Mellow crowd for fireworks; small quake off central Oregon coast; razor clams off limits; holiday weekend continues

Smaller but mellower…

Florence police chief Maury Sanders said it was a – quote – “marked difference” between this year and previous years in Old Town Florence on the Fourth of July. He said the prohibition of all fireworks on public property created a much mellower atmosphere than on previous holidays. It appeared that most people got the message about the prohibition as officers only issued two warnings. The crowd for the ten pm public fireworks display didn’t need any reminding about the occasion however. By some estimates it was slightly thinner than in previous years, but the weather cooperated fully with no fog and only a slight wind to clear the smoke away, allowing for an unobstructed view of the pyrotechnics. Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kady Sneddon was pleased with the turnout and the show. The price tag for the entire event constituted a major investment by the organization.
200 – “We pull it from a few different sources. Fred Meyer actually puts in a chunk of money. Merchants of Old Town usually gives us a little bit of money to go along with that as well, so, you know, we pull it from all different sources.”

In all, including the costs for the free concert on the Boardwalk, the Chamber spent about $14-thousand for yesterday’s celebration.

The three day holiday continues for many today as government offices, financial institutions and the post office remain closed. On duty all weekend, however, are emergency crews and law enforcement. According to the Oregon State Police so far the Independence Day weekend has been deadlier than last year when there were only two traffic fatalities. Three people have died on Oregon highways so far, two women in separate crashes in Central Oregon and another person in Columbia County just west of Portland.

Recreational harvesting of razor clams along most of the Oregon coast has been closed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture after tests showed elevated levels of domoic acid, a toxin that normally occurs in the bivalves during warmer months. The stretch from Bandon to Coos Bay has been closed for a month, but officials have now extended it all the way north to Tillamook Bay. Crab and oysters, as well as bay clams, are not affected by the closure and are safe to eat.

A very small earthquake measuring only 1.4 on the Richter Scale was recorded Friday morning just off the central Oregon Coast. According to the U.S. Geologic Survey the epicenter was about 15-miles northwest of Yachats, 17.8 miles beneath the ocean floor.


Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Oregonian says foreclosure rates in

Oregon unexpectedly jumped 20 percent in the first quarter, making

Oregon No. 3 in the country behind Nevada and Florida. Oregon's

foreclosure hot spots are Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Josephine,

Jackson, Klamath, Yamhill, Columbia and Curry counties. The state's

senior economist says Oregon was late to enter the recession, so

its foreclosure rate will likely stay higher longer.


ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - A major fire has heavily damaged the

historic American Legion hall in Albany. Fire officials say the

early Sunday morning blaze caused "significant damage" to the

90-year-old building. The cause of the fire is unknown. A fire

spokeswoman says no one was inside at the time.


EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon man walking across the country in

the name of liberty planned to stop in the tiny Eastern Oregon town

of Juntura to recite the Declaration of Independence. Ray Brown of

Eugene began his trek June 12, when he retired last month after 36

years of teaching, the past 22 at Eugene's Cascade Middle School.


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The U.S. Senate has passed a bill

giving American Indian tribes more authority to combat crime on

reservations. The measure provides for the appointment of special

U.S. attorneys to ensure violent crimes on reservations are

prosecuted; improves training for reservation police; expands the

sentencing authority of tribal courts; and improves the collection

and reporting of Indian crime data. It now goes to the House.


EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - State officials say more than 14,000
Oregonians have run out of unemployment benefits so far this year,
and thousands more may be out of benefits by the end of the year.
The state Employment Department says that number includes 3,000
people drawing benefits from a temporary state extension that is
ending next week.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A veteran prosecutor says he suspects a sour
economy is part of the reason that embezzlement cases have surged
in Marion County. Deputy District Attorney Don Abar says
embezzlement cases averaged in the single digits until 2009, when
there were 22. And he says the caseload is unusually large so far
this year.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland police say they have arrested a
man on a charge of killing his 29-day-old son. Police say the
infant appears to have died from traumatic injuries. Paramedics
were called to the family's home in northeast Portland on Thursday
night, and officers arrested the father a day later.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton says
the stepmother of a missing 7-year-old Portland boy has been
cooperating with investigators. Authorities say Terri Horman was
the last person known to have seen Kyron Horman before he
disappeared June 4. The boy's biological parents Thursday pleaded
with Terri Horman to "fully cooperate."

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The arraignment for an Oregon man accused
of stealing the identity of a murdered boy has been postponed a
second time. Doitchin Krastev had been an Oregon Liquor Control
Commission investigator before he was arrested in April on a charge
of providing false passport application information. He was
scheduled to appear in court Thursday, but the date has been pushed
back to Sept. 9.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A lesbian former employee of the Lane County
Department of Youth Services is suing the county, alleging that
discrimination and a hostile work environment forced her to quit.
Linda Wagner claims she suffered backlash from fellow employees
after a panel on which she served promoted an openly lesbian friend
of hers.


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

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
American Legion Baseball:
Wrapping up the Papa’s Pizza Invitational in Eugene over the weekend the Three Rivers Sandblasters started with a 3-1 loss to the Eugene Challengers Friday night. It was their first loss of the tournament. Saturday, the ‘Blasters suffered their second loss, a 6-5, extra-innings-affair to Team Combat out of Washington State. Three Rivers wrapped up tournament play yesterday morning with a 4-3 non-league loss to the Springfield Titans. The Sandblasters are back in league action tomorrow in Corvallis where they’ll play two games against Richey’s Market.
Northwest League Baseball:
The Eugene Emeralds won the final two games of a three-game road series against Vancouver Friday and Saturday, 12-1 and 5-1. Then, a road-weary squad dropped a 5-1 loss to Everett in front of a home-town crowd last night at P-K Park in Eugene. Game two of that series against the Aqua-Sox is tonight.