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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ JULY 19, 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 Spreading ripples of hope In the time it takes you to reach the end of this sen- tence, approximately 26 peo- ple will have died from can- cer. Mothers and fathers, hus- bands and wives, sons and daughters, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, without regard to religious affiliation, cancer will claim the lives of more than 500,000 people before the rest of us are ringing in the new year — at which point the tragic cycle begins again. Considering that each of us has a 39.6 percent chance of being diagnosed with some form of cancer in our life- time, including nearly 16,000 children age 19 and younger, we are all unwilling partici- pants in the same game of cancer roulette. And the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Like many of you, my life has been touched by cancer more than once, including the annual Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, which focus- es on the research, informa- tion and prevention of cancer around the world. But on a local level, it is more than that. In a small town, the ripple From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON loss of my closest friend at age 30, from ocular cancer that had been in remission before returning exponential- ly a year later. Between family and friends, cancer has left 11 empty chairs around my life’s dinner table in the last 20 years. For 18 of those years, Florence has been hosting the effect of cancer — whether it be in the fight against it, the celebration of its defeat or mourning in the wake of those it has taken — reaches everyone in some way, even if indirectly through our overall connection as a com- munity. Most recently, ripples have spread through our communi- ty in the form of support for 11-year-old Malakai Kirk, with hundreds of residents rallying to help raise funds for a bone marrow transplant for the fifth-grader. While it’s true that the money raised at this week- end’s Relay For Life won’t impact the Kirk family, the research supported by the ACS could some day elimi- nate the need for future gen- erations to experience the ripple effect of cancer at all. In the meantime, there is hope. According to the National Cancer Institute, the number of people living beyond their cancer diagnosis is expected to grow from 14.5 million in 2014 to 19 million by 2024. Please join me and others in our community as we spread ripples of hope during this Saturday’s Relay For Life. Siuslaw Jam has taken root in Florence M any years ago, when I first moved here, Jon Thompson, Lis Farm and Lynnette Wikstrom indoc- trinated me into the methodology needed for putting on a community event. Helping organize Chowder, Blues and Brews was a trial by fire. More les- sons came from volunteering on the Rotary Auction in addition to working with the Rhody Pageant. Years later, experiencing the Siletz Bay Music Festival and watching the festival’s interaction with the community and the schools motivated me to take the les- sons I learned and create the Siuslaw Jam. The Jam, held July 7 and 8 at the Florence Events Center, was a huge success, planting the seed for future growth and something I could never have accom- plished without the support of our sponsors, patrons and community. In particular, I want to thank the following: Michael Falter of City Lights Cinemas for running promo- tional slides and airing the documentary film on the Siletz Bay Festival; Jenna Bartlett of the Siuslaw News GUEST VIEWPOINT J OSHUA G REENE F LORENCE C ITY C OUNSELOR , S IUSLAW J AM COORDINATOR for advising how best to uti- lize her various publications in the surrounding area with press releases, advertising and editorial coverage; arts and entertainment reviewer Burney Garelick, who sur- prised me with her in-depth knowledge of the American Songbook; Jon Thompson, who gave us substantial air- time with interviews and advertising on both KCST and KCFM; Mark Sanders and Yaakov Bergman, execu- tive director and artistic director of the Siletz Bay Music Festival, as well as their board, who embraced our efforts as a sister festi- val; and our performers, who saw the opportunity our community had to offer and were fully engaged during their stay. The musicians were excit- ed to see our theater and environments created for their performances, and they were especially excited by the connection and attentive- ness of the audiences. All the performers felt welcome and enjoyed their time spent visiting our com- munity and said they look forward to coming again. We are very fortunate to have the Florence Events Center (FEC) team. The work that Kevin Rhodes, Jennifer Connor and Sandi Anderson did to accommo- date us as a client was pro- fessional, both in marketing the event through social media, placing posters around town and whatever other needs we had with staging. Lighting Director Margaret McDiarmid shares my fondness for dramatic lighting and led the charge. Stage Manager Leah Goodwin and her stage- hands, the “Women in Black+1,” made the experi- ence with the FEC flawless. Weeks before the event, Brynne Sapp and I started creating our fantasy environ- ments. With the help of items from Pat Sapp’s Vintage Blue Warehouse and Annie Schmidt’s famous slipper chair, our fantasy became reality. The free concert for young people was critical to the Jam being successful and embraced by our community. Not only did three kids play on stage with an extraordi- nary backup band, the musi- cians themselves were all touched by participating in the experience. Those in attendance saw the magic being created on stage. The discussions for next year’s festival have already begun. Our focus is on building a team of volunteers to help make next year’s fes- tival an even greater success, in addition to working closer with the pool of young musi- cians and adding new enter- tainment to expanding the variety of performances. Anyone interested getting involved in the next Siuslaw Jam can contact us by email- ing satchmo@siuslawjam. com. The community is encour- aged to participate, share ideas and make recommen- dations that will help this musical event that jas taken root continue to grow in the years ahead. LETTERS N O ‘ PLAUSIBLE DENIAL ’ In response to Mr. Cavarno’s state- ment in his Letter to the Editor “Dirt for Dirt” (July 15) that Hillary Clinton and the Democrats wouldn’t have hesitated to go to the Russians for dirt on Donald Trump, Al Gore was handed hacked emails from George Bush’s campaign and turned them over to the FBI. Lets say the Dems did get an offer from the Russians — I would hope that Hillary would be smart enough not to send Bill, Chelsea or other high ranking staff or family members to such a meet- ing. Apparently, President Trump’s people have never heard of “plausible denial,” which is a bit hard to do when you are caught in the act. — Frank Keavy Florence support exhibited recently in our bid to open a new facility on Highway 101. In declining to appeal the decision of the Planning Commission, we have reaf- firmed our commitment to serving food to the insecure population of Florence and Western Lane County. We are extremely thankful to the Florence United Methodist Church for its continued partnership in helping us provide a nutritious hot lunch three days per week. The church has graciously extended the use of its facilities until we can work out other accommodations. We look forward to continuing our work and sharing in the building of a stronger Florence. — Greg Wood Helping Hands Coalition Florence H ELPING HANDS N O HARM , NO FOUL ? N O WAY . CONTINUES I and the rest of the board of The Helping Hands Coalition would like to thank the Florence Community for the Mr. Cavarno’s Letter to the Editor (“Dirt for Dirt,” July 15) asked, “Is there anyone out there who believes if the Kremlin, during the election campaign, had notified Hillary, Bernie, Pelosi, Schumer or any other 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 informa- tion?” I don’t believe any Democratic (listed above or otherwise) or most Republican party members would have taken a meeting with the Kremlin. First and foremost, it’s illegal under campaign finance laws to accept assis- tance from a foreign government. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. If I steal a car, I’ll go to jail whether or not I know stealing a car is illegal. Donald Trump Jr.’s position that noth- ing was gained from the meeting, so no harm/no foul is also ridiculous on it’s face. If I steal the car because I thought there was a million dollars in the trunk, but the trunk turned out to be empty, I’ll still go to jail for stealing the car. — Marybeth Marenco Florence 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. 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
