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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2016)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, December 28, 2016 3A Bidding adieu to 2016 in words of local authors CHRISTENA BROOKS SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE A tradition among community news- papers is the “year in review” article, typically published the week after Christmas. In the shadow of New Year’s Day, it documents the waning year’s big- gest news, from bad weather to good citi- zens. Giving the old journalistic ritual a new twist, this story bids goodbye to 2016 using the words of Silverton’s own writ- ers. A few local authors faithfully post their work online, and the pieces fea- tured here represent the community’s three best blog postings of 2016. The col- lection doesn’t claim to be exhaustive or authoritative, but each entry tells a story worth reading. 1. Good-bye Normal Jean: Thank you for Loving my Special Needs Daughter Silverton’s iconic florist, Norma Jean Branstetter, was unforgettable, and this beautifully written story by Linda At- well tells us one more reason why. In vi- brant detail, she recounts how Norma Jean found ways – both large and small – to quietly enrich the life of Atwell’s spe- cial needs daughter, Lindsey, over the years. She writes: “As Lindsey and I talked about the loss of this incredible woman, my daughter told me, ‘She always made me feel special.’ Indirectly, Norma Jean made me feel special too. I remember a Mother’s Day when Lindsey asked me what kind of flowers were my favorites. A few days later, my girl came home clutching a bouquet of red, yellow, and purple tulips. ‘These only cost me $3.00,’ Lindsey said. Her hands tremored as she handed me the flowers. ‘Norma Jean gave me a real bargain.’ The tulips were worth far more than three bucks. But Lindsey probably didn’t have any more money at the time, so Norma Jean made it work.” The read the whole story, log on to http://outoneear.com/good-bye -norma-jean-thank-you-for-loving-my- special-needs-daughter/. Atwell has written extensively about the joys and challenges of parenting her daughter and will release a book next year. 2. Beyond the Diet: 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Neighborhood “Most New Year’s resolutions are fo- cused on personal improvement. Get in shape. Quit smoking. Get organized. Read more. These are great, but what if we made some resolutions to help im- prove our places too?” writes Silverton author John Pattison. Best known for co-authoring the book, “Slow Church,” Pattison has a lot to say about the business of community build- ing, and his blog about New Year’s reso- lutions was an interesting read in 2016. Readers will find it applies to 2017 too. Some of Pattison’s ideas for New Year’s resolutions: (1) Meet your neigh- bors, (2) Go on walks, (3) Host a soup night, (4) Build a little free library, (5) Visit a local senior or shut-in, and more. For the remaining five proposals, log on to http://slowchurch.com/neighborhood- resolutions/. 3. Everything is Temporary This blog post by author and geologist Naseem Rakha, who penned “The Cry- ing Tree,” takes readers on a hike through the Grand Canyon. Now buried in snow, the canyon is inaccessible until spring, making Rakha’s journey almost surreal. With a professional writer’s cul- tivated simplicity, simultaneously stark and graceful, she describes tall lava col- umns, the Colorado River and the cacti around her. For Rakha, there are lessons to be learned here – lessons of humility, perspective and peace. “It’s one of the reasons I come to this canyon. All those years piled on top of one another, a lexicon of what’s been. What is my existence in all of that? All of human civilization would amount to barely a hairline in these walls. The idea calms me, puts my own losses in per- spective,” she writes. Her post can be found online at http://naseemrakha.com/ 2016/02/everything-is-temporary/. More than 100,000 Oregon residents join health care enrollment rush LAUREN E HERNANDEZ STATESMAN JOURNAL More than 100,000 Oregon residents have signed up for health care through the Affordable Care Act, joining a na- tionwide dash for coverage. The U.S. Department of Health & Hu- man Services released a snapshot of na- tional enrollment in health care from No- vember 1through Dec. 19 with 6.4 million consumers signing up for health insur- ance — 2.05 million new consumers and 4.31 million renewals. In Oregon, 112,864 consumers select- ed plans, a 9 percent increase from last year, according to Jonathan Gold, Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "I was attending local enrollment events in Oregon and I could see the en- ergy to get people covered," said Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Ser- vices. Slavitt