Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 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 MARCH 25 • 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. Siuslaw to get jetty appropriation O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED M ARCH 12, 1915 The following letter was received by the secretary of the Commercial Club Wednesday and makes it practically certain that the Siuslaw will get the amount asked for from the appropriation for rivers and harbors: Washington, D.C., March 5, 1915 Siuslaw Commercial Club, Florence, Ore., Gentlemen, Referring to your telegram of February 25, concerning deepening of the Siuslaw channel, I beg to advise that, after the Rivers and Harbors bill was placed by the resolution which makes appropriation for such work next year in the lump sum of $25,000,000, I consulted the engineer department with a view to learning what action would be taken T HE W EST , V OL . 25, N O . 44 in regard to the proposal of the Port Commission for cooperative improvement. While no definite allotment for Siuslaw has yet been determined upon from the $25,000,000, the department has promised Senator Chamberlain and I that the full amount of $112,500 will be allowed, in as much as the State of Oregon, as well as Siuslaw, has always contributed to this kind of work. I assure you I will follow the matter up with the department and endeavor to obtain definite action as early as possible, to give the Siuslaw project the full $112,500. Yours very truly, Harry Lane NEIGHBORS Hawaiian adventure — Part X B OB J ACKSON N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT For the Siuslaw News W e had never imagined that we would ever be staying in an expensive suite overlooking Waikiki beach. So this was how “people with money” lived. We were still standing transfixed and overwhelmed, our senses reeling from the royal opulence of our sur- roundings, when we were surprised by a gentle knock on the door. A nattily uniformed bellboy entered and presented us with a large, beautifully wrapped ice-cold fresh pineapple. It was cut into sections on the inside; compliments of Sylvia from Bronson Travel in Eugene, Ore. — also a complimentary bottle of champagne from the hotel desk, com- plete with long-stemmed glasses. After toasting our good fortune with wine and fruit, we rushed down to the street and boarded a city bus that carried us to the huge Ala Moana shopping center (the world’s largest open-air mall). After all the rich, exotic gourmet food on the cruise ship, it was good to chow down on something we were familiar with — a big hamburger and fries in a simple fast-food restaurant. That evening we enjoyed a couple MaiTai’s in the Captain Cook bar. We paid $5.90 for two drinks (must have been “happy hour”). Then we took off our shoes and strolled in the moonlight on Waikiki beach. At around 10 p.m., we sat on the warm sand and watched our beautiful cruise ship Mariposa glide by, with all her lights ablaze, and disappear over the horizon, on her way to Bora Bora with all those happy people. It will be a long time before we forget the feel of her decks pulsating under our feet, and the sound of her bow swells crashing against the southern seas. At that time, of all the world’s peo- ple, somehow we came to be among the relatively few, who were fortu- nate enough to take a cruise on a lux- ury ship. Returning to our suite, we turned off all the lights, opened the glass doors onto the living room lanai and listened to the gentle surf hissing onto the beach below. Occasionally, there was the dramatic sight and sound of a giant passenger jet out of Honolulu International, pushing for altitude on its way back to the mainland with another load of sunburned tourists. Then, there was only the surf again, and the resounding rhythmic sound of drums from a nearby, beach-front Polynesian show. When we awakened on our first morning, and heard the tropical birds in the trees below our lanai, we at first thought it was piped-in sound effects for atmosphere. It wasn’t yet daylight as I stood on our lanai and looked down through the palm fronds. Floodlights from the hotel were shining on a beach boy busily restor- ing the beach to a pristine appearance by raking footprints from the sand in front of our hotel. Further up the beach the same identical process was underway. Already a lone surfer was paddling out to sea, and a battleship from Pearl Harbor was halfway to the horizon. Every morning, two large tourist catamarans beached themselves in front of the hotels, their arrival announced by a sun bronzed giant standing on the bow and blowing through a big conch shell. It was hard to take it all in. More to come. LETTERS mates available in real time, and would require the Oregon Health Authority to publish average prices on the state’s public website. The bills would not completely fix our broken health-care sys- tem, but they would help savvy consumers. Hospitals and insur- ance companies are lobbying hard to stop this legislation. We need to speak out or continue to be fleeced. Tom Payn Florence Recycle art I just read the art article in the paper (“Tourists Urged to ‘Linger Longer,’” March 14, A1). I was a tourist in 1965 who came back to Florence in later years. The first time I was 11-1/2 years old. For 40 years, my drawings were kept in a Seal-a-Meal bag in my parents’ home. I found them in awesome condition four years ago when I went to Minneapolis, Minn., to take care of my moth- er for two years. Now, I’m recycling them with reusable things I find on the beach and some on the roadways. I saw the signs “Keep Oregon Green,” and I’ve kept that awareness. Because of the beauty of Oregon, I still carry a photo of my mother with the lake and dunes. I have lived in Oregon since 1976 and recently moved to Florence because of my draw- ings and the artists here. I have great photos of the West Coast because of my uncle and my grandmother’s love of nature and the beauty of birds and fish, which my artwork is mostly of. I use paper receipts from grocery stores, restaurants and walkways where people have forgotten to pick up plastic bags, cans, bottles and cardboard from packs of soda. I have made art donations all up and down the coast — Depoe Bay, Newport, Coos Bay, Lincoln City and Florence. I have also recently donated to the Siuslaw Public Library. I’m ready to be an involved artist in the community, but I’m disabled and don’t have membership fees. We need a low-income or free program for those who don’t have the funds who are in this community. We could really use a Washed Ashore program here to keep Florence clean and to keep our Oregon green. Catherine Beckstrom Florence USPS# 497-660 Repair voting rights Hidden health costs Health-care provider companies use their local market domi- nance to drive up costs, and not just a little, but as much as 2,000 percent. Unfortunately for consumers, neither the patient nor the doctor is entitled to know how much a test or treatment costs until after they decide to buy it. Of the 2 million-per-year bankruptcy filings, most — 62 per- cent — are for medical bills, and 8 percent of those people had medical insurance. Short of bankruptcy, one in five American adults will struggle to pay medical bills this year. Around 40 per- cent of Americans owe collectors money for illness. Even small medical debts can ruin a person’s credit rating. Enough with secret pricing! Oregon’s legislature has two bills aiming to give consumers the information they need. Senate bills 891 and 900 would require hospitals and clinics to make bill esti- Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News 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: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. 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: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439. Phone (541) 997-3441 (See extension numbers below). FAX (541) 997-7979. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry The march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in March 1965 contributed to enactment of the historic Voter Rights Act of 1965 that prohibited racial discrimination in voting. A profound setback in progress toward voter equality occurred in 2013 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key enforce- ment provision of the voter rights act requiring some states attempting to impose limits on the right to vote, to submit them for federal pre-clearance. (Shelby County v. Holder) Subsequently a number of states have enacted legislation designed to restrict black citizens from the right to vote. It is pos- sible to repair the damage to the voting rights act. The Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015 (HR 855) assigned to the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 would do so. The Senate could also craft its own bill to restore our ability to assure the fundamental right to vote to citizens regardless of race. President Johnson said, “It is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.” It could help if each of us would urge our representatives in Congress to act to repair the damage from Shelby v. Holder. Bob and Peg Peters Florence 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
