4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| MARCH 21, 2020
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Editor’s Note:
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
Due to the frequency of information being
received from local governent agencies and its
importance to the community, we will be
including that information in place of our
normal Opinion page as needed to assure it
reaches as many community members as
possible, both in print and online.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Letter to the Community from the Mayor
Dear Florence Community,
I wanted to take a moment to
connect with our community
and provide some information
on the current situation we all
find ourselves in. I know the past
few weeks, especially the past few
days, have been filled with uncer-
tainty, fear, and heartache.
Many of us have never experi-
enced something like this in our
lifetimes. Working together I
think we can come through this
stronger as a community, but we
know it will be difficult before it
gets better.
Our fight against the corona-
virus or COVID-19 has entered
a stark new phase. The Federal
Government and our State have
taken extraordinary actions over
the past few days to slow the
spread of COVID-19, under the
guidance of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control. This includes limit-
ing public and private gatherings,
restricting restaurants to take-out
and delivery services, and ex-
tending school closures.
During a public health emer-
gency, Lane County Public
Health in conjunction with the
Oregon Health Authority are the
lead agencies in our area. There-
fore, the City is looking to those
lead agencies for guidance and
information on response.
We recommend that our com-
munity members follow the in-
formation provided by these two
organizations, along with the
Centers for Disease Control, for
the most up to date and accurate
information.
In their open letter to Orego-
nians on Tuesday, the Oregon
Health Authority acknowledged
the following:
“Social distancing measures
are urgent and necessary to slow
the spread of COVID-19. These
sweeping actions will create
profound disruption and hard-
ship in all our daily lives. The
From Florence Mayor
Joe Henry
impact of these decisions will
ripple through homes, schools,
communities across Oregon —
and through our state economy.
These restrictions will demand
unprecedented sacrifice from all
of us. But they are urgent, nec-
essary, and justified in the face
of the COVID-19 threat. Every
one of us must help. We all have
the power to stop COVID-19 and
save the lives of people we care
about.”
In Florence, our local agencies
and regional partners are taking
steps to prepare for and slow the
spread of COVID-19. The City
of Florence is committed to the
safety and well-being of our com-
munity and staff and will contin-
ue to provide essential services to
the Florence community.
The City has taken measures to
implement social distancing and
provide relief in the form of sus-
pending utility shutoffs, among
other items. We urge our com-
munity members to adhere to the
social distancing measures being
implemented by the State of Or-
egon and the Centers for Disease
Control.
While these measures mean
we may need to postpone our
important events, such as wed-
dings, celebrations of life and
other events or gatherings, it is
our shared responsibility to pro-
tect each other and our most
vulnerable populations. I un-
derstand that making these hard
decisions is difficult and often
disappointing. If we do our part
to slow the spread of COVID-19,
those events will be all the more
meaningful.
The virus does not dis-
criminate. We cannot combat
COVID-19 if we turn on each
other or stigmatize people who
test positive and become ill. That
only puts sick people and the
broader community at-risk be-
cause it discourages people from
getting tested, getting care, and
staying home.
We are all afraid of the un-
known and how this virus will
end up impacting our lives. It is
our job to remain kind and sup-
portive during these uncertain
times.
Please educate yourself through
trusted and official resources to
reduce the spread of misinforma-
tion. Much of what is shared on
social media does not have a reli-
able or trackable source. We urge
our community to be diligent in
ensuring the information they
consume and share is from offi-
cial sources.
The City of Florence has out-
lined the measures we are taking
and provided links to Lane Coun-
ty Public Health and the Oregon
Health Authority at www.ci.flor-
ence.or.us/covid19.
So, in closing, I urge you to stay
safe and healthy, stay informed,
and continue to be the caring
and compassionate community I
know we are.
And, may God bless the City of
Florence.
School District emergency meal service plan update
Updated March 20 for Spring Break and Beyond
The Siuslaw School District will continue to pro-
vide breakfast and lunch to students and families
during the mandatory school closure. The follow-
ing is a list of serving sites and times available, as
well as bus delivery sites and approximate serving
times.
Anyone who is not able to make it to a site and
needs food and/or resources, call the district of-
fice at 541-997-2651. The school district wants to
ensure that every student has access to meals and
educational materials.
Serving Sites (Drop-by in person):
Spring Break: Delivery will be Monday, March
23, Wednesday, March 25 and Friday, March 27.
Beginning Monday, March 30, food deliveries
will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday until fur-
ther notice.
Siuslaw Elementary School Breezeway
• Breakfast 8:00-8:30
• Lunch 11:30-12:00
Miller Park
• Lunch 12:00-12:20
Public Library
• Lunch 12:30-12:50
Siuslaw High School
• Lunch 1 to 1:20 p.m.
Serving Locations (via bus stop delivery):
In-Town:
Boardwalk Parking Lot (1st and Bay Street)
• 11:45-12:15
Cross Road Church (1380 10th St)
• 11:45-12:15
Siuslaw 97J Transportation Lot (2420 Kingwood)
• 11:45-12:15
35th Street tennis court parking lot (35th St. and
N. Siano Loop)
• 11:45-12:15
Parking Lot at the corner of Bay Street and Juni-
per Street
• 12:20-12:50
City Lights Movie Theatre Lot (1930 Hwy 101)
15th St Community Garden (at Maple)
• 12:30-1:00
Police Station Parking Lot (900 Greenwood)
• 12:45 - 1:15 p.m.
Florence Christian Church lot (2nd & Ivy)
• 12:55-1:25
FEC Overflow Lot (across from 715 Quince)
• 1:15-1:45
First Baptist Church (25th & Spruce)
• 1:30-2:00
NORTH:
Sutton Lake Fire Station (89973 Sutton Lake Rd)
• 11:45 - 12:15 p.m.
Baker Beach Campground State Park (Hwy 101 /
Baker Beach Rd)
• 11:45-12:15
Darlingtonia State Park (5400 Mercer Lake Rd)
• 12:30-1:00
SOUTH:
Dunes City Boat Launch (End of Pacific — West-
lake)
• Noon - 12:30 p.m.
St Marys Catholic Church (85060 Hwy 101)
• 12:00-12:30
Clear Lake Fire Station (83345 Clear Lake Rd)
• 12:45-1:15
Canary Rd:
Woahink Lake Parking Lot (On Canary Rd)
• 12:00-12:30
Canary Road Fire Station 5 (MP 4.8 on Canary
Rd.)
• 12:45-1:15
EAST:
Tiernan Boat Ramp (Tiernan@126)
• 11:45-12:15
C & D Dock on Hwy 126 (9634 Hwy 126)
• 12:30-1:00
North Fork:
Fire Station MP 11 (9181 North Fork)
• 12:00-12:30
Bender Landing MP 2 (6100 North Fork)
• 12:45-1:15
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2020 © 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:
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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
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Candidates themselves may not use the letters
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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