Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current, June 19, 2020, Image 4

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Keizertimes., June 19, 2020, Page 4, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextPAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 19, 2020 Opinion The coronavirus is not gone The coronavirus is not gone. The distancing and the wearing of face virus that causes COVID-19 has not masks are key to stopping the spread been eradicated, it is still very much of coronavirus. Some may think that virulent in this country and around the pandemic is over because society is slowly re-opening, the world. New cases are be- but the protocols are ing reporrted every day, even still in place and they here in Oregon. to be followed. It is vital to re-open and editorial need Experts who warn salvage our economy. States of a second wave across the nation have re- of COVID-19 cas- opened, many, like Oregon, es should be heeded. are opening in phases. Some counties in our state are ready to en- Where we are seeing a spike in cases ter Phase Two of Gov. Kate Brown’s is where we see large gatherings of people not social distancing and few- re-opening strategy. While it is paramount to get the er people wearing masks. Some retailers require custom- economy rolling again, it is more im- portant to safeguard the public. Social ers to wear masks before they enter their stores; many businesses have ﬂ oor markings to assure distancing and have erected barriers between customers and employees to protect both. We should expect these safe- ty protocols to be in place for quite some time. We should follow them, if for no other reason than it protects the health of ourselves and others. Scientists around the world are working furiously to develop a vac- cine and to ﬁ nd a path to eradication. Until those things happen it is our responibility as citizens of the world to do our part to assure we’re not helping it spread. —LAZ Opening night! Memories of 1989 were easily sur- By JERRY WALKER Well, Wednesday, June 17, should passed by those of 1997, a year that have been Opening Night for the Sa- celebrated an almost unbelievable accomplishment of build- lem-Keizer Volcanoes. Re- ing Volcanoes Stadium in ﬂ ecting for a moment on just under ﬁ ve months and what would have been my professional base- 32nd Opening Night in guest bringing ball back to the mid-Willa- professional baseball span- ning ﬁ ve decades, the 1980s column mette Valley. Fans number- ing 4,906 came, in a steady through the 2020s. light rain, to help dedicate The two most memora- the stadium. The glamour of ble nights came in 1989 and 1997. It was total euphoria in 1989, tuxedos in 1989 was replaced with a the ﬁ rst Opening Night. Everything sensational stadium dedication speech was new, excitement was in the air, by City Councilor Al Miller, conclud- Jeff Smulyan, owner of the Seattle ing with, “It is with great pride that I Mariners, delivered a special Mariners’ hereby dedicate this stadium. May it bouquet of ﬂ owers that were situat- long serve as an inspiration to others ed on home plate adding to a festive and as a symbol of who we are and pre-game ceremony. Tuxedos were what we are.” The ﬁ rst pitch was brought in via donned by my partner and I for the special occasion and many ﬁ rst-time helicopter by Mayor Dennis Koho. Due to wet grounds, the game was experiences were about to unfold. The Bellingham Mariners trailed never played. This fact seemed lost on 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth with all those who attended, who left in two outs. While winning the game delight, as the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes appeared hopeless, it also seemed sec- had been born and the community ondary in importance to the overall had a terriﬁ c new stadium. It is hard not to wonder what the experience—that was until Corey Paul stepped to the plate. With runners on future holds. The coronavirus has tak- ﬁ rst and second, Paul launched a long en its toll and the damage is far from home run over the right ﬁ eld wall and over. As some businesses are ﬁ nally it was game over—Bellingham Mari- reopening, others are closing forever. Civil unrest has unfolded and America ners win on a walk-off home run. is ﬁ ghting for its survival as we once all knew it. Our liberty in in ques- tion. The virus has shutdown all pro- fessional sports and has impacted soci- ety in a manner greater than words can express. What will be next? At times like these, we need to remember ev- erything we have to be thankful for — sometimes we forget and sometimes it is just hard to do because the impact of what is happening is so great. We will miss the smiles of all the fans that will not be attending Open- ing Night ceremonies. Opening Night is so special as it is a new begin- ning while at the same time it creates memories. As James Earl Jones’ char- acter in Field of Dreams so eloquent- ly spoke, “And they’ll walk off to the bleachers and sit in their short sleeves on a perfect afternoon. And ﬁ nd they have reserved seats somewhere along the baselines where they sat when they were children. And cheer their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.” (Jerry Walker is owner, president and general manager of the Sa- lem-Keizer Volcanoes.) Special session unwise during pandemic It will all be electronic. “But