4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ JULY 15, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
❘ 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.
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Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
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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.
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Mail subscription includes E-Edition.
Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com
L ETTERS
Together, we make this more
than words, ink and paper
(The following was one of
three Siuslaw News editorials
recognized by the Society of
Professional Journalists for
“Best Editorial” for 2016)
In the lobby of our front
office sits the ultimate con-
versation starter, a large
mechanical device with giant
gears, cranks and rollers that
I’ve convinced one or two
tourists is the very first indus-
trial pasta maker.
I might’ve even told a few
that it’s a taffy puller.
And maybe a mechanical
massage chair.
I’m sure there’s a photo on
someone’s Facebook page
somewhere to that affect.
What it actually is, of
course, is a wallpaper stretch-
er.
Ok, I’ll stop.
The cranks, gears and
rollers on this Redington
Printer first came off of a
Chicago assembly line in
1908. It eventually made its
way to Oregon, where it trav-
eled the coastline by boat
between Coos Bay and
Florence, printing and deliv-
ering the latest news.
It stopped from port to
port, offering those commu-
nities a shared experience
through words, ink and paper.
How we got here.
What accomplishments we
need to remember and which
mistakes not to repeat.
Today marks the 1,560th
time I’ve been a part of pro-
ducing this shared experience
we call Siuslaw News. And
From the Editor’s Desk
N ED H ICKSON
More than 100 years later,
that same combination of
words, ink and paper is being
distributed on a grander scale
but with no less importance
than it did in the early 1900s.
Whether it comes from
your laptop, tablet, phone,
local news stand or mail box,
hometown newspapers are
still a crucial part of a com-
munity’s shared experience.
They inform, inspire and
chronicle the aspects of our
lives that define who we are
as a community — and do so
in a way nothing else does.
And just as importantly,
they provide a look into the
past for future generations,
offering a snapshot in time.
Who we were.
every time I walk into the
office on Wednesday morn-
ing and see it sitting on my
desk, I marvel at how so
many people come together
on a deadline twice a week
— from reporters and ad
designers to office staff, sales
people and pressmen — to
contribute to the experience
we all share between these
pages of words, ink and
paper.
But it’s not just newspaper
staff that makes the experi-
ence complete. It takes com-
munity involvement and sup-
port. Without it, the pages are
one dimensional rather than a
reflection of its readers — the
key component to a true com-
munity newspaper.
For this reason, I want to
thank you, our readers and
subscribers, for helping make
this newspaper what it is
through your letters to the
editor, press releases, phone
calls,
bacon-gingersnap
cookies, Guest Viewpoints
and community columns like
“Neighbors” and local arts
reviews.
Did I mention bacon-gin-
gersnap cookies?
I’m very proud to be a part
of the tradition at Siuslaw
News for nearly two decades
now — and a member of this
special community for even
longer.
And even though that
Redington printer (pasta
maker, taffy puller, etc.) is no
longer making its way up and
down the coast, inspiring
community
conversation
with the latest news, it
remains a sentinel to that tra-
dition — inspiring its own
conversation that continues
today.
WITHOUT THEM
I’d like to express my sincere grati-
tude to the men and women of the City
of Florence Police Department, Siuslaw
Valley Fire & Rescue, Siuslaw River
Coast Guard and the Port of Siuslaw
Staff.
You were an integral part of the
Independence Day Festival, organized
by the Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce, and we could not have done
it without them.
This includes planning leading up to
the festival.
From the first meeting, our experi-
ence working with the representatives
from each organization was nothing
short of stellar.
The logistics of safety and security is
not to be taken lightly and our commu-
nity needs to know how fortunate we
are to have such incredible, caring indi-
viduals keeping us safe.
Their willingness to go above and
beyond in assisting to deliver an event
our entire community can be proud of is
greatly appreciated and doesn’t go
unnoticed.
I realize this is the work they do each
and every day, but we should take a
moment to say “Thank You” for all they
do.
Our community owes them a great
deal of gratitude, so I proudly take this
opportunity to say: Thank you!
— Jenna Bartlett
Florence
D IRT FOR DIRT
On the front page above the fold
(known as “premier space”) in this past
Wednesday’s edition (June 12) of, what
I feel is clearly the left-leaning, Register
Guard was a headline, “Russian
Whispers Met With Eager Ears.”
Below that in the subhead was:
“Emails reveal Trump Jr. had no qualms
about excepting help from a Kremlin-
linked source.”
What followed was a story decrying
how Trump team members were happy
to learn of such “dirt” and to obtain said
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.
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
Write Siuslaw News editor
Ned Hickson at nhickson@the-
siuslaw news.com or P.O. Box
10, Florence, Ore. 97439.
LETTERS
C OULDN ’ T HAVE DONE IT
TO THE
P OLICY
material.
Is there anyone out there who
believes if the Kremlin, during the elec-
tion campaign, had notified Hillary,
Bernie, Pelosie, Schumer or any other
liberal Democrat that they had “dirt” on
Donald J. Trump — or any of his team
— they would have had any qualms and
not have stumbled all over themselves
to obtain such information?
If so, please feel free to respond to
my Letter to the Editor. I’ll anxiously
await to read it.
—Tony Cavarno
Florence
B ON V OYAGE
To all the witless “do-gooders” men-
tioned by Ms. Rojas in her Letter to the
Editor (July 8) who toil endlessly for no
money and little thanks to make our
town a little better, please accept my
humble and heartfelt thanks.
— Edward Gunderson
Florence
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