfield office. Police say Halloween night is a particularly deadly night on highways due to impaired drivers. National statistics showed that more than half of traffic fatalities on Halloween last year involved drivers with a blood alcohol content that exceeded legal levels.

Rehabilitation work on the Highway 101 bridge over the Siuslaw River is entering the next phase where motorists may be facing intermittent day time delays. Painting of the draw spans is nearly complete and work will continue on restoring the draw bridge’s electrical and mechanical elements. Limited and periodic daytime closures could delay travel by as much as ten minutes at a time. The Oregon Department of Transportation is expecting to complete the $5.3 million project by September of next year.

Heceta Water District customers living north of Mercer Lake Road should be prepared for water outages between nine am and one pm tomorrow through Thursday. Crews will be doing maintenance on pressure reducing stations in the area. District Manager Scott Meyer says pressure may fluctuate over the next three days as well.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Prep Volleyball:

The Mapleton Sailors will face Elkton Wednesday night in the first round of the OSAA Volleyball playoffs. Mapleton beat Alsea in the Mountain West League tourney in Junction City Saturday. The Siuslaw Vikings clinched second place in the Far West League Saturday by beating the Brookings-Harbor Bruins in four games. The Vikings fell to league champions North Bend earlier in the day in five games. Siuslaw has a ‘bye’ in the first round of the OSAA playoffs and will travel to Newport on Saturday.

Prep Football:

The Siuslaw Vikings scored three times in the third quarter to take the lead and held off the Brookings-Harbor Bruins 47-42 Friday night to clinch at least third place in the Far West League. A victory Friday at home against Sutherlin would leave the Vikings in second. In the Sunset League Reedsport remains winless. They fell 52-nothing to Cascade Christian Saturday.

College Football:

Oregon rose to number seven in the BCS rankings following their 47-20 thrashing of the USC Trojans Saturday night in Eugene. Jeremiah Masoli threw for 222 yards and one touchdown, as well as rushed for 164 yards and a second score as the Ducks scored the most points they ever have against USC. In Corvallis, James Rodgers scored from 17-yards out with 44-seconds remaining Saturday afternoon as the Oregon State Beavers held off the UCLA Bruins 26 -- 19.

College Basketball:

A pair of exhibition games on the court yesterday… in Corvallis, Oregon State opened the season with a 94 – 53 win over Southern Oregon while at Mac Court in Eugene Oregon downed Concordia 99 – 61.