Bill, it’s all By BILL POST Governor Kate Brown and the ma- online now!” Really? And every Or- egonian has access to a com- jority in the Oregon Leg- puter and the internet? I was islature are anxious to hold not aware that that was true. If a “special session” on June then why are we hav- 24. I want to know how guest it ing were, problems with “distance this is good for Oregon in our schools? in the current pandem- opinion learning” There will only be written ic? How exactly does the testimony allowed to be sub- Legislature hold a special mitted. That means no public session without imple- menting Phase 3 of the Governor’s testimony or questions. Regardless of the Constitutional issues, how is this reopening guidelines? Consider that the Oregon State fair and equitable to all Oregonians? Let’s look at “fair” in regard to the Capitol is an 80-year-old “incuba- tor” for viruses now, which is one very guidelines that all of Oregon of the reasons the Legislature invest- must live with right now. The state ed in massive building upgrades that Capitol is in Marion County. Mari- are still underway. Anyone who’s ever on County is not even in Phase Two worked there is very familiar with the of the reopening. Even if it were, the infamous “Capitol Crud” that ﬂ ies limit on “large gathering” is 250 peo- through the building every session. ple. There is no way not to have over How could anyone even consider 250 people in the Capitol. Just 90 leg- meeting there now? Even if only the islators and one staffer each is 180…. 90 legislators met, what if they took that’s even disregarding the lobbyists, COVID-19 back to their districts? and most importantly, the public We Some counties have no cases and es- must consider the health and welfare of all Oregonians, which is impossible pecially no deaths. Let’s talk about transparency and with a session at this time. While Oregonians must abide by equity. There will be no public input. the guidelines, the Legislature is ex- empt? Although there is important work to be done, let us not jeopardize the health and safety of all of Oregon while conducting that work. Being a member of the Legislature, I believe in equity for all Oregonians. Which is why having a special session is unfair to other Oregonians. For example: student-athletes who can’t play sports. Businesses that can’t operate. Employ- ees who are still unemployed and can’t go to work. Seniors who can’t get out nor have visitors. Governor Brown has to decide. Ei- ther we are out of this pandemic now and can meet in large groups, opening Oregon completely or the outbreak is still too high and we must maintain the current status. Oregon’s health and safety is of the utmost importance. The science is clear, Oregon is still in a vulnerable place. We must not ex- acerbate that by having hundreds of people in a close ﬁ tting, older build- ing. This can wait until October. We cannot have both. (Bill Post represents House District 25. He can be reached via email at rep.billpost@oregonlegislature.gov.) Current events call for look at policing By GENE H. McINTYRE As a 21-year resident of Keizer, I must have come of age. Seriously, I’m an adult citizen who cares about what happens here with interests that in- clude local policing. A timely event was the Keizer- times interview with Keizer Police Chief John Teague. (Policing with minority perspec- tives in mind, June 12). The chief said that he possesses empathy for persons of col- or with whom he is acquainted, while details on what “procedural justice” and “agency fairness” mean came up short in terms of speciﬁ cs. Study of policing in America have revealed some grim ﬁ ndings. Re- search ﬁ nds that U.S. police ofﬁ cer killings during a typical year add up to 31 for every 10 million. Our pop- ulation is close to 330 million while simple arithmetic reveals the astonish- ing total annual number. Meanwhile, in two western Europe- an nations, Germany and the United Kingdom, Deutschland ﬁ nds one killed by police for ev- ery 10 million; the U.K. comes in at .05 per 10 million. Our police are more likely to encounter other Americans in possession of ﬁ rearms and are trained to respond pre-emp- tively. In the U.S., the threshold for use of ﬁ rearms is much lower than those in virtually all of Europe. Here, a po- lice ofﬁ cer can use his weapon when he believes there’s a good reason to do so or thinks his life is in danger. one man’s opinion Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com 2019-2020 President Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon SUBSCRIPTIONS One year: $35 in Marion County, $43 outside Marion County, $55 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 In Europe, police ofﬁ cers infrequent- ly carry a ﬁ rearm weapon and use it only as a ﬁ nal resort. American police training requires about 20 weeks while classroom ed- ucation and ﬁ eld training in Europe averages two years. Those who ar- gue for a longer training program see a need for more education in the classroom and in the ﬁ eld here in the United States. Another difference here is the availability of surplus U.S. military equipment. Of course, used desks and chairs, ﬁ le cabinets and the like help save city budgets. However, armored ve- hicles, battle helmets and body armor convert a local police force to com- bat military, resembling those serving overseas against