1947 Rhody Festival took to the air; Siuslaw Estuary Partnership seeking input; Senior job seekers need to hone skills;

1947 Rhododendron Festival took to the air…

Preparations are under way for the annual Rhododendron Festival next week in Florence. It will feature classic cars, plenty of motorcycles, a carnival and three parades. Since it’s founding in 1907 there have been few years that haven’t seen a celebration of the bright pink blossom that has become the signature flower for the coastal community. June 1st 1947 saw the resumption of the annual event following World War II. There was no Queen Rhododendra and no parade, but the carnival did set up on the high school grounds, the site of present day Safeway. The “Order of Clamneckers”, Booster Club members who organized the festivities, went on an expedition and gathered 33 gallons of shucked and cleaned clams that chefs Art Harris and Hugh Faulkner turned that into 500 gallons of clam chowder. That was handed out free to anyone that showed up at the “Old Mill Yard” where you’ll now find the boardwalk. Following the feed at noon, residents piled into their cars and headed out to the end of a lonely gravel road where Mayor Kenneth Spencer presided over the dedication of Florence’s new Municipal Airport.

While the unemployment rate for workers over age 55 is slightly lower than the overall rate, it is still higher than it has been in 60-years according to AARP Oregon. Older workers, when they lose their jobs, also tend to be unemployed longer according to AARP job coach Daniel Rodriguez. He’s a retired employment recruiter for the State of Oregon and he’s been presenting seminars around the state aimed at helping seniors improve their job seeking skills. One of the main things they can do is make sure their resume fits the job they’re applying for.
218 – “Preparing a resume is kind of like a first date. I want you to tell me, tell me in the way you show me on paper, enough to keep me interested, but don’t show me everything you’ve ever done in your life.”

Rodriguez says anyone can say they’re a quick-learner or a ‘people person’, but employers want specific examples, based on previous experience.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has declared the Lower Siuslaw Estuary System as being “impaired”. That’s spawned the creation of the Sisulaw Estuary Partnership comprised of a variety of public and government organizations such as the City of Florence, Lane County and the Siuslaw Watershed Council, all with the goal of monitoring, protecting and restoring the system. The partnership is holding an open house next week to let the public know about the challenges. That’s set for Wednesday, May 19th from four to seven PM at the Florence Events Center.

The annual Florence Garden Club Plant Sale and Raffle is set for tomorrow from nine to one at the Florence Events Center. Proceeds from the sale help the organization provide local scholarships.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

LOWELL, Ore. (AP) - The suspect in this week's fatal shooting at
a Jehovah's Witness church in Lowell has been arraigned on a murder
charge.
Lane County sheriff's investigators say they still don't know
why 34-year-old Robert Gonzales allegedly shot his wife's
ex-husband.
The Register-Guard newspaper reports Gonzales' brother, Nathan,
attended the court hearing. He told the newspaper he is "honestly
shocked" that his older brother stands accused of killing another
man.
Deputies found 47-year-old Kenneth Mort dead from multiple
gunshot wounds Wednesday night, and immediately concluded that
Gonzales was a suspect.

NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) - The Coast Guard has rescued three people
after their vessel capsized about 12 miles southwest of Yaquina
Bay. Two Coast Guard boats and a helicopter crew responded to a
call for help yesterday from a 25-foot pleasure vessel. They
arrived to find the vessel capsized and the three people aboard had
been plucked from the water by another vessel. The three were taken
to South Beach, near Newport. No one was hurt.


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Gunfire that ended with one man dead and a
police officer wounded began when two members of a Portland police
team that tries to prevent gang violence stopped a car for driving
infractions. Police Chief Mike Reese says the driver ignored
instructions and struggled as officers tried to get him out of the
car Wednesday. The chief says officers twice fired a Taser to no
effect. Police say the driver grabbed a gun and fired, hitting an
officer once in each leg. Reese says three other officers then
fired back, killing the unidentified suspect.

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon City man convicted of
scalding and nearly drowning a 3-year-old boy has been sentenced to
26 years in prison. Clackamas County Judge Ronald D. Thom said
yesterday that Derek Piskorski exhibited "sadism" and took no
responsibility for the torture. The Oregonian reports that the
23-year-old Piskorski choked up yesterday in court while asking for
forgiveness. Piskorski had been dating the child's mother.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon man accused of assuming the
identity of a murdered Ohio boy has refused to disclose his real
name in his latest court appearance. Federal prosecutors say the
man claims he's Jason Robert Evers -- that's the name of the dead
boy. The man has worked for the last eight years as an Oregon
liquor control investigator, but has been placed on leave pending
the outcome of his case.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - An invasive organism on the state's most
dangerous species list has been discovered in Coos Bay and
Winchester Bay. Oregon State University researchers said yesterday
the jelly-like organism native to Japan can smother shellfish beds
and foul the surfaces of boats, docks and buoys. Scientists hope a
pilot eradication effort planned for this summer will be
successful.

SEATTLE (AP) - The Washington Department of Ecology is
finalizing a deal to reduce pollution at a major coal-fired power
plant using measures that two federal agencies say won't reduce
haze at a dozen national parks and wilderness areas in Washington
and Oregon. The National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and
environmentalists had recommended the state require more advanced
pollution control technologies to reduce smog.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
On The Schedule:
Prep action is spread all over Western Oregon today and tomorrow… first up: on the track… Siuslaw is at the Wally Ciochetti (KEY-uh-shet-tee) Invitational in Cottage Grove this evening. The Mapleton Sailors will be at Mountain West District in Blue River at McKenzie High School tomorrow morning. On the baseball diamond this afternoon the Siuslaw Vikings will be in Myrtle Creek for two games against the South Umpqua Lancers. Both games will air on Coast Radio Sports with the first pitch at three. The Lady Lancers will be in Florence against the Vikings for a softball double-header.

The number 22 Oregon Ducks have non-conference baseball action at PK Park in Eugene this weekend against East Tennessee State. Game one of that three-game series is this evening. Oregon State will host Washington for Pac-10 play in Corvallis.