LATEST NEWS
Florence 'Rhody Fest': Find flowers and fun at one of Oregon's oldest festivals
Oregon's second-oldest flower festival, "Rhody Fest," is returning for its 117th edition to Florence starting May 16 with the theme "High Tides and Good Vibes." "It'll be another year of 'good vibes' as we celebrate our local natural beauty and floral superstars," said Bettina Hannigan, Chamber President of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. "Thousands come from around the world to celebrate with us every year on the third full weekend in May."
Coming up on KEZI 9 News at 4: sword-wielding man arrested; Reedsport hatchery vandalized
A man was arrested in Blue River Monday morning after being spotted waving a sword on Saturday. Also, in Reedsport, a hatchery was allegedly vandalized and 20,000 salmon hatchlings were killed. Dylan Robichaud has the weather.
If you built it will ospreys come? After erecting platform Monday, Yachats bird group will find out
YACHATS – With the foundation laid it’s now a game of wait-and-see whether efforts will work to entice ospreys to make a home in the heart of Yachats. A flock of volunteers gathered on the northern fringe of the wetlands west of city hall Monday to attach an upturned pallet atop a 65-foot pole to serve as a nesting perch – with a bed of sticks added to sweeten the pot.
Rhody Drive Update
In an effort to keep interested members of our community up to date on the Rhody Drive Realignment & Improvement Project, the City will send out updates throughout the construction process. These updates will also be posted on the City's website at the link below, as well as the City's Facebook and Instagram pages. For more details about the Rhododendron Drive Realignment & Improvement Project, visit the project webpage at https://bit.ly/RhodyRealignment.
Florence Police Department Implements Flock Camera System
In March 2024, the Florence Police Department presented the Florence City Council announcing the acquisition of one automated license plate reading (ALPR) camera to solve and reduce crime. The ALRP camera was installed on April 2, 2024, near the Hwy 101 and Hwy 126 intersection. The camera is built by...
Local record store doing well after a year in Florence
Perusing a calendar, one may notice that April 20 is National Record Store Day. If you’re wondering where to find the nearest record store in Oregon, it’s actually right here in Florence and it’s more than you’d expect from a store selling vintage records in 2024.
David’s Chair presentation at the May 1 Florence Area Community Coalition Meeting
Jeff Kallevig, Operations Manager, NW Oregon for David’s Chair OMS will be the featured speaker at the Wednesday, May1, Florence Area Community Coalition meeting. Mr. Kallevig will present information about the David’s Chair project and will have a chair present so that people can see the chair after the meeting.
It’s seal pupping season along the Oregon coast — and more killer whale sightings by a growing number of watchers
This story was originally published on YachatsNews.com and is used with permission. Up and down the Oregon coast, harbor seal pupping season is just getting underway. And while the sight of the small, helpless seals is arresting all by itself, it portends another annual marvel – the increasingly visible return of killer whales to the state’s bays, inlets and near-shore coastal waters.
Recent wolverine sightings believed to be connected
Recent sightings of a wolverine along the coast and in the Willamette Valley have been described as “very unusual,” and officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are attempting to determine if all the sightings are of the same animal. Jason Kirchner, ODFW district wildlife biologist based in Newport, said, “We’ve had some (sightings) confirmed in Netarts, Nehalem, Newport, Florence and now Eugene. It’s very unusual. They typically are in the mountains.” ...
Old Pizza Hut building to become Starbucks
All but the basic framework and roof have been removed from the former Pizza Hut building at 1940 Highway 101 in Florence, leaving some to wonder what’s going on with the property and what will happen there. When reconstruction is complete, the building will house a Starbuck’s Coffee shop...
Woman arrested in Lakeside after stealing pick-up truck
On April 13th, 2024, at 8:26 a.m., the Coos County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a report of a stolen vehicle from Jacobson Way in Lakeside. Deputy S. Starr responded to the area to take the report. During the investigation, a suspect was identified as Sarah B. Davis (44). While in Lakeside, Deputy S. Starr located the stolen vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on it. Sarah B. Davis was inside the vehicle and arrested on the charge of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. The pick-up was returned to its owner. Sarah B. Davis (44) was transported to the Coos County Jail on the Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle.
Yachats council gets an earful about potential homeless camping sites — but emphasizes no decision made
YACHATS – Not in our neighborhood was the general tenor of testimony at the Yachats’ city council meeting Wednesday from residents opposed to a designated campsite for homeless people in the community. It was standing-room only at the meeting with more than 50 people attending in person and...
Council continues homeless camping code discussions
The Florence City Council spent another couple hours April 4 discussing potential changes and adjustments to proposed codes that will determine allowable homeless sheltering locations inside city limits. City Manager Erin Reynolds explained that the process is very fluid as the council takes in input and revisits issues and gets...
Sun eclipsed by clouds, mostly
Florence residents who were looking forward to seeing the partial solar eclipse April 8 may have been hopeful when it started but likely went back indoors before too long. At 8 a.m., skies were mostly clear over town but by each hour, became more cloudy until the shape of the sun couldn’t be seen at all.
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