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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2021)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 13, 2021 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 2021 © 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 Cathy Dietz Ron Annis For Advertising: ext. 318 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor For Classifieds: ext. 320 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 Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 87439 Making 2021 more than another ‘Groundhog Day’ (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) passed... but the Groundhog Day as- pects linger on into 2021, making it feel as if we are treading a hamster wheel with “Phil Conners,” but with no definitive ending in sight. The movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray was released Feb. 12, 1993. The tragi-comedy had Murray playing the cynical TV weather “talent,” Phil Conners, cov- ering the annual Groundhog Day hoopla in Punxsutawney, Pa. For reasons unknown, his charac- ter becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive Feb. 2 repeat- edly and — spoiler alert — it ends happily when Phil sheds his cyni- cism, abandons all attempts to es- cape the loop and learns how to “get it right.” Groundhog Day garnered good box office traffic and decent reviews at the time. In the 28 years since, the movie has grown in popularity and has taken on a semi-cult status as an allegorical story, cultural touchpoint and subject of analysis by writers from various religious disciplines. In America, the phrase “Ground- hog Day” has become analogous with a monotonous, repetitive, an- noying and an unwanted situation. Yeah, kind of like a pandemic. The unprecedented 2020 year has Guest Viewpoint By Rachel Pearson Florence Groundhog Day is seemingly frivolous and ridiculous, with ar- chetypal characters and the quint- essentially hokey American holiday of seeking weather forecasts from a marmot — and yet, the story is meaningful because it asks the ques- tion: “What would you do if you could repeat one day until you could “Get it Right?” With that thought, a section of the article by Anne Tergeson “How Covid-19 Will Change Aging and Retirement” (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 15, 2020) is worth consider- ing. It includes pertinent questions for those of us missing the “before times” routine and who are seeking new ways to work, worship, commu- nicate, celebrate and, yes — thrive. She writes: “George Kinder, founder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, says that [during the pandemic] his clients ‘...are re-evaluating what’s important in their lives. The break from routine has freed up time to assess plans, values, and the kind of legacies people want to leave.’ To prompt clients to clarify their goals, Mr. Kinder asks three ques- tions: 1. What would you do if you had all the time and money in the world? 2. How would you live if you knew you had only five to 10 years left? 3. What would you most regret if you died tomorrow? ‘Covid essentially poses the same questions,’ says Mr. Kinder.” I hope everyone will consider an- swering those three questions and maybe even post them in a conspic- uous spot and refer to them on a daily basis. Maybe jot them in a journal and ignore them, then check back one year from now and decide either “Yes... that made sense!” Or, “I’m going to do things differently in 2022.” In case you missed it, the 2021 Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day went virtual. And — you guessed it: He predicted six more weeks of winter. Whichever options you choose, have a safe, happy and productive “get it right” 2021. LETTERS No need to feel threatened by homeless I have never thought of home- less people as being a threat to the community of Florence. In my volunteering in Florence, I have met many homeless folks over the years and have heard some of their stories. Instead of feeling threatened by the home- less, I hope Mr. Jarvis will think about the homeless in new ways perhaps. Perhaps he could listen to some of these folks and learn a bit more about their circumstances and then feel less threatened. He might also realize that what some need — especially during COVID — are not readily avail- able. This includes jobs, afford- able housing and so much more. —Jan Hirsch Florence Proposed community rec center is exciting It was exciting to read about the plans for the old football field to possibly be developed into a fun hub of recreation, entertainment, food and socializing for Florence. (“New Community Multi-Pur- pose Center Planned for Region,” Feb. 6) This is something that will en- hance our community for all ages and it will be exciting to see it develop, especially as we emerge from the isolation of Covid. I can’t help but love that they are going to keep the old football field name and call it the Hans Peterson Recreation Center and that this center will also sustain the aquatic center in Mapleton. It seems like a win/win. This is the kind of fun, healthy, family-friendly place a lot of us have talked about for a long time and it looks like it is going to hap- pen. I looked at the website (Siu- slawRegion.org) and it gives a lot of good details. There is also a place under “Contact Us” where you can give you thoughts about what you think the center should include. It says, “What do you imagine? Let us know.” Exciting! —Jennifer Waggoner Florence America is ‘Back’ but not in a good way Joe Biden, when he isn’t busy writing another of his many Ex- ecutive Orders, keeps on saying, “America is back.” For the first time in his 40 some years at the public trough, I have to admit he keeps says something I can completely agree with! He, along with Patrick Leahy with 46 years, Chuck Schumer with 40 years, Nancy Pelosi with 34 years, Bernie Sanders with 30 years, Maxine Waters with 30 years and Dianne Feinstein with 28 years — for a total of 208 years in Congress — are bringing America back: Back to borderless national boundary lines... Back to invasion of illegal per- sons with possible viruses... Back to a frontal assault on peaceful law-abiding gun owners with the new House bill... Back to higher taxes if they push paying for student loans and reparations to Blacks... And these are just some of the items being “brought back.” I could list a lot more of the things they want to — and will — bring back. America was a lot better off before Biden’s Socialistic regime came to power. God help and God Bless Amer- ica. —Tony Cavarno Florence Office Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to noon Letters to the Editor policy The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor 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 in- clude full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publica- tion of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are un- sourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siu- slaw News readership area will only be published 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 accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hear- say; and 3) Explain the reasons to support candi- dates based on personal experience and perspective rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhet- oric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and plat- forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid politi- cal advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to re- ject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Email letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE President Joseph Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 Email: Sen.DickAnderson@ oregonlegislature.gov Oregon Gov. Kate Brown State Rep. Boomer Wright (Dist. 9) State Sen. Dick Anderson (Dist. 5) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. 900 Court St. NE Salem, Ore. 97301-4047 Salem, OR 97301 Message Line: 503-986-1409 503-378-4582 Email: Rep.BoomerWright@ www.oregon.gov/gov oregonlegislature.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 Lane County Dist. 1 Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 Email: Jay.Bozievich@ co.lane.or.us 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750 Florence City Council www.merkley.senate.gov & Mayor Joe Henry Florence City Hall, 250 U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439 (4th Dist.) 541-997-3437 2134 Rayburn HOB ci.florence.or.us Washington, DC 20515 Email comments to Florence 202-225-6416 City Recorder Kelli Weese at 541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us www.defazio.house.gov
