Homeless population growing? Whale Watching week starts Saturday; Local girl finishes out of the finals in national PPK; don't toss that tv

Homeless population appears larger than expected

She doesn’t have any firm estimates, but Joni Bour (BOR) with Siuslaw Outreach Services says the number of homeless people in the area is larger than what many people think.
201 -- "I can only say the number of people we've seen in the last one year and that's been 155 people who have declared themselves to be homeless, so I'm sure that there are more."

Bour called for the creation of a Homeless Services Task Force, the first meeting of which last week drew more than 50 people to talk about how to provide services to a segment of population that’s been traditionally small in Florence… but appears to be growing.
202 -- "It's a big number and we're getting a lot of people who are homeless who say when we ask where are you from they'll say I'm from Eugene or I'm from California. And when we ask why would you come from a larger city to a smaller one and they say it's because we're scared."

That first task force meeting Friday at the fire station drew representatives from government agencies; churches; and service clubs. Bour said she hopes that SOS can provide the catalyst for a broader community effort.
200 -- "We hope to be kind of like the center of a wheel and have the spokes going in many directions at once."

The goal is to have at least temporary measures in place to provide assistance in the event temperatures drop back below the freezing level.

Morris Grover says there are two possible experiences waiting for whale watchers next week. Either one would be ‘exciting’ says the Oregon State Park Ranger. Clear skies and calm seas will offer the possibility of exceptional whale watching but even if conditions are less than ‘ideal’ trained whale watching volunteers at 26 different locations up and down the Oregon Coast will add to the experience. Grover coordinates the State Parks’ “Whale Watching Spoken Here” program. He says volunteers will be at posted locations between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day beginning December 26th and through January 1st.

Beginning January First it will be illegal for Oregonians to put televisions and computers in the trash. The new dumping ban will keep products known for a host of toxic components out of landfills, where they could pose a threat to air, soil and water. A year ago, the state established drop-off stations in every county for people to get rid of their old electronic devices free of charge. They’ve proven popular. Lane County, for example, collected 216 tons of electronic devices in the first eleven months of 2009. That's four times the amount collected in 2008.

She was in the running until the final weekend, but 12-year old Ashlee Cole of Florence won’t be making the trip to an NFL playoff game after all. Cole won the regional competition earlier this month in Seattle for the NFL’s Punt Pass and Kick Competition, leaving her in third place nationally at the time. Only the top four scores advance to the finals, after the two final weekends of competition in other cities, Cole wound up in fifth place overall.

From the Associated Press:

SIZEMORE RECORDS
With judge watching, Sizemore turns over laptop

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Republican gubernatorial candidate
accused of using tax-exempt organizations for political gain has
turned over his laptop computer to a computer expert hired by two
teachers unions.
Conservative activist Bill Sizemore surrendered the laptop
Monday when Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice Wilson enforced a
previously-issued injunction by wresting the organizations' records
away from him.
The Oregonian reports the judge rejected claims that giving up
the computer would violate Sizemore's constitutional rights against
self-incrimination.
The Oregon Education Association and American Federation of
Teachers hired a computer expert to copy the hard drive, but the
files can't be accessed without Wilson's approval.
Sizemore's battle with the teachers unions goes back a decade,
when he placed two anti-union initiatives on the 2000 ballot.
---
(Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com )

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The woman who attacked author Katherine
Dunn is headed to prison for 26 months for violating her probation.
Twenty-five-year-old Brandy Amber Carroll was sentenced yesterday.
She was already on probation for theft when she tried to take
Dunn's purse last month. Dunn says Carroll kicked and slapped her
when she refused to give up the purse.

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's appeals court has dismissed a
Douglas County Sheriff's Office challenge of an order that forced
authorities to give pot seized during a drug raid to three patients
who -were- prescribed medical marijuana. The ruling stems from a
2006 raid on the home of a Dixonville man accused of selling pot to
people -without- medical marijuana cards.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The developer of the Pronghorn resort
northeast of Bend have agreed to pay $200,000 to the U.S.
government after the government sued the developers for
trespassing. The Oregonian reports the suit and subsequent
settlement took place simultaneously. High Desert Development
Partners LLC agreed to pay, but did not admit any liability.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Beginning Jan. 1, it will be illegal for
Oregonians to put televisions and computers in the trash. The new
dumping ban will keep products known for a host of toxic components
out of landfills, where they could pose a threat to air, soil and
water. The state has set up county drop-off stations for people to
get rid of old electronic devices free of charge.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - An Ashland man who fled the U.S. after
pleading guilty to child sex abuse is back in jail. Arthur
Silverman was extradited from Israel and returned to the Jackson
County jail in Medford. Silverman was a former counselor who
treated sexually abused children when he was arrested in December
1996 for molesting two boys who were not clients.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A Salem man who nearly blew off his hand
while handling a homemade explosive has been convicted of
manufacturing explosives and recklessly endangering others. Marion
County Judge Albin Norblad ordered probation and a mental-health
examination for 42-year-old Patrick Hibler.

MONMOUTH, Ore. (AP) - Petition gatherers seeking to repeal the
prohibition of hard liquor in Monmouth have collected enough valid
signatures to place the issue on the May ballot. Monmouth was a dry
town until voters in 2002 agreed to allow sales of beer and wine.

TIGARD, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say a 60-year-old woman who
suffered burns in a fire at an assisted living center in Tigard has
died. Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue found the woman in a
second-floor unit while responding to Monday's blaze at Park Place
Assisted Living Center.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Athlete of the Week:
Mapleton basketball standout Chad Walker is Coast Radio Sports’ Athlete of the Week. The 6’ 2” Sailor senior forward scored a total of 39 points in two Sailor victories last week, putting up 17 against Highway 36 rival Triangle Lake and 22 against Powers… Honorable mention to Walker’s Mapleton teammate, Micah Espinosa, who scored 14 points in the Sailors’ Friday night victory over Triangle Lake.

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl:
The Oregon State Beavers apparently know how to get ready for bowl games. Head Coach Mike Riley is five-and-oh in bowl appearances over the past few years. But, it’ll be a tough matchup as the number 16 ranked Beavers take on number 15 BYU in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl this evening. The pregame show on KCFM is set for 4:00… kickoff at 5:01.

Also on the schedule tonight… The Oregon Men host Idaho State in non-league basketball action at seven o’clock. The pregame show on KCST is at 6:30. The Oregon women are in Salt Lake City where they’ll take on Utah. On the prep schedule, the 38th Dune Country Classic Basketball Tournament wraps up in Reedsport this afternoon… and Viking Wrestlers are in Drain at the North Douglas Invitational.