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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 23, 2015)
A4 V IEWPOINT Hood River News, Saturday, May 23, 2015 JOE PETSHOW Publisher/President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. CHELSEA MARR General Manager JODY THOMPSON Advertising Manager DICK NAFSINGER Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011) TOM LANCTOT Past President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. KIRBY NEUMANN-REA Editor TONY METHVIN Columbia Gorge Press Manager DAVID MARVIN Production Manager Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area. NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Printed on OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION recycled paper. Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796 Member of the Associated Press O ur readers write Memorial Day Take a moment Monday, in honored remembrance Yes to Nestle S aluting our fallen can happen in many forms. Monday is Memorial Day, when our nation pays respects to the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for country. It is important to separate Memorial Day the meaningful holiday from Memorial Day Weekend the annual vacation-picnic-camping trip-unofficial start of summer aspect of this American tradition. Enjoy your outing, but think about what is truly in- volved. Fying the flag is the simplest way to express respect. Attending Monday’s 11 a.m. ceremony at Idlewilde Cemetery is another. This solemn yet colorful occasion is typically well-attended, but seats are always available. It happens rain-or-shine, so appropriate gear is in order, though the forecast is for 74 and cloudy. If you can’t make the ceremony, take a minute at some point in the day to consider the valor and dedica- tion that Memorial Day is truly about. The National Mo- ment of Remembrance resolution passed by Congress in 2000 recommends that at 3 p.m. local time, Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or lis- tening to Taps.” The purpose of Memorial Day might be a little mud- dled, and so are its origins, according to memorial- day.org: “Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birth- place of Memorial Day. While Waterloo, N.Y., was offi- cially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by Presi- dent Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. “Regardless of the exact date or location of its ori- gins, one thing is clear — Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late re- bellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he pro- claimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any partic- ular battle.” On Monday at the service and at all public buildings, the flag of the United States will be raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to half-staff, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder the day. The half-staff positon remembers the more than one million men and women who have given their lives in service. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, Chelsea Marr General Manager CMarr@hoodrivernews.com Founded in 1905 419 State Street Hood River, OR 97031 P.O. Box 390 Phone: (541) 386-1234 Operations: Joe Petshow Publisher President, Eagle Newspapers JPetshow@hoodrivernews.com Chris Stenberg Bookkeeper CStenberg@hoodrivernews.com Front Office/ Classified Advertising: Kelly Gallagher Eagle Classified Director KGallagher@eaglenewspapers.com Stacey Methvin Classifieds/Receptionist HRNClass@hoodrivernews.com SMethvin@hoodrivernews.com I cannot believe that a Cascade Locks City Council member, Deanna Busdieker, would oppose Nestle Water locating a water bottling plant in Cascade Locks. The objection seems to be based on the fact that Nestle is a very large company that produces many diverse products. To me, that is a positive. It means that in economic downturns, it has the ability to weather the storm. Ms. Busdieker ignores the fact that the city is not offering to sell water rights to Nestle. The offer is to sell spring water to Nestle. The city will then return water to ODFW gallon for gallon. If there is one resource we here in Cascade Locks have, it is abundant water. Remember, we get up to 80 inches of rain a year, double what Hood River or Portland receive. We have more water than we can use. Why not sell it at a profit so that we can afford to repair our streets, have more than 27 hours a week of law enforcement and repair our water lines, which leak 48,000,000 gal- lons of water a year. It’s true! Jean McLean Cascade Locks False promises Insurance is the sale of promises. The policyholder pays premiums in the present and the insurer promis- es to pay claims in the future should certain unwanted events occur (death, auto accidents, sickness, etc.). Sometimes, the promise will not be tested for decades. For exam- ple, I have life insurance with an is- suance date of September 1, 1975, which was purchased by my father when I was a child. At the time of this letter and forty years later, no claim has been filed. Therefore, both the ability and willingness of the insurer to pay, even if economic chaos prevails when claims are filed, is all-impor- tant. For example, when the housing bubble burst, financial services firm Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. The filing re- mains the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history, with Lehman holding over $600 billion. My automobile recently was in a hit and run. I filed a claim. I took the car to a local shop for an estimate. I learned in Oregon, the insurance company does not have to provide original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. I had to pay the differ- ence between the aftermarket parts and the OEM parts to restore my au- tomobile to pre-accident condition. I also learned the insurer gets to de- cide what is replaced or repaired, even if this is against the wishes of the policyholder. The auto body shop will not war- ranty things they deem to be unsafe and in need of replacement which the insurance company says “repair and not replace.” This would almost be like me sending in “partial payment” be- cause I did not have an accident this