4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ SEPTEMBER 17, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
Warning signs
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
T
he season turns: butterfly wings float
on the river, maple leaves and pump-
kins color and a huge fir limb falls
across the path during a windless, gorgeous
afternoon. As others have commented on
these pages, this has been a year of abun-
dance in the local gardens, orchards and wild
or abandoned openings.
As a fourth variety of apple ripens in our
yard, the elk are back with their willingness
to co-harvest what they can reach. Although
they break fewer branches than the bears,
they are not gentle in their ingestions. I know
now that they prefer red over white wine, or I
infer that from the color of grapes they select
from our arbor.
Out of curiosity I parked my car up close
to their current browsing tree, and this result-
ed in the dust being wiped off that side of the
car. They clearly have no sense of caution
while eating. Fortunately for their health, our
produce is unsprayed and non-irrigated.
Delivering mail here has been made more
interesting this summer by the much needed
and appreciated road work happening locally.
As a writer, I am interested in posted signs,
especially ones written as some form of warn-
ing. Some make me laugh, over and over, as I
pass the same ones day after day.
Lane County road crew signs are especially
pithy: Fresh Oil. Weeks can pass and even in
the summer sun, long after the roadkill stuck
to it has melted into ooze, the signs still
promise the oil to be fresh. Or, my favorite
sign of all, Flying Rock. Who needs aerial
pigs when rocks here can spread their wings.
Some people are irritated by what seems
like a great increase in posted warnings, but
sometimes it would have been helpful if more
attention was being paid to public health. The
front page of this newspaper recently revealed
that drinking water at Mapleton School had
been tested and contained higher than accept-
able levels of lead. I don't want to even get
into the debate about how much of that dan-
gerous-in-any-quantity metal could be accept-
able; as the first statement on the EPA website
warns “EPA and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that
there is no known safe level of lead in a
child’s blood. Lead is harmful to health, espe-
cially for children.”
Many people reading the newspaper article,
or hearing of the finding, grew up drinking
that water, and their children or grandchildren
are doing so now. And is the problem limited
to the school?
Many homes I've been in here have old or
brass fixtures that probably contain lead; ours
does. And how can one know? Mapleton
School gets its water from Mapleton Water
District (240 connections), whose source is
surface water from Berkshire Creek. Others in
the area also get their water from creeks or
springs, or from shallow wells like ours.
Anyone who spends time looking in the
above-tidal sections of our river can tell you
that lead fishing sinkers here appear to melt
in a remarkably short period of time. That
same water chemistry must do likewise with
whatever lead is in the fixtures supplying
drinking water here.
True, there may be a number of things even
worse than lead in ruining our children's
potential for success and health, but when we
know that every cell in their bodies contains
water, can't we try and make that water as
free as possible from what causes harm to
every organism ever so studied?
I trust our community will ask for answers,
for more testing, and for help with testing.
I plan to.
LETTERS
Republican demgogue
Joseph McCarthy was I believe our first
Republican demagogue. Fast forward to
more of the same and now we have
Trump. Now I must go back in time to
understand how we went from the past to
the present.
When “The Great Communicator,”
Ronald Regan was said to have known
about
the
Iran-Contra
scandal,
Republicans were infuriated and how dare
anyone accuse him of wrongdoing.
Then we have Nixon. His demise really
burnt the GOP to the core. Dirty tricks
then became dirty politics which the GOP
made into an art form. They did railroad a
few Democratic potentals, tried to take
down Clinton with his smoking cigar and
did a good job on John Kerry.
They blew it with Obama, although
dirty politics keep coming up with old
mudslinging.
Not to think that Trump is a real
Republican or even a politician he is the
ultimate mudslinger.
— Win Jolley
Florence
Thankful for heroes
Early Tuesday afternoon, while you
were getting your hair cut or your oil
changed, grocery shopping, or having
lunch with friends at the port, a fire broke
out north of town, in a dry wooded area.
Anyone who has experienced the volatili-
ty of wildland fires, or been evacuated
from their home with 30 minutes notice
can attest to the visceral fear that such
news incites.
