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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2018)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | AUGUST 1, 2018 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM C The First Amendment ongress shall make no law respecting an es- tablishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise 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. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2018 © 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. Je n n a B a r t l e t t Ned H ickson Erik Chalhoub Pu b l i s h e r, e x t . 3 1 8 Editor, ex t. 313 Co n s u l t i n g E d i to r 8 3 1 -7 6 1 -7 3 5 3 e c h a l h o u b @ re gi s te r -p a j a ro n i a n . co m M a r k e t i n g Di re c to r, e x t . 3 2 6 O f f i ce Su p e r v i s o r, e x t . 3 1 2 Pro d u c t i o n Su p e r v i s o r Pre s s M a n a ge r Su s a n G u t i e r re z Cat hy Di e t z Ron Annis Je re my G e n t r y 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, Wednes- day 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 subscrip- tion, $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 Letters to the Editor policy LETTERS Keep up the good work I am writing to thank you for the ex- cellent “City of Florence, Oregon, 125 Years” supplement. As a relative new- comer to Florence, it was fascinating to read this historical year-by-year record and I especially liked the many pictures. During my career, I have lived in more than 15 cities across six states and the Siuslaw News is definitely the best community newspaper I’ve found. The constant emphasis on all the good being accomplished by the citizens, civic orga- nizations and churches is a very refresh- ing change from the negative content of so many newspapers today. I especially appreciate the series of in-depth investigations on a variety of important community issues that fre- quently span several issues. Your cover- age is always fair in presenting different approaches to the issues, and your edito- rials and Guest Viewpoints bring a good range of viewpoints to be considered. Thanks to you and to all the writers. Also, thanks for the weekly “Kid Scoop” page. I frequently send copies to my own young relatives and to a social worker friend whose focus is on chil- dren. I’m sure all of the advertisers who support “Kid Scoop” are appreciated by a great many of Florence’s kids, parents and teachers who enjoy and learn from the pages. Keep up all the good work being ac- complished for Florence by you and your staff. With sincere appreciation, —Ann Lathrop, Professor Emeritus California State University, Long Beach Women’s rights can’t be taken for granted I read with impending dread Mr. Joel Marks letter regarding “Divine Cre- ator”-given rights vs. women’s rights (Roe Vs. Wade a Masterpiece of Obfus- cation," July 28). His words remind me that we women must guard our rights with every breath as they can — and would — be taken away by those who see themselves (usu- ally men) as superior in decision making about women's issues. It reminded me that, when I graduat- ed from college, as a woman I was not allowed to get even a library card in my name. Then, five years later, after put- ting my husband through law school and eventually divorcing, he got all my credit and I was left with none — even though he did not work during those law school years. Since Roe vs. Wade, I at least thought I have a right to privacy as well as a right to my own body. I see now that both of these rights are in jeopardy and might be taken away — not by due process but by disavowing those rights. Many young women assume that women’s rights have always been there, and that we have always been able to make our own choices, whether legal, financial or health related. Not so. So take heed those of you who were not a part of that difficult struggle for freedom. Even though we have a secular constitution and Bill of Rights, there are many who want us to be ruled by reli- gious teachings instead. Is this the Christian version of Sharia Law? Mr. Marks’ words would seem to imply that. —Judy Kinsman Florence Block party highlighted what our city is about The City of Florence Celebrated its 125th anniversary last Friday (July 27) with a rousing block party in Old Town. On behalf of the City, as well as person- ally, I want to thank all our sponsors who helped support this effort along with the Merchants of Old Town (MOOT) for its support. To make it even better, the Oregon Mayor’s Conference was in town during this event and it made me very proud to hear the applause and comments prais- ing our celebration. They were amazed at what our city is all about. I would like to especially thank Erin Reynolds, our city manager, and her fine staff, who went above and beyond the call of duty in coordinating both events at the same time. It took a lot of hard work on the part of many people. And in just two weeks, another great outdoor event is happening. On Aug. 7, the Florence Police Department is host- ing a National Night Out Event at Miller Park from 6 to 9 p.m. National Night Out is a communi- ty-police event held throughout the United States meant to increase aware- ness about police programs in commu- nities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime efforts. This is going to be a lot of fun for ev- eryone with free burgers and hot dogs. Yours truly will be at the grill. Come out and bring the family. —Joe Henry, Mayor Florence Come share your thoughts about parks Lane County Parks has been work- ing with a community-led task force to update its Parks & Open Space Master Plan since 2016. As the coordinator of the Friends of Harbor Vista Park, I was appointed to the task force to represent the Coast District. I invite you to attend a forum to dis- cuss the draft plan this Thursday, Aug. 2, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Siuslaw Valley Fire Station (2625 Highway 101). This is one of six forums to be held through- out the county and will be conducted by county parks staff. The newly released draft plan incor- porates the feedback from community members last summer — as well as guid- ance from the community-led task force — to create a draft Parks & Open Space Master Plan that reflects the values and priorities Lane County residents have for their parks now and into the future. Two community workshops were held on the coast in Florence and Mapleton. Both were well attended and provided valuable input unique to our communi- ty. Ultimately, the final plan will guide how Lane County maintains and invests in its parks for decades to come. The draft plan is available online at www.lanecounty.org/parksplan, along with additional information about the scheduled forums and a brief comment form. Lane County’s parks and open spaces are crucial to the community’s economic vitality, quality of life and pub- lic health. They also provide an import- ant legacy for future generations. Join me in helping to create the best possible plan for our parks. —Michael Allen, Task Force Member Florence Celebrating Florence’s past important part of appreciating future Around this day, 125 years past, the town of Florence as we know it emerged. So the fair folk of Florence had a party Traffic was stopped on Bay Street to al- low for the celebration as infants and the seasoned alike mingled to take part. History was celebrated and future en- visioned. The abundant sounds, sights and fla- vors were refreshing from the heat and the free ice cream lent a helping hand. Inside an eatery, music from an old up- right piano forced the capture of atten- tion. Rebecca was working the keys. With expert and exact technique she delivered song after song from memo- ry. That old piano, along with Rebecca's vintage, surprised most observers. Sur- prise quickly turned to inspiration when it's discovered that Rebecca is complete- ly blind. Sunset while the street was swept and celebration was neatly packed away for another day. It was then that the con- nection became apparent whether we choose to see it or not. It’s only through appreciative grasping of the past, along with careful inspira- tion from the present, that we’ll find vi- sion for the future. —Scott Olson Portland, Ore. Frequent Forence visitor 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, gram- mar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaran- teed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siuslaw News readership area will only be published at the dis- cretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: 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 cam- paigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) ex- plain the reasons to support candidates based on per- sonal experience and perspective rather than partisan- ship and campaign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the news- paper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any let- ter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Emal 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 Oregon 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 (4th 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@ oregonlegislature.gov 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