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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ DECEMBER 20, 2017 Siuslaw News NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 The long arc of ‘Jeopardy’ from the community both in support of and in anger over our coverage of these sensitive issues. While some feel it paints our community as prob- lematic and overlooks the As we approach the halfway point of our 10-part series “Is Coastal Living in Jeopardy?” focusing on the housing and economic chal- lenges currently facing our community, as well as the entire West Coast, I thought it would be a good time to emphasize that this series has a very long arc. Over the past several weeks since the series began on Nov. 15, we have received feedback we now? How did we get here? What can we do as a community to get to where we want to go? When we continue our series next Wednesday, Dec. From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON many positives, others believe it’s a conversation that’s long overdue. When our newsroom first began discussing what the scope of the series would be and fleshed out its parts, our overall objective was to iden- tify three things: Where are 27, with Part 6, we’ll begin looking at the role local eco- nomics play in solving some of the housing issues within the Siuslaw region. Heading toward the end of this long, 10-week arc, we’ll identify solutions — some of which are already beginning to materialize, and others that are on the horizon. Early last November, as we sat looking at the outline of this series written in blue marker on a large whiteboard, we knew it was going to elicit a myriad of responses. But most importantly, we knew it would spark the kinds of conversations that ultimate- ly make us stronger; the kinds of conversations people around here have never shied away from having. Thank you for being a part of that conversation. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@the siuslaw news.com or P.O. Box 10, Florence, Ore. 97439. ❘ 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. LETTERS C OULDN ’ T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT PEOPLE OF F LORENCE Thank you so much, Florence. The help and kindness so many of you have shown us as we dealt with the sudden loss of our loved one, Elizabeth Breon, owner of Coast Jewelers, was profound. The fire department personnel; sweet and helpful condo neighbors Mark and Jim; Alan Burns; the animal shelter, which took in Liz’s greyhound Dexter for a few days until he went to live with Rayetta from Homes for Hounds; Devan and family who took in Georgie the bird and Moses the cat; the offers of help from Liz’s church family; wonder- ful cabin neighbor Rich, who kept an eye on her place; and lawyer Kelly Ford — our sincerest thank you to al of you. Also, thank you to all her friends who we met or stopped by her store to share stories and kind words. Our family lives near Seattle, so to handle her affairs from so far away would have been near impossible with- out the help of so many in Florence. Also, a special thank you to Desiree Clifton and her husband, who made multiple trips out to Liz’s home and helped with the disposal and sale of the cabinets, safe, and misc. equipment from her jewelry store. To say she and her husband went above and beyond can’t begin to encompass what they did for our fami- ly. Again, our sincerest thank you. —Bill Breon & Family Seattle, Wash. ‘S OFT TOUCH ’ FOR THE WEB ? Regarding your Saturday piece on Net Neutrality, “‘Net’ Gain from FCC Decision Unclear” (Dec. 16): Nonpartisan sources report that almost 40 percent of U.S. rural popula- tions lack access to “basic fixed broad- band service.” This is true despite billions of federal dollars paid to corporations by Congress to build out those rural areas for over 10 years. One may ask where were the benign “market forces” clammoring to “inno- vate” and connect rural America? In what way will they expect the new FCC regulatory “soft touch” to differ from the Congressional closed-door corporate fondling they are accustomed to expect? Which prompts one to wonder: Will Roy Moore be our next FCC nominee, or merely the spokeman? —Rand Dawson Siltcoos Lake N OT HEARING MUCH FROM THOSE ACCUSED In regard to Mr. Eckhardt’s letter concerning the over reaching of sexual harassment and abuse accusations, “Sexual Harrasment Accusations Need Proof” (Dec. 16): I too have been dismayed and deeply disturbed upon hearing that a producer of wonderful films, my favorite come- dian, a great senator, an engaging talk show moderator, et al have been accused of heinous sex related harass- ment, crimes, etc. However, the fact that these men have either been relieved of, or stepped away from, their positions does not cause me the same concerns that it caus- es you. Many of these men were com- plained about by the victims to their superiors and HR departments, but to no avail. Many of the accusers worked in envi- ronments where to complain about the “put up with/put out” culture would result in their own loss of employment or advancement opportunities. This is why the “MeToo” movement started: To be heard. Until our culture recognizes that there is systemic sexism, and further, misogyny, in the workplace and in the public sphere, these accusations — and I hope resultant repercussions — will continue. The men who have left their jobs either voluntarily or involuntarily have been informed as to the specific charges and complaints against them and of the persons accusing them. However, aside from Sen. Al Franken’s sad yet brilliant commentary on the irony of his resignation amidst our own president’s admitted sexual assault history and the repugnant behav- ior of Roy Moore (who told Sean Hannity that he only dated girls after receiving their mother’s permission), I’m not hearing too much from those accused. In the meantime, think about all the women who for years have endured sex crimes and harassment everywhere, from our farming fields and orchards to the highest levels of government and industry. What about those women’s jobs and reputations? And, by the way, check out the statis- tics for false reporting of sex crimes. Speak to women. Ask them about their work experiences with harassing men and being sexually assaulted. Ask women of your own generation; ask younger women; ask any woman. We all have the same stories to tell. We’ve been telling these stories for years. — Candace Thompson 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
