Council talking parks again - two killed near Yachats - Governor proposes cuts to capital gains tax - Arrest made in Reedsport theft

City Council to talk Parks Plan acknowledgment again…

The Florence City Council will take formal action tonight on portions of a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan. But, they’ll still hold off on formally adopting it. A proposed ordinance acknowledging the plan also includes three other provisions. One will be to develop a capital Improvement Plan for the highest ranking priorities. A second directs city staff to begin the process of finding a location for a recommended dog park. One possible location is the former landfill site, near the waste transfer station, owned by Lane County. The council is also asking city staff to begin the recruitment process for a proposed Parks and Recreation Commission… although the final name and duties of that body have yet to be determined. The council meets this evening, seven pm, at City Hall.

Two South Eugene High School students died after they were swept off a rocky outcropping Saturday afternoon near Yachats. They were in a group of six teens walking near Smelt Sands State Park. A large wave on the incoming tide broke over the group, knocking the pair into the ocean. The remaining four tried to save their friends, but to no avail. Rescuers recovered the body of 18-year old Connor Gregory Ausland Saturday afternoon. The body of 17-year old Jack Harnsongkram was pulled from the water Sunday morning. The teens were part of a student retreat spending the weekend in Yachats and were not on an official school trip.

Governor John Kitzhaber's new budget proposal for Oregon's state government contains nearly $80 million worth of tax breaks aimed at creating jobs. That includes a proposal to reduce capital gains taxes by up to
$25 million for in-state investments. He also wants to expand a tax credit for movies and television shows shot in Oregon; and proposes extending a ‘scaled back’ business energy tax credit that's due to expire.

Police in Reedsport made an arrest last week in the theft of about $10-thousand in coins and jewelry. 46-year old Renee Michelle Cummings was take into custody Thursday, police say more arrests are anticipated. The theft dates to June 23rd, 2010 when police were called to a residential burglary to find a safe had been opened and the valuables stolen. Nothing else was reported taken in that theft.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Marion County sheriff's deputies say they are
investigating a suspect in the death of a man whose body was found
on a road in Northeast Salem. The Oregonian says 44-year-old Robert
Bryan Darling, of Salem, was taken into custody early yesterday. No
charges have been filed.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Economists describe them as "employed part
time for economic reasons." Because of the recession, Oregon has
about 170,000 involuntary part-time workers, people who are not
counted in the monthly jobless numbers but can't get enough work to
pay their bills. Oregon's official unemployment rate is 10.6
percent. It's closer to 20 percent when the underemployed and those
who've given up looking for a job are factored in.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Federal prosecutors are asking their
state-level counterparts and law enforcement agencies in Oregon
counties to help keep guns out of the hands of abusers in domestic
violence cases. Their request came at a Portland meeting Friday,
just as Portland police were investigating a murder-suicide
involving a man and his girlfriend.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon lawmakers will consider whether
the state should become the first to pass a ban on plastic bags, a
measure recycling advocates believe would trigger a domino effect
among other states. A bill co-sponsored by two Republicans and two
Democrats would outlaw throwaway plastic check-out bags at all
retail stores in Oregon. A hearing is set for Tuesday on the
measure.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Multnomah County jury has awarded
$30,500 to a man who was zapped with a stun gun by a Portland
police officer inside a Denny's restaurant. Jurors decided
yesterday that the officer's action amounted to battery. Jason
Elgin's lawyer says his client and a friend fell asleep in the
restaurant, exhausted after studying for college exams. The
restaurant manager called police to help wake them up.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The annual report card that grades the battle
against invasive species in Oregon rated the state a B-plus for
2010, a notch below its grade the previous year. But the Oregon
Invasive Species Council said it made positive gains in 2010,
including preparations for the launch of a statewide invasive
species database this month.

SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) - A heart problem is being blamed for the
sudden death of a 17-year-old Dalls, Oregon high school wrestler just
after he won a match. The Statesman Journal reports an autopsy
found that Charley Engelfried suffered from a thickening of the
heart muscle. He died Thursday.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Mitchell Butler scored 28 points and the Siuslaw Vikings held on for their first Far West League victory of the season, 50-40, over the Douglas Trojans. In other Far West games, the North Bend Bulldogs remain atop the pile, beating Brookings-Harbor 61-36. South Umpqua is in second place, they edged Sutherlin 49-42. In the Sunset… Myrtle Point downed Reedsport 55-26; and, in the Mountain West, the Mapleton Sailors remain in fourth place after falling to the McKenzie Eagles 77-7.

For the Girls, Siuslaw got back on the winning track Friday night with a convincing 41-22 win over Douglas at Home. That leaves the Lady Vikings in second place in the Far West with four games remaining. Other Far West results: Brookings-Harbor remains undefeated in conference play with a 60-35 win over North Bend. Sutherlin beat South Umpqua 36-28. In the Sunset League, Reedsport is still winless, they lost to Myrtle Point 45-25. In the Mountain West, the Lady Sailors lost to McKenzie 47-18.

The Oregon men handed the Washington Huskies their third straight loss Saturday afternoon in Eugene, 81-76. Joevan Catron had 20 points and nine rebounds, E.J. Singler added 16 points of his own as the Ducks knocked the ‘Dawgs’ out of the top spot in the conference standings as well as out of the top 20. In Corvallis Saturday night, Oregon State cut the lead to just 2 with 20-seconds remaining but the Washington State Cougars held on for a 61-55.