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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2015)
4 A The First Amendment Letters to the Editor: C ongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com Press Releases: PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 • 2015 1 2 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y F L A S H B A C K 1890 ❙ T T HE W EST F LORENCE T IMES T HE S IUSLAW O AR T HE S IUSLAW N EWS S IUSLAW N EWS ❙ 2015 his year marks Siuslaw News’ quasquicentennial, our 125th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any business in a small community like Florence. To commemorate this milestone, throughout the year we’ll feature some of the town’s history as origi- nally published in the newspaper, including historic articles and photos from more than a century ago. Old Sol O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED F EB . 12, 1970 T HE S IUSLAW N EWS , V OL . 10, N O . 6 Old Sol seems to bring out the urge to get out and do something such as riding the dunes near Florence. Large amounts of sunshine over the week- end proved a magnet to many people, drawing them to favorite summer recreation areas during “Summer in February” on the Oregon coast. DEAR READERS: Share your story D o you remember a significant or interesting story that we should feature again, or want to share your favorite memory of the newspaper? Write an email to Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com with the subject line “Anniversary.” NEIGHBORS Hawaiian adventure — Part V B OB J ACKSON N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT For the Siuslaw News A fter leaving Los Angeles harbor, the palatial prow of our Far East Lines cruise ship Mariposa was finally pointed toward Hawaii, and many, many identical horizons would be con- fronted before making landfall again. Peggy found it increasingly hard to take in the reality of the vast- ness of an open sea, and how, she wondered, could we plow on day after day at around 20 knots and still see nothing but water in every direc- tion? As for myself, I was accustomed to the seemingly never-ending immensity of this ocean, having spent long-time combat duty during World War II off the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific and the Bering Sea, and an even longer time in the South Pacific, where we crossed the equator and the interna- tional date line many times. But this ocean liner was very dif- ferent from the Spartan indentured slavery we had experienced as deck hands on an armor-plated warship, bristling with guns pointing in every direction. Mere printed words cannot begin to adequately convey the con- trast to the euphoric, hedonistic and sybaritic luxury aboard this big ship. It is the job of a writer to vicariously transport the reader into another realm; be it awe or fright or romance, these emotions are fleeting and have to be fully confronted lest they escape and be lost in time. In my journal I had noted that we were always nonplussed by the evening menu spread before us. However, we never failed to overindulge in the process of satisfy- ing our curiosity, for we were con- tinually ordering expensive and strange sounding dishes that we had never heard of before. There were no prices on the pre-paid menu, and we found that although the presentation was always impressionably artistic, the rich food usually never tasted any better than something from a stew pot back home. After our evening meal, Peggy sat in the very warm lounge playing a horse-racing game. The ship was pitching somewhat, and her stomach did not feel all that good, so she retired early. I was hoping she would feel better in the morning. The next morning we had big ground swells and she missed breakfast. The ship’s nurse gave her a shot and some pills. It helped and she was able to eat a big lunch at the pool buffet. Cold and overcast all day, no ships, planes or any living thing. We joined in calisthenics and hula les- sons in the morning. We were really living up this tourist role. Dressed up for the captain’s champagne party, we met all the ship’s officers. What a memorable occasion, with a beautiful ice sculpture, table center- pieces, waiters constantly at our elbows pouring more champagne than we cared to drink. Later, we went to a dance in the Southern Cross lounge with many fun contests, such as the lemon dance, where all couples dance with their hands behind their backs and a lemon pressed between their fore- heads. Whenever they lose the lemon they must drop out, eventual- ly only one last couple remains on the dance floor, and it wasn’t us — for I had shoved the lemon into Peggy’s eye socket! It was a strange sensation, danc- ing on a floor that sometimes drops away, then abruptly lifts against your feet, only to fall away in one direc- tion or the other. There was a gourmet buffet set up next to the Southern Cross bar from 10 p.m. on, with a chef in attendance who delighted in creating imagina- tive sandwiches by placing slices of ham, turkey, beef, etc., on bread slices, then trimming away the crust with his big, machete style knife. With the deftness of a magician, he is able to do this without touching anything with his fingers — incredi- ble to watch! LETTERS For the record Alarming school dropout rate It seems that a comment in a recent article (“March Marks End of Marijuana Moratorium,” Feb. 7, page A1) on the marijuana mora- torium taken out of context has caused some misunderstanding as to my position on medical marijuana in the City of Florence. For the record, I am not against medical marijuana nor for that matter recreational marijuana. If anyone has taken remarks made at a recent city council meeting to infer that I am against it, that is unfortunate as I have a very close relative that uses medical marijuana rather than prescription drugs, and the benefits to her health are obvious. Any comment that was made to the effect that “I don’t share your views” was in reference to the suggestion that medical marijuana was the driving force for economic develop- ment, or that the council needed to go to a marijuana facility to learn all about the business. The City of Florence issues several business licenses each month, and to my knowledge no one from the council has visited those businesses to learn the ins and outs of the business. My sug- gestion was that if anyone wanted to do that on their own time, that was fine, but that the purpose of the council meeting was not to extol the merits of medical marijuana but rather to decide where to put a facility. In a subsequent work session, I helped the council to reach consensus on actually expanding the locations available for such This morning, Feb. 13, reading the Washington Post, I was taken quite aback by a most troubling fact. According to statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Education, the State of Oregon has distinguished itself with the highest high school dropout rate in the nation. Thirty-one percent of our students do not complete four years of high school. To condemn the school system and our teachers for this deplorable situation is, I believe, largely unwarranted considering the success our schools have with providing a good education for a large number of students. Every year we see a substantial number of students graduat- ing with honors and a clear majority of them finishing school, having performed at or near the median level of accomplish- ment. That being the case, is it not reasonable to conclude that a decent education is indeed available for those who want it? And does that not indicate the problem lies less with the schools and teachers but more with the social environment from which the individual students approach education? I would contend, quite frankly, it all starts at home. Jimmie Zinn Florence USPS# 497-660 a business by a substantial amount from the original guidelines set by the former council. To recap, I am not against either medical or recreational mari- juana nor am I against any business that might locate to Florence to market these products. I view these businesses as I would any other business that might bring jobs and revenue to the city. Joe Henry Florence Mayor Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Lane County, 1 yr manual pay, $71; 1 yr auto pay, $62.10. 10-wks manual $18; 10-wks auto, $15.42. Out of Lane County, 1 yr manual $84.75; 1 yr auto, $80.95; 10-wks manual, $21.35; 10-wks auto, $20.05. Out of State, $120; Out of U.S., $200. MAIL includes E-EDITION E-EDITION RATE (ONE YEAR): Anywhere, $60.30 Website and E-Edition: www.thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: The Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439. Phone (541) 997-3441 (See extension numbers below). FAX (541) 997-7979. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us