Dickens Christmas set; gas steady at 2.61; E-Waste illegal January 1st; Oregon Coast Aquarium rehabs sea turtles

Second Dickens Christmas set to begin…

He passed away 23-years before the City of Florence was incorporated and it’s a pretty sure bet that he never visited the Oregon Coast, but the most popular English novelist of the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens along with many of the enduring characters he created, will be center stage in Historic Old Town Florence over the next two weekends. The Second annual Dickens Christmas Festival, presented by the Merchants of Old Town, will open up this Friday. Period decorations have been put up, transforming the Old Town area into a Victorian village. A variety of activities and “Dickensian Delights” will be offered during the festival’s ten-day run. One of the key moments will come Friday evening at six pm during the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Old Town Gazebo Park. Another moment is set for Saturday afternoon when Santa Claus is expected to arrive by boat in mid-afternoon. Free Hayrides will be offered both weekends, along with carolers in Victorian costumes. Along the way there’ll be several other special activities for shoppers, diners, kids, and even pets.

A lot of people are expected to get a new HD-TV or a computer this holiday season and that brings up the question of what to do with the old one. At one time it may have just gone in the trash, but come January 1st it will be illegal to dispose of televisions and other electronic waste like computers in landfills. That’s because there’s often a large amount of lead an other heavy metals in them. Lane County has been gearing up for the expected ban, forging relationships with “E-Cyclers”, organizations that specialize in recycling electronic waste. The items can be recycled at five Waste Transfer Stations, including the one in Florence and at all Goodwill Industries stores.

Retail gas prices continue to hold steady with prices about the same as they were last week. In Florence, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded remains at $2.61. Statewide, according to Triple-A, it dipped about a penny to $2.75 and nationwide the average price also dropped by the same amount to $2.63 a gallon. Drivers in the Medford area continue to pay the highest average… according to Triple-A the average for unleaded there is at $2.80 a gallon.

A pair of stranded sea turtles, found on different beaches, are being fostered at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. The two, an Olive Ridley sea turtle found in the Newport area and a Green sea turtle discovered near Long Beach, Washington are native to warmer areas of the Pacific Ocean. Jim Burke, director of Animal Husbandry at the Aquarium says they’re probably victims of El Nino and became stranded when they travelled further north than usual in pockets of warm water. Once the warmth dissipated the turtles went into a state similar to hibernation and could no longer navigate and would have eventually died. Burke says they’ll eventually be sent to a warmer area to rehab, possibly SeaWorld in San Diego and from there hopefully be released back into the world.

Taking a look at Coast Radio Sports…

Both are young and wily, undersized and underestimated. Two of the Pac-10's best running backs, Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers and Oregon's LaMichael James, face off on the field for the first time Thursday in the Civil War game. Oregon State head coach Mike Riley says there are similarities.
211 – “Oh they’re both good players. That’s a comparison. I think that he is really really… he is quick and fast and a very very productive and has been a major factor with his team and… so… a lot of respect for him.”

James, at 5’9” and 180 pounds has been one of the Pac-10’s biggest surprises, rushing for 1,310 yards in his freshman season. That broke a record set last year by the 5’7”, 170 pound Rodgers who has rushed for 1,313 yards and 19 touchdowns this year. Rodgers’ efforts are not lost on Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly.
212 – “He’s not a small back, he’s just short. He’s very very tough to knock off his feet, he’s got great vision and then he’s got great speed that… to make a decision and compliment that.”

Tomorrow’s Civil War kicks off at 6:01 PM from Autzen Stadium in Eugene with the conference championship and a Rose Bowl berth on the line for the winner.

(Thanks to Steve Kaye for the coach's audio)