Redistricting begins - Soup's on - Are You Ready? - Going green.

Input sought on legislative redistricting…

It happens once every ten years… a change in political boundaries… and it has an impact on every Oregonian. The first of a dozen public hearings across the state on legislative redistricting is set for Saturday in Coos Bay. District 5 Senator Joanne Verger, a Coos Bay Democrat, says they’re definitely looking for public participation. Verger anticipates changes to boundary lines will be considerable this time around. Redistricting Committee Co-Chair Shawn Lindsay agrees. The Hillsboro Republican says Oregon’s population distribution has changed in the past decade. Thousands of people have left Portland’s core area… and thousands more have moved from sparsely populated rural areas. Two Oregon counties have seen explosive growth since 2000… Lindsay’s Washington County and Deschutes County in Central Oregon. Oregon law requires districts be linked by community and transportation; be contiguous; and of equal population. Those definitions were stretched somewhat last time around when the legislature couldn’t agree, so then Secretary of State Bill Bradbury came up with a plan. Verger’s district, for instance, crosses six counties extending from southern Coos County to Yamhill County and extending inland as far as Willamina and Elmira. Saturday’s hearing is set for Eden Hall on the campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College from 9 AM to Noon.

Emergency officials have been asking the question for several years… “are you ready?” Indeed, they’ve not only been asking the question but also are offering to help answer it. The Western Lane Emergency Operations Group, a consortium of local public agencies will present another of their monthly “Are You Ready” workshops a week from Saturday. The April Ninth session will focus on building your own 72-hour ‘grab-and-go’ kit containing the essentials that you may need to get through the first three days following a large earthquake, tsunami or storm. Group spokesperson Frank Nulty says the session will also focus on developing a family preparedness plan and identifying hazards in your neighborhood. The emergency workshops are free… but pre-registration is requested by calling Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue.

Siuslaw Outreach Services will be hosting their first “No Fooling Soup’s On” fund raiser tomorrow evening. For ten dollars you can get a dinner of soup and dessert. SOS director Bettie Egerton (EDJ-er-ton) says there will also be several other activities including a kitchen gadget sale, an apron fashion show, and a gourmet soup contest. Ten celebrity entrants will be submitting their favorite soups for judging as well as for sale to go. It’s tomorrow night from four to seven pm at the Florence Church of the Nazarene on 12th Street.

The 2nd Annual Florence Green Fair is set for this Saturday, ten to five, at the Florence Events Center. In addition to the dozens of booths and displays there will also be a series of demonstrations and seminars covering everything from Tai Chi to sustainable landscaping to green power. Admission is $2 per person.

Input sought on legislative redistricting…

It happens once every ten years… a change in political boundaries… and it has an impact on every Oregonian. The first of a dozen public hearings across the state on legislative redistricting is set for Saturday in Coos Bay. District 5 Senator Joanne Verger, a Coos Bay Democrat, says they’re definitely looking for public participation. Verger anticipates changes to boundary lines will be considerable this time around. Redistricting Committee Co-Chair Shawn Lindsay agrees. The Hillsboro Republican says Oregon’s population distribution has changed in the past decade. Thousands of people have left Portland’s core area… and thousands more have moved from sparsely populated rural areas. Two Oregon counties have seen explosive growth since 2000… Lindsay’s Washington County and Deschutes County in Central Oregon. Oregon law requires districts be linked by community and transportation; be contiguous; and of equal population. Those definitions were stretched somewhat last time around when the legislature couldn’t agree, so then Secretary of State Bill Bradbury came up with a plan. Verger’s district, for instance, crosses six counties extending from southern Coos County to Yamhill County and extending inland as far as Willamina and Elmira. Saturday’s hearing is set for Eden Hall on the campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College from 9 AM to Noon.