Thanks to a swift response, with all per-
sonnel mustered, and a nod to the gra-
ciousness of mother nature for a very mild
USPS# 497-660
breeze instead of our usual bluster, our
Siuslaw Valley firefighters with the aid of
Oregon Department of Forestry, quickly
doused flames and avoided disaster, but
while the company was still occupied with
the wildland fire, another blaze began in a
residence on 17th street.
Wow, what a day in quiet Florence.
People of our beautiful Siuslaw River
environs, you have heroes living in your
neighborhood; painting your house, work-
ing on your car, sweeping your chimney,
and so many other occupations in our
town.
They work at everyday jobs like the rest
of us until, called into action, they join
their brethren (I don’t know the feminine
for that, so I include my sisters in that
society) in a race to save lives and protect
property.
They volunteer their livelihood and risk
their lives... volunteer!
There’s a new Firefighter Academy
coming up soon and I believe registration
is still open.
Think about it.
Check out the requirements at
SVFR.org or stop into the station. It is a
commendable, worthwhile endeavor, both
to yourself, and to our community.
Firefighters of SVFR, I am over-
whelmed with gratitude and deep appreci-
ation for the service and sacrifice you and
your families give to our community.
That extends to our police, ambulance,
and all first responders as well. It’s been
a busy day people. Go home, set your
boots and turnouts up for the next tap-out,
and get some rest.
Thank you, heroes.
Florence
Doesn’t get much better
One of the reasons that I moved to
Florence was because of the many great
events held throughout the year in our
great city. Now we can add Windfest to
this list.
This is an event put on by Steven Leskin
and crew at the Port of Siuslaw. Windfest
became a very enjoyable way for people
young ( boy can two year olds dance!) and
older (I met people in their eighties and
nineties there) to spend their Saturday
evenings.
Windfest was held this last summer on
every Saturday evening on our much
appreciated green area next to our board-
walk in Old Town. It featured very talent-
ed people from several local area bands
who played a wide variety of music.
This event was free with a suggested
donation to Florence Food Share so it
could be appreciated and enjoyed by
everyone.
I saw many local people who attended
every Saturday as well as many visitors
who were getting to enjoy yet another of
the many great things Florence has to
offer.
Windfest is an event that provides great
music that you can listen to while watch-
ing our beautiful river.
Things just don't get much better than
that!
Thank you Port of Siuslaw
Commissioners and staff for an event that
will hopefully continue for many sum-
mers to come.
— Maureen Miltenberger
Florence
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
• On Oct. 6, 1866, in Indiana, the Reno gang
carries out the first robbery of a moving train
in the U.S., making off with over $10,000.
Holding up moving trains in remote locations
soon became popular in the American West.
• On Oct. 5, 1947, President Harry Truman
makes the first-ever televised presidential
address from the White House, asking
Americans to cut back on their use of grain in
order to help starving Europeans. He asked
that the public voluntarily forgo meat on
Tuesdays, eggs and poultry on Thursdays and
to save a slice of bread each day.
• On Oct. 4, 1957, the "Space Age" begins
with the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik,
the world's first artificial satellite. Other firsts
for the Soviet space program included first
man in space, first woman, first three men,
first space walk and first to orbit the moon.
• On Oct. 3, 1961, the United Auto Workers
union goes on strike at Ford plants across the
country to win higher wages and better bene-
fits. It was the first company-wide strike since
Ford had agreed to a collective-bargaining
deal in 1941.
• On Oct. 8, 1970, Matt Damon, the future
star of a long list of hit movies, including
"The Bourne Identity," is born in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Damon, who left Harvard
University before graduating to pursue an act-
ing career, made his big-screen debut with a
small role in 1988's "Mystic Pizza."
• On Oct. 7, 1984, at Soldier Field, Chicago
Bears running back Walter Payton runs for
154 yards to become the NFL's all-time rush-
ing leader, breaking the record set by
Cleveland's Jim Brown in 1965.
• On Oct. 9, 1992, a bowling ball-sized mete-
orite crashes through an orange 1980 Chevy
Malibu in Peekskill, New York. Scientists say
it came from the asteroid belt between Jupiter
and Mars.
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
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Comments: 202-456-1111
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Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
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www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
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FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
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U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
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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