Water recalls fail - Tsunami siren test an education opportunity - gas $2.87 avg - new sheriff's deputy

Heceta Water Recalls fail…

All three Heceta Water District Commissioners facing a recall effort appear to have retained their positions. Ballots were counted last night with the unofficial, but final results posted showing all three: Bob Hursh, Jim Sievers and Debby Todd, with more than enough votes to survive. 59-percent of the district’s 21-hundred registered voters weighed in. The closest margin was for Todd. 43 ½ percent of voters said yes to recall as opposed to 56 ½ percent no. Hursh and Sievers were reaffirmed by a 41 ½ percent to 58 ½ percent margin. Recall backers, headed by chief petitioner Gene McDermott had alleged financial mismanagement on the part of the water commission. Much of the anger from board critics stemmed from a hefty rate increase that took effect last year. The election results are considered final, but won’t be declared official for another three weeks.

A mild earthquake rumbled across the ocean floor about 80-miles west of Florence this morning at 9:12. The quake, initially measured at 5.3 magnitude did not cause any damage, and it did not trigger any tsunami alerts.

Historically the last week in July there are more people visiting the central coast than at any other time of the year. Campgrounds, RV parks and motels are all full. Highway 101 is bustling with heavy traffic and Historic Old Town is crammed full of shoppers and diners. That’s why this Friday’s monthly test of the tsunami warning system is even more important than ever. Assistant City Manager Jacque Morgan says she’s anticipating a lot of people may have questions about why the sirens are going off.
200 – “Part of this is not only educating the visitors to the community, but the employers and employees as well, and business owners, so they know how to communicate to those people what’s going on.”

Local residents seem to be aware of what the monthly siren test is for. Morgan says Friday’s activation will be a good time to spread that word.

The Lane County Sheriff’s patrol will add a traffic safety deputy thanks to a federal grant. In 2009 there were 40 deaths on Lane County highways, the second highest number in the state. The grant is aimed at helping reduce crashes and will pay about 75-percent of the costs over a three year period. The new deputy will not be assigned to any specific geographic area, but instead will patrol high traffic and crash-prone stretches such as Highway 126 between Florence and Eugene.

The average price in Florence for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline increased by two cents this past week to $2.87. The national average price as measured by Triple-A also went up two cents, it’s at $2.74. Oregon’s average price rose by four cents this week and stands at $2.98… the same price paid on average by motorists in Eugene and Springfield.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The husband of a woman killed by off-duty
sheriff's Sgt. Jeffrey Grahn will seek compensation from Clackamas
County. Jay Hoffmeister claims the county failed to rein in an
out-of-control employee. On Feb. 12, Grahn confronted his wife,
Hoffmeister's wife and another woman. Grahn took his wife outside
and shot her in the head, then went back inside, shot the other
women and killed himself.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A California family on their way to Seattle
spent a tense 24 hours in the Eugene area after their car was
stolen from their motel. Wayne Souza and Carol Gibson of were
driving their 16-year-old daughter to Seattle for surgery and
stopped in Springfield to rest. During the visit, their car and
Gibson's purse containing $1,000 in cash were snatched. Gibson's
father drove from California to take them home, and just as they
were about to head out police called to say the car had been found.

DUNDEE, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State Police say a two-truck
collision near Dundee spilled empty wine bottles onto Highway 99W,
temporarily closing the highway. State police say a commercial
truck hauling the wine bottles was turning onto 99W yesterday when
it collided with another truck and overturned. The driver of the
bottle truck was cited for careless driving.

BANKS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State Police have taken the unusual
step of issuing a missing cat alert for a feline that caused a
crash, escaped from a smashed SUV and vanished. A woman rolled her
SUV on U.S. 26 near Banks Monday night after she was distracted by
her cat when the animal crawled between the brake and gas pedals.
The cat vanished into nearby forest.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley
says Congress has passed an emergency supplemental spending bill
that includes $10 million in drought relief for farmers and
ranchers in the Klamath Basin. Merkley says he's pleased that
Congress is finally able to help families that rely on the land,
although he says financial assistance "is a poor replacement for
water."

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Patricia Dittman knows firsthand the value
of telemedicine in Oregon. When the 81-year-old woman suffered a
stroke last week at her Newberg home, she was miles from a
specialized center qualified to treat the emergency. But she was
examined within minutes via an interactive video link from the
hospital in Newberg to a stroke neurologist in Portland. All large
hospital systems in Portland are extending telemedicine links
across the state.

CLACKAMAS, Ore. (AP) - A 70-year-old woman has been charged with
fatally shooting her husband. Carol Jean Schreiner is charged with
murder. She surrendered to sheriff's deputies at the Clackamas
County Jail on Monday following an investigation. Firefighters
responding to a call early Saturday found 73-year-old Richard
Meisner Schreiner dead. The Oregonian reports that authorities say
Schreiner died of a gunshot wound to his chest.

NEWBERG, Ore. (AP) - The body of a man missing since last
October has been recovered from the Willamette River. Yamhill
County Sheriff Jack Crabtree says boaters discovered the body of
46-year-old Terry Christopher Bagan on Monday afternoon. The body
surfaced near the dock at Rogers Landing boat launch in Newberg.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The mother of a 7-year-old boy missing for
53 days tearfully told her son not to give up hope, while
investigators doubled the reward for information leading to his
whereabouts. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Department says
"significant progress" is being made in the search for Kyron
Horman, but won't elaborate. The $25,000 reward has been increased
to $50,000. Kyron vanished June 4 after a school science fair.

WILSONVILLE, Ore. (AP) - A Portland man died when police say a
bar fight spun out of control in Wilsonville. The body of
50-year-old Lewis Allen Wilson was found early Saturday outside
Boones Junction Pizza and Pub. Paramedics were called but could not
revive Wilson. The Oregonian reports that no arrests have been
made.

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

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Northwest League Baseball:
Instead of being 12-games behind the division leaders, the Eugene Emeralds will have a fresh start tonight at home against the Spokane Indians. That’s because a change this year in the Northwest League playoff system pits the teams with the best record in each half of the season in division playoffs. So, instead of being out of contention at 15-and-23 on the year, the Ems have a clean slate, along with a shot at a division pennant. They’ll face the Indians every night this week through Sunday.