Emergency officials have been asking the question for several years… “are you ready?” Indeed, they’ve not only been asking the question but also are offering to help answer it. The Western Lane Emergency Operations Group, a consortium of local public agencies will present another of their monthly “Are You Ready” workshops a week from Saturday. The April Ninth session will focus on building your own 72-hour ‘grab-and-go’ kit containing the essentials that you may need to get through the first three days following a large earthquake, tsunami or storm. Group spokesperson Frank Nulty says the session will also focus on developing a family preparedness plan and identifying hazards in your neighborhood. The emergency workshops are free… but pre-registration is requested by calling Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue.

Siuslaw Outreach Services will be hosting their first “No Fooling Soup’s On” fund raiser tomorrow evening. For ten dollars you can get a dinner of soup and dessert. SOS director Bettie Egerton (EDJ-er-ton) says there will also be several other activities including a kitchen gadget sale, an apron fashion show, and a gourmet soup contest. Ten celebrity entrants will be submitting their favorite soups for judging as well as for sale to go. It’s tomorrow night from four to seven pm at the Florence Church of the Nazarene on 12th Street.

The 2nd Annual Florence Green Fair is set for this Saturday, ten to five, at the Florence Events Center. In addition to the dozens of booths and displays there will also be a series of demonstrations and seminars covering everything from Tai Chi to sustainable landscaping to green power. Admission is $2 per person.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon couple who practice faith
healing and were sentenced to 16 months in prison after their
teenage son died of a treatable condition have been released about
three months early. Jeffrey and Marci Beagley were released
Wednesday from separate prisons. The Oregonian says their sentences
were reduced by 98 days for good behavior. They were convicted last
year of criminally negligent homicide in the death of their
16-year-old son Neil, who died in 2008.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon appeals court says a man accused
of speeding at 121 mph across a bridge from Oregon to Washington
can be tried in Oregon for reckless driving even though he was
arrested in Washington. Yesterday's ruling reverses the ruling of a
Clatsop County, Ore., Circuit Court judge in the case of Patrick W.
Weller, who was pulled over in August 2007 in Washington state.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A University of Oregon proposal for more
independence has been tabled, at least for now. Gov. John
Kitzhaber's (KITS'-hah-ber's) office and university president
Richard Lariviere say they've agreed the proposal should be put on
hold until next year. Lariviere had asked lawmakers to make UO an
independent state agency with its own board of directors and
funding from a voter-approved endowment.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Since mid-February it has snowed nearly
every day in the Cascades. The result today is a snowpack in Oregon
that's 127 percent of average. State officials say the snowpack
indicates a favorable water supply this year for fish, farming,
recreating and generating hydroelectric power.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Housing and Community Services
agency has opened its search process for a new director. The agency
provides programs and financial assistance for low- and
moderate-income state residents' housing. The job pays between
$92,000 and $136,000 annually. The search closes in late April.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon environmental authorities say the
cleanup of contaminated dredge spoils on Ross Island in Portland
has been finished, but they will keep an eye on it to make sure.
The DEQ is asking for public comment on its proposal to approve the
cleanup at Ross Island Sand & Gravel.

FOREST GROVE, Ore. (AP) - Firefighters in Forest Grove say a
space heater is to blame for a blaze that killed a 76-year-old
woman and badly burned her teenage grandson. Firefighters tell The
Oregonian that Velvalee and Hyrum Long used a portable electric
space heater to warm the room where they slept. Firefighters say
the one smoke detector in the house wasn't working.

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

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Three Ducks scored in double figures and Oregon’s offense exploded last night for a 71-58 win over Creighton to even the College Basketball Invitational championship at one game apiece. A 27-7 run carried over from the end of the first half put the Ducks up 44-23 early in the second period. They led by 21 two more times in the second half. Joevan Catron scored 18 points, Malcolm Armstead added 14; E.J. Singler had ten. Oregon had a decided edge in turnovers… giving up a dozen but forcing 20… and outscored Creighton 35-9 off miscues. The Ducks will host the Bluejays Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena in the final and deciding game of the series.