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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2021)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | APRIL 14, 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; Display classified ads, Friday noon. 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 Let’s not allow COVID to make a comeback Over the past several weeks, we’ve experienced the first glimpses of what a return to some level of normalcy could look like as coronavirus infection rates dropped and vacci- nation numbers rose. For the first time in more than a year, our community has been able to return to dining in, our move theater moved from streaming online to seating indoors, and limited numbers of fans were able to attend local sporting events to cheer for the Viking and Sailor teams. That being said, during my 16 years covering sports, one phrase that I heard coaches repeat over and over, season to season, sport to sport was this: Just because we’re ahead doesn’t mean we can relax. The same can be said about the current battle that continues against We win as a county and we lose as a county. Without question, the combined factors of bet- ter weather, spring break- ers and a false sense of security over vaccination rates have all played a role in the attitude that we can let our guard down and From the Editor’s Desk Ned Hickson COVID-19 in our com- munity and across Lane County. While we have made progress and edged into a small lead, it has become clear in the past two weeks that we have relaxed. The result has been a fourth-quarter rally by the virus in our county. And while the rise in cases has primarily been in the valley, the end result is the same: coast to the finish line. But that would be a costly mistake, especially for our local business- es, which are just now beginning to feel some relief — and hope — after the financial devastation of the past year. We owe them, and one another, the diligence needed to assure that we finish strong and not allow COVID to make a comeback. If we remain resolute in our own practices of mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing, each one of us can play a role in reaching that finish line — maybe in time for July Fourth. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our in- dependence from a virus that has caused so much havoc than by doing so in our own backyards with family and friends on Independence Day itself. The coming week could likely see a return to “high risk” status for Lane County. Instead of losing steam, let’s use that as motivation to make a final push together to secure that Independence Day goal for each other, our schools, local busi- nesses and our commu- nity. ‘Th inking globally, acting locally’ includes EMAC (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.) I am writing in support of Flor- ence City Councilor Sally Wantz and her willingness to encourage the city government’s Environmen- tal Management Advisory Com- mittee (EMAC) to get more directly involved in promoting policy and action that addresses the real en- vironmental challenges facing our community, the country and the world at large. To its credit, EMAC has appropri- ated funding on behalf of support- ing reusable plastic recycling on a city-wide basis. Considerable strides are being made on this front by the partnership between the Master Recyclers of Florence and the non- profit EcoGeneration from Cottage Grove. They are doing a remarkable job of organizing local efforts to make this happen. To this point, the Siuslaw News reported last year in October 2020: In the last year alone, EcoGen- eration volunteers have prevented more than 15,000 pounds of plastic from going into Lane County land- fills. The Recycling Take Back Event will be an opportunity for Florence residents and businesses to bring their recyclables for collection. As with other past collections, all items must be clean, dry, label-free and sorted by number and type. “We are very excited to be team- ing up with the Florence community to provide recycling events through 2021 as we grow as an organiza- tion”, said EcoGeneration’s David Gardiepy. “We also are looking for community sponsors to help build local awareness about ethical waste management and helping to protect the coastal environment.” Since this article was written, more local collection events have taken place and are attracting an ev- er-growing numbers of participants. Guest Viewpoint By Joe Mathews Florence Another is scheduled for Florence on May 2, in a location to be an- nounced soon. But there is much more that needs to be done, and this is where active promotion of educa- tional efforts, public relations and event support by EMAC could make a huge difference. Since the bans on curbside plas- tic collection were imposed, many people, including myself, were once again discarding plastics of all kinds, including a lot of reusable material that went directly into the landfill. Having discovered Master Recycler Britte Kirsch, I gave her a call and learned how to identify and separate the primary types of reusable and recyclable plastic. While it was a bit of a hassle at first, getting used to it requires very little effort and ulti- mately makes the kind of difference we’re all after. Over 99 percent of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel and plastic industries are deeply connected. Indeed, the shale gas boom in the United States is fueling a massive build-out of plastic infrastructure in the U.S. and beyond, causing mon- umental levels of environmental distress around the globe. Can you imagine the impact we could have if the entire community partici- pated in plastics recycling, includ- ing involvement by businesses and schools? Employing the resources of EMAC to address the urgency of helping to mitigate fossil fuel relat- ed environmental calamities such as single use plastic production con- forms precisely to the stated “work plan priorities” in the EMAC Over- view (July 2019 to June 2021): En- hance efforts toward Recycling and Litter Reduction. As reported in the Siuslaw News article above, these re- cycling groups are looking for spon- sors and the Florence EMAC seems a perfect fit in this context. Regardless of the inclination by some to view such action as some- how political, dedicated community response in this regard is anything but. This is a common sense issue and nothing about it is political. I cast my vote for Sally Wantz in the last election because she came across as someone willing to sup- port common sense ideas and pro- ductive goal achievement for the community. Party affiliation had nothing to do with it. Effective government ac- tion and responsible environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand and require all of us to be a part of the solution. Science is lined up behind this reality, as is basic common sense. For the sake of everyone, I urge the city council and EMAC to avoid unnecessary distractions and hunker down to do the hard work on these issues that city government is in place to do. We have the resources and the tools to make a positive impact, so let’s say yes, and get down to it. Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 87439 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. 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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
