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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2017)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ APRIL 22, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer- cise 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. From our newsroom to the community Jenna Bartlett By Siuslaw News General Manager Jenna Bartlett and Publisher John Bartlett S iuslaw News is publish- ing a voter’s guide for the May 19 Special Election in our Wednesday, April 26, edition. This guide, like the usual Lane County Voter’s Guide, will be an ad- free space for western Lane County candidates to detail their background and stances on issues pertinent to their boards. We have invited all 39 can- didates of 10 boards to partic- ipate and will include details for each candidate. completed publication when it is published next Wednesday. Siuslaw News encourages its staff to be involved in the community. Through partici- pation in team sports, commu- nity theater, youth clubs, vol- unteering, nonprofit boards and service groups, almost every member of its staff gives their time. In most cases, these employees partic- ipate because of a particular enjoyment they receive or belief they have in certain organizations. Most of this effort comes at the expense of our employee’s own time and commitment. As an employer, we cannot control what groups, if any, employees choose for partici- pation. This year, we have a bit of an unusual situation. Hickson is running for a board position that is election based, and he happens to be the editor. Though this is not a regular The guide will also include the following disclaimer: Siuslaw News is not endorsing any candidate or measure included in this form. Any views or opinions stated are exclusively those of the individuals themselves. Siuslaw News cannot be held responsible for the accu- racy or reliability of informa- tion submitted by the individu- als. By now, most people in the community have learned that Siuslaw News Editor Ned Hickson is running for a posi- tion on the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Board of Directors. Siuslaw News is again affirming that it is by no means endorsing him or any candidate. Each candidate can stand alone, and our Voter’s Guide gives an equal opportu- nity for each person to speak. We also want to make clear that Hickson, like every other candidate, will only see the occurrence for us, it is not without precedence within our company, or even within our community. In November, a News Media Corporation reporter ran as a mayoral can- didate in California. In Florence, another media professional has served many years on an elected board. He has been able to perform his duties both to his board and his community without reproach. We cannot ask employees to give back to the communi- ty, and then restrict how they do it. Siuslaw News takes great pride in presenting fair, bal- anced stories. To have an edi- tor run for office has a few people in the community wondering how we will keep our balance. Before we made the deci- sion to promote Hickson to the position of editor last fall, he announced his plans to run for the position. He was very up front about it. At that time, we discussed with him how the situation would be han- dled. Any stories having to do with an employee’s election, position or organization are written and edited by another member of the staff. The edi- torial and publishing team continues to write and edit stories, regardless of the topic. In some cases, an editor from another News Media Corporation newspaper is asked to step in and oversee controversial stories when the views of an outside editor help to balance a story and give an unbiased opinion. All of Siuslaw News’ front- page stories and editorial pages are reviewed by both the general manager and the publisher before they are finalized for print. This has not changed. Siuslaw News has a 126- John Bartlett year history of integrity in the Florence community. We will continue to provide fair, bal- anced coverage, no matter where our employees volun- teer. Through letters to the edi- tor, personal feedback, public comment and more, we expect our readers will continue to interact with us and ask the important questions. Before voting in the May 16 Special Election, we encourage people in the com- munity to read the Voter’s Guide thoroughly and pick the candidates they feel are the most qualified for each board position. LETTERS E ASTER EGG HUNT THANK YOU The grass was damp but the sun was shining bright for the 2017 annual Florence Community Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by the Siuslaw High School Interact Club and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Florence. Hundreds of hardy youngsters were rewarded L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discus- sion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous, argumentative and anony- mous letters or poetry will not be pub- lished. P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS : Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. The newspaper does not publish partisan letters that promote or endorse local political candidates based solely on their record, reputation and qual- ifications; this constitutes paid political advertising. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes. This also constitutes paid political advertis- ing. As with all letters and advertising con- tent, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and edi- tor, reserves the right to reject any such letter. The newspaper is particularly sensitive to organized “letter-writing campaigns.” The newspaper reserves the right to reject any such letter. Write to: editor@thesiuslawnews.com USPS# 497-660 with nearly 4,000 colorful Easter eggs filled with treats and prizes to put in their baskets, bags and boxes. The Siuslaw High School Interact Club, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Florence, want to thank the following businesses for their contributions of goods and publicity in helping this year’s Easter egg hunt be so successful: Grocery Outlet, Wind Drift Gallery, Siuslaw News and KCST Radio. Our area youth continually benefit from these and other generous businesses in Florence. In addition, thank you to the community for supporting our efforts by attending this event. See you next Easter! Jaidan Haley, Claire Waggoner, Kaylee Graham and the Interact Community Easter Egg Hunt Committee; Rotary Advisers Katie Prosser and Jenna Bartlett; and SHS Interact S UPPORT C HAPMAN I am writing in support of Jesse Chapman who is running for Siuslaw Shool Board- Position 6. I have known him and his family for several years. I know them to be God-fearing and hard-working people. Jesse graduated from Siuslaw High School in 1973, and his father, Robert, graduated from SHS in 1943. He is a U.S. Army veteran and favors school sports. His slogan is “It’s all about the heart.” I’m certain he will use his head as well as his heart while serving on the Siuslaw School Board. Lita E. Edwards Florence O UTSTANDING PERFORMANCES I recently viewed the play “Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney in Yachats. I saw it three times. One of Us Productions director Robbie Schoonover cast this delightful play with three different amazing couples, each of which have brought to the stage their own style of delivery and humor. I plan to attend at least one more performance this weekend, when there are three more chances to see each of the couples. Dean Peterson and Lorraine Barrett starred last night (April 22), Bob Barrett and Johnni Prince will star tonight (April 22) at 7:30 p.m., P AY NURSES WHAT THEY ARE WORTH On April 6, I wrote a letter to Debra Miller, who is currently the lead negotiator for PeaceHealth in its contract talks with Peace Harbor’s nurses. In my letter to her, I explained that, as a retired Human Resources Executive with 25 years experience in all aspects of Human Resources including contract negotia- tions in the San Francisco Bay Area, I did not understand the corporate philosophy of under- paying their nursing staff by 5 percent. In her position, Ms. Miller should know that the salary survey data she should be using to determine what competitive salaries are includes the Springfield/Eugene area. In addition, recruiting for positions that are in short supply requires paying more, not less, to attract and retain quality employees. From what I see, PeaceHealth’s corporate philosophy appears to be trying to get the least qualified for the lowest amount of money. Recruiting for engineers and physicists in a tight labor market for 25 years gave me lots of experience in what you have to do to get good people, and paying them less does not work well. Those of us who live in Florence know the cost of housing in the immediate area has sig- nificantly increased. Unless you are over 55 years old, there is almost no affordable housing for nurses and doctors. This includes rentals as well as home pur- chases; there are waiting lists for the small num- ber of apartments and home rental inventories in Florence. One nurse I know who was just hired by PeaceHealth can’t start yet because she can’t find a place to live. As our local facility continues to be under- staffed, PeaceHealth is making it more difficult for our healthcare providers to stay here. Without adequate personnel to cover vacations or sick time, patient safety is compromised and productivity declines. Sleep deprivation does that. We have seen over the last few years that many aspects of our local operation is no longer controlled locally, but by corporate offices in Vancouver. We hope that Peace Health Peace Harbor will decide to do the right thing, negotiate in good faith, listen to our nurses’ proposals and treat them fairly and equitably. That is all they — and we as a community — ask. Patricia Reno Florence W E MUST NOT BE DIVIDED I want to thank Congressman DeFazio for speaking in Florence last week. I am on his mailing list and he has responded to every letter I’ve sent. After he spoke, I realized that Oregon is a leader among states. We are very much in line with what our nation is doing as a whole: re- building our infrastructure and reclaiming our jobs. I agree with Peter DeFazio on the issue of legal immigration and securing our borders as we fight a war on terrorism. I also agree with the congressman that what we have done to expand Medicaid has proven good for other states to do as well. Our health- care system should not be defined as a nation but instead, as the Constitution intended, by each state — just like marijuana and liquor laws. Oregon should be commended for not relying on a sales tax. I believe commerce thrives much more when it’s not punished by sales tax. However, I speak on behalf of President Trump when I say the protests need to stop. We need to get behind our president, who is putting America first by buying and hiring American. He is also working to eliminate government waste and special interest groups. The Earth will be much better off once big gas and oil, big agriculture and big pharmaceu- ticals are knocked off their thrones. That alone will help with reversing climate change by promoting clean energy. A nation cannot be divided within itself. Let us unite behind our president and let him help us make America great again. Guthrie Wilson Florence Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing 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; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry with Greg and Barbara Covell performing at Sunday’s 2 p.m. matinee. I encourage anyone who has ever been in love to attend. The performances by each of these three couples is — simply put — out- standing. Carl Foster Miller Yachats Pres. Donald Trump 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 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.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. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us 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
