H1N1 Vaccine availability expanding - High Wind Warning in effect - Overnight noise on bridge work again tonight and Florence runner finishes 2nd.

Swine Origin Vaccine available to all…

Beginning today anyone who wants it can get it. Public Health officials say they’ve received more than 861-thousand doses of the H1N1 vaccine in Oregon, 126-thousand of those just in the past week. That means there are adequate supplies and they’re eliminating the restriction that only those at highest risk of contracting swine-origin flu can be vaccinated. The director of the Oregon Public Health Department, Dr. Mel Kohn, said even though cases of the H1N1 flu have dropped over the past few weeks it still ‘makes sense’ to get the vaccination as he fears there is a good possibility that additional waves of the illness may occur over the next few months. County health departments will continue to distribute the vaccine and will work on getting it out to a variety of providers. In the Florence area PeaceHealth has been the sole source, but other retailers now have access to it. Since September 1st, the Health Department says, approximately 13-hundred patients have been hospitalized in Oregon with influenza… and 63 people have died.

The National Weather Service says a strong frontal system is approaching the Oregon Coast today, bringing with it sustained winds in exposed areas of thirty to forty miles an hour… and gusts as high as 70. A High Wind Warning is posted, predicting south-southeast winds expected to increase ahead of that system, then gradually diminish after midnight. The Weather service says strong winds have the potential to damage trees and cause power outages.

A contractor, working on a $5.3-million repair and upgrade project on the Highway 101-Siuslaw River bridge will continue work overnight on removing rivets from the draw-bridge ends. That means the noise level between eight pm and six am may be higher than normal. Oregon Department of Transportation assistant project manager Steve Templin said crews will use a variety of equipment to find a method that works best with the least noise. The work is being done at night to prevent major impacts to traffic as the work requires 20-minute bridge closures. Templin adds the project is on schedule for a summer 2010 completion.

The Florence City Council will be holding interviews this afternoon at City Hall beginning at four pm to meet with applicants to fill vacancies on various city boards and commissions.

Taking a look at Coast Radio Sports…

Cross Country:
Florence 8th grader Mitchell Butler was the second runner across the finish line in the youth division of the USA Track & Field National Cross Country Finals Saturday in Reno, Nevada. Butler, with a time of 13:45 over the four kilometer course was nine seconds behind individual champion Ben Saarel from Provo, Utah. Also running on the Bowerman Athletic Club “A” Team was Matthew Campbell in 46th; Mack Marbas in 57th and Seth Campbell in 155th. The Bowerman team was third overall.

Prep Basketball:
Freezing rain prompted cancellation of the Siuslaw Viking-Cottage Grove Lions’ basketball games Friday. The boys game will not be made up but the girls will meet in Florence this Wednesday. Also postponed… the Mapleton Sailors and Crow Cougars… they’ll make those games up this evening. Also on the court this evening will be the Siuslaw Vikings and the Elmira Falcons... the boys in Florence; the girls in Elmira. The latter will air on Coast Radio Sports with a 7:00 airtime... tipoff at 7:15.

College Basketball:
The Oregon Men fell to St. Mary’s 81 – 76 Saturday afternoon at Mac Court in Eugene. Malcolm Armstead led Oregon with 14 points. In Lincoln, Nebraska the Oregon State Men closed the gap to four twice in the final minute, but the Cornhuskers held on for a 50 – 44 victory. One game on the court for the women over the weekend… Oregon State had four players in double figures and Kirsten Tilleman posted her second career double-double as Oregon State posted a 76-64 win over Weber State in Corvallis.