H1N1 Vaccine recall to have minimal impact; gas holds steady; Sweet Creek Road slide blocked traffic; Hamilton arrested

Recalled H1N1 Vaccine shouldn’t effect

800-thousand doses of H1N1 vaccine intended for children between the ages of six months and three years has been voluntarily recalled nationally. Several hundred of the pre-filled syringes had been received by public health offices in Lane, Coos and Douglas Counties, but officials say none of them had been used. But even if they had been, it would have only meant that children who received the shots would have to be vaccinated again. The manufacturer of the drug said the serum had lost its potency after it was packaged and posed no health threat. Lane County spokesperson Amber Fossen pointed out that children under age nine who have already been vaccinated for the HIN1 virus need to receive a second dose at least one month after the first shot anyway. Oregon is expected to receive another 175-thousand doses of the ‘swine-origin’ flu vaccine this week alone. Officials say anyone who wants the shot… or the nasal spray… can get it. It’s available at most outlets that provide vaccinations.

Officials in Douglas County are investigating the death of a 55-year old man whose body was found on the beach near Winchester Bay Saturday morning. No cause of death, nor the man’s identity has been released. The man was apparently the subject of a search and rescue operation in the area late last week.

Sweet Creek Road one mile south of Highway 126 was restricted to one lane of traffic yesterday because of a slide. Lane County Public Works crews began work on clearing debris late yesterday afternoon.

Florence Police are no longer looking for Jerry Michael Hamilton. The 47-year old Florence man was taken into custody Saturday afternoon by a state trooper. He had been wanted on a Lane County Parole violation and his home, just north of Florence, was the subject of a search warrant served last week. Police found drugs and drug paraphernalia during the search and said they would be seeking additional charges against Hamilton.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded held steady in Florence for the seventh week in a row at $2.61. According to Triple-A Oregon’s Statewide average fell by two cents this past week to $2.73 a gallon. The national average also dropped… by about three cents. It’s at $2.60.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

College Basketball…
Julie Futch matched her career high with 15 points as the Oregon State Women beat U-C Irvine 58-42 last night in Corvallis. The Beavers, at six-and-two, have held opponents to fewer than 49 points in four of their eight games this season.

On the Schedule tonight… The Oregon Men will be without starting senior Point Guard Tajuan Porter and senior forward Joevan Catron (JO-vonn KAY-tron) tonight when they host the Mississippi State Delta Devils. Both players are dealing with injuries. That game airs on KCST at 7:00 with an airtime of 6:30. Oregon State is in Chicago where they’ll go up against the Illinois-Chicago Flames. Pregame on KCFM is at 4:30 with a 5:00 tipoff. The Oregon women open up the first of three games in A-C-C country tonight when they face Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Prep basketball is on the schedule this evening as well… the Lady Vikings will host Cottage Grove in a makeup game set for seven o’clock at Siuslaw High School.