4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| APRIL 28, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
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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)
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Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane
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LETTERS
Supporting Johnson
for LCC Board
Holli Johnson is currently
serving admirably on the Lane
Community College Board. She
was appointed unanimously to
the board, bringing new per-
spective and life experience.
She is up for election in the
May special election.
Holli has been endorsed by
both the LCC Faculty associ-
ation and the LCC Employee
Association, showing the wide
support she has from all mem-
bers of the community.
Watch for your ballot and
mail it in by May 18.
I will be voting for Holli John-
son to the LCC Board.
—Billy Burruss
Deadwood
Who owns Oceana?
In the original application
for annexation from Benedick
Holdings, it was stipulated that
Oceana Drive would be an-
nexed.
In the findings provided to
the Florence Planning Commis-
sion last fall, public works direc-
tor Mike Miller explained that
Oceana is classified as an urban
local road. This means that,
upon annexation, road main-
tenance does not automatically
transfer from Lane County to
the City of Florence.
In written testimony, Miller
said that the City would need
to petition Lane County for
transfer of jurisdictional main-
tenance; this is a public process
that can take years.
In January, the language in the
application changed to say that
the annexation is for the Oceana
Drive right-of-way, and that the
City of Florence has no plans to
ask the county for a transfer of
maintenance.
This is what was approved by
the City Council on April 5, with
no discussion on this point.
The result is that the City and
Benedick get to pretend that
Oceana Drive is part of the City,
providing the contiguity that
Benedick needs.
However, if the culverts along
Oceana clog, or the pavement
breaks due to root heave, or
someone knocks down a speed
limit sign, we need to call Lane
County for repairs.
Thanks to what appears to be
the City’s sleight of hand, the
taxes you pay to Lane County
now subsidize the City’s expan-
sion plans and the developer’s
ambition.
—Bruce Hadley
Florence
Good to see civic
engagement by students
I read the packet materials for
the recent EMAC meeting and
was very happy and impressed
to see several letters from stu-
dents at Siuslaw Middle School.
They had some great ideas for
the town, and here are some of
the main recurring themes:
• Build a play structure on the
boardwalk so kids have a place
to play there.
• Put more trash cans around
town and empty them more of-
ten.
• Install more water fountains
in an effort to lessen the amount
of cups people need to use and
discard.
• Plant more trees and plants
near water.
Imagine how a few of these
would change the face and flow
of the town?
I congratulations the students
for their civic engagement.
Keep it up!
—Ivy Medow
Florence
‘Safe Families’ makes call out to caring hearts
(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.)
What follows is part of the
transcriptoon from a video
played at churches throughout
the country on “Safe Families
Sunday” which was this past
Sunday...
Right now, there are over 4,000
American kids in foster care.
There are exponentially more
with parents who desperately
love their kids who are perilously
close to being swept up into the
system.
The reason is primarily be-
cause they facing crisis alone. It’s
hard even to imagine that when
you are in trouble and you look
at your phone and you actually
have nobody to call.
There are a growing number of
people who are in that situation.
Safe Families exists to provide
struggling families with com-
munity and support before it
becomes necessary for the state
to step in and remove their chil-
dren.
Safe Families exists to keep
families together.
All throughout scripture, a
common thread partnered with
worship was care of neighbors
and, oftentimes, a neighbor is
mentoring and transportation as
Host Families through babysit-
ting and emotional support.
Resource Friends: Provide var-
ious goods and services to help
families get back on their feet
with clothing and meals.
Family Coaches: Are trained to
provide resources to families in
crisis. They also ensure that kids
Submitted by Teresa LaNasa
are well cared for in Host Family
90by30
homes
Safe Family Churches: Are spir-
one who is struggling and vul- itual communities in as a minis-
nerable. When scripture talks try of their church to organize
about the orphan or the widow, and unleash volunteers to serve
they’re talking about those who their community.
are vulnerