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7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2017 Immigration order playing well No free lunch: to Trump’s fans around nation Donors erase By JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — President Donald Trump’s order temporarily banning ref- ugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries is playing well in Trump Coun- try, those places that propelled him to the White House. The New York businessman and reality TV star promised to put America first during the campaign, his supporters say, and he’s doing it. That includes securing the nation’s borders and doing everything possible to prevent terrorists from enter- ing the U.S. In their view, Trump is being Trump. They add that Dem- ocrats and liberal snowflakes and soft-hearted do-gooders just need to calm down. “He’s going to do what he says and says what he does,” said Barbara Van Syckel, 66, of Sterling Heights, Michigan. “That’s a little frightening for some people.” Thousands have demon- strated at U.S. airports since Trump issued an order Friday blocking people from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa from entering the U.S. and suspending refugee immigration for four months. The protests included a gather- ing of several hundred people at the Birmingham, Alabama, air- port, the largest in a Southern state Trump carried with ease. Washington’s state attor- ney general filed a lawsuit over the order, and a federal judge in New York issued an emer- gency order temporarily ban- ning deportations of people from the seven nations. Some Republican lawmakers have questioned the order, with Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina saying they fear it will become “a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism.” students’ debts By MARY ESCH Associated Press AP Photo/Mike Householder AP Photo/John Minchillo Barbara Van Syckel is interviewed in Ster- ling Heights, Mich., Monday. Many Trump voters across the U.S. say they are pleased with his executive order temporarily ban- ning refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries. Van Syckel said that President Donald Trump is “going to do what he says and says what he does.” The 66-year-old says “that’s a little fright- ening for some people.” Middletown, Ohio, attorney Terri King speaks during a forum at the Miami Univer- sity learning center in West Chester, Ohio, in February. President Donald Trump’s supporters could not be much happier with his Friday executive order temporar- ily banning refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries. King said Trump’s order has widespread support in her Rust Belt city of Middletown. Trump Country Yet none of that criticism matters much in Trump Coun- try, those states and counties where Trump claimed the votes to win the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Retired social service worker Judith Wilkenloh says the order shows Trump “means what he says.” “He’s just unafraid. He’s just going ahead like a locomo- tive, and I like him more and more every time he does some- thing,” said Wilkenloh, 72, of Fredrick, Maryland. Trump supporters said they’re satisfied with the immi- gration order and the ideas behind it, from improving national security to watching out for Americans first. Some Trump backers said they might do things a little differently than the president, but their overall reaction is positive. “We’re not the world’s Social Security office. We’re not here to take care of people,” said Jim Buterbaugh, the head of custodial work and main- tenance at a public school in the western Montana town of White Hall. “I understand that people need help, but there are other ways besides bringing them here.” Buterbaugh, who has actively fought the re-settle- ment of Syrians in Montana, was frustrated that Trump’s moratorium did not include countries such as Saudi Ara- bia, where most of the Sept. 11 hijackers were from. The exec- utive order also did not include the creation of safe zones for refugees, which he favors. Mike Honaker has some misgivings, too. A Trump sup- porter in a struggling West Vir- ginia coal town, he didn’t think “blitzing everybody” with an order that spread chaos around the world was the right way to go. But Honaker worries about terrorism and does not have a problem with Trump’s plan to screen refugees more thor- oughly. Overall, Honaker likes 85 percent of what the president has done so far. “I think he’s shaking it up, the whole of Washington, D.C., and half the country, like he said he would,” he said. Attorney Terri King, 56, said Trump’s order has wide- spread support in her Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio. The only people who don’t support it are “those who are paid to protest on the left ... and some Democrats,” said King, an also-ran in a GOP congres- sional race last year. Venitta Ferguson of Okla- homa City, Oklahoma, said national security was a priority for her during the election, and Trump has delivered on what he promised. “I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s done,” the 59-year-old Ferguson said. “We’re in that kind of world where to ignore the possibil- ity that even one person out of 10,000 has ill intentions is foolish.” Ashley C. Ford felt driven to act by a sad fact of life in the nation’s school cafete- rias: Kids with unpaid lunch accounts are often embar- rassed with a substitute meal of a cold cheese sandwich and a carton of milk. Ford, a New York City writer, appealed to her 66,000 Twitter followers with a solu- tion. “A cool thing you can do today is try to find out which of your local schools have kids with overdue lunch accounts and pay them off.” In the nearly two months since, people around the country have been inspired to donate thousands of dollars to erase debts owed by parents that can follow kids through- out their school careers. In Minnesota, an online fundraising effort has paid almost $100,000 in lunch debt in Minneapolis schools and $28,000 in St. Paul’s. Donors, mostly anonymous, erased $6,000 in debts in Topeka, Kansas, $2,000 in Bellevue, Washington, $1,200 in Wilmington, Dela- ware, and $900 in Herminie, Pennsylvania. “It really hit home for me,” said Kristina Arwood, of Evansville, Indiana, who launched a campaign that raised $20,000 to pay lunch debts in her region. “I grew up on free and reduced-price lunches, but even that 40 cents was hard to get together with four kids. There were times I wouldn’t eat because I didn’t have money and didn’t want to be labeled as the poor kid.” Jill Draper, a yarn maker in the Hudson