month. We need stronger laws which force companies to pay full cost of claims or be forced to refund past premiums up to the disputed Circulation: Esther K. Smith Circulation Manager (541) 386-1234 Ext. 205 ESmith@hoodrivernews.com News: Kirby Neumann-Rea Editor HRNews@hoodrivernews.com Ben Mitchell News/Features BenMitchell@hoodrivernews.com amount. Consumers are being defrauded by adjusters looking to reduce expo- sure while policyholders pay the full premium to the agent. By the time the time I have paid everything the company is not paying, I will have spent a full year’s premium in de- ductibles, disallowables and disput- ed pre-existing damages. Talk about having it both ways! Adam Goddin Hood River Reporting needed Joe O’Neill’s Letter to the Editor about the school district’s budget is excellent. But shouldn’t a break- down of the budget be a story the Hood River News should be doing? Shouldn’t a story on the new Fed regulations on oil trains be a story the “News” should be doing? Shouldn’t the lack of Hispanic rep- resentation in local government be a story the “News” should be doing? Why are you guys reporting on a woman pretending to be the tooth fairy instead of doing some real reporting? Al Brown Hood River Memorial Day Take time to remember those who lost their lives in the service of our country: 11 a.m. — Ceremony at Idlewilde Cemetery, 980 Tucker Road, includes presentations by American Legion, the Boy Scouts, dedications, an an- tique aircraft flyover. Veterans’ plaques, Hood River Valley High School band. Jerry Giarraputo Hood River Past clear cuts I grew up in White Salmon and sup- port small town economies that for decades have relied on professions like timber harvesting. I enjoy the wood house that I live in. And enjoy the smell of cut wood. Recently, my girlfriend and I went to popular hiking spot near Hood River and noticed a massive clear cut that is underway at the former trail head. As we stood at the site of this place we have recreated regularly ... the native plants, the sounds of birds, the trees ... are gone. When I see a clear cut, I’m reminded at how archa- ic they feel. My optimistic self wants humanity to create lumber from plas- tics and bamboo. Both of which are plentiful and in the case of bamboo, fast growing. I’m sorry that we haven’t moved past clear cutting as a practice and at the very least hope that legislation can be passed to re- quire selective logging at all timber harvest sites. Avery W. Hoyt White Salmon, Wash. Port thanks The trail and open space projects under construction on the Waterfront today are the result of hard work and collaborative efforts of many individ- uals over several years. The Port of Hood River wishes to acknowledge the important contributions made by Representative Greg Walden and Sen- ators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to these projects. Rep. Walden and Sen. Merkley actively supported an amendment to the 2013 Water Re- sources Development Act that al- lowed trail construction to occur within a federal flowage easement along the Nichols Basin. Senator Wyden ensured that a prior commit- ment of federal funds for a trans- portation study was available for trail work near the Pedestrian Bridge. The Port is grateful to these elected offi- cials whose assistance has helped make highly visible and long sought- after enhancements to the Hood River waterfront a reality. Michael McElwee Executive Director Port of Hood River Drive with care Summer is coming quickly and kids will soon be out of school for the break. While my goal is to always Trisha Walker News/Features TWalker@hoodrivernews.com Liana Stegall Advertising Sales LStegall@hoodrivernews.com LisaAnn Kawachi News/Features LKawachi@hoodrivernews.com Kirsten Lane Advertising Sales KLane@hoodrivernews.com Patrick Mulvihill News/Features PMulvihill@hoodrivernews.com Ailene Hibbard Archivist Advertising: Jim Drake Entertainment JDrake@hoodrivernews.com make sure my kids are safe and cour- teous, they are just kids and they will inevitably chase a ball into the street or ride their bike across the street without looking. Haven’t we all done that? I will share you a short story that has been with me about 20 years. A friend of mine lived in a nice commu- nity similar to ours, lots of active fam- ilies with kids. Their 4-year-old son was out playing with his dad when a driver was going too fast and the child was short enough that the driver did- n’t see him. Needless to say, my friend’s son was hit and killed by this driver. It can happen in split second. We are all in a hurry from time to time, but please just take a few extra seconds or minutes and you could save a life. Please drive with care and be aware that there are cars parked along the streets that can block a bike, pet or child. Melissa Martin Hood River Jody Thompson Advertising Manager JThompson@hoodrivernews.com ABOUT LETTERS Hood River News reminds letter to the editor writers that shorter is better. Concise letters are not only better-read, they are more likely to be published because limited space is available. Almost any point can be made in 350 words or less, so this is set as an upper level for length. Letters ex- ceeding 350 words will either be edited to 350 or returned to the writer for editing and resubmis- sion. Unsigned letters, letters signed with fictitious signatures and copies of letters sent to public offi- cials are not accepted. We limit letters on a subject when we feel it has been thoroughly aired, to the point of letters becoming repetitive. Also rejected are letters that are libelous, in bad taste or personal at- tacks on individuals or private businesses. Writers must include addresses and telephone numbers. These are for identification purpos- es only and will not be published. Production: 419 State Street Hood River, OR 97031 P.O. Box 390 Phone: (541) 386-1234 David Marvin Production Manager DMarvin@hoodrivernews.com Tony Methvin Plant Manager (541) 386-1234 TMethvin@columbiagorgepress.com Jim Drake Production JDrake@hoodrivernews.com Sarah Methvin Sales/Customer Service SDMethvin@columbiagorgepress.com Lisa Becharas Commercial Printing LBecharas@columbiagorgepress.com