Quick return of stolen goods

When Steve Angal (angle) and his wife Ethel Graham returned from being away for 2 ½ weeks to discover their home had been ransacked and burglarized they didn’t think they would ever see their stuff again. But, within nine hours Florence police had rounded up two suspects and recovered the vast majority of Angal and Graham’s stolen guns, jewelry, cameras, tools and even dirty laundry. Along with items stolen from the 24th Street home, police also recovered goods they believe was likely taken in other area burglaries. 20-year old George Woodworth and 21-year old George McKenzie each face dozens of charges in the one case Florence police know about. The victims, Angal and Graham, said they returned home Wednesday afternoon about three pm to find the garage door askew and a car missing from the driveway. Angal said he told his wife “uh-oh, we’ve got trouble” and told her and his elderly mother to wait in the car while he checked the home to make sure it was safe. Graham said she felt ‘violated’ as she discovered the burglars had taken their time going through drawers, closets and even a camper in the side yard. She said they not only helped themselves to their property but also ate snacks while they did their work. She was thrilled to see most, if not all, of their property had been recovered by police who, after a very quick investigation, arrested the alleged burglars shortly after midnight that night.

August 2nd is being touted as “National Night Out”, a special evening of awareness of crime and crime prevention in residential neighborhoods around the country. The night is being observed in several coastal communities, including Reedsport and Florence. In Reedsport there’ll be a picnic at Lion’s Park with special programs and safety information. In Florence the new Neighborhood Watch Program will be rolled out. An effort is being made to coordinate several individual ‘watch’ programs and coordinate them into a city-wide effort to prevent crime.

Work on restoring the Coos Bay Rail Link between Coos County and the Willamette Valley is continuing, but officials say they’re not going to have the trains running this summer as they had hoped. They do hope to have the short line between Veneta and the Danebo connector in West Eugene operable by October, but it is possible that rail cars could be carrying freight for Roseburg Forest Products in Coquille by the end of the year. The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay used state and federal subsidies to purchase the line after the former owners embargoed it in September 2007.

If you’ve ever tasted home-canned tuna you know how much better it can be than what you’ll find in stores. But canning your own at home can be pretty intimidating and hazardous if you don’t handle the fish properly and process it correctly. The OSU Extension Service in Lane County is offering a series of workshops next month, each aimed at giving ‘hands-on’ instruction… and some of the finished product for participants. 11 different dates are available, but there’s only space for five home-canners at a time. The cost is $25, plus the cost of the fish that you’ll take home with you says Master Food Preserver Nellie Oehler (AY-lurr). Information on how to register is available at the OSU/Lane County Extension website.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/food_safety


Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon newspaper is reporting that
Democratic Congressman David Wu will not resign in the wake of a
young woman's claims that he engaged in "aggressive and unwanted
sexual behavior." The Oregonian newspaper reported on its website
late Sunday that a senior Democrat official, who wasn't further
identified, confirmed to the paper that Wu said he would not resign
but would complete his term and retire in 2012.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Negotiators for Oregon's largest state
workers union have struck a contract deal, ending months of
uncertainty and speculation about a possible strike. The Salem
Statesman Journal reports the deal struck Friday by the Service
Employees International Union requires workers to pay 5 percent of
their health insurance premiums by 2012. The deal still needs to be
ratified by the union's rank-and-file membership.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Officials at Lane Community College are
trying again this summer to find out what is causing health
problems for people who work in one of its buildings. The
Register-Guard reports that for years, some people who work in
Building 4 have reported upper respiratory, skin and other problems
from being in the building. The college has spent several million
dollars on renovations and upgrades but the source of the problem
has never been identified. LCC's human resources director says
officials want to completely fix the building.

TANGENT, Ore. (AP) - Farmers in the Pacific Northwest could use
a bit of the oppressive heat that's crippling much of the United
States right now. Farmers in parts of Oregon and Washington are
struggling with cold, wet weather that's slowing the growth of
their crops. Cherries aren't ripe. The region's world-class grass
seed won't dry out. There's time for the situation to improve, but
farmers say they desperately need some warmth and a break from
above-normal rainfall.


