THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015
Angels in heaven
T
hey say our children are
the future, I look at then as
God’s angels. Children are the
bright spot in the world, but re-
cently two of those bright spots
went out (Isabella Smith in
Cannon Beach and Evangelina
Wing in Seaside).
Two little angels were taken
away in an unspeakable man-
ner, and will never have all the
chances and happiness they de-
serve. Children look to parents
to keep them safe, guide them
and most of all love them al-
ways. Children should always
be made to feel they are the most
important gift and never feel
pain, neglect or be afraid. Kids
shouldn’t have to be put through
any type of abuse — after all,
they are just kids.
God took two little angels
home and will be their protector
when they were too young to
protect themselves.
Give your little angels all the
love and protect them from all
the bad. Please don’t let another
angel be taken away.
JENNY MCCOLLISTER
Seaside
Build a subway
R
ead about possible river de-
velopment east to Second
Street. I don’t know what the
problem is, as it should be easy
to just replace the trolley with
a subway. That way the view
will stay the same — dark, as in
planning. Maybe we could pow-
er the underground train with
DICK DARBY
Astoria
High horses
W
hat’s going on with our
for us an only be commended.
If the rest of the county com-
missioners would step down
from their high horses and con-
fer with Commissioner Rohne,
I am sure he will work hard for
the good of all Clatsop County
residents, including their leaders.
Don’t throw stones, they
may be returned. I’ll stand by
Dirk Rohne — he has no agenda
but service.
DON BARTLETT
Knappa
Help for homeless
T
he good citizens of Astoria
have been focusing a lot of
attention lately on the need to
help people who are living 24
hours a day outside; somewhere
in nooks and crannies and se-
cret crawl spaces on the ground,
hopefully, where they can be out
of the pounding rain and wind.
The Warming Center at 1111
Exchange St. is now open when
temperatures are expected to
drop below 35 degrees. Since
Dec. 1, the center has been
and the biggest challenge for the
center is that each 12 hours of
operation from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
requires nine volunteers.
The Daily Astorian editori-
al “America in 2015: Warming
the homeless” (Jan. 5) ended
with the statement “We would
much prefer a headline that
read, ‘Warming Center closes
because it isn’t needed any-
more.’” The fact is, until global
warming changes our beautiful
and forested Northwest into an
arid desert, there will probably
remain a need for a warming
shelter. Therefore, at this time,
we need to address some of the
actual realities that exist in Asto-
ria for people who have no per-
manent shelter.
1. Being homeless boils
down to being a crime because
you are not allowed to hole up
during the night in a public crawl
space.
to remain invisible if you have
all your worldly possessions in a
shopping cart.
3. If you get caught in a rain-
storm without some rain gear,
you get to spend the night in wet
clothes and shoes.
4. Each day presents the same
We can donate stuff and
volunteer our time until the
cows come home, but until we
with for the ACLU’s opinion on
this ordinance is that the ACLU
believes that African-American
youth are the only segment of
the population who walk around
with saggy pants.
Perhaps the National Asso-
ciation for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP)
should step in here and rep-
rimand the ACLU for racial
An animal chorus is singing
I
was most pleased by the
positive and large (two
pages) spread The Daily
Astorian devoted Dec. 31
to animals that have been
adopted from the Clatsop
County Animal Shelter. The
generosity of the supporters
paying for the article, the
pressing issues, we are putting
a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.
LARRY ALLEN
Astoria
Use common sense
M
any readers remember the
map on The Daily Asto-
rian’s front page showing how
natural gas (LNG) tanker. Like
many others, I laughed at the
proposals to build LNG import
terminals on the Columbia. The
effort of the person who put
the article together, and the
kindness of the volunteers
and paid staff who cared
for these animals is over-
whelming. And then there
are the folks who adopted
all these pets.
Looking at the sea of
8 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Warrenton
Third St. (www.columbiariver-
keeper.org).