said half of Oregon residents could obtain health coverage for $75 or less a month. Most marketplace consumers should be able to find similar coverage costs in premiums, Slavitt said. The department generally refers to marketplace con- sumers as those in the 39 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform, including Oregon. "It turns out that $75 per month is an affordable number for consumers and it changes their lives," Slavitt said. Residents in Marion and Polk coun- ties have 56 different plans available from seven carriers, said Jake Sunder- land, public information officer for the Department of Consumer and Business Services. While Sunderland said rate increases were approved for every carrier for 2017 health plans, consumers can remedy the increase by applying for financial assis- tance while signing up for health care at HealthCare.gov. "Financial assistance is going to make up for most of that increase. The way it is calculated is income based, so if you make a certain income you only have to pay x-percent of your income on your health insurance," Sunderland said. Individuals may see different rate in- creases depending on their age, income and smoking habits. As an example of the varying rates, a 21-year-old, single non-tobacco user could see up to a 58 percent rate increase with the standard silver plan provided by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. A 60-year-old person under the same criteria could see a 24 percent in- crease under the same plan. "It's hard to say what any individual change is going to be," Sunderland said. A 40-year-old resident living in Mar- ion and Polk counties choosing one of the standard "middle of the road" silver plans, premium costs range from $312 to $414. That range does not account for re- ductions based on financial assistance, Sunderland said. Sunderland said the Department of Consumer and Business Services does not calculate averages for premium costs because every county has differ- ent health needs and hospital availabil- ity. He said Marion and Polk counties have a reasonable number of carrier op- tions for consumers with just one carrier shy of Portland-Metro region's nine car- riers. The lowest number of carrier op- tions are found in some rural areas, with Marion County deputies continue DUI patrols WHITNEY M. WOODWORTH STATESMAN JOURNAL Marion County deputies are continu- ing their increased DUI patrols through the New Year's holiday, offi- cials said. Grants from the Oregon State Sheriff's Association and the Ore- gon Department of Transportation are helping fund the increased patrols. "Deputies will be working overtime in an attempt to detect and arrest those drivers who choose to operate their ve- hicles under the influence," sheriff's of- ficials said in a statement. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, deputies working specialized DUII overtime arrested four drivers for driving under the influence. According to Oregon Department of MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Marion County deputies are stepping up DUI patrols over the holiday. Transportation statistics, DUI arrests and fatalities in Marion County de- clined from 2009 to 2013. During that five-year span, 64 people died in drug- and alcohol-related crashes. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Zenith Women’s Club St. says thank you The Silverton Zenith Woman’s Club thanks the community of Silverton for all the help they re- ceived for their 2016 Tree of Giving project. Togeth- er, we were able to make Christmas a little brighter for 135 families (including 363 children) in the Silver Falls School District. We wish to particularly thank: Silverton Together for help with screening fam- ilies; Drakes Crossing Nursery for the Christ- mas trees; Rite-Aid, Hi- School Pharmacy, Im- manuel Lutheran Church, five carriers. He urges residents to do their re- search while choosing or reapplying for a plan that works best according to their income and health needs. "It's complicated, especially when you’re looking at 56 different plans," Sunderland said." We recommend work- ing with one of our licensed insurance agents." Enrollments spiked on a national level with an increase of 400,000 compared to last year, according to the U.S. Depart- ment of Health & Human Services. In Portland, a city considered to be a top designated market area in the HealthCare.gov platform, 73,988 con- sumers selected health plans through December 19. While it's difficult to pinpoint a specif- ic reason for the nationwide spike in en- rollment, HHS secretary Sylvia Burwell said she hopes it's explained by people merely educating themselves on the benefits of signing up for healthcare. "It's a combination of things but the is- sue of affordability is