Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2020)
DECEMBER 4, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5 Public Square Public Square weclomes all points of view. Published submissions do not necessarily refl ect the views of the Keizertimes. Submit a guest opinion, column or letter to the editor to publisher@keizertimes.com. Correction The guest column titled Defi ance is not leadership that ran on the Public Square page in the Nov. 27, 2020 Keizertimes was erroneously credited to John Morgan. The actual author is John Mangan. We deeply apologize to both John Morgan and John Mangan for the error. Small businesses Many small businesses in Keizer plummet. Billions of dollars of shop- and around the country are holding ping has shifted to the web, a trend on by the fi ngernails. The pandemic that will only grow. Not every small business can has changed, perhaps forever, the way we shop for goods and services. The match the slick websites to sell their new restrictions imposed by Gov. goods. However, they can use social Kate Brown will make the holiday media sites to promote themselves. If today’s consumer wants convenience, season anything but jolly. a local business can present Small businesses are their products, make it easy owned by our friends for a shopper to call, order and neighbors; they need and have the item shipped, the support of their com- pick it up curbside in a munities right now. editorial or contactless transaction. Restaurants can’t offer Consumers should not the dine-in option now turn a blind eye to the yet take out and delivery smaller businesses in their is available from many area. Supporting local busi- eateries. During COVID, many have rediscovered the art of nesses is supporting the community. cooking and baking at home. Eating Our friends and neighbors who own out is convenient and holds its own a business are more likely to con- allure, but when that is not possible, tribute to community organizations picking up your favorite food or hav- such as school programs and youth ing it delivered to your door is the sports teams. A business that is closed or has less revenue cannot donate to alternative. Dozens of restaurans in big cit- the things that maintain our quality ies such as Portland and Seattle have of life. Local restaurants are ready to have permanently closed. That translates to thousands of lost jobs, not to men- an order ready for pick-up or delivery, tion the demise of livelihoods for the a local retailer will bend over back- ward to have your business. owners. Bigger isn’t always better, some- Many restaurant employees have been laid off or had their hours re- times bigger is just bigger. During the duced. Their households are just like fi nal weeks of holiday shopping, Keiz- er consumers should consider which anybody’s: they have bills to pay, too. Restaurants are not the only small small businesses in the area are selling businesses to suffer during the pan- what they need. We should all endeav- demic. Small owner-operated retail or to help our friends and neighbors. —LAZ stores have seen their customer traffi c Then, there is about ten feet of damaged sidewalk be- hind the trees. After that, the letters To the Editor: sidewalk stops—completely. On Dec. 7, 2020, there That’s because the remainder will be a public hearing of Harcourt (going south) has at the Keizer City Coun- no sidewalk. Neither does the cil to determine how to next cross street. As a conse- “fi x” the issue of 10 feet of damaged quence there is no foot-traffi c on that sidewalk located on Harcourt Avenue offending portion of the sidewalk. De- at the side of a residence (1360 Ivy spite that, according to Shannon John- Way NE). Normally, it is a good idea son, Keizer city attorney, there has been to repair sidewalks, but not when the a complaint to which the City of Keiz- sidewalk goes nowhere and a decision er has to respond. by the Keizer City Council to have the According to Shannon Johnson, sidewalk repaired (rather than remove even the complainant doesn’t want the the damaged sidewalk) will cause the trees cut down, but repairing the side- removal of two perfectly healthy, mag- walk isn’t feasible without destroying nifi cent trees—which are heritage-like the trees. Unfortunately, one cannot landmarks for this area of Keizer. simply reroute the sidewalk because The offending sidewalk goes be- of the way the land slopes. And, Keiz- hind these two trees and goes no fur- er ordinances require the owner of the ther. That is, from the corner of Har- residence only “to repair or replace this court and Ivy Way NE to the trees is existing sidewalk.” There is no provi- about four feet of “good” sidewalk. sion for the simple removal of this side- To remove or repair sidewalk Our wild geese terways like Staats Lake where they By JIM PARR In his column, We can still be spend their nights in safety on the thankful regardless of 2020 (On my water. Except for a few year ‘round res- mind, Keizertimes, Nov. 20)) publish- idents, the truly wild geese, er Lyndon Zaitz refl ect- including the small Cack- ed upon an observation ling Canada Goose sub- when he was able to other species, depart for the far set aside the rancor and north during early May. stress of our current voices You can tell when depar- times and let, if for only ture time is getting close a moment, nature ren- as they congregate in large der its magic. He watched the wild geese fl y- fl ocks and become very vocal as if ing overhead and more importantly, excited in anticipation of the trip noticed that another person had also to north of the Arctic Circle. And stopped to watch and listen. Like then suddenly they are gone and the people, geese are social beings and quiet of summer without the pres- their noisy appearance can touch a ence of the geese descends upon us. They spend the short summer person’s soul. If you let it. Wild geese are durable, endur- season of the far north nesting and ing, strong, purposeful and totally raising their young. As soon as the in tune with the seasons. As indi- young are fl ying strongly, they turn viduals, they are selfl ess, vigilant, and around and begin the trip south- protective of each other and their ward to their favorite wintering ar- fl ock and will, without hesitation, eas, escaping the onset of the brutal die defending their mate, their nest, Arctic winter. They begin to arrive back in and young. Yes, they can be a nuisance in Keizer in