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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
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