so important to folks," Burwell said. Burwell pointed to the plan's dismiss- al of annual or lifetime limits on health care for one factor in the increase, citing a woman she met in Florida who reached her limit for chemotherapy treatment before the Affordable Health Care Act was put in place. "People are getting more educated on the financial security of the benefits," Slavitt said. He said while health care plans can change every year, even before the Af- fordable Care Act, Slavitt said it's impor- tant for people to remember the law is designed to protect people from those changes. Wurster Continued from Page 1A She brings a wealth of ex- perience to us.” Among other past ac- complishments, Wurster helped the City of Dayton develop a community cen- ter between 2009 and 2013. This included buy- ing and renovating a Ma- sonic lodge, as well as us- ing the rejected site – an old fire station – as a new public works shop. In the end, the city “invested nearly $1 million into the community with almost no cost to local taxpay- ers,” due to grants, Wur- ster said. She also walked Day- ton through the process of Paul’s Catholic Church, First Christian Church, Silver Creek Fel- lowship, Silverton Friends Church and Unit- ed Methodist Church for displaying the trees and accepting/storing individ- ual gifts; The Palace Theater and Zebra Print- ing for the ad at the thea- ter; Silverton Elks and Mt. Angel Oktoberfest Com- mittee for their generous donations; Silverton Fire Department and Les Schwab for their toy drive; Silverton High School students for their drive and help with wrap- ping gifts; Silverton Sen- ior Center knitters for all the beautiful and warm hats, scarves and head- bands they made and do- nated; and all the mem- bers of the community who donated money, pur- chased gifts and donated time wrapping gifts. If we have missed any- one, we apologize in ad- vance. Blessings on all and have a great new year! Barbara Fischer-Chase, Silverton Zenith Wom- an’s Club Received calls from Dec. 12 to 18. Stolen vehicle, 7:01 a.m., 200 Pioneer Drive. Dec. 13 acquiring water rights to the Willamette River when its spring-fed water system was shut down. The city obtains water from its well field but needed a secondary source of water, she said. A collaborative request from Dayton and three other cities gained ap- proval from the state, opening access to an addi- tional 2 million gallons of water per day. As Wurster starts with Silverton in January, she’ll also begin a new po- sition as president-elect of the Oregon City/County Management Association. As such, she is “well re- spected by other city managers in the state,” Willoughby said. She plans to relocate to take this new job. Saying she’s “always admired the city” and the way its “resi- dents and city leadership embrace strategic oppor- tunities for managed growth,” she’s planning to move to Silverton from Albany. She and her hus- band, Todd, have one son, who recently joined the Marines. When she’s not working, Wurster espe- cially enjoys traveling. “Christy did her re- search on Silverton … to be certain that she was a good fit for the communi- ty,” Lewis said. “I am im- pressed with her back- ground, her strong man- agement and leadership skills, her community in- volvement, her relation- ship with staff and part- ners and her customer service focus.” Happy Holidays From Michael Kim DDS “Your friendly local dentist” 503-873-3530 New Patients & Emergencies Welcome ENTER FOR OUR MONTHLY KINDLE DRAWING AT EACH APPOINTMENT POLICE LOGS SILVERTON POLICE DEPARTMENT Although Burwell and Slavitt said they're excited to see the nationwide boost in enrollment, they said the presi- dential election did create "headwind" in the discussion of Affordable Care Act's future - specifically following President- Elect Donald Trump's call to repeal and replace the healthcare plan. Burwell said there are constant con- versations with everyone from Presi- dent Barack Obama to insurance compa- nies and the Department of Health & Hu- man Services regarding how agencies would deal with a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act. As of Dec. 19, Burwell said call cen- ters have received 38,000 callers curious to learn about the potential effects on their health coverage in the event of a re- peal. If the Affordable Care Act were ap- pealed, Slavitt said roughly 475,000 Ore- gon residents could lose health cover- age. "That would have a profound impact on Oregon," Slavitt said. Burwell said the enrollment in- creases represent growth in the right di- rection for healthcare. She hopes to en- sure the conversation surrounding health care for United States residents moves from "rhetoric to reality" by lis- tening to what issues matter to people. 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