Gun confiscated at high school - Huffman stumps on rural Oregon - Wood Smith says time to register

Gun Confiscated – student facing expulsion

Acting on a tip from another student, officials at Siuslaw High School confiscated an unloaded handgun last Friday morning.
200 -- "There was absolutely no danger, I mean, there was a weapon, but there was no ammunition or material that could have allowed the weapon to be potent. It was secured immediately and law enforcement was contacted."

Co-Principal Matt Henry said legally, he’s prohibited from identifying the student that brought the gun to school. Another student knew about it and told a staff member, who immediately notified administrators. Henry said within 30-minutes of becoming aware of the weapon, it was in his possession. The next step… the disciplinary process for the student.
201 -- "Once the due process rights are adhered to and you go through the expulsion hearing, the law and the consequences are pretty clear under Oregon law."

…A minimum one-year expulsion. Henry said the system responded just as it’s designed to.
202 -- "Any time this type of thing happens you're not… you're certainly not thrilled with the level of anxiety it creates but as far as responding to it, it was secured and the individual was secured and was in contact with their parent and the law enforcement people are involved. So, as far as responding to it I don't know what else we could have done but it's always a learning thing too and we're going to analyze it as well and just see how we can learn from it."

All staff members were informed by the end of the day, and Henry notified the middle and elementary schools as a precaution. No lockdown was ever initiated and classes were not disrupted in any way. Police are continuing the investigation… they believe the gun may have been stolen and they’re working on identifying the owner.

The Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Ron Wyden has been in and out of the Florence area several times in the past few weeks. Jim Huffman visited with residents in Florence, Winchester Bay and Coos Bay yesterday. His message has been simple.
205 -- "I think this election is going to be eight or ten or maybe a dozen new people in the United States Senate and I think being one of that group you can make some things happen. I think one person can make a difference, particularly when you have people that agree and are on the same page and I think we're going to have that in this election."

Wyden is seeking his third re-election. He was first elected 14-years ago to a two-year term and has served two six-year terms since then.

You have only one week to make sure you’re properly registered if you want to vote in the November 2nd General Election. Meredith Wood Smith, the Chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, says it’s not a bad idea to double-check your voter registration. It can be done online and takes about 30-seconds. Voters can go to the Oregon Secretary of State’s secure website, follow the links and enter their personal information. If there are any errors, they can be corrected up until the 12th of October. Wood-Smith says if you’re not registered, you can do that online as well. Ballots for the November 2nd election will be mailed on October 15th.

Noon:
Legendary folk music performers the New Christy Minstrels, under the direction of founder Randy Sparks, will be on stage this evening at the Florence Events Center for their final west coast appearance. Proceeds from the show will support the outreach programs administered as part of the annual Winter Folk Festival in January. The New Christy Minstrels formed in 1961 and made their first national TV debut more than 45 years ago. Tickets are $16 and are available at the FEC Box Office this afternoon.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

RIDDLE, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say a property dispute between
neighbors in a rural area of southern Oregon led to a fatal
shooting and a murder charge. Douglas County sheriff's deputies say
52-year-old Anthony McOwen of Riddle was charged with murder and
tampering with evidence in last week's death of 62-year-old Ben
Walker.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Bomb technicians and a federal agent have
testified about gathering evidence after the explosion at a bank
branch in Woodburn that killed two police officers and severely
injured the town's police chief. Bruce Turnidge and his son Joshua
Turnidge are being tried in Marion County and could face the death
penalty if convicted.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Democratic Congressman Kurt Schrader has
been trying hard to establish his conservative credentials in his
fierce race against GOP challenger Scott Bruun. Yesterday Schrader
got a big assist from the National Rifle Association -- the group
said it was giving Schrader and Bruun an "A" rating. But the NRA
said Schrader earned the group's endorsement because he's an
incumbent.

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - The principal at South Albany High School is
telling students to watch their mouths. The Albany Democrat-Herald
says new Principal Brent Belveal has adopted a new policy. If
students mention a potentially off-color word, they probably will
get a warning. Stronger language results in stronger measures -
Belveal says using the "F-word," for instance, means a
suspension.

SEAL ROCK, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's newest state park is open, a
quiet refuge on a creek just inland from the Pacific on the central
Oregon coast. The Register-Guard reports that the Beaver Creek
State Natural Area is a 32,500-acre marsh adjoining the brackish
creek. It's part of the state's 10-year Park-A-Year initiative that
began in 2004. Beaver Creek is the seventh park opened since the
initiative began.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The fund to help find a missing Portland
boy received a $541 donation from Oregon State Penitentiary
inmates. Three inmates held fundraisers at dinners at the prison.
Donations ranged from a dime to $50. One of them told The Oregonian
the inmates felt they needed to do their part as men, fathers and
uncles to help find Kyron Horman.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Multnomah County jury has awarded
$821,000 in damages to the family of a 75-year-old dementia patient
who died after wandering away from a Molalla assisted care facility
in 2007. The Oregonian says Ruby Larson's family sued Pheasant
Pointe Retirement and Assisted Living Residence and its parent
companies, Spectrum Retirement Communities of Oregon and SRC of
Oregon. The verdict came yesterday.

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

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
Athlete of the Week:
Mapleton Football standout Micah Espinosa is Coast Radio Sports’ Athlete of the Week. The Sailor senior carried the ball 23 times for 293 yards and four touchdowns in Mapleton’s first-in-a-decade-win over Mohawk last week. Honorable mention is given to Siuslaw cross country runner Mitchell Butler, who won the Siuslaw Woahink Invitational with a time of 16:23.

Prep Volleyball:
Chelsea Duffy had nine kills and Leigh Aurich scored 18 assists and the Siuslaw Vikings easily outpaced the South Umpqua Lancers in three games last night, 25-11; 25-20 and 25-18. In other Far West contests, Brookings-Harbor beat Sutherlin in three, North Bend beat Douglas, also in three games. In the Sunset League, Reedsport beat Coquille in four games. One game on the schedule tonight… Eddyville is at Mapleton.