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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2019)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | NOVEMBER 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 A whisper rooted in thankfulness you came to being in a se- rious accident. Or when the gas attendant asks if you want to use your .50- cent gas reward when you thought you only had 20. Though it’s been some 35 years since I arrived in Oregon as a high school sophomore, when people ask where I moved from, I still whisper when I say, “California.” I do so in jest (most- ly), secure in the knowl- edge that revealing my California roots — how- ever withered — won’t suddenly bring nearby conversations to an em- barrassing halt, leaving cricket chirps in its place. Part of the reason is because, more often than not, those around me are also originally from Cal- ifornia. Seriously, folks. I’ve heard you whispering. But recently, I’ve come to realize there’s a dif- ferent reason I whisper when it comes to explain- ing where I was in rela- tion to where I am now. It’s a whisper rooted in thankfulness. It’s the whisper that escapes you the moment after realizing how close It wasn’t until returning that summer to visit my father in L.A. that I re- alized something that changed my life: Every- thing I thought I knew From the Editor’s Desk Ned Hickson “What? Yesss.” Oregon changed my life for the better. Twice, actually. First as a 15-year-old with my family, then again when I moved back as a 37-year-old with my own family. In the first instance, it was culture shock just short of defibrillation as I went from the concrete jungle of Los Angeles to the blackberry hillsides of the North Fork. Instead of riding my Schwinn to school and spending afternoons run- ning around the streets in my Nikes, I was canoeing over a flooded dike to meet my school bus and returning home to stack wood or dig post holes. Usually in mud boots. I hated Oregon be- cause it was the opposite of everything I’d known. wasn’t nearly as import- ant as how I’d come to know myself thanks to the life I was experienc- ing in Oregon. Returning home at the end of that summer, I still remember stepping out of the car and onto our dirt driveway in a new pair of Nikes, realizing how those shoes — and that life — just didn’t fit anymore. This is home, I whis- pered. Mostly because I didn’t want my parents to hear and know they had been right. I was still a teenag- er, after all. The lessons learned and perspectives gained from life as an Oregonian were things I carried with me after graduating from Siuslaw High School and becoming a regional chef in Atlanta for the next 10 years. But during all of that time, the thought of re- turning to Oregon stayed with me, particularly as the gains in my career began costing something far more important: Time with my family. So when, in 1998, the opportunity was pre- sented to begin a new career as a journalist, my beloved Oregon — and Florence in particular — changed my life for the second time. Thanksgiving day, those were the things I was thinking about and quietly giving thanks for as my family gathered around the dinner table which, if not for Oregon’s surreptitious interven- tion in my life, I may not have been blessed to be sitting at. As we continue through the Thanksgiving week- end and official start of the holiday season — and the busy weeks ahead — I plan to make time for the many reasons to be thankful. Not the least of which is being editor of the newspaper covering this amazing community. LETTERS Climate change is about what to do, not if it is happening I haven’t lived in Florence for several years now but had the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with my father-in-law this past weekend. While in town, I read the Guest Viewpoint “Climate Has Always Changed And Will Always Change” (Nov. 27) in the Siuslaw News. Let’s be clear about the simplicity of basic climate science. We know average global temperatures are increasing and the rate is acceler- ating. NOAA reports, “...The com- bined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.13°F per decade since 1880; how- ever, the average rate of increase since 1981 (0.31°F) is more than twice as great.” (www.climate.gov/ news-features/understanding-cli- mate/climate-change-global-tem- perature). This is simply data; the in- creasing levels of CO2 in our at- mosphere and our experience of increasing global temperatures match. IPCC mathematical models over the past several decades have accurately predicted the warming we’re experiencing. I don’t like it, but it is simply true. What about Oregon? The most recent (4th) Oregon Climate As- sessment Report (www.occri. net/publications-and-reports/ fourth-oregon-climate-assess- ment-report-2019) points out that “The entire Pacific Northwest has warmed about 2°F since 1900...” It reports that, “Nearly every lo- cation in Oregon has seen a decline in spring snowpack, and it will con- tinue...” Is this important? Well, wildfires in Oregon and Washington to date for 2019 are ocurring at twice the average rate of the prior decade. Oregon agriculture is affected by earlier and warmer springs paired with later cooling in the fall. Mean temperatures and changes in the state’s hydrology are playing havoc with our ability to make a living. I care about that. And the trends are getting worse. And we know why. The question is not whether we “believe” in climate change. The question is what are we going to do about the changes happening right before our eyes. —Rev. Dave Brauer-Rieke Portland (formerly of 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