September. “Right on parks, golf courses, and even de- time” you might say as they are crea- structive to some farm fi elds. But tures of habit and there is no mis- if we can abide this aspect of their taking their return. The long noisy nature, there is much to enjoy in the lines of geese announce their arrival sight and sound of the geese as they as if with great joy in the success of fl y back and forth between the fi elds their journey. Perhaps you also have where they feed and loaf at local wa- been listening for and anticipating over the past decade, now to 1,297 By BARB IVERSON Thanksgiving is all about making vineyards with 908 wineries. Wine time to refl ect on the many things grapes are the state’s Number 7 top ag commodity, valuing at in life for which we are $238 million. grateful. In conversations Few things are more around the dinner table, guest festive than purchasing a Oregon Farm Bureau Christmas tree. Did urges readers to remem- column fresh you know that Oregon is ber the farm and ranch Number 1 in the nation for families who grew the Christmas tree production? food you’ll be enjoying not only during the holidays, but all Because more people are staying at home this year due to the pandem- year long. While Oregon isn’t a major pro- ic, there is expected to be increased ducer of turkeys, we do specialize in interest in purchasing a live, fragrant beef cattle; cattle and calves rank as tree that can be enjoyed all season Oregon’s #3 top agricultural com- long. Beyond seasonal favorites, there modity by production value, drawing are many other reasons to #Cele- in over $625 million a year. Your holiday dining will almost brateAg. For one, Oregon agriculture is certainly feature other prominent Oregon ag products. Oregon is sustainable. Through Oregon Farm Number 1 in the nation for pro- Bureau’s Century Farm & Ranch ducing hazelnuts and Dungeness Program, an impressive 1,235 farms crab; Number 2 for pears and on- and ranches have remained opera- ions; Number 3 for cranberries; and tional, on the same land, and within Number 4 for green peas and pota- the same family for at least 100 years, toes. Milk is Oregon’s Number 4 top and 47 families have reached the ag commodity, valuing at $552 mil- 150-year milestone. Agriculture is also family-based. lion, and is used to create a host of Nearly 97% of Oregon’s farms and delicious dairy products. You’ll #CelebrateAg when you raise a toast during the holidays. Oregon-grown hops are to thank for many of the region’s craft beers, and our state ranks Number 3 in the United States for growing hops. The Oregon wine industry has surged Maze by Jonathan Graf of Keizer sudoku One year: $35 in Marion County, $43 outside Marion County, $55 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Matt Rawlings news@keizertimes.com Publication No: USPS 679-430 COMMUNITY REPORTER POSTMASTER Lauren Murphy reporter@keizertimes.com Send address changes to: ADVERTISING advertising@keizertimes.com PRODUCTION MANAGER & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew Jackson graphics@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com 2019-2021 President Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon LEGAL NOTICES legals@keizertimes.com facebook.com/keizertimes (Barb Iverson is president of the Oregon Farm Bureau.) walk, which is the solution that makes the most sense since the sidewalk goes nowhere. Hence, the decision has been referred to the Keizer City Council. Why would we sacrifi ce two mag- nifi cent trees to repair a small portion of a sidewalk that leads nowhere? I’m asking the city council of the to resolve the issue of the offending sidewalk by fi nding a solution, like removing the sidewalk entirely, which will also let us save our wonderful trees. Anything you can do to help save the trees and generate a good solution for the City of Keizer would be much appreciated. Barbara Hunter Keizer SUBSCRIPTIONS ASSOCIATE EDITOR ranches — including commer- cial-scale farms — are family-owned and operated. Some are “corporate farms” that incorporated for tax pur- poses or succession-plan reasons. In agriculture, “big” doesn’t mean “bad.” Agriculture benefi ts the environ- ment. The wide, open spaces created by farms and ranches not only pre- serve Oregon’s cherished landscapes, but also provide 70% of the state’s wildlife habitat. 551,000 acres of Oregon ag land are enrolled in the voluntary USDA Conservation Re- serve Program, which helps improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat on private land. And, combined, U.S. agriculture, land use, and forestry are a net sink for carbon emissions, re- moving 172 million metric tons of C02-equivalent emissions from the atmosphere in 2017. Whether for the simple pleasure of enjoying Oregon-grown food— or for agriculture’s countless other contributions to society—please join us and take a moment to #Cele- brateAg this holiday season. maze Wheatland Publishing Corp. 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 • Phone: 503.390.1051 www.keizertimes.com Eric A. Howald editor@keizertimes.com (Jim Parr lives in Keizer.) Celebrate Ag this holiday season Keizertimes MANAGING EDITOR their return with some sense of ex- citement. In a world where there seems to be so little to depend on, you can depend on the geese. They are reliable. There is something about their distant calls when fl ying high and direct in the night that can bring a smile and a sense of wonder. If we let it. Is it their wildness and free- dom that spark our imagination? Do we wish that we could fi nd life as purposeful and ordered as is theirs where the “what, when and where” is always known and without so many questions? As for that occasional single bird that is fl ying alone and not with the fl ock: its quiet calls are for a lost mate and refl ect grief and loneliness. Geese mate for life and when one of a pair is lost it can take considerable time before the survivor rejoins a fl ock and perhaps fi nds a new mate. It is known that if one goose of a pair falls from the air for whatever reason, its mate will circle back to fi nd it, often to its own detriment. If you listen to and watch the geese, you can be reminded that there still are remnants of all that is wild and free and of life being lived for all of the right reasons. Listen to the geese. They are wise. twitter.com/keizertimes Enter digits from 1-9 into the blank spac- es. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.