Valley town of Kingston, New York, said she was inspired by Ford’s tweet to collect money toward the $6,000 in debts owed by 600 students in her city’s schools. “It seemed like a really easy way to make a posi- tive difference locally,” said Draper, who has no chil- dren. “It’s amazing how one tweet became this crazy movement.” Draper said the effort drew some criticism from people who said some of the money is owed by parents who can afford the $2.50 for lunch but let their accounts run into the red. “But the response has been mostly positive, with really sweet notes from peo- ple who donate,” she said. Free and reduced Children from the poorest families get free or reduced- price breakfast and lunch. But some struggle to pay even reduced prices, and some families who would qualify for free or reduced prices fail to fill out the nec- essary paperwork. Some of the IOUs come from kids who simply forget their lunch money or parents who can afford to pay but neglect to keep prepaid accounts up to date. Most school districts allow children to run a tab for a certain number of meals if they come up short. Others give them an alternate meal of a cheese or peanut butter sandwich and fruit. If parents ignore school notices about their child’s overdrawn lunch account, the debt may be sent to a collection agency. Ulti- mately, taxpayers may have to cover it. Cleanup: City ‘can’t do it all’ Continued from Page 1A with poorly maintained land and buildings don’t put health, safety and the environment at risk. “I’m spending taxpayer money to pay for things people should be taking care of them- selves,” he said. “It really both- ers me.” With squatters taking shelter in squalid shacks and addicts holing up in abandoned abodes, Phillips has his work cut out. Discarded syringes and litter add to the hazards of problem properties, for those who stay in them and people passing by. “I don’t want to see anyone go into any building and get killed or injured,” he said. Phillips said the properties with the most pressing health and safety risks are the city’s top priorities. He sends warning letters and tries to work with owners before ticketing them. If the city has to take legal action, the costs add up quickly, he said. That’s why he does what he can to prod property owners to do the work on their own. “We need to have a good- lookin’ community,” Phillips said. “People taking pride in homes and businesses.” Long Beach Mayor Jerry Phillips has made tack- ling code violations a priority. EO Media Group File Photo Some successes City Administrator David Glasson said Phillips has already been successful in improving a few spots, includ- ing an old gas station that marred the corner of Sid Sny- der and Pacific avenues for years. The mayor saved the city money in legal fees and demo- lition costs by arranging for the former Grey Parrot Brewing Co. property to be sold to the owners of Active Enterprises, a neighboring propane and RV supply business. “It sure cleaned up the city and it looks better so far,” Glas- son said. Phillips also worked with the nonprofit His Supper Table on the sale of a property along Pacific Avenue near Ninth Street North. The deal helped the charity save the city legal fees and the cost of tearing down an abandoned A-frame, Glasson said. Now, Phillips is rewrit- ing the rules for Long Beach property owners with city staff. “Some of our ordinances don’t have teeth in them to help us,” he said. They’re considering changes to standards for yards and limits on vehicles parked outside. The mayor hopes stronger guidelines and fewer seedy sites will help attract new businesses, residents and tourists to town. “We all need to do it together,” Phillips said. “We, the city, can’t do it all.” Director: Applications due by Feb. 28 Continued from Page 1A during his nearly four years in Cannon Beach. “The other thing, too, that I’m really proud with Dan is the street-overlay program, where he’s tried to routinely maintain our streets, as well as to look to maintain the unpaved streets,” Kucera said. The city’s RV Resort wit- nessed a “huge upgrade” under Grassick’s supervision, bring- ing in electrical, water and sewer to the area east of U.S. Highway 101, Kucera said. “That property has gone seam- lessly. It really positions us in the future for the kind of expe- rience campers are looking for.” Grassick said, “Every week seems to bring a new topic for discussion and potential prob- lem solving. The community involvement has been interest- ing and emphasizes the impor- tance of both written and ver- bal communication to a very diverse audience with wide ranging perspectives on all issues.” The qualifications The position is advertised at a salary range of $73,000 to $88,000. “I’m looking for someone who has really strong personnel experience,” Kucera said. “We have a wide array of workers in public works, from very experi- enced to brand new.” Candidates experienced in budgeting, managing bid pro- cesses, project management and the performance of contrac- tors are sought. “While this is not a typi- cal engineering project design and construction position, the opportunities for working on standard fare such as water lines, sewer lines, streets and treatment plant operations are there, as well as all the subtle community issues that come with being a very popular tour- ist destination community,” Grassick said. “It’s a continuous education and learning environ- ment that ensures you stay ener- gized and engaged every day.” All applications and resumes must be received at Cannon Beach City Hall by Feb. 28. “Dan really brought a lot to the table,” Kucera said. “One person doesn’t make an orga- nization, but Dan was a very important part of Cannon Beach. He’s a great guy to work with. I felt like he’s a friend. It’s going to be hard to replace him.” Thank You CARRIERS Join The Daily Astorian in thanking our dedicated team of carriers and delivery personnel who have braved our winter weather over the past few weeks. These folks have gone above and beyond the normal call of duty to do their best to deliver The Daily Astorian to you in rain, ice, wind and everything in between. Thank you for your dedication and for a job well-done. JoAn Betterton Jim Boswell Dave Bowechop Lottie Bowechop Marilyn Harrison Richard Harrison Patricia Hill Joyce Hudak Brandi Larson Mark Larson Laurie Nichols Howard Peterson Cynthia Pohlenz Walter Pohlenz Lucus Robinson Patricia Rose Theresa Ryan Brian Tingle Machell Trujillo Conley Vaughan Jim Vaughan Call 503-325-3211 or visit DailyAstorian.com to subscribe or to find out more about being a Daily Astorian carrier.
