Rural homeowners asked to certify their homes as fire safe

Rural property owners to undergo fire certification process…

About 31-thousand rural Lane County property owners are finding packets in their mailboxes this week explaining how to certify their homes as being ‘fire-safe’ in the event of a wildland fire. Oregon Department of Forestry Unit Forester Link Smith says it’s all about increasing the probability of your home’s survivability.
210 – “I think what’s most important that we’re trying to get out is that we’re not talking about clear-cutting around your house and having what they used to refer to as the ‘dirt doughnut’ where there’s no vegetation. What it is, it’s maintained vegetation.”

The process was mandated by Senate Bill 360, approved by the legislature in 1997. It started in counties that had the highest fire risk and has been creeping through the state. Lane is the 14th of Oregon’s 36 counties to begin the process. Smith said two areas in Lane County were targeted as having the highest risk… homes in the South Hills of Eugene and a stretch of rural homes just north of Florence. Public meetings have been scheduled in eight communities to answer questions about the process and aid in filling out the certifications. The one in Florence is set for the Events Center, Monday, June 14th at six pm.

It may look pretty when it’s in bloom, but for many, that’s the only redeeming quality of Cytisus Scoparius… a noxious weed that displaces native plants, grows rapidly in the sandy coastal soil, and is such a prolific seed producer that pods can sprout 50-years after being released. Commonly known as Scotch Broom, it also causes respiratory disorders and seasonal allergies and, in late summer and early fall can dry out and become an extreme fire hazard. The City of Florence is calling on property owners to help eradicate the plant. But, says spokesperson Sarah Huff, you need to do it soon. Because the seeds will ripen in the next few weeks the June 19th Yard Debris Disposal event at the Florence Airport will be the only one this summer at which they will accept scotch broom.

There’s been a push to replace incandescent bulbs in households with the compact fluorescent variety. But when a CFL burns out, you can’t dispose of it in the trash. Lane County Waste Management has begun a fluorescent bulb drop off program for bulbs and four-foot fluorescent tubes produced by households. One drop off location is at True Value Hardware in Florence. Lamps longer than four feet, and any fluorescents from businesses must still be taken to one of the semi-annual hazardous waste collection events at the Lane County Waste Transfer Site.

The local presentation of “The Little Mermaid” by the Nouvelle Lune Ballet Company is set for this weekend at the Florence Events Center. Featuring the young dancers of the company, it also offers local talents Lauren Madden, Mat Korso and Sean Sisson, along with innovative costumes and set designs. Performances are Saturday at seven, Sunday at two. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, $5 for children.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A Springfield man pleaded guilty to sexually
abusing three boys, ages 9 to 12. He met at least two of them while
working at the Jasper Mountain treatment facility for emotionally
disturbed children.
The Register-Guard reports 27-year-old Joshua Thomas Friar will
face at least six years in prison when he is sentenced later this
month in Lane County Circuit Court.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual abuse and sodomy charges.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped 22 other
charges.
Friar was arrested in November after a boy said Friar had
molested him. The boy and another victim had been placed in Friar's
home as foster children after he met them at Foster Mountain.
---

BEND, Ore. (AP) - The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives and local agencies are investigating the
cause of a blast that leveled part of a bullet plant in Bend.
Employees evacuated the Nosler Inc. plant on Wednesday -- minutes
before an explosion leveled a portion the building, shaking the
ground and rattling windows several blocks away. All 100 employees
were accounted for, but debris buried at least one worker's car.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Insect researchers say they aren't seeing
much evidence of a tiny fruit fly that last year feasted on
Oregon's fruit and berries. Only about 50 of the spotted wing
Drosophila have been caught in traps in western Oregon. It may be
that this spring's cold, wet weather and the delay in ripening
fruit is keeping them at bay. The state's strawberries and cherries
are ripening this month.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State Police say a pickup truck
swerved after driving into standing water on State Highway 22 west
of Salem, triggering a four-car crash yesterday afternoon. Five
people who suffered non-life-threatening injuries were taken to a
Salem hospital. The crash occurred in heavy rain.

CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) - Dan "Larry the Cable Guy" Whitney
has spent a day with the real-life blue collar guys at the Rough
and Ready Lumber mill outside Cave Junction. The Grants Pass Daily
Courier reports that the Blue Collar Comedy Crew member brought
along a film crew to do an episode for the History Channel show
"Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy."

COUGAR, Wash. (AP) - Rescue workers say two climbers missing on
southwest Washington's Mount St. Helens have been found safe.
Authorities confirmed that both men were found yesterday afternoon.
Mark Lapinskas and Kevin Dean of Vancouver, Wash., were reported
overdue Tuesday night.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Army says a former Oregon National
Guard soldier has not been billed for gear lost when he was wounded
in Iraq. A spokesman at Joint Base Lewis-McChord issued a statement
in response to Oregon news reports that the government has been
docking Gary Pfleider's disability checks to pay a $3,000 bill for
gear he was wearing when he was shot by a sniper in 2007.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - June has barely begun and it is already
setting records in Oregon for wet weather. The new rainfall record
for Portland on June 2 was set yesterday morning at Portland
International Airport when 0.58 inches of rain were recorded before
9 a.m., breaking the old record of 0.46 inches in 1962. The
National Weather Service also reported new records in Salem, with
0.73 inches; Eugene, with 0.64 inches, plus other locations.

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

Taking a Look at Coast Radio Sports…

College Baseball:
It’s not clear who will start on the mound for Oregon when they face Connecticut in the NCAA Baseball regionals tomorrow, but it’s fairly certain who will finish it, especially if the Ducks have the lead. 6-4 sophomore Madison Boer has taken on the role of closer for Oregon. He ended the regular season with a 3-1 record on the mound, but recorded three consecutive saves… all in Oregon’s three final victories of the season.

Oregon State will face Florida Atlantic and they’ll be doing it without their best power hitter. Stefan Romero found out in the final week of the season that he had a fractured arm bone. To fill the gap, they’ve moved Adalberto Santos from leadoff to number three in the batting order. Santos made the transition smoothly. In the month of may he batted .435 with 13 extra base hits and ended the season with an overall .317 batting average.