Christmas Services, Police Christmas Tree, Elks' Appreciation Dinner, KCST / kCFM Programming

Area Churches Are Offering Up An Array of Holiday Services

Churches through out Florence are offering up a schedule of Christmas services through out the weekend. Christmas Eve Candlelight Services are being held this afternoon at 4 o’clock at the Florence United Methodist Church. Evening candlelight service begins 5 and again at 6 o’clock at the Florence Nazarene Church. The Florence Christian Church offers services at 5 and 6:30 this evening. Crossroads Assembly of God is offering two services this evening at 6 and 7. The Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw, the Resurrection Lutheran Church, Community Baptist Church are also holiday 7 o’clock candle light services. Saint Mary’s will hold two Christmas Eve masses, the first at 5:30 the other at 9pm. Christmas morning mass will be held at 11am. Saint Andrews will offer up Christmas Eve service at 8pm and a Christmas Day Eucharist service at 10am. Resurrection Lutheran Church will hold a Christmas Service of Carols tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock.

The Florence Police Auxiliary still have a number of homeless stuffed animals under their tree that need a home this Christmas. Parents are welcomed to bring their children to the PD Lobby on Greenwood street to choose a stuffed animal to take home… while supplies last.


A free Christmas Day Dinner will be held at the Florence Elks’ Lodge. The Community Appreciation Dinner will be served between noon and 3pm, River City Taxi is providing transportation for a portion of the community that can’t make it to the dinner on their own.

Coast Radio will offer up several hours of holiday programming beginning this evening with four hours of commercial free Christmas music. Sounds of the season begin at 5 o’clock this evening with especially selected music each hour through 8pm. The commercial free music continues Christmas morning at 8:05 to compliment your family celebrations. Tune in at 12:06 tomorrow afternoon to KCFM for five Christmas programs from radio’s golden age. The Stars of Christmas Past being with Burns and Allen, followed in the 1 o’clock hour by Bob Hope and the soldiers of wars past, at 2:06pm don’t miss Red Skelton, Jack Benny and friends show up at 3:06pm, and It’s Fibber McGee and Molly at 4:06 on KCFM Christmas Day.

Associated Press Regional News

BEND, Ore. (AP) - A La Pine man says he's looking for the owner
of a crate of wrapped gifts he found on a highway near Bend. Tracy
Roderick says the gifts are wrapped in newspaper and appear to be
from a girl to her grandparents. He says he'd like to give them
back, even if it's after Christmas.

HARRISBURG, Ore. (AP) - Linn County sheriff's officers say a
Harrisburg man stabbed his 13-year-old son to death before taking
his own life. Investigators say it's unclear why 49-year-old Darwin
Stout killed his boy and himself Wednesday morning, although it was
reported that he had been making irrational statements and had gone
to a Eugene hospital for an evaluation.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - Medford police are getting ready for a
second trial of a suspect in a 2006 stabbing by searching downtown
rooftops for the murder weapon. The police say they've been
frustrated for years because they can't find a 5-inch-long,
multicolored knife with the words "Viva Mexico" on it. Their
search Wednesday turned up nothing.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The last scheduled round of legal briefs
has been filed in the long-running battle over making the Columbia
Basin's federal hydroelectric dams safer for endangered salmon.
NOAA Fisheries Service argues its plan should be upheld because its
improvements to dams and dam operations are building on good ocean
conditions to produce strong salmon returns.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) - The Seattle Seahawks have placed defensive
tackle Junior Siavii on injured reserve after he suffered a neck
stinger last week against Atlanta. Seattle made the move yesterday
and signed linebacker Joe Pawelek from the practice squad. Siavii
had played in 14 games with six starts and posted a career-best 30
tackles.


RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Matt Hasselbeck says reviewing last week's
34-18 loss to Atlanta "wasn't fun." The Seattle Seahawks
quarterback committed three third-quarter turnovers and was
eventually pulled in favor of Charlie Whitehurst. Coach Pete
Carroll says Hasselbeck will continue as the Seahawks starter this
week against Tampa Bay.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Prep Wrestling:

Two Siuslaw mat-men claimed individual titles at the North Douglas Wrestling Invitational in Drain. Jason Graber took the 125 pound bracket title while Sonny Tupua reigned at 285. Siuslaw Coach Neil Wartnik say three wrestlers had especially good tournaments, Edwin Vasques, Neil Larson, and Zac Ough (Ow) took third in their brackets. Harrisburg claimed the team title, Siuslaw finished in the middle of the field at seventh out of sixteen teams at the Holiday Tournament.

