PHILOMATH — The Philomath Frolic & Rodeo has given away $3,300 in proceeds from this summer’s event to non-profits that benefit the majority of the community.

“It’s not a whole lot, but we don’t make a whole lot. And every little dollar helps somebody,” said Carol Stueve, public relations chairwoman of the festival, which is the weekend after Independence Day.

Among the largest donations were $550 to the Philomath Food Bank, $550 to the Philomath Baby Bank, $500 to the Philomath Scout Lodge “buy a brick” program, $400 to the Marys Peak Shrine Trek Association and $300 to the Benton County Veterans Memorial for its memorial flame.

Alsea Clinic given tribal grant

ALSEA — Alsea Rural Health Care will get a new emergency generator thanks to a grant of nearly $30,000 from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund.

The grant will cover installation of the equipment, which will enable the clinic to provide necessary services to the greater Alsea community, even when the power goes out.

Because Alsea is distant from other resources and could become isolated because of severe weather or a landslide, some self-sufficiency is paramount.

The community likely would be among the first line of help to coastal neighbors if there were a major disaster there, such as a tsunami, according to Benton County Emergency Management.

Small tsunami hits Oregon coast

PORTLAND — With storm-driven waves pounding the Oregon coast last week, few people noticed that a small tsunami also hit.

But measurements released Tuesday revealed that a surge — triggered by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake near the Kuril Islands off Russia — quickly boosted water levels.

The surge ranged from 2.6 inches in Astoria to 44.1 inches in Port Orford, according to tide gauges monitored by the West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska.

Instruments at the Charleston Boat Basin and the South Slough estuary south of Coos Bay showed surges of about 3.5 inches that began about 11:30 a.m. Nov. 15 and reverberated through the estuary for about 12 hours.

— Staff and news reports