Issuu

Siuslaw NewsWednesday, February 25, 2026 Florence, Oregon

Number 8 • 136 years

Cheer Team takes flight During halftime at the Feb. 19 basketball game against Douglas, the Siuslaw High Cheer Team stacked, balanced and launched some of their own in a performance that surely made some parents gasp. Tony Reed photo.

SOS calls on community to help By TONY REED The Siuslaw News

An email from Siuslaw Outreach Services (SOS) earlier this month warned about the pending result of funding reductions in 2025 and asked that community members and groups come together to help. “Siuslaw Outreach Services has been helping residents to move out of the unsafe living conditions there as well as help residents connect with legal aid services for several years now,” the email reads. “However, this year Lane County has not distributed move-in or relocation

assistance funds to Siuslaw Outreach Services due to a shift in funding priorities.” Teter later explained that SOS is a nonprofit agency that receives grants from private and government entities and foundations. SOS staff are available around the clock, and the list of distinct services they provide is long. Asked for the dollar amount in reduced funding, Teter said it’s relative in terms of what SOS has missed out on. “The Covid money has stopped, American Restoration Act funding has stopped, what we typically receive from the state and county, that was

about $100,000 drop,” he said. “The shift was before this fiscal year. We had dollars that were set aside to help people move into a place, so we could do that directly. Now, we have to refer those to Lane County for processing. All the funds we currently have for housing assistance are for past due rent, for those people who are housed, or if they are fleeing domestic or sexual violence. Everything else, we have to go through a referral process with the county, and they make the decision.” The email said SOS is now directed to perform what is called Front Door

Assessments to put them on the centralized waitlist system for relocation assistance. Teter explained that SOS has an application that can be filled out if people need assistance. “If they need help getting moved into a place, we have them come in, and they have the option of coming in and helping them with an online application for a centralized waitlist. That centralized waitlist is managed by Lane County Human Services Commission, and from there, they do a lottery pick system. They do ask us to partner with See SOS, Page A6

Cold Weather Shelters offers warm, restful nights By TONY REED The Siuslaw News

Florence residents woke up Feb. 17 to find a small layer of hail on their vehicles and a chill in the air, followed by steady rain and then light snow by 10 am. According to readings from the Florence Municipal Airport, temperatures dropped from the 40s to about 35 overnight. Temperatures dropped for the next few nights. Overnight conditions were rain mixed with snow, and residents woke up to frozen puddles and cars. In that same timeframe, volunteers and staff from the Florence Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Committee (FECWSC) welcomed, hosted and fed many homeless residents at their temporary location in north Florence. FECWSC president Taylor Kohn said the number of guests

INSIDE

Obituaries — A2 Sports & Lifestyle — B1

JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner

Opinion — A3 Classifieds — B6-7

supply of new air mattresses that can be inflated for additional guests. “For having that many people, it has run very smoothly,” she said. “We have a welltrained night crew, who are

STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.

A Florence man convicted of rape and on the run for two years has been caught in California. Detectives arrested 48-yearold Jack Duane Crist, at an apartment in Chico. Crist was wanted in Lane County on a Rape 1 conviction and had led Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) detectives on a nearly two-year search across multiple states, according to LCSO Sgt. Tim Wallace. According to court See CAPTURED, Page A7

Students make honor roll Siuslaw High School and Siuslaw Middle School have released their Honor Roll lists for the first semester. According to Principal Mike Harklerode, to qualify for Honor Roll, students must have a 3.5 GPA for the semester while completing a minimum of 5 classes.

paid staff, and they do a great job making sure people are supervised. This will be our fourth night. The first night we had 11, and then 15 on the

SIUSLAW HIGH SCHOOL • Anderson, Hailey M. • Bailey, Ayden J. • Borgnino, Ava G. • Burtt, Owen N. • Condy, Madison A. • Gates, Laila Rose M. • Gonzaga, Achilles V. • Grable, William C. • Hopper, Andrew W. • Hughes, Alison E. • James, Miles C. • Koszuta, Kiera C. • Lacouture, Danin E. • Linton, Camden M. • Nunez, Austin J. • Pitcher, Jordan J. • Poole, Annie • Salyer, Dylan K. • Scribner, Husky E. • Spencer, Ethan M. • Venegas, Mia A. • Wadzeck, Aster F. • Waiss, Heidi E.

See SHELTERS, Page A6

See HONOR, Page A7

Before opening Feb. 19, several beds waited for guests to return. Tony Reed photo may have been a record for the first few nights from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19. “The last two nights we have had 15 people each night. We can fit 20,” she said Feb 19, noting that the shelter has a

Captured! Twoyear search ends in arrest of convicted rapist

1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR