Voters say yes, no and maybe... election results from the primary

Voters said yes, no and maybe….

Florence voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to annex their property into the Siuslaw Valley Fire District. There may still be a few ballots that have not been added to the tally, but with nearly 67-percent of voters saying yes, the results won’t change. Florence residents won’t officially begin paying property taxes directly to the fire district until November 2011, so the contractual arrangement between the city and the district will continue one more year.

38-percent of Lane County’s 206-thousand registered voters cast ballots in yesterday’s primary election… In the West Lane region 48 ½ percent preferred Jerry Rust to 35 ½ percent for Jay Bozievich. That means the two will runoff in the November election. D.W. Northey of Walton picked up just under 9 Percent and Fred Starr of Mapleton four percent. One candidate had dropped out of the race but remained on the ballot. Anselmo Villanueva still garnered two percent of the vote.

Lane County’s OSU Extension office began taking steps to close down their operations last night as soon as the results were final. Voters said no by a 54-46 percent margin to a five-cents per thousand tax levy that would have allowed them to continue to operate. Staff chair Steve Dodrill said 4-H, Master Gardener classes and other programs will likely continue through the end of the summer. The Cooperative Extension Service had been funded partially by Lane County General Funds until 2008 when county commissioners shifted funding elsewhere.

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber will face former Portland Trailblazer Chris Dudley in the fall ballot. Kitzhaber had 66-percent of the vote in the Democrat primary, easily outpacing former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. Chris Dudley didn’t have a clear majority in the Republican race with 40 percent, but defeated Allen Alley with 32 percent. Former state legislator John Lim had 14 percent and Bill Sizemore had eight percent.

Home school advocate Art Robinson of Cave Junction easily outpaced Jaynee Germond (JURR-mond) of Dillard in the Republican Primary for the Fourth District House Seat. Robinson had 80-percent of the votes cast in that race. He’ll face 11 term Democrat Peter DeFazio in the fall.

Oregon’s two-term State Superintendent of Instruction, Susan Castillo will be a third termer… she edged Ron Maurer with 52-percent of the vote in the non-partisan race.

One other statewide office was on the primary ballot. Ted Wheeler, a democrat who was appointed to the State Treasurer’s position earlier this year by Governor Kulongowski defeated former legislator Rick Metsger in the democratic primary. Wheeler will face Bend Republican lawmaker Chris Telfer in the fall. She was unopposed in her primary.

In the Republican Primary for the Oregon House Tenth District, Becky Lemier easily outpaced her two Lane County opponents with 68-percent of the vote. Edward Johnston had 19 ½, George Goldstien just over 11.

Voters in Oregon decided two statewide ballot measures yesterday that supporters say will ease the use of government-issued bonds to repair public school buildings and help universities and colleges that need to expand. Measure 68 passed by a 65-35 percent margin; Measure 69 got the nod with 72-percent yes.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Law professor and newspaper essayist Jim
Huffman has won the Republican Senate primary, setting up a race
against Democrat Ron Wyden, who's seeking a third full term.
Huffman had 42 percent of the vote. His closest opponent, Loren
Later, had 15 percent. Wyden had 90 percent of the Democratic vote.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Republican Rob Cornilles has won the
Republican nomination to run for U.S. House against Democrat David
Wu in the 1st Congressional District in northwest Oregon. Cornilles
(kor-NIHL-uhs) had 41 percent of the vote. Doug Keller had 29
percent. Wu had 81 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Republican Scott Bruun (BROO'-ihn) has won
the Republican nomination to run for a U.S. House seat against
Democratic incumbent Kurt Schrader in the 5th Congressional
District. Bruun had 63 percent of the vote. Former timber company
executive Fred Thompson had 37 percent. Schrader was unopposed.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Democrat Earl Blumenauer has easily won
nomination for re-election in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.
Blumenauer had 91 percent of the vote. His opponent in the Portland
district was John Sweeney, who had 9 percent.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Jack Landau, who wrote an historic opinion
extending gay and lesbian rights, has won a seat on the Oregon
State Supreme Court. The Oregon Court of Appeals judge had 72
percent of the vote, defeating Allan J. Arlow, an administrative
law judge with the Oregon Public Utilities Commission.

GRASS VALLEY, Ore. (AP) - Three Washington state men are dead
after their pickup collided with a commercial truck on a remote
stretch of U.S. 97 in Central Oregon. Troopers say the pickup
crossed the center line into the path of the semitrailer, killing
all three men in the pickup. The semi driver amd a passenger
suffered minor injuries.

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say the body of a pregnant
woman has been found in an Eastern Oregon creek near Pendleton. The
Umatilla County district attorney says an autopsy showed the woman
was between 21 and 35 years old and was three months pregnant. Her
body was found last weekend in the North Fork of McKay Creek.
Sheriff's deputies are still trying to identify her.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Salem police say two officers who stopped a
car yesterday afternoon for an unsignaled turn interrupted an armed
carjacking. A police statement says the male passenger bolted from
the car on foot when it stopped. The woman driving the car told
officers she had been carjacked at gunpoint and forced to drive off
with her assailant. A 20-year-old Woodburn man was arrested 20
minutes later.

HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say two Clackamas County
deputies have shot a man who threatened them with a knife early
today. Deputies found the man's wife with multiple stab wounds in
their Happy Valley apartment. A security guard who heard a woman
screaming called 911. Dispatchers also received a call from a woman
who said her husband was attacking her with a knife. Both the man
and woman underwent surgery.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland Mayor Sam Adams says he has
revised his proposed budget to save the police horse patrol and
cold case unit. Adams said yesterday that new Police Chief Mike
Reese helped find other cuts to restore funding for 25 officers,
including the school resource officer program. The mounted patrol
also received a $100,000 private donation.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An armed man walked into the Ross Dress
for Less store around closing time last night at Portland's Lloyd
Center. He tied up two employees and got away with cash. Det. Mary
Wheat tells KGW no one was injured. Police searched the area with a
tracking dog but did not find the suspect.

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

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
Prep Softball:
The South Umpqua Lancers took an early 2-1 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory yesterday afternoon in Myrtle Creek to eliminate the Siuslaw Vikings from playoff contention in the Far West League. The Vikings, Lancers and Brookings-Harbor had all been locked in a three-way tie for third place. The Lancers downed the Vikings in the early game, then fell to Brookings-Harbor to send the Bruins on to face Scappoose Friday afternoon in the opening round of the OSAA Playoffs.
Prep Golf:
Gladstone’s Austin Landis held on for the individual title at the State 4A golf finals yesterday at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell. Siuslaw’s Verrill Beaudro finished in a tie at number 50.
College Baseball:
Number 22 Oregon extended their win streak to five with a 4-2 win yesterday over the Portland Pilots at PK Park in Eugene. Oregon State rolled to a 12-2 non-league victory over the University of Seattle… the two teams close out their short series this afternoon in Corvallis.