BOSTON (AP) - Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in four runs, Kevin
Youkilis hit a two-run homer and the Boston Red Sox extended the
Seattle Mariners' franchise-worst losing streak to 15 games with a
12-8 win yesterday. Tim Wakefield joined Roger Clemens as the only
pitchers to strike out 2,000 batters with Boston and moved one win
away from his 200th victory. Michael Pineda allowed five runs in
the first after Seattle took a 2-0 lead and gave up seven runs in
4-and-a-third innings.

STEVENSON, Wash. (AP) - A 30-year-old Portland man has been
killed at a popular rock climbing spot in southwestern Washington.
Skamania County sheriff's officials say the man fell more than 100
feet from Beacon Rock late yesterday afternoon while rappelling
down the south route. The man's name was being withheld as
authorities tried to notify his family.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has
requested an ethics panel investigation of Congressman David Wu
over a woman's reported accusation that she had an "unwanted
sexual encounter" with the Oregon Democrat last year. Pelosi
issued a statement last night calling on the House Ethics Committee
to begin looking into the allegations against Wu.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Eddie Gaven scored in the 79th minute to
lift the Columbus Crew to a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers
on Saturday night. Columbus improved to 8-6-7 and moved into a tie
with Philadelphia for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Portland fell to 6-10-3 overall and remained in eighth place in the
West.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A new report says Oregon State Hospital has
been making significant improvements in management and patient care
this year. The Statesman Journal reports a consulting firm hired by
the state said the 128-year-old Salem psychiatric facility is
making a dramatic turnaround from revolving-door leadership and
other problems such as obsolete facilities, understaffing and
high-profile cases of patient abuse.

FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (AP) - A man wanted by the FBI and the
85-year-old mother he allegedly kidnapped from her home in Oregon
have been found in Southern California. Kern County deputies said
when they arrested 55-year-old Marshall Goldberg northwest of Los
Angeles, his mother Doris Goldberg -- who has Alzheimer's disease
-- was found with him. Since May 24 she has been missing from the
Ashland home she shares with another adult son.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Katie Douglas hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with
56.7 seconds left, and the East All-Stars hung on to beat the West
118-113 on Saturday in one of the closest WNBA midseason showcases
ever. Cappie Pondexter led the East with 17 points, and Douglas and
Tina Charles added 15 apiece. It was only the third All-Star game
victory for the East in 10 tries. Seattle's Swin Cash led the West
with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

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


Taking a look at coast radio sports…

It was a weekend of ups and downs for the Three Rivers Sandblasters as their season came to an end at the Corvallis Super Regional of American Legion Baseball. The ‘Blasters started off Friday night with a 6-1 loss at the hands of the Grants Pass Nuggets. Saturday, they turned around and eliminated the Liberty Falcons out of Hillsboro 17-3, jumping out to a ten-nothing lead in the first inning, ending the game after seven innings because of the ‘mercy rule’. Three Rivers was back on the diamond later that evening against the Grants Pass Nuggets once again and got in a hole early… battling back but falling short 9-8. The Nuggets went on to defeat Corvallis twice Sunday to advance to the state tournament this weekend in Eugene.

The Eugene Emeralds started the Northwest League season in first place and they remain there this morning… but today, with one game remaining in the first half of the season, they’re sharing the space with the Vancouver Canadians. The Ems lost a chance to clinch the first-half title and secure a spot in the Northwest League Playoffs in September with a 3-nothing loss at home to the Everett Aqua Sox yesterday. The Emeralds opened the weekend with a 7-1 loss to Vancouver in Eugene Friday; then downed the Canadians 2-1 Saturday night. Eugene and Everett meet again tonight at PK Park.


For Florence and the Central Oregon Coast…

There’s a chance of rain or drizzle this morning, then cloudy skies through the day with a high near 62 degrees.
Mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 52 degrees… and a 20-percent chance of rain or drizzle.
Tomorrow… a 20-percent chance of showers before 11 AM, then mostly cloudy with a high near 62.

Partly sunny skies Wednesday, mostly sunny Thursday and Friday.

The marine forecast shows a northwest marine wind five to ten knots continuing through tonight. High tide will be at 10:10 this morning… low tide at 2:56 this afternoon.