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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2019)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing an establishment 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 Govern- ment 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 2019 © Siuslaw News 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. Jenna Bartlet Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Multimedia Sales Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Dis- play classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to pub- lication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-week subscription, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102; 6-month out- of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $134; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Assure you have a voice — register to vote Tuesday other. Other times it was because I felt their vision for our country was better defined or more suited to the temperament of our changing world politically, economically or socially. I think we can all agree that these are not “nor- mal” times for our nation, the upcoming 2020 elections nor what will be following in the four years ahead, regardess of who our next president is. I’ve spoken with a lot of folks who have told me that their distaste for the candidates — on both sides of the political divide — has soured them to the election process. I understand this. But I have always believed that our right to vote is not merely a privilege. It is also — and perhaps more importantly — an obligation we have as Americans. Over the years, I have gone to the voting booth or mailed in my ballot in support of candidates for different reasons. Some- times it was because I connected with the ideals of one candidate over an- even many of the news sources that claim to be unbiased. I have to roll up my sleeves, dig in and do the work so that, come Election Day, I can do the From the Editor's Desk Ned Hickson I have voted for Dem- ocrats, Republicans and Independents. I even voted for Ross Perot (whatever he was.) In each case, voting was a privilege I enjoyed because, no matter who won, I still felt our country would be in capable hands. This time, I’m not so sure. For that reason, this time it’s not about enjoy- ing the privilege of voting as much as it is about ac- cepting the obligation we have, as Americans, to ed- ucate ourselves and make an informed decision. I can’t rely on spoon-fed rhetoric, headlines, care- fully staged interviews, rants on social media or right thing instead of the easy thing — and ensure my voice is heard when it comes to choosing some- one who will represent my highest ideals as an American. It also means I agree to accept — and live with — the results, no matter who is elected. But having faith in that outcome is dependent upon the notion that as many of us as possible participate in that process. In recent years, it seems that the push for voter participation has been a partisan affair, with each side encouraging “their own” to vote — further dividing us. Instead, we should be voicing our choice as Americans first, with a vote that truly represents our country by its sheer volume of collective voices rather than by which side can shout the loudest. That is the expectation our forefathers had for each of us when they fought for our right to vote in a republic protect- ed by the Constitution. This Tuesday, Sept. 24, there will be a non-par- tisan group assembled at the Siuslaw Public Library to inform and register residents during National Voter Registration Day. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the library’s lobby. This will be an oppor- tunity to register or to update your voter infor- mation. Please take the time to ensure you will have a voice through your right to vote. No matter who you vote for, I support your choice — not as a Democrat, Re- publican or Independent. I will support your choice as a fellow Amer- ican. LETTER Business at ‘Gateway’ should be the right fit From what I understand, Pro Lumber is moving from its present location at Highway 101 and Ma- ple Street to where the Woodman’s Nursery was north of town (near Fred Meyer). What information I have been able to find is the “Gateway” to Old Town will be at the junction of Highway 101 and Maple Street with some of the large vacated property used as park land. Now there is a proposal to put the Florence Yamaha motorsports facility (currently east of Florence on Highway 126) on the corner of our “Gateway” to historic Old Town? I’m glad no one proposed a used car lot because it seems as though planners might have considered it. If those in charge want some sort of sports or recreation related busi- ness, why not a bicycle shop with rental bikes which would be a small imprint? Better yet, why not a cof- fee/bakery shop? One last thing about our new “Gateway.” I assume that what looks like a concrete arch is only in con- cept. If anything, I think it should be made out of large handcrafted timbers using old traditional con- struction methods in celebration of our logging past. —Win Jolley Florence Climate change is overhwhelming unless we work together T he safe upper limit of carbon di- oxide in the atmosphere is 350 ppm (parts per million); anything above that puts the planet in a state of climate crisis. Currently, we are at 415 ppm. It is becoming more difficult to ig- nore the science behind our climate crisis: Stronger storms, bigger floods, longer and more frequent droughts, ruined crops, air and water degra- dation, melting glaciers and sea ice, endangered species and ocean acid- ification — all are increasing due to claimate change. It all sounds overwhelming until we educate ourselves about what we can do as individuals, communities, cor- porations and governments to miti- gate global warming by 2030. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that we need to be- gin drawing down greenhouse gasses now. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to move our energy policies and economies around the world to sustainable climate levels. Guest Viewpoint By Julia Tousley-Ritt Florence I encourage young people in our area to learn more about climate sci- ence during a special Climate Aware- ness event Sept. 28 in Florence being held in conjunction with 350 Eugene. 350 Eugene is an affiliate of 350.org, an organization dedicted to helping raise awareness of — and organizing — action around institutions and pol- icies driving climate change. Wouldn’t it be great if one of our young people from the Florence or Mapleton area was inspired to invent a way to repurpose plastics, save our bees, recapture carbon, develop re- newable energy with cutting edge technology, or protect our coastal wa- ters, rivers and streams? The possibilities are endless when we work with coalitions of environ- mental groups to save our planet from this climate crisis. (Editor’s note: On Sept. 28, a ral- ly will be taking place hosted by FOR/ Florence Organizes-Environmental Group and the Siuslaw Climate Al- liance from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. at the corner of highways 126 and 101. It will be followed by a climate presentation by 350 Eugene in the Bromley Room of the Siuslaw Public Library. It is not a library-sponsored event.) Letters to the Editor policy The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi- tor 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 sub- ject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of let- ters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, 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 pub- lished at the discretion 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 campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) En- sure 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 perspective rather than partisanship and cam- paign-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 newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Email 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 @oregonlegislature.gov 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
