Kitzhaber third term - Geography Bee results - First citizen nominees and "Pull your head out of your Duck!"

Lawmakers get back to work today… for a while.

John Kitzhaber took the oath of office this morning to begin an unprecedented third term as governor of Oregon. After an eight-year hiatus from public life, Kitzhaber is taking back the helm of a state in need of a boost. Oregon is reeling from joblessness with a budget deficit looming that will soon bring steep cuts in services. Kitzhaber has laid out lofty goals to transform the way government thinks and operates. He’ll have to tackle a budget with a $3.5 billion shortfall. Also today, the Legislature will convene for the first time. It’ll be the first test of whether or not a tied House can collaborate to get work done. Roseburg Republican Bruce Hanna and Coos Bay Democrat Arnie Roblan are expected to share Speaker of the House Duties. In the Senate, Democrats hold a 16-14 advantage and Peter Courtney will be sworn in for a fifth term… more than any Senate president in history. Lawmakers plan on laying out their work for this session and spend three or four days in Salem before heading back home later in the week. They’ll return to the Capitol February First when they formally open the session.

Five nominees for Florence’s First Citizen Award have been announced. One will be selected and introduced during the annual Siuslaw Awards this Friday nights. The quintet, Michael Cooper, Fred Jensen, Art Koning, Steve Olienyk and Wendy Wells, represent a vast array of local involvement and community service. In addition to the First Citizen award, one outstanding Siuslaw High School Senior will be named as Future First Citizen. Four nominees were announced… Keenan Bishop, Logan Bliss, Lyndee Center and Meghan Connor. A half dozen other awards will be presented Friday night by the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, including the Stu Johnston Business of the Year. Tickets and information on the banquet are available at the Visitor’s Center.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Mac Court on the University of Oregon campus
will be full for a watch party for the football team's national
title game. Entry is free, but the university capped attendance at 6,000 with reserved tickets. The crowd will watch the game on four jumbo screens.

BANDON, Ore. (AP) - A 14-year-old boy who was reported missing
Saturday at Bullards Beach State Park was found safe yesterday
after hitchhiking near Salem. The father of the Brookings boy said
he had disappeared while walking along a seawall near Bandon.

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - Fire officials say a tree trimmer fell
nearly 50 feet while working on a tree in Oregon City. They say the
man suffered back and leg injuries in the Saturday afternoon
accident. The say it appears he fell while climbing to a place
where he would have tied off before starting the cutting.

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - A Pendleton man is set for sentencing
Thursday on 11 felony sex crimes for having sexual relations with a
13-year-old girl in late 2009. The East Oregonian reports that an
Umitalla County Court jury on Friday returned a guilty the verdict
against 20-year-old Ryan Cory Newsome.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The first group of patients is set to move
from the decrepit Oregon State Hospital to a new state-of-the-art
facility in Salem. The Statesman Journal says about 50 patients are
to move into a section of the new mental hospital today. The old
hospital became a symbol of the psychiatric neglect portrayed in
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," which was filmed at the
127-year-old facility.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - A group of about 30 Corvallis-area men
say hard work and training saw them through the Battle of Fallujah,
some of the fiercest fighting of the Iraq War. The Corvallis
Gazette-Times says for their heroism, the Oregon National
Guardsmen's unit has been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation,
the highest award a military unit can receive.

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - Clackamas fire officials say a tree
trimmer fell nearly 50 feet while working on a tree in Oregon City.
Emergency crews say the man in his mid-twenties suffered back and
leg injuries in the Saturday afternoon accident. The say it appears
he fell while climbing to a place where he would have tied off
before starting the cutting.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - A University of Oregon fan who was caught
on camera waving a flaming jersey after Ducks beat Oregon State in
the "Civil War" game has pleaded guilty to reckless burning.
KVAL-TV says 20-year-old Joshua Britton, of Beaverton, on Thursday
was ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution and $102 in fines. He'll
also have to serve seven days in jail.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Siuslaw Wrestlers claimed individual titles in five different weight classes as they finished second overall at the five-team Coquille Invitational Saturday. Weight class champions were Jason Graber, Taylor Porter, Jacob Cassarro, Zack Ough and Sonny Tupua. Four more Vikings finished second. Siuslaw will be on the home mats for the first time tomorrow night when they host Brookings-Harbor in a Far West League Dual.
The Coquille Red Devils defeated the Reedsport Braves 80 – 30 Friday night in boys’ prep basketball action. In Mapleton, Siletz Valley came out on top 70 – 39. On the girls’ court, the Lady Sailors came out on top 54-38, Coquille beat Reedsport 44 – 18. Siuslaw beat North Bend, 44 – 28 in a non-league contest in Florence.
Number 23 Washington turned up the heat in the second half and the Huskies powered to a 103-72 victory over Oregon State Saturday evening. Jared Cunningham led Oregon State with 21 points. In the Palouse, the Oregon men fell to 7-and-9 overall with a 77 – 63 loss to Washington State.
It’s been 37 days since Auburn and Oregon last revved up their high powered offenses on the football field. Tonight they’ll crank them up one more time with the national championship on the line. Two teams that regularly break 40-points play in the BCS title game in Glendale, Arizona. Both teams swept their schedules this year, the only other undefeated team is TCU… the Horned Frogs were ranked number three and downed Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Kickoff this evening is just after 5:30… the pregame show on KCST airs beginning at 4:30.