Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2020)
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 2 O P I N I O N Libraries are community On the hunt… By Linda L. Davis Deschutes Public Library Zone 2 Board Member PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK A red-tailed hawk takes flight from a fence post in search of its next meal. Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday. To the Editor: I certainly agree with all the read- ers that wrote regarding the CEO of Laird Superfoods9 proposed invasive (develop- ment) of the prime Forest Service properties in the middle of Sisters to house employees of their once-small operation, which is now being expanded to 500 people. This is presumptuous and arrogant on their part with absolutely no consideration for the effect it will have on our community. We need to petition City Hall to stop this deba- cle. This is exactly what Governor McCall warned against many years ago if we were not diligent to protect our precious resources. Jeanne Brooks s s s To the Editor: A few weeks ago HB 4203, which bans chokeholds by Oregon9s peace officers, was signed into law. It passed 52-5 in the Oregon House and 25-1 in the Oregon Senate. Regrettably, our state Representative Daniel Bonham was among the very few who voted against this bill. Even most of his fellow Republicans voted for it. Thus far, he has offered no public defense of his vote, but that9s not surprising. There really is no defense for his vote. This is the critical text of the bill: <A peace officer is not justified in any circumstance in knowingly using physical force that impedes the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of another person by applying pres- sure on the throat or neck of the other person, unless the circumstance is one in which the peace officer may use deadly physical force as provided in ORS 161.239.= In other words, police officers may not use a chokehold unless the situation requires deadly physical force as described in Oregon Law. You can read about those circumstances See LETTERS on page 9 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monday Sunday Sunny Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Showers Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy 81/46 75/44 69/45 54/43 53/42 58/39 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Creative Director: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $55; six months (or less), $30. First-class postage: one year, $95; six months, $65. Published Weekly. ©2020 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is pro- hibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper9s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. Scottish-born business- man and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie made his fortune in steel, but used his wealth to build librar- ies. Beginning in 1880, he gave away $60 million to build 1,689 libraries across the United States. Many still exist as libraries, and oth- ers as community centers, museums, art galleries or other uses. In 1889, he said, <In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who help themselves.= As a poor, uneducated young man who wanted to improve his lot in life, Carnegie sought admit- tance to his local library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which at the time was not free. He persuaded the administrator that the library should be free and open to all. The idea of a free library, open to all, regardless of social or economic status, was launched. Deschutes County is for- tunate that 22 years ago the voters approved the forma- tion of the Deschutes Public Library District (DPL) as a property-tax-funded special district. No longer compet- ing with other county ser- vices, DPL has grown and transformed itself to meet the needs and challenges of the new millennium and with a plan for the future. The DPL with its six branches, including Sisters, offers materials and ser- vices never envisioned by Carnegie. The internet is not a competitor but is an integral part of DPL9s digi- tal products and services. The list includes genealogy; Chilton auto repair manuals; DIY manuals; over 1,000 magazines; Lynda.com and Gale instruction courses 4 the list goes on. Oh, yes! There are books! Thousands of them! Books are and will always remain the backbone of the library system. Here again, some think that physical books are a thing of the past because of the availability of digital books. Surprisingly, while the District has an enormous collection of digital books, many people still like or pre- fer physical books. Children, especially, learn the joy of reading through picture books, and the children9s section is one of the most popular in each branch. Many things go on in the libraries besides checking out books. All libraries have computers available for pub- lic use. Children9s story time attracts thousands of chil- dren each year. More than 400 programs were provided during 2019 and they have continued online during the pandemic. Libraries pro- vide space for art exhibits and special demonstrations like the wildly popular Train Man9s model train set-up at Christmas. They provide resources and services to our community members such as technology, early learn- ing resources, job search and resume assistance, com- puter classes and cultural programs. Are you wondering if you need legal assistance with a particular problem? DPL partners with the Deschutes County Access to Justice Committee to offer free 30-minute consultations with an attorney offering general legal information or referrals to other agencies. Are you thinking of starting a new business or wanting help with an existing one? DPL has a full menu of resources to help. Or maybe you have a unique research problem or issue you need help with. You can <Ask a Librarian= for assistance. As much as anything else, libraries are community. Andrew Carnegie knew this and said, <A library outranks any other one thing a com- munity can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.= Being free and open to anyone, our libraries are centers of equal- ity, community belonging and places of safety. Sisters is stronger and more cen- tered because of its library. All past incurred debt to build or improve the DPL9s six branches has been paid off. The DPL has not gone to the voters to ask for more money for either capital projects or operations for 22 years. Measure 9-139 on the November ballot gives us the opportunity to update and expand the Sisters Library to better serve our community. The expanded space will provide more open and flex- ible spaces for a variety of community uses from after- school tutoring to creative DIY activities to book club gatherings and small busi- ness meeting space 4 some- thing for everyone! While 2020 has been difficult, it is important to look beyond the current times and plan for a strong future. Voting <yes= will ensure we can do just that! Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.