Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove. (Creswell, Ore.) 2019-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2020)
8 — THE CHRONICLE community THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 EDITORIAL A matter of distinction Owner / Publisher Noel Nash noel@chronicle1909.com Co-Owner Denise Nash denise@chronicle1909.com Executive Editor Erin Tierney erin@chronicle1909.com Creative Director Chelsea Greenway chelsea@chronicle1909.com Community Editor Gini Davis gini@chronicle1909.com Entertainment Editor Ron Hartman ron@chronicle1909.com Sales Amy Saling Turner amy@chronicle1909.com Robert Baguio robert@chronicle1909.com Contributors Frank Armendariz Joseph Blum Bradley Cook Pat Edwards Pamela Farmer Aliya Hall Jordan Cora Lampe Linda LaZar Yaakov Levine Dana Merryday Mike Nordtvedt Emma Routley Don Williams 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 offi ce 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 OUR MISSION The Chronicle is the oldest, locally owned newspaper in Lane County, and the only business still open in Creswell that also was open in 1909 when Creswell was incorporated. We are focused on super-serving our readers, clients and community with: Hyper-local content Unique and accurate storytelling Utilitarian information Our business is dedicated to helping our community succeed, with coverage of family, friends, neighbors, small-businesses and the volunteers and nonprofi ts working to enrich our lives. Subscribe Online 1 year......................$66 Paper: Lane County 1 year......................$40 2 years....................$70 1 year - senior........$35 2 years - senior......$55 Outside Lane County 1 year......................$60 Call 541-895-2197, go online to Chronicle 1909.com or drop by The Chronicle offi ce Big business and your small-town paper G rowing up and able leadership compe- spending most tencies. I recently came across an explana- of my life in tion first authored by the newspaper industry, Nathan Allebach, the I’ve been familiar with 28-year-old social media the outstanding reputa- tions The Oregonian and manager for the Steak- Register-Guard have Umm brand: “Critical thinking is enjoyed for decades. When I crossed paths not a singular skill. It’s NOEL NASH with former employees a constant state of ... or people who had friends working at measuring evidence, and recognizing those papers, their experiences were when to defer to experts. It’s analyz- consistently positive. ing this tweet’s substance, motiva- One of the reasons, I’m told tions, credibility, and source, not just with the benefit of hindsight, is reading it. “Critical thinking isn’t what to that high-quality journalists from California could make virtually think, it’s how to think. You may equal pay – and stretch their dollars critically think about this tweet, but signifi cantly further in Oregon. More lower those defenses for the next one. keen hindsight is that the owners of Most people’s natural state is to seek those papers were committed to serv- or settle for whatever confi rms their ing readers. pre-existing beliefs (duh). Life’s more Until they couldn’t afford to comfortable that way.” Hmm. A little perspective from anymore. Ultimately, corporations and hedge funds had the pockets a frozen meat product. These are deep enough to acquire the newspa- strange days indeed. pers’ brands, property and real estate, The point is you have a choice, while stripping the “business” to its one that requires critical thinking: bones to maximize profi ts. Support corporate-owned papers The motive is to generate the most fi lled with the news-as-commodity? money possible. Without judgment, Or support The Chronicle’s hyper-lo- it’s a business model. cal vision. It’s just not The Chronicle’s busi- This is not a knock on the fi ne ness model. people who work at other papers. We certainly root for credible In fact, I’m guessing they are self- and trusted journalism anywhere. A aware that they work for the Eugene rising tide lifts all boats, right? edition of Gatehouse/Gannett, based We choose to serve and uplift our in Washington, D.C., and the Cottage community. Grove edition of Media General, Thinking critically – discerning based in Illinois. truth and fi ction and the shades in The Chronicle? Well, we publish between – is among the most valu- content from people you know. People you trust. Gini Davis and Pamela Farmer. Yaakov Levine and Dana Merryday. Pat Edwards. Erin Tierney and Aliya Hall. Jordan Cora Lampe. Joey Blum. Frank Armendariz. Linda LaZar. Familiar names? Darn right. There are new names and faces, too. Chelsea Greenway handles much of our digital and social media plat- forms, and designed the Visitors and Newcomers Guide. Bradley Cook and Mike and Elsie Nordtvedt bring decades of professional photography to our storytelling. Yep, these folks are your neigh- bors. They are not generic, faceless bylines on top of “wire” copy from some other place. They are residents of the south- ern Willamette Valley, earnest folk, trying their best to provide news and information – and accurate, engag- ing storytelling – for you, the readers. And it’s not just our staff that’s recognizable. You know the busi- nesses who advertise in The Chronicle, because the vast majority of them are owned by – you guessed it – your neighbors. “Shop local” is not