4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ JULY 12, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
Owning up to my mistakes
Within 15 minutes of post-
ing “Details Revealed in
Shooting Death” online last
Friday (July 7), we were
rightly taken to task by some
folks on Facebook regarding
several typos in the story.
While I was quickly able
to correct the online version,
the print edition had already
gone to press, along with
those typos.
I immediately responded
to the Facebook posts, apolo-
gizing for the misspellings
and thanking those individu-
als for holding us to a high
standard. I also clarified that
assuring against those kinds
of mistakes are ultimately
my responsibility rather than
our reporters.
I also felt it was important
to address you, our print edi-
tion readers, and offer the
same apology by owning up
to my mistakes.
Since becoming editor in
September, one of my goals
has been to not only make
the stories we cover more
relevent on a local and
national level, but also more
timely. Sending a member of
our three-reporter staff to
Eugene to cover a story in
the middle of a deadline day
isn’t something we’ve done
in the past.
Since September, we’ve
done it three times.
However, in our efforts to
achieve the goals we’ve set
for ourselves as a news team,
it’s clear we are still working
to find our equalibrium bal-
ancing those goals with our
commitment to accuracy.
Today, we met as a team
and created new proofread-
ing rules to prevent those
kinds of typos in the future.
Will it guarantee we will
always be error free?
Probably not, which is
why every newspaper posts
corrections. But I can guar-
antee you of our commit-
ment to doing our very best.
Your faith in our reporting
and its accuracy is para-
mount to us; it is the corner-
stone of our relationship.
So is your willingness to
let us know when we make
mistakes.
Thank you for holding me
accountable and making that
cornerstone even stronger.
— N ED H ICKSON . EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
NHICKSON @ 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.
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News
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.
Oregon Group Publisher 541-265 8571
Publisher, ext. 318
Editor, ext. 313
Consulting Editor 831-761-7353
Email: echalhoub@register-pajaronian.com
Marketing Director, ext. 326
Office Supervisor, ext. 312
Production Supervisor
Press Manager
James Rand
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Erik Chalhoub
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
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
classifiedad,sThursday 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 subscrip-
tion,$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
L ETTERS
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor
as part of a community discussion 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 anonymous letters
or poetry, or letters from outside our readership
area will not be published.
LETTERS
W E ARE ALL ENTITLED
TO RESPECT
My wife and I have been residents of
Florence for almost 25 years. We have
found Florence to provide almost all the
things we considered important when
we made our decision to move 3,000
miles and live here for the rest of our
lives.
In the past, I wrote letters to this
newspaper and got involved in various
community issues. I was critical of
waste and inefficiency in the school
system, management issues by park
officials at various levels, and the fail-
ure of past editors to use this newspaper
more forcefully for the public good. I
did so trying to help bring changes
which would improve the Florence area
for all citizens.
We gladly support Food Share,
Siuslaw Outreach Services, Helping
Hands Coalition and the Siuslaw Public
Library.
Today, my wife and I were incensed
by the letter from Jessica Rojas
(“Leaving Florence,” July 8) who said
she is leaving Florence. I can only say
to her: Goodbye.
Three times she mentioned the lack
of “amenities and resources” without
bothering to give one example of what
she feels is missing. If she is disap-
pointed in what is here, it is her own
fault for not checking out the communi-
ty before moving here. Florence has
more amenities and resources than most
small towns. And it is located in one of
the most beautiful and progressive areas
in the United States.
The attitude of Ms. Rojas seems most
clearly revealed by her disparaging the
“entitlement population” and “do-good-
ers” here. I must assume she means sen-
ior citizens on limited incomes, immi-
grant families, transients and others in
our community who either need help or
are willing to help others because it’s
the right thing to do.
We all contribute to the diversity and
character of Florence and are each enti-
tled to respect.
I feel Ms. Rojas should leave
Florence just as those who have done so
in the past once they realize that it rains
a lot in winter, is dry and windy during
the summer months and has slugs which
eat plants.
These things are easy to learn about
before moving here.
I say good luck to her in finding the
amenities and resources she needs to be
satisfied, although I doubt she will ever
be happy.
—Joe Decker
Florence
D ON ’ T TRASH MY TOWN
Reading Saturday’s wisdom in the
Letters to the Editor (July 8) was
enlightening. Imagine my dismay that
we are not one letter writer’s ideal small
town because we don’t have enough
amenities or resources.
By golly, what more do we need that
we don’t already have? If she means
that our retired women have more needs
than retired men, I guess she might have
a point. After all, we could use a few
more beauty shops; Lord knows we
have enough barbers for the men.
I don’t know about the rest of you all,
but I moved here to get away from all
the “amenities and resources.”
We have all we need, with a few
exceptions — which is ok in my book. I
don’t want sidewalks and street lights
and the need for a cop on every corner.
I find the citizens here to be to my
likening just fine.
I spend time in Old Town and see no
“lack of pride in ownership.” I can get
great food at any number of places,
parts for my vehicles and for home proj-
ects, too. My insurance and registration
fees are about half compared to were I
came from.
As for the beggars... is she saying
there is a town that doesn’t have them?
Look, I’m just an old retired trucker.
I spent the better part of the last 40
years and 4-plus million miles making a
living. I love this town and I’m not
going anywhere. If it doesn’t suit you,
well go ahead and leave.
Just don’t trash my town by compar-
ing it to big-city wants.
Some of us like it just fine the way it
is.
— David T. Eckhardt
Florence
C OUNTY EMPLOYEES CAN ’ T
REPORT FEDERAL CRIMES ?
I just discovered the Lane County
Commissioners were planning to take
up an ordinance Tuesday (July 11) ban-
ning Lane County employees from
“detecting or apprehending persons
whose only violation of law is that they
are persons of foreign citizenship pres-
ent in the United States in violation of
Federal Immigration laws” (proposed
wording for new provision in the Lane
County Manual under “foreign citizen-
ship”).
I realize the proposed provision
reflects Oregon state laws recently
passed, and this one focuses on not
using county funds to enforce immigra-
tion law. But I feel the headline in
Sunday’s edition of the Register Guard
(“County to Take Up Immigrant
Protections” July 9) reflects the real
truth. Its not about money and wise use
of taxpayer funds.
This ordinance is a political state-
ment relating to our federal immigration
law.
As I thought about the proposed ordi-
nance, I can only assume it would pro-
hibit a county employee — who for
whatever reason discovered or suspect-
ed a person was in the United States
illegally — from simply calling INS to
report that violation.
In fact, even if that employee waited
until they were off duty to make the
call, it could result in their termination
or worse.
So, to sum up, Lane County and the
State of Oregon are essentially making
it illegal for a county employee to report
a federal crime to federal law enforce-
ment — and our property taxes are
being used to support that.
Just think about that.
— Dave Peck
Florence
P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS :
Election-related letters must address pertinent or
timely issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing
campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2)
Ensure any information about a candidate is accu-
rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or
hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and per-
spective rather than partisanship and campaign-
style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to
the editor column to outline their views and plat-
forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid polit-
ical advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the
newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher,
general manager and editor, reserves the right to
reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above crite-
ria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com
WHERE TO WRITE
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
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 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
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
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
( 4 th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
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
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