4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| OCTOBER 30, 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 Bartlett
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
Letters to the Editor policy
LETTERS
Vacant building not a
‘grand entrance’
to Old Town
In response to the letter from
Gerry Welch (“Yamaha At Gate-
way Seems Like Bad Idea,” Oct.
26), I’d like to point out a couple
of things.
First of all, the owner of Flor-
ence Yamaha also owns the
piece of property mentioned at
South Jetty and Highway 101.
He is unable to locate his dealer-
ship there because the property
is zoned residential, not com-
mercial.
Second, while this proper-
ty is “in walking distance to an
area now used by ATV’s,” I don’t
know of anyone who would
want to push their ATV and all
their equipment about a mile
down the road to be able to ac-
cess the dunes.
Also, driving ATV’s on South
Jetty or any other street is illegal,
so the Old Town streets should
not become testing grounds.
Anyone who was not at the
meetings discussing Florence
Yamaha’s relocation to the Pro
Lumber site, or who did not
voice their opinion before the
decision was made, has no right
to complain.
The decision to allow the re-
location of Florence Yamaha
has been made, so further dis-
cussion is not necessary.
Lastly, having the building oc-
cupied by Florence Yamaha will
be a far better sight than a huge
vacant building at our “grand
entrance” to downtown.
—Cheryl Prchal
Florence
Visitor Center would be
better fit than Yamaha
I am really surprised that the
Visitor’s Center/Chamber of
Commerce is not going to take
the space being vacated by Pro
Lumber at Maple and the 101.
Th ey could off er so much
more information about the
area in that space, and so many
more services, including ex-
panded exhibit space for a va-
riety of promotional activities
and/or vendors.
Th e parking lot could have a
rotation of food trucks, a coff ee
cart, vendors of local and re-
gional items, etc.
It might lighten the Bay Street
load in tourist season, and fa-
cilitate that Bay Street parking
solution I hear the Transporta-
tion Advisory Committee has
been charged with fi guring out.
Maybe Bay Street can be-
come more foot traffi c and bi-
cycle traffi c friendly if there is a
hub of commercial activity two
blocks away.
Just sayin’.
—Ivy Medow
Florence
Do something rather
than talking about it
Th e Letter to the Editor from
Matt Danielsson (“Focus on
Deeds Rather Th an Words,”
Oct. 26) was off ensive to me,
and I’m sure to those folks
who’re working to get the cli-
mate catastrophe word into the
public consciousness.
Th ose people on the corners
with their signs are also the
folks who patrol 101 and 126 for
debris, who are eradicating in-
vasive species from our dunes,
who are lobbying our federal,
state and local governments to
recognize the existential threat
we are all facing.
Yes, each of us should be do-
ing our part, but to call out
those who are actually doing
something instead of joining in
is not helpful.
C’mon, Matt, step up.
I’ll help and you’ll be so very
welcome.
—Patricia Burke
Florence
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