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About The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove. (Creswell, Ore.) 2019-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2019)
6 — THE CHRONICLE OPINION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 So, how was your weekend? Owner / Publisher Noel Nash noel@chronicle1909.com Co-Owner Denise Nash denise@chronicle1909.com Executive Editor Erin Tierney erin@chronicle1909.com Sales & Marketing Director Cheryl Richard cheryl@chronicle1909.com Creative Director Andrew von Engel andrew@chronicle1909.com Editor, Graphic Designer Jen Blue jen@chronicle1909.com Community Editor Gini Davis gini@chronicle1909.com Entertainment Editor Ron Hartman ron@chronicle1909.com Contributors Aliya Hall Victoria Stephens Dana Merryday Yaakov Levine Pat Edwards Phone: 541-895-2197 Fax: 541-895-2361 Online: Chronicle1909.com The Chronicle (USPS permit 2781) is published each Thursday by Nash Publishing Group, LLC. The office is located at 34 W. Oregon Ave. PO Box 428, Creswell, Ore., 97426. Periodicals Postage paid at Creswell, Ore. Subscriptions are nonrefundable, but are transferable. POSTMASTER Address changes: The Creswell Chronicle, PO Box 428 Creswell, OR, 97426 Member of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Mine was great, I could just call in to sta r ting with my the local paper and the next day a recap of Miami Hurricanes a nd ou r O regon something I reported was published. Ducks winning Friday night. Then I gorged I began my profes- on college football sional journalism Saturday, and NFL on NOEL NASH career in sports when I Sunday. With no apol- was offered a job as a ogies. freshman in college. My profes- I’m a child of the TV sor said, “take it; easiest way to generation, and I love sports. break into the business.” Mostly, I love watching A backhanded slap at sports on TV. sports journalists, no doubt. Many of my earliest I did take the job, and memories were when my it’s been an incredible ride. dad would gather me and my Sports journalism was going three older brothers around through dramatic changes the TV to watch a big boxing in the 1980s, fighting hard match, a Triple Crown horse to establish its credibil- race, some old-fashioned ity — and remove the “toy wrestling and football. department” tag it had been My brothers and I played stuck with for decades. I'd sports with neighborhood heard and witnessed the “old buddies, and through high guard” stories at many news- school. A few were good papers, detailing the days of enough to go beyond those drinking in the newsroom levels. One brother played and press box, hometown pro soccer in the early 1980s bias, choosing and favoring either players or coaches who in the U.S. and abroad. I remember running down might give them access, etc. the street in January of 1973, Thankfully, I grew up after the Miami Dolphins professionally with people beat Washington in the committed to something Super Bowl to seal the only better. The sports depart- perfect season in the history ments I’ve been a part of – of modern pro football. All of and the professionals with us kids were running around whom I’ve worked – taught screaming, ringing door- me that to be a sports jour- bells, swinging a cowbell and nalist was to be the most generally losing our minds. well-rounded reporter and I was a basketball junkie writer. The game itself was through most of my youth. often the smallest part of I read plenty, too, and a lot your focus. about sports. I read the two Multibillion-dolla r local papers every day, espe- stadium construction, deal- cially scouring the sports ing with city hall and other section. I would call in to officials, covering multi- the local papers to report million-dollar salary nego- the exploits of my brothers, tiations, athletes involved friends and school teams with serious crime, athletes when something notable involved in petty crime, happened. I was stunned that collusion among owners, fan experiences and safety, courts coverage, in-depth profiles of athletes, coaches and others, dealing with college institutions and the pro leagues (who have their own agendas), and health and wellness issues, to name a few. The game? That’s a few hours a week, and the easiest thing to cover. When we lived in Dallas and I oversaw Cowboys coverage for the paper, it presented a unique expe- rience for our family. The Cowboys were one of the teams that plays every Thanksgiving Day. Which means I was working every Thanksgiving, helping coor- dinate coverage of the game. Dee Dee would make a full Thanksgiving dinner the night before, and we’d tail- gate as a family for hours before the game, celebrating Thanksiging in the stadium parking lot (VIP media park- ing spot, of course. Ahem); then I’d head up to the press box to coordinate coverage among six writers and many photographers as the family headed toward their seats. I would leave game days so exhausted, at times, it would take me a minute to remem- ber the score. People often say, “You had the greatest job, you were at all these games and events.” Yeah, but I was working; not there as a fan. Covering sports really was not about enjoying a sporting event, it was making sure all the angles were covered, every reporter knew how “long” their story would be, making sure photographers had the right images and CANDIDACY ANNOUNEMENT EDITORIAL: Email editorial inquiries to Erin at erin@chroni- cle1909.com. Deadline for community contribu- tions is Friday at noon, unless noted otherwise. Deadline for calendar submissions is Monday at noon to be inserted in that week's Thursday edition. For best results, please submit calendar items at least two weeks before the date of the event. Please include date, name of event, time, location and contact information. ADVERTISE: Deadline to place an advertisement is Monday at noon to be included in that week’s edition. Email inquiries and info to Cheryl at cheryl@chroni- cle1909.com. Subscribe Lane County 1 year......................$40 2 years....................$70 1 year - senior........$35 2 years - senior......$55 Outside Lane County 1 year......................$60 Online 1 year......................$40 Call 541-895-2197, go online to Chronicle 1909. com or drop by The Chronicle office. 541-895-2197 Rodley launches campaign for Springfield City Council Spr i ng f ield resident, nonprofit professional and community advocate Kori Rodley has announced her candidacy for Springfield City Council, representing Ward 3. Rodley has worked as a nonprofit executive and with local small businesses for over 25 years. She has served as executive director at Junction City Local Aid for the past four years and has recently joined the staff at United Way of Lane County as the Equity and Engagement Manager. “My commitment has always been to bring creative problem solving, compassion, and the ability to work with a variety of people and different perspectives to tackling challenging problems,” Rodley said. “This is an important time to be building toward Springfield’s future.” Rodley serves as Chair of the Lane County Equity and Access Advisory Board, which advises the Lane County Administrator and Board of Commissioners on equity, access and inclusion issues. She also serves on both the City of Springfield and the Springfield Utility Board (SUB) Budget Committees, and is president of the Tri-County Chamber Board of Directors. Rodley is a past member of several boards, committees and task forces includ- ing the Community Development Block Grant Committee (CDBG) and the Equity Committee for the 4J School District. “Raising my children as a working parent informs my belief in the need to invest in livable neighborhoods and strong communities, with a focus on affordable, accessible housing,” Rodley said. “We need to invest in small and local businesses and encour- age the creation of family-wage jobs. Springfield is a special hometown and my years of growing nonprofit services and creating jobs for talented, diverse workers inspires me to bring that experience to serv- ing the city of Springfield. “We have schools and parks to be proud of in Springfield, and a growing, diversifying community,” Rodley added. “I am committed to bringing that spirit of growth and inclusion to helping move Springfield forward for all of us.” Shelley Corteville, member of the Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect, former director of Egan Warming Centers, chair of Lane County Veterans for Peace, and City of Springfield Volunteer (includ- ing serving on the committee to create the Women’s Veterans Memorial in Springfield), said: “Kori will make a terrific city coun- cilor, both for Ward 3 and all Springfield residents – she is fully committed to making the best decisions for all of Springfield and she understands the need for affordable hous- ing. I believe Kori will work hard for equity, embracing the city’s pledge to respect and encourage diversity.” To learn more about Kori Rodley and her campaign for Springfield City Council, visit www.korirodley.com. moments for those stories, working with page designers over the phone to make sure the context and layout was appropriate. Nowadays … I get to watch simply as a fan. And, umm, I’m all in. My “home office” in Connecticut had four TVs, and I usually had a fifth game on my laptop. I often was watching live with my brother in Denmark, using Skype on our phones. It was quite an ordeal to make sure we were “synced” up because neither of us could control our reaction and facial expressions if we saw a play first. This world of streaming video, cable and satellite is not in perfect sync. I used to have to watch all these games on TV because my jobs required me to be up-to-date and engaged in sports news. So I had to watch a ton of sports. It’s a joy now to have multiple games on multiple computer and TV screens. I’m usually multi-tasking to some degree while follow- ing every game possible on Saturdays and Sundays. Let’s not even talk about Monday Night Football, and Thursday night football for college and pro … And let’s not even talk about golf’s four majors (the Masters?), tennis’ four majors (Wimbldon?), UEFA, World Cup, European Premier League, Olympics (we’ve got the USA Track & Field Trials right here in 2020 and the World Track & Field Championships in 2021) … Get that clicker ready. Noel Nash is publisher of The Chronicle. CANDIDACY ANNOUNCEMENTS When a person announces their candidacy, The Chronicle will publish one Viewpoint column submitted by the candi- date, up to 800 words, free of charge. Candidates should include a headshot photo, contact information and list their credentials. Any additional campaign columns by the candidates will be subject to advertising rates. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor forum to outline their platforms or to ask for votes, as this also is paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, it's the sole discretion of The Chronicle to reject content. All election editorial content must be submitted no later than noon on Monday To submit pieces or for more information, email Erin at erin@chronicle1909.com or call 541-895-2197. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are personal views on matters of public debate or interest, gener- ally 350 words or less. Send your letter to erin@chroni- cle1909.com or drop it off at 34 W. Oregon Ave. by noon on Monday. All letters must be signed in full and include the address and telephone number of the writer for verification purposes. We reserve the right to hold letters, and all letters are subject to edit- ing for clarity and length. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Mayor's Ball highlights value of community Dear Editor: Had the good fortune Saturday evening to attend the Gala Mayor’s Ball, a fundraising event for the continued reconstruction and update of the historic National Guard Armory in downtown Cottage Grove. The event was opened with the Jewel Tones sing- ing old standards from the 1930s and ’40s. They were accompanied by the Blue Skies Big Band, which, after the fundraising event and dinner, continued to play for the enjoyment of the many people who were dancing. The keynote speaker for the event was Major Mary Jennings Hegar. Major Hegar flew over 100 combat and rescue missions in Afghanistan as a helicopter combat pilot. In addition to the Purple Heart medal that she was awarded for inju- ries in combat, she is the only woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal, other than Amelia Earhart. We witnessed a histori- cal event, as the mortgage was shredded on stage. The Armory is now solely owned by the citizens of Cottage Grove! For those of us who are in rural areas, and neighbors to the north and south, in Drain and Creswell, the Armory, in years to come, will offer so many venue options that we can all participate in and enjoy. For instance, very shortly, rollerskating will return to the Armory. The Armory brings back many memories to me, and I’m sure to many, young and old, in the area. For so many years, Rotary held the annual Christmas party at the Armory. In those years, Ivan Hoyer and I would photo- graph up to 350 young ones on Santa’s lap. The citizens of the South Valley have so many wonder- ful things to be proud of, such as the covered bridges, beautiful bike trails, recre- ational lakes, the soon-to- open, updated and rebuilt swinging bridge – and, in the not-too-distant future, a beautiful 1929 restored carousel. Many of the above items have been brought about through volunteerism, fund- raising events such as the Mayor’s Ball, the visions of a few people of the future and love of historic value. Don Williams Cottage Grove E d itor’s n ote: D o n Williams is founder and president of the Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel.
