Deadwood woman remains in intensive care; Gay rights backer say they'll make another run; Vets parade set for Saturday and Business Expo Feb 18th.

Deadwood woman remains in intensive care following Friday crash

Oregon State Troopers say alcohol is being investigated as a contributing factor in an early morning crash last Friday that injured four people, all from Deadwood, leaving two still in the hospital. OSP Trooper Hank Duren says Kevin Raymond, 33 years old, was westbound on Highway 36 near Blachly around three AM Friday morning when his car lost control and struck a tree. 30-year old Jubal Johnson and 22-year old Christina Flora were both ejected from the car and received minor injuries. 33-year old Mary Gibney was pinned in the vehicle according to Duren and had to be extricated by firefighters. The trooper says one of the passengers, Johnson, was treated at Sacred Heart at River Bend and released. He was subsequently arrested on an outstanding warrant from Linn County. Flora has also been released from the hospital, but Raymond and Gibney remain in treatment… Gibney was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of yesterday afternoon.

Gay rights backers plan to ask Oregon voters to reverse their ban on gay marriage. Basic Rights Oregon said Monday it hopes to put the issue back before Oregon voters as soon as 2012. In 2004, Oregon voters passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. Yesterday’s announcement of the new Oregon campaign came on the eve of Election Day in Washington State where voters are deciding whether or not to uphold that state's domestic partnership law.

Organizers of the fourth annual Veteran’s Parade in Florence say there’s still time to purchase flags for each branch of service in time for this Saturday’s parade. The flags are $2 each and represent all five branches of the military, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. They’re available at several locations in Florence with proceeds going towards parade expenses. This year’s parade Grand Marshalls are the members of the U.S. Coast Guard Siuslaw River Station. The parade begins at the Florence Events Center at One O’clock Saturday before heading down Highway 101 into Old Town Florence and ends at the Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Business owners and operators in the Florence area are being advised to ‘save the date’ of February 18th. That’s when the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their first ever Business Fair and Expo. Chamber Executive Director Kady Sneddon says it’s designed to bring a variety of chamber members together in order to showcase their products and services as well as improve their visibility and exposure in the Florence business community. Space is limited she says. Registration will open December First.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Athlete of the Week:

Siuslaw Cross Country standout Joseph Campbell is Coast Radio Sports’ Athlete of the Week: The Viking Senior ran his season best time of 16:31 enroute to claiming the Far West District individual title last week. Campbell also paced a Viking team that scored a perfect 15 points as they swept the top five finishes and earned their second straight team title.
Honorable Mention goes to Viking junior Raelyn Robinson, who finished second individually at the same meet, pacing the Viking girls to their seventh straight district title.

Oregon Football:

Oregon football coach Chip Kelly says there’s nothing to report about the possible reinstatement of suspended running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount was suspended for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the aftermath of Oregon’s season-opening loss to the Broncos and was suspended the next day. He’s been allowed to practice with the team and Kelly announced recently that Blount could be reinstated if he met certain conditions. There has been speculation that Blount could return this week because Kelly had previously targeted Saturday’s game against Stanford as Blount’s first possible appearance.