LAURIE CAPLAN
Astoria
T
he Daily Astorian does a
commendable job in featur-
ing the volunteerism that distin-
guishes the communities of our
What does make sense is
saying no to LNG and yes to
protecting private property from
eminent domain, minimizing
to the article about the good peo-
ple who keep the trolley running
(“All aboard!” Dec. 5).
In addition to the individuals
presented in this article, there
are numerous others who give
generously of their time year af-
ter year. Prominent among peo-
ple who work especially hard
for our area are two Chinook,
Wash., residents, Rollie and
Reta Lindstrom.
-
ond Language, plays in four
different music groups and is in
charge of all social activities for
Exploring New Concepts of Re-
tirement Education (ENCORE).
She has perhaps the most de-
manding job. As chairwoman
of the 10-member ENCORE
curriculum committee, she is
-
tors with ideas of what courses
to offer every term, prepare the
course schedule and secure ven-
ues for the courses.
Most people around here
don’t know that ENCORE
stands for adult education, and
that we operate under the aus-
pices of Clatsop Community
College. For some reason, how-
ever, The Daily Astorian pub-
lishes next to nothing about our
organization or its members.
Is it because our volunteer-
ism doesn’t have the high vis-
ibility enjoyed by the trolley
The Daily Astorian has
never been against education
and yet, they hardly ever print
our articles. Is it because we
and area residents in an LNG
emergency, and preserving our
quality of life.
Ask decision-makers to use
their common sense for the
public good. Ask them to deny
permits for LNG in Warrenton.
For more information, attend
the Columbia Riverkeeper com-
munity information meeting at
certainly have invited them to
send someone to write about
us. We might not even get a re-
sponse when we want to buy our
way into that paper.
ENCORE has existed since
2001. We have an organization
of over 130 members. Among
them are many former educa-
tors and other professionals. We
It’s 10 years later, and the
proposal to build an LNG export
terminal in Warrenton is just as
reckless. This is why each of us
must speak up when the state
of Oregon and the Warrenton
City Commissioners hold pub-
lic meetings and hearings in the
next couple of months. Those
permits for a massive LNG ter-
minal where the Skipanon and
Columbia rivers meet.
Even fossil fuel industry ex-
sense. It is basically a sand spit,
beyond 350 feet deep, taking up
most of the Skipanon Peninsula. It
is in a subduction earthquake and
tsunami zone. Yet this is where
the company, Oregon LNG,
tanks, each about a city block in
diameter. Thousands of people
live, work and attend school with-
in the terminal’s 3-mile diameter
gas vapor hazard zone.
The plan for a pipeline is
a dangerous joke. They want
41 miles of a 3-foot diameter
high-pressure natural gas pipe-
line on and under our notoriously
unstable, slide-prone mountains,
forests and other land. Does this
photos and thinking about
happiness of these animals
that have found a home
makes me proud of our
community; I suspect there
is an animal chorus singing
joy.
Chinook, Wash.
don’t advocate immorality or
sedition. What brings us togeth-
er is a pronounced interest in
we deserve to be ignored by our
Astoria
Ignoring ENCORE?
S
5A
o, it seems that during the past
year the city of Ocala, Fla.,
passed a “saggy pants” ordinance.
The American Civil Liberties
Union immediately labeled this
ordinance as “racially bias against
young African-Americans,” say-
ing that they were being targeted
by the city council.
As I read the ordinance, it
says nothing about male or fe-
male, black or white, young or
old or even gay or straight, so
how this targets the black youth
-
ly, I fail to understand. The only
explanation that I can come up
part of the population that is not
the ACLU believes that only
black male youth walk around
with their pants below their butt
cheeks. If you go downtown,
here in little old Astoria, you
see much of the younger crowd
“jailing” as they say, with their
trousers pulled down low, and
I don’t believe that 5 percent
of them are black. It seems that
only the ACLU would even con-
sider labeling this phenomenon
an African-American thing.
But, I guess, to stay in the news
you have to say something, no
matter how ludicrous it sounds.
That is just my opinion; I
could be wrong.
DAVID GRAVES
Astoria
Protect kids
R
ecent heinous violations of
children’s human rights,
and even the taking of their lives,
have altered my view of the
proper boundaries of interest and
attention to children at large. As
adults, we need to do better.
We need to keep a keen eye
on all children we come into
contact with in the street, at the
grocery store, in the doctor’s of-
we see something “not right” or
questionable, we need to report
to the nearest authority.
Adults must be fearless in
reporting possible abuse and not
afraid of making a mistake. If we
are wrong, then we are wrong,
but we must err in the favor of
children who cannot protect
themselves. We, as adults, have
a moral responsibility to do so.
Taking into consideration the
gamut of parenting, good and
bad and all the differences in
parents, culturally, economically
and in every other way humans
can differ, there is still a univer-
sal and gut feeling when child
abuse is present. Most of us can
sense when something is “not
right,” that a child is in harm’s
way, and adults should act on
what they see and feel.
These heinous crimes have
occurred here in Clatsop County,
not in some Third World country
or urban slum. It has happened
where we live, in our communi-
ties and our neighborhoods. Mon-
sters do live among us.
I certainly support folks’ pri-
vacy and their civil rights, but let’s
put children’s civil rights — to
live without fear, to be fed and
kept safe and to even have a life
MARY TANGUAY WEBB
Astoria
ENCORE
Exploring New Concepts of Retirement Education
For people 50 years & older
Sponsored by Clatsop Community College
WINTER SESSION
CLASSES
BEGIN JANUARY 12TH
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALL 503-338-2408 or VISIT
www.encorelearn.org
BACK TO SCHOOL
Dirk Rohne is doing an excellent
job representing the people of
his district, just as he was elected
to do. This man’s integrity, ded-
ication and commitment to our
community cannot be denied.
I have known Commissioner
Rohne since he was an infant.
Agree with him or not, you know
where he stands, and that he puts
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
CCC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.
Accommodations: Persons having questions about or a request for
special needs and accommodation should contact JoAnn Zahn, Vice
President of Finance and Operations, at Clatsop Community College,
1651 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, Oregon 97103, Phone (503)338-2421
or TDD (503)338-2468. Email special needs and accommodation
request to mailto:requests@clatsopcc.edu • Contact should be made
at least two business days in advance of the event.
2015
is your year
‘The Way to Wellville’
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT A
KICKOFF EVENT
TUESDAY, JAN. 13
SEASIDE HIGH SCHOOL
1901 North Holladay Dr
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14
WARRENTON HIGH SCHOOL
1700 SW Main St
5:30 - 7p.m. IN THE LIBRARY
ENJOY DOOR PRIZES
AND REFRESHMENTS
After a nationwide application and selection
process, Clatsop County was chosen as one of five
communities in the U.S. invited to participate in
the five-year ‘The Way to Wellville’ challenge to
improve the health of our community. We will be
joined at the kickoff by a representative of
challenge’s sponsor, Health Initiative Coordinating
Council (HICCup), as well as invitees from the local
agencies and organizations working together on
this challenge.
Take your first steps to a
Happier, healthier you.
What will you do this year?
Get Fit
Catch your breath with CMH Pulmonary Rehabilitation 503-338-4053
Improve your balance with the “A Matter of Balance” class 503-338-7564
Fight bone loss in the “Strong Women, Strong Bones” class 503-338-7564
Lose Weight
Create a diet and exercise plan at CMH
Primary Care 503-338-4500
Quit Tobacco
Kick the tobacco habit with help, call
503-338-7564
NEW for 2015!
Diabetes Self-Management
Chronic Pain Self-Management
Call 503-338-7564
Eat Healthier
Make wise choices with the “Healthy Eating”
class 503-338-7564
Manage your diabetes with Diabetes Education 503-338-4012
Feel Better
Look good with the CMH ENT/Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 503-338-4529
Free yourself of old injuries with CMH Rehabilitation 503-338-7555
Help Others
Give the gift of time and compassion. Become a volunteer 503-325-4321
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