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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2019)
SN WEDNESDAY EDITION | APRIL 10, 2019 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM TH Siuslaw News YOUR #1 LOCAL YARD, GARDEN, AND LANDSCAPE EXPERTS! WE’RE GLAD TO GET YOU GROWING! LCB#6718 88493 Hwy. 101 Florence Open 7 days a week Senior Discount Every Tuesday T INY H OUSE P ROJECT I NSIDE — A6 997-5973 VOL. 129, NO. 29 NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Rain all day with a high of 51 and a low tonight of 46. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY The ‘Wall that Heals’ does just that Traveling Vietnam Memorial creates rare conversations for area veterans Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Headstart learns about safety from Officer Bailey INSIDE — A3 SPORTS A merica is fighting a war today. The U.S. War in Afghanistan began when the United States invaded Afghan- istan in October 2001, seeking to destroy the Taliban which the U.S. had determined was responsible for the attacks of 9/11. The War in Afghanistan, officially known as Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, is the lon- gest war in U.S. history at 19 years and counting. However, the longest unde- clared war in America’s his- tory lasted 20 years and took place in Vietnam. Americans who return from the current conflict are respected by most for their service and are wel- comed home by family and community. In addition, the federal government now has in place numerous veterans’ services to assist in the transi- tion from fighting and killing, back to civilian life. Many of the problems that veterans face when attempting to reestablish a normal life have been antici- pated and options are available to deal with issues that arise. That has not always been the case, especially after the war in Vietnam. The arrival last week of the Vietnam Veteran Memo- rial known as the “Wall that Heals” served as a catalyst for many Florence-area veterans to revisit one of the most tu- multuous periods in Ameri- can history, the Vietnam Era. Conversations regarding service during Vietnam, and the residual emotions from that time, reverberated throughout local veterans’ groups when the wall arrived last week. Many of these veterans have rarely, if ever, shared their feelings or emotions concerning the war and their treatment after the conflict had ended. The replica of the original memorial brought renewed appreciation for the sacrifices and the disrespect many serv- ing during the conflict have buried or simply chosen to forget. See VETERANS page 7A ‘Experiencing the world through volunteering’ Part I: Siuslaw High School teens discuss experiences during National Volunteer Week By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News Area groups organize Earth Day activities INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KID SCOOP Newspapers in Education every week Inside — B3 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B4 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM “You get to have a lot of experi- ences,” Siuslaw High School senior Audrey Lowder said about what volunteering does for her, and why it remains an important part of her life. “Living in the moment is kind of a big thing for me because when I was younger, I used to watch a lot of TV. It just kills you. It sucks, because you’re just sitting there watching something instead of experiencing the world around you. Volunteer- ing helps you experience the world around you instead of living in this little, mythical realm. And it helps you mature as a person.” To honor National Volunteer Week, which kicked off April 7, Au- drey, along with sophomore Allison Huff and seniors Samantha Scheer and Nic Wilkinson, sat in the coun- seling center of the high school to talk about why they volunteer, its triumphs and some of its drawbacks. The conversation soon delved into a variety of complex issues, such as what it’s like to live in a small town, their hopes for the future of Florence and some of the fears they have in moving on to different places. “You just get drawn more and more into it” Audrey began the talk by listing off her recent volunteer duties, some of which helped her earn the 2018 Fu- ture First Citizen designation from the Florence Area Chamber of Com- merce’s Siuslaw Awards in January. See TEENS page 8A PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Preserving local history through ‘signs of the times’ By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Old Board- ing House on Maple Street feels like a time machine. There is a sign on the front of the recently refurbished build- ing that gives a brief description of the early history of one of Florence’s first suc- Pamela & Patrick Emmingham of Thrifty Threads cessful businesses, and it says simply: “Old Town Rooms for Rent.” That five-word declaration was enough information to keep the dozen or so rooms in the two-story building occupied for most of the next 50 years. See SIGNS page 9A Supporting those without shelter Conditions associated with homelessness dramatically increase the likelihood of suicide S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part special collaboration between the Cottage Grove Sentinel, The Creswell Chronicle, Siuslaw News and Newport News-Times fo- cusing on the rising suicide rate in Oregon. Each Wednesday through April, the four newspapers in this collaboration will each be contrib- uting a part to the series and will be publishing them together. The hope is that, by sharing our resources and readerships, we can begin establish- ing a dialogue within each of our communities about this important subject. By Stephanie Blair Newport News-Times H omeless individuals are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than their general population counterparts, according to the findings of a 2012 study con- ducted by A. A. Patterson and R. R. Holden. “We know that people with severe mental illness, or especially psychotic disorders, are more vulnerable,” said Sena Benson-Arb, a clinical counsel- or in the Lincoln County Behavioral See SHELTER page 7A Interior and Exterior House Painting Florence, OR CCB#195304 • Deck and Railing Staining • General Repairs • Pressure Washing • Mossy Roof Treatment • Gutter Cleaning
