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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2020)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 30, 2020 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 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: 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 Thank you neighbors, first responders I would like to extend a very large heartfelt thank you to all our neighbors, to the Oregon State Police, Siuslaw Fire and Rescue, volunteers of the Eugene Search and Rescue and the Western Lane County Ambulance District. These people gave their time and energy to search for my mother who decided to go for a walk and fell on a late Friday af- ternoon (May 22). Within 15 minutes of calling 911, I was contacted and inter- viewed by an Oregon State Police officer and shortly after a Siuslaw Fire and Rescue officer. At approximately 7:26 p.m. the call to volunteers with Eugene Search and Rescue was initiated. After arriving from Eugene, a very methodical search was start- ed in the Dunes City area of Woa- hink Lake. Mother was found at the bottom of a ravine approxi- mately 30 feet below the road. She had slipped through the underbrush. I don’t know how they found her, as people had been on that road all day long. Other than hypothermia, a sprained ankle, some bruises and superficial scratches she was taken to Peach Health Hospital where she is recovering. Without the prompt response from neighbors who helped to eliminate possible places she may have been, as well as the various professionals involved, the out- come would have been very dif- ferent. I sincerely thank each and ev- eryone involved. —Jodi Brigman Florence Appreciating our ‘dune to shining sea’ inheritance as only including the “wet-sand” portion of the state’s beaches as a public highway. At the time, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, that meant I have to admit that that 112 of the 362 miles people are always of beach property could impressed when I tell be considered privately them I’m part-owner of owned. From the Editor’s Desk approximately 363 miles In response, The State Ned Hickson of ocean-front property Highway Commission, in Oregon that stretches along with McCall and from the Columbia River the Oregon legislature, to the California border. quiet whisper), I spent introduced HB 1600 and Though McCall is Naturally, they ques- HB 1601, which Associ- credited with signing my early years growing tion my claim once they up in California before ated Press reporter Matt the official legislation see the 2001 Honda I Kramer thrust into the moving here as a teenag- in 1967, the notion of drive. er in 1980. As a kid, I was keeping our beaches free public commentary with And as you might keenly aware that certain from privatization began stories about Oregon’s imagine, they are less as far back as 1913, when “Beach Bill.” areas of beach were impressed once I explain restricted because they Kramer’s articles then-governor Oswald how I own this property were privately owned. appeared in newspapers West and the Oregon with more than 4 million Fences, property mark- legislature established the throughout Oregon, other Oregonians, all of state’s ocean beaches as a prompting beachgoers ers and signs warning whom have unlimited around the state to get of potential prosecution public highway. and equal access to the involved, raising aware- The crafty move kept for violators served as same beachfront time- ness and turning up developers at bay for reminders that a line of share — which we all the political heat in the privilege could be drawn more than 50 years as received as an inheri- legislature — where Re- Oregonians took own- in the sand. tance from past Oregon ership of— and no small publican and Democratic During one sunny af- Governor Tom McCall. leaders joined McCall in ternoon as an 8-year-old amount of pride in — The truth is, even negotiating the bill. on Manhattan Beach, my enjoying their beautiful those who don’t live in As a result, the bill coastline. carefree play in the surf Oregon received the passed the Oregon Legis- It wasn’t until 1966 unknowingly carried me same “inheritance” when over one of those lines lature in June 1967, and that the highway desig- it comes to the Oregon McCall signed the Ore- nation was challenged and deposited me on coast, which remains gon Beach Bill a month someone’s private beach. by William Hay, owner public domain “from later on July 6 — assur- From the deck of their of the Surfsand Motel the first dune to the sea” three-story beach home ing that no lines would in Cannon Beach, Ore., along the entire 363-mile I could hear someone ever be drawn again in who placed large drift- or so expanse thanks to the sand along Oregon’s yelling obscenities at me, wood logs to block off a the Oregon “Beach Bill.” ordering me to “get my beaches. section of the dry sand The bill, officially I hope you’ll take time _ss off their beach before in front of his property. signed by McCall as HB I got shot.” to enjoy them during the In addition, he set up 1600 and 1601 in 1967, months and years ahead. tables with umbrellas Though I shrugged celebrates its 53rd anni- Because thanks to and marked the area with it off with the help of versary this July, follow- friends, the notion that West, McCall, bipartisan- private property signs. ing its passage by Oregon someone would threaten ship and the Oregonians That’s when it was Legislators 53 years ago who came before us, it’s discovered that the to shoot me for drift- next month. more than an opportu- highway designation ing across an arbitrary And while I may not nity to enjoy our coast’s established by West line on a shore fed by be an actual oceanfront natural beauty; it’s your wasn’t specific enough the same surf shared by land baron, the fact that I everyone seemed wrong, and could be interpreted right. or anyone can walk onto any beach along the Or- egon coast, at any time, without seeking permis- sion or being obstructed by “no trespassing” signs, is almost as good. As I’ve mentioned before (usually in a even to an 8-year-old. When our fami- ly arrived in Oregon several years later and discovered there were no privately-owned beaches anywhere along the coast, I knew it was something special. 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