enemy forces. Ameri- can citizens are Constitutionally giv- en freedoms of assembly, speech and peaceful protest. It appears timely and appropri- ate to hear from Chief Teague as to what the people can count on from him and our taxpayer-funded police ofﬁ cers in the administration of their sworn duties to protect and defend. Has the time come—as with some U.S. communities elsewhere in tri- al mode—to “defund” (deﬁ ned here as a highly diversiﬁ ed public safety workforce, emphasizing community policing) some public safety funding dollars so the future better serves all of us? (Gene H. McIntyre lives in Keizer. He shares his opinion regularly in the Keizertimes.) District forges ahead with improvements at Claggett Creek MS BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes Dozens of construction proj- ects will be taking place across Sa- lem-Keizer this summer, including a $3.7 million project at Claggett Creek Middle School. Thanks to the $677 million Sa- lem-Keizer bond project, which was passed by voters just over two years ago, Claggett Creek will un- dergo upgrades that include repur- posing two general classrooms into a science lab, cafeteria expansion, rooﬁ ng replacement, plus library and media improvements. Construction was supposed to get started in mid-June, but with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping kids out of in-person classes, the project began in late-May. “The most exciting part is the state-of-the-art science teaching center going in. There has been a lot of work that has gone into that aspect of the project with our sci- ence teachers and bond planning team,” said Claggett Creek Princi- pal Aaron Persons. Persons says that the district has been pushing for more access to science education across all grade levels and that his students are ex- cited for the school makeover. “It sparks interest in kids. These kids will be going to McNary and McNary has programs that will meet any of the science needs that are kids have, so we try to light the ﬁ re in them,” Persons said. The science center will give Claggett Creek the opportunity to expand their career exploration lab — which just concluded its ﬁ rst year and offered instruction on electrical wiring, small engine maintenance, plumbing, 3-D print- ing, app creation and laser technol- ogy. Blood draw simulations, stress testing and manufacturing, forensic science will be added to the unit for the 2020-21 school year. “There is just a very wide vari- ety of options,” Persons said. The cafeteria expansion, which will increase lunch seating by more than 30 percent, is a much-needed upgrade according to Persons. “Our cafeteria wasn’t keeping up with our growing enrollment. We had over 1,000 kids last year,” Persons said. “Our cafeteria has been very crowded. During lunch- time, every seat was full, so kids would kind of have to scope out their seat when they would walk in. It will now be more opened up and it will be a more appropriate and comfortable environment.” Although the project is ahead of its timetable, the bond team does not plan on advancing con- struction, which is scheduled to be completed at the start of September before kids begin the school year. “That allows us some ﬂ exibil- ity in the schedule. If unforeseen things come up, we will be able to adjust,” said Karma Krause, the Capital Projects Public Engage- ment Specialist for the district. Pandemic assistance items can be dropped off at St. Ed’s There are now expanded hours for the public donation site at St. Edward Catholic Church. In April, Marion County Public Health stood up a donation site at the church two days a week. Dona- tions are now being accepted ﬁ ve days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site gathering food and household necessities for commu- nity members, as well as items for community partners that provide assistance to individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Volunteers working the center Monday, May 19, said baby items (food, diapers, pull-ups and wipes) and travel-sized personal care items (including feminine hygiene prod- ucts) are among the most desper- ately-needed in the area. Home- made, cloth face masks can also be donated. Items are distributed directly to service providers or community members from Marion Polk Food Share and its network of local food banks. The church is located at 5303 River Road N, in Keizer. The donation site is accepting the following new, unopened and unexpired items: • Food (peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit and veggies, oatmeal, pasta, spaghetti sauce, soups, rice, and beans) • Toilet paper • Cleaning supplies (hand soap, dish soap, disinfectant spray, paper towels, garbage bags, and laundry detergent) • Pet food (dog and/or cat) • Packaged digital thermometers • Cloth masks (clean homemade cloth masks are acceptable) The drive-thru process has been designed with social distanc- ing measures for the safety of vol- unteers and the donating public. Please load items for donation in the back seat or trunk of your ve- hicle. Volunteers can then unload the items without making physical contact with drivers. Employees of Marion County Health Department, the Nation- al Guard and members of local CERT teams are providing stafﬁ ng to cover donation intake. For more information, contact Marion County at: Health_Dona- tions@co.marion.or.us.