Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | WEDNESDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 31, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS November Arts & Entertainment SCHOOL ZONE INSIDE OCTOBER EDITION INSIDE 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 87 Nov. 6 General Election Pros and cons of Measure 106 Amends Constitution: Prohibits spending “public funds” (defined) directly/indirectly for “abortion” (defined); exceptions, reduces abortion access. By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News Under current law, state-funded health plans, or health insurance pro- cured by public employment, can help cover the cost of abortion services, when approved by medical professionals. The law would prohibit this, except in cases where the mother’s life is in dan- ger, or in the case of ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg attaches itself in a place other than inside the uterus, such as in the fallopian tube. The measure does not ban abortions in the state. Oregon is one of 17 states that uses its own money to provide abortions to women eligible for Medicaid, according to a June 2018 story by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Federally, abortion fund- ing is banned. In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, Oregon paid for 4,086 abortions. Proponents of the measure state that the measure is about how the state spends taxpayer funding, and question- ing if Oregon should be using money for the controversial procedure. Opponents say that restricting fund- ing will essentially be a ban on abortions for low-income wage earners. Those in favor of the measure run the gamut of opinions, from anti-abortion sentiments couched in personal expe- rience, to moderates who feel the state should not be getting involved in the debate. “My life was shattered by shame,” wrote Linda Burwell of Women for Measure 106 for the Oregon State Voters Pamphlet. “The day of my abortion, the admitting clerk checked me in at a hos- pital in Portland and asked me to sign a permission form to dispose of the fetus. Until then I’d never heard the word fe- tus. This growth inside me was a ‘mass of cells, undeveloped tissue,’ not an un- born child. In that moment, I realized I was signing the death certificate for my child. In my shame, I chose my life over his.” Burwell wrote that Oregon’s current law is making is easy to “erase an entire generation” in a “genocide of the unborn children,” and that taxpayer funds would be better used for education, assistance and help for women to find “other op- tions.” “I am pro-choice, pro-responsibility, pro-Oregon, pro-women and pro-men,” wrote Angie Hummell of Hermiston. INSIDE See MEASURE 106 page 5A Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Kid Scoop . . . In School Zone Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A5 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 In their own words: Candidates for Congress, governor By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News To provide voters with a closer look at the candidates for Oregon’s Gover- nor and Fourth Congressional Dis- trict, what follows is a Q&A that pri- mary candidates for those races had with the Siuslaw News. Governor’s Race The race to occupy the Oregon Governor’s Mansion, Mahonia Hall, is officially a contest between four can- didates. However only two of these in- dividuals are likely to receive enough support from voters to become Ore- gon’s next Governor. Peter DeFazio Art Robinson Nick Chen is running as the can- didate of the Libertarian Party and Patrick Starnes is running as an In- dependent. Neither candidate has a statewide ground organization, and both have a very limited media pres- ence, with no major television or ra- dio ads airing in the week leading up Kate Brown Knute Buehler to the election. Oregon State Rep. Knute Buehler is the Republican candidate for governor and sitting Democrat Gov. Kate Brown is running for her first full term in the office. Both Brown and Buehler are polling in the 40th percentiles among voters, with Starnes and Chen trailing far behind. The political statistics firm Real Clear Politics is calling the race to lead Oregon a “toss-up.” The 2018 governor’s race is the sec- ond time these candidates have com- peted for the same office, with Bue- hler being defeated by Brown for the position of Secretary of State in 2015. Brown then served as secretary of state under former Gov. John Kitzhaber and ascended to the state’s highest office after Kitzhaber’s unex- pected resignation in 2015. Brown won a special election in 2016 to finish the remainder of Kitzhaber’s term and is now running for her first full term as governor. See CANDIDATES page 6A 2018 State of the Coast Conference focuses on programs designed to support, enhance coastal life The Oregon Coast is widely acknowledged as one of the premier destinations for outdoor activities in the country. The state’s combination of spectacular By Mark Brennan ocean vistas and tow- ering Ponderosa pines Siuslaw News nestled along the Pacific Ocean draws millions of visitors a year to the area, as does native wildlife and friendly and welcoming residents. The natural beauty and abundance these visitors experience while spending time here translates into hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for busi- nesses, counties and cities across the state. The importance of Oregon’s coastal communi- ties to the overall health of the state was made clear last week when Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed Executive Order No. 18-28. The order directs state MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS The Yaquina Head Lighthouse near Newport, Ore., is a primary example of the importance of Oregon's pristine coast. The State of the Coast showcased current programs to protect and support the coastal ecosystem. agencies to protect Oregon’s coastal economy by preventing activities associated with offshore oil and gas drilling. “Oregonians have a long and proud history of standing up to defend our state. And at a time when the Trump administration is trying to allow oil rigs to be built off nearly every coastline in America, I’m tired of waiting for the federal government to come to its senses and realize that this is a terrible mistake,” Brown said in a statement released at the signing.“ This executive order will make it clear to oil and gas speculators that Oregon is not for sale.” Brown’s proactive assertion of state sovereignty in the area of energy exploration and production is a direct response to an executive order signed by See COASTAL page 7A Florence updates code to ‘Beat the Wave’ City amends tsunami & earthquake code By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News During last week’s Florence City Council meeting, the council voted to amend chapters of the Florence City Code to update the tsunami code. Councilors approved the Beat the Wave Code Amendments with the approval of Ordinance No. 13, Series 2018, which amended Chapters 2 and 7 of Florence City Code Title 10, concerning tsunami and earthquake Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S amendments. Florence Associate Planner Glen Southerland gave the presentation during the public hearing. “The intent of this code, first and foremost, is to reduce loss of life during a tsunami event; reduce the damage to public and private prop- erty; reduce social, emotional and economic obstructions; and increase the resilience of the community,” he said. He talked about the timeline for this process, including the initia- tion of the amendments in August, the Planning Committee work ses- sion and evidentiary hearing and the sending of 1,200 notices to area residents about the possible amend- ments. The city received 200 re- sponses through people coming to the counter, sending in emails or calling on the phone, along with 50 people who attended the Planning Commission hearing on Oct. 9. “Hopefully all the fears were as- suaged,” Southerland said. According to the staff report, Florence was able to complete these changes thanks to grant funding from the 2015 National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Program, which assisted in the development and drafting of a comprehensive plan and development code provisions. These utilized sci- entific information from the Oregon Coastal Management Program Tsu- nami Land Use planning guide and Oregon Department of Geology and TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 58 53 60 53 59 50 58 52 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) mod- eling. “The proposed local comprehen- sive plans and development codes are designed to significantly reduce risk and enhance community resilience to a Cascadia Subduction Zone or dis- tant tsunami,” the report read. Southerland said, “What this did was take Tsunami Inundation Maps and paved routes, such as trails, streets, sidewalks and the like, and overlay those with high ground safety destinations. … Taking the time for the arrival of the wave, and the dis- tance at any given point to the safety destination at any given speed … at what speed would you have to travel from any given point to reach safety?” See CITY CODE page 5A S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018