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Siuslaw NewsWednesday, September 10, 2025 Florence, Oregon

Number 37 • 134 years

Labor Day demonstration in Florence Siuslaw

Schools get ALICE refresher By TONY REED The Siuslaw News

In what has become a common sight since the start of the year, demonstrators came out to Highway 101 at Florence City Hall on Labor Day. While the suggested theme was to stand in support of American workers, some also used the moment to display signs in response to national news. The demonstration prompted a flurry of passing car horns from the steady Labor Day traffic. The demonstration coincided with others around the country, but was organized locally. A submission from Florence ORganizes can be found on Page 2A. Siuslaw News photo

Controversy continues over Military Museum board meeting By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Local attention to a July 15 meeting has led to the resignation of Patrick Ritter, assistant director at Oregon Coast Military Museum Board and a letter from former board members asking for the resignations of certain board members and the museum director’s dismissal. The controversies stem from the indictment of the the museums’s director, Geoffrey Cannon, charged with four counts of sexual abuse of a teenage girl. At an audiotaped meeting with the board and the mother of the girl, Ritter made comments that have been viewed by many as victim-blaming in nature. ROLL THE TAPE An audio recording released on Youtube of a July 15 board “discussion” begins with a voice asking what the museum is going to do about the arrest/news and whether a release was to be issued by the museum

board. No roll call was recorded and no formal speaking order was established, making it difficult at times to follow. It also did not disclose which board members were at the meeting. A voice at the start of the recording says action was to be taken, but hadn’t been determined by that point. Asked what legal steps would be taken, a female voice, most likely to be that of board member Tabitha Pitts says, “none- he’s not been convicted yet.” “Why would we unnecessarily bring negative attention to the museum if he has not been convicted of anything?” That voice is presumed to be Patrick Ritter, who later identified himself as assistant to the director. Another voice states that Geoffrey Cannon had not been dismissed from his role as director and it was expected that he would go on an administrative leave while the museum remains open. After a little discussion over the board’s understanding of what took place, a lightly

Only a day after a school shooting took the lives of two children and injured 14 others in Minneapolis, staff at Siuslaw School District took part in a special training which counters the traditional “shelter in place” advice given during mass shooting events. The ALICE (Alert Lockdown Inform Counter Evacuate procedure (ALICE) In response to a violent emergency situation such as an active shooter. Florence Police Chief John Pitcher said that about 75 non-certified employees took part in the training which urges people to get away from a mass shooting scene as fast as possible.

WORD FOR WORD The following is a transcript of the discernible parts of the exchange between the mother and Ritter. After a murmur in the room, the mother asks, “Have you looked at my daughter?” Ritter: “Yeah, I have. She might be tiny in stature…” Mother: “It doesn’t matter. He’s 11 years older..” Ritter: “I know, but she’s not uneducated about certain things. Let’s just understand that’s the case. She’s not innocent or doesn’t know about sex- She knows

ALICE During a presentation to the Florence City Council last year, Pitcher explained that while locking doors and hiding is the old way, the ALICE procedure gives more options for people to reach safety. He said that by studying 25 years of mass shootings in the United States, emergency officials have determined the average response time to an active shooter situation has been about five minutes. “If you are depending on the police to get there and save you, it’s going to take us five to six minutes to get there,” he said at the time. “At Sandy Hook, over 100 rounds were fired in 5 minutes.” Pitcher explained that most people have three natural responses, fight, evacuate, or freeze. He said people should

See MUSEUM, Page A7

See ALICE, Page A7

audible voice in the recording says “It sounds like they had a relationship.” A female who later identifies herself as the child’s mother then clearly states, “It sounds to me like you all are defending Geoffrey’s actions. Geoffrey is a 27-yearold man and (bleeped) a 16-year-old little girl.”

Truck fire quickly snuffed on 37th Street By TONY REED The Siuslaw News

Fire officials said a fire started in the engine compartment of a Dodge Pickup Sept. 3, which destroyed the vehicle but did not damage a business only a few feet away. At about 3:45 p.m., fire personnel responded to a report of a truck on fire next to the 37th Street Laundry in Florence. Florence Police officers arrived first, immediately

INSIDE

Obituaries — A2 Sports & Lifestyle — B1

JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner

followed by Western Lane Fire and EMS Authority personnel. The fire was quickly extinguished as it spread from the engine compartment into the cab. WLFEA Deputy Chief Rob Chance said the owner of the truck reported that he had just got the truck back from the shop and was hooking it to a trailer when he heard a “pop” and saw fire spreading from the engine area. No injuries were reported.

Opinion — A3 Classifieds — B6-7

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