a marketing slogan; it’s the key to economic survival in rural and small towns. A few weekends ago I was at a local business and there was a thin little newspaper in a plastic rain bag. I thought to myself, man, I’ve stuffed thousands of those in my lifetime. I was curious what paper that tiny, maybe thinner than The Chronicle, could afford to individually wrap papers in rain bags. I picked it up, surprised at its feather-like weight, and shook out the contents. It. Was. The. Register-Guard. When I was a kid, I delivered the North Dade-South Broward Journal. A small weekly paper in Miami that covered neighborhoods in detail – stuff The Miami Herald was too big to touch. The Journal was never as small as the R-G I held in my hands that day. Reputations. They take lifetimes to earn, and one greedy corporation to kill in seconds. This is the 10th edition of The Chronicle since we first covered COVID-19. We stopped paying our correspondents after March, trying to survive the fi nancial crisis. You know what? We’ve never had so many stories and photos fl owing in from our writers and photographers. How are things with the R-G’s owners? Layoffs started two weeks ago at Gannett, which merged with GateHouse in late 2019 to become the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. with 261 newspapers in 46 states. Think that means more coverage of your community? Media General Corp., meanwhile, publishes more than 60 papers in nine states. Based on the fi rst quar- ter of 2019, its estimated annual reve- nue was $1.3 billion with nearly 600 employees. It has a tax-deductible “donate” button on The Sentinel’s website. Just the same as The Chronicle, right? Noel Nash is publisher of The Chronicle. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Smathers family a glorious example Dear editor: Thank you so very much for your lovely arti- cle about the Smathers family (April 2, by Gini Davis). So many people growing up with hard troubles could be encouraged by learning of this story. It is wonderful to know that if you come from a “bad” or “hard” background that you can become a loving wife and/or husband and raise loving children. They are willing to take foster children that will be diffi cult to care for because of the love they have for each other and their family. May God bless them. Many people have found the love of Christ to help them overcome. I do not know the Smathers but thank them for what they are doing to help the unloved and helpless in the world. Suzanne Peterson Creswell Dear editor, Please take time to thank our fi rst responders for their service during this particularly diffi cult time. Let them know you appreciate what they are doing. Here is a good example: Taylor Rowland, a 2018 graduate from Pleasant Hill, went live on Facebook seeking donations for appre- ciative gift boxes. Along with friends Linzi Douglas and Ashley Vegas, they were able to raise over $1,800 to purchase gift box items. Things like nutrition bars, hydration packets and thank-you cards were a few of the items added to each box. Some of the recipients selected to receive appreci- ation boxes: Lowell Fire Department Goshen Fire Department Eugene Police Department Cahoots Dexter Fire Department RiverBend Hospital McKenzie Fire Department Pleasant Hill Fire Department The Smathers An endorsement for district attorney Dear editor: I would like to take a moment of your time to endorse the re-election of Patty Perlow to the offi ce of Lane County district attorney. As a layman in the community, I’ve been associated with Lane County’s criminal corrections programs for nearly 40 years. I’ve served three sheriffs as an advisor. I also spent many years as a member and chairman of the Lane County Community Corrections Advisory Committee working closely with law enforcement offi cers, corrections offi cers, judges and prosecutors. The job of the district attorney is demand- ing both physically and mentally. My obser- vation is the present district attorney is Take time to celebrate and thank front-line workers handling the job well and deserves to be re-elected. Throughout my life I’ve been fortunate enough to supervise wage earners of many different crafts and skills. I’ve always been very supportive of those people who do their job well and who bring integrity to the workplace. I believe the present district attorney fi ts this criteria. Please join the Lane County sheriff, a retired Lane County district attor- ney, myself, and many others from the correc- tions and law enforcement fi eld and reelect Patty Perlow to another term as our district attorney. Nancy Bravo, a retired nurse who resides in Pleasant Hill, asked if she could provide some of her face masks. With help from her husband John they manufactured and donated 50 of those masks. Nancy said that they wanted to give back something in appreciation. Every day in the news you see the outpouring of support for not only these valuable people but also for those in need of assistance. It makes us very proud to be a part of this society. Accept our personal thank you for those contribut- ing to helping friends, neighbors, churches, educators, businesses, communities, hospitals, and of course our fi rst responders. Also, think about the housekeeping staff at our hospitals and care facilities. Don Williams Cottage Grove Pat and Wally Rowland Creswell