Jury Finds Florence Man Guilty, Gas Prices Remain Steady, Whale Watching Will Be Spoken Next Week On The Oregon Coast

A Lane County Jury found 28 year old Tyler Clayton Davis guilty in the drunk driving case that killed two of Davis’ friends this past fall. After a three hour deliberation Tuesday, jurors found Davis guilty on two counts of second degree man-slaughter. On September 18th after drinking with his friends, 26 year old Joshua William Thornton and 24 year old Nicholas Brodie Schneider – Davis proceeded to drive the three of them home. Both victims were ejected from Davis’ F-360 Ford Pickup truck when the vehicle overturned on Canary Road south of Florence. Officers with the Florence Police Department testified they had warned an intoxicated Davis to not drive less than an hour before the fatal crash. Under Measure 11 state requirements Davis is mandated to serve a minimum six years and three month prison term, a sentencing date has not yet been set.

Even though gas prices are 35 to 40 cents a gallon higher than they were a year ago at this time Triple-A projects more than 92-million Americans will travel more than 50-miles or more during the holiday season. Fuel prices in Florence remain some of the lowest in the state. According to Triple-A, Oregon's average for a gallon of regular unleaded remained steady this week at $3.05, locally the average held steady, 20-cents less at $2.85.

Volunteers will be positioned inside the Cape Perpetua visitor's center next week, eager to point out passing Gray Whales in the ocean below. Center manager Lori Robertson says the center is a great place to view the ocean, and this time of year the migrating whales. Perched 100 feet above sea level,and with expansive windows, whale watchers can stay warm and dry while the specially trained volunteers fill in the details of the whale's migration south for breeding. The Cape Perpetua center is open daily from ten AM to four PM through January First. Whale watching docents will be on hand from the 26th through January Second.

Associated Press News From Around The State

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -Staff at Eugene's Cascades Raptor Center are
asking the public for help in coming up with a name for a bald
eagle they are nurturing. The Eugene Register Guard reports that
the center received the eagle from a South Dakota rehab center last
month after it closed.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -The father of an Oregon woman who is serving
time in prison for abusing her adopted 9-year-old boy is seeking
custody of four of the boy's siblings. The Eugene Register-Guard
reports that Jesse McCurry, father of Alona Lee Hartwig, is
disputing a state ruling that accuses him of neglecting the
9-year-old boy whom his daughter abused.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A jury is deciding whether to impose a death
sentence on a man convicted with his father of planting a bomb that
killed two police officers in Woodburn. Jurors resume deliberations
today on a sentence for Joshua Turnidge, who could face the death
penalty. The same jury has already decided on a sentence for
Turnidge's father but the decision is sealed pending a decision
about the son.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Longtime Oregon political adviser Kerry
Tymchuk will take charge of the state Historical Society next year
as interim executive director. The current director, 67-year-old
George Vogt, plans to retire in April. The society's board said
yesterday that Tymchuk, a board member, will serve while it works
out a strategic plan and conducts a job search.

SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle Mariners have traded catcher Rob
Johnson to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later or
cash considerations. Seattle and San Diego made the deal yesterday.
Johnson had been designated for assignment by the Mariners on Dec.
13 after the Mariners signed designated hitter Jack Cust and needed
a spot on the 40-man roster.


Taking a look into Coast Radio Sports:

Oregon's Chip Kelly has been voted AP Coach of the Year after leading the second-ranked Ducks to an unbeaten record and a spot in the BCS national championship game in just his second season as the team's leader. Kelly received 24 of 55 votes from the AP football poll panel to beat out his title game counterpart, Gene Chizik of Auburn, who had 17.

College Men’s Basketball:

Brandon Wiley scored 14 for Idaho and the Vandals held off Oregon's second-half rally to win 69-65 last night. Landon Tatum added 11 points for Idaho, which won the last nonconference game on Oregon's McArthur Court. The Ducks will move into Matthew Knight Arena in two weeks. Joevan Catron led all scorers with 18 points for Oregon.

On the Schedule:

Oregon State takes to the hardwood this evening against Illinois Chicago. Airtime over KCFM is 6:30, tipoff in Corvallis is set for 7 o’clock over Coast Radio Sports…

Prep hoop action tonight pits Siuslaw against Tillamook. KCST will air both the boys and girls games with the Lady Viks taking on the Cheesemakers in the opener at 4 o’clock… the boys follow in the night cap from Tillamook… airtime is set for 4:15 on KCST….