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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ NOVEMBER 15, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion What will it take to assure coastal living as a community? In today’s edition of Siuslaw News, we’re launch- ing an eight-part series that takes an in-depth look at the challenges our community — along with communities throughout the West Coast — are facing due to a devastat- ing combination of low-wage jobs and a lack of affordable housing. While cities like Seattle and Los Angeles have been posting some of the lowest unemployment rates in a decade, the number of home- less have risen dramatically. As Seattle Councilman Mike O’Brien told the Associated Press last week, the city has economically zero unem- ployment. “Yet thousands of home- less people with jobs simply can’t afford housing,” he said. “There’s just nowhere for these folks to move to.” Since 2015, homelessness has driven more than 10 cities in California, Oregon and Washington to declare a state of emergency — a des- ignation usually reserved for a natural disaster. Here in the Siuslaw region, while we prepare for the inevitable earthquake and tsunami predicted to occur sometime in the next 50 years, we are experiencing our own crisis related to a ness in our region. We’ve spoken with city officials, nonprofit organizations, busi- nesses, volunteer programs, realtors, property managers and average citizens to not only understand the scope on a local level, but gain some perspective on what some of the solutions are — and why it’s so critical to implement From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON lack of housing and living- wage jobs. Except, unlike a natural disaster, it’s not loom- ing in the unforeseeable future. It’s here. The question is what to do about it. In the months spent preparing for our eight-week series “Is Coastal Living In Jeopardy?” we looked into the common denominator creating the unhealthy symbi- otic relationship between low-wage jobs and homeless- them to assure the future of our coastal region. We were shocked to learn about how many of those who we see working two and three jobs around town retire to their cars each night because they can’t afford the average $750 to $950 rent for an apartment; the elderly in our community who sell donated items in yard sales to supplement their Social Security in order to pay their utilities; how some of those in situations of domestic abuse remain because they can’t afford a place on their own — even when children are involved. In the weeks ahead, we will explore the many aspects of this crisis to identify the problems, some of the poten- tial solutions and, most importantly, what it will take to implement those solutions. Topics will include the challenges of creating living- wage jobs, economic devel- opment, affordable housing, the local work force, and the short- and long-term impacts of local programs like Helping Hands, Food Share, Siuslaw Outreach Services and others that rely heavily on volunteers and donations. We hope you will join us each Wednesday over the next seven weeks, beginning today with Part 1 of “Is Coastal Living In Jeopardy?” as we identify the issues we face together as members of the Siuslaw region. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw news.com or 148 Maple St, Florence, Ore. 97439. LETTERS W ONDERFUL COMMUNITY SUPPORT OF VETS Though it rained on our parade, a great many patriotic members of our wonderful community lined the route to honor all veterans. Parade partici- pants thanked those who braved the elements as several distributed flags. Oregon Dunes Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is grateful to Dan Lofy for the use of his trailer that allowed several members to ride this year, and to Oregon Coast Military Museum board member Tom Benedict, who skillfully towed the trailer. Two Coos Bay DAR Chapter mem- bers joined the fun, one of whom por- trayed Betsy Ross and delivered flags and copies of the Flag Code. We also enjoyed the company of a Yaquina Chapter member, whose husband is currently serving in the Air Force. Siuslaw Elementary School stu- dents wrote heartwarming notes to veterans that were distributed along the way by Shannon and Kaylee Graham, Carrie West McNeil and her daughters. Seeing our community join togeth- er to acknowledge the sacrifices of those who served to protect our free- doms is worthy of our remembrance and support. —Jacquie Beveridge Florence A DDRESS THE REAL ISSUE OF GUN VIOLENCE Recently, 26 innocent people were killed in Texas by a mentally ill man who never should have legally been able to buy a gun. The killing spree was stopped by a good citizen with a gun — and if someone in the church had been armed, maybe many more lives would have been saved. The United States has many laws pertaining to guns, but they are only as good as the people that enforce them. In this case, the U.S. Air Force dropped the ball and didn’t report the shooter’s court martial, which would have banned him from buying a gun. Semi-automatic rifles were first sold in this country in 1885 and have been used by hunters, target shooters and sportsmen since that time. An assault weapon is, by definition, a selective fire weapon that can be switched from semi automatic to full automatic; assault weapons are used by the military and cannot be sold to the general public. What the Texas shooter had was an AR-15 style rifle, which is semi-auto- matic. In spite of what you may hear on TV, the AR in this instance stands for ArmaLite Rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. This is just an updated version of the semi- automatic rifle, first introduced in 1885, that is easier to clean, lighter and more versatile. It isn’t an “assault” rifle. There are millions of these rifles in the hands of private citizens in the U.S. and it is the best-selling rifle in use today. Keep in mind anyone who buys a gun today has to register the gun at the time of purchase. Nothing is given to the person buying the gun that would prove that the gun has been registered, so requiring a gun owner to prove registration prior to purchas- ing ammunition is not possible. It is estimated that there are over 360 million registered guns in the U.S., so for the federal government to provide proof to every gun owner would be very costly. It seems to me that the best course of action is to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. There are laws in effect to stop that from happening but they are ineffec- tive if people with mental health prob- lems or who are involved in criminal activity are not reported. Let’s not blame the gun or the millions of good people in our country who own and enjoy them on the actions of a few deranged people. —Tom Wilson Florence P ROUD OF F LORENCE I am so proud of Florence and Western Lane County. Once again, this time in downpours of rain, our community turned out to support our veterans in the annual parade held in Old Town. I am especially proud of Janet Van Thies, a new volunteer to The Salvation Army-Western Lane County. Janet lost her brother this year, who was a successful graduate of the Men’s Rehabilitation Program many years ago in Long Beach, Calif. In his memory, she marched carrying our Home Front War Relief banner. She got soaked and declined a rain coat so people could see her bright red Salvation Army Volunteer T-shirt. Wonderfully, a man standing on the edge of the street jumped in alongside Janet to help carry the banner. He put on an extra volunteer T-shirt and promptly got soaked, too. People like this define the character of Florence and western Lane County, as do the many who stood alongside the streets and waved flags for our veterans. We all got soaked in the love and respect shown to men and women who have served our nation in times of conflict and peace to assure we at home are more safe and more secure because of their sacrifices. What a wonderful way to show oth- ers the value of their service. Thank you! —Bill Olson Salvation Army-Western Lane County Florence B UDDY P OPPY D RIVE A ❘ 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, $76; 6-month in-county, $52; 10-weeks subscription, $23; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription,$99; 6-month out-of-county, $65; 10-weeks subscription, $29; Out of State — 1- year subscription, $125; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $71. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: 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 only be published at the discretion of the editor. 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 SUCCESS FOR VETS I want to thank our local Fred Meyer store for allowing us to be in its north entrance for two days over Veterans Day weekend, and a huge thank you to everyone who con- tributed to our annual Buddy Poppy Drive. It was our most successful drive since I became a member. The Auxiliary to the VFW Post 3232 — which is open to men and women — has a mission to help vet- erans in many ways, from physical and mental health, to housing and hospital care. Holidays can be a depressing time without something special for them, and all the auxiliaries in Oregon con- tribute to helping veterans in homes or hospitals have as close to a normal holiday season as possible. We also hep support the annual Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy essay writing contest at local schools. So for all of those who contributed this Veterans Day weekend, we thank you. All the money collected will be used to help our men and women who served theiur country, as well the young men and women who will one day be in our shoes. —Beryl Foreman President, Florence Auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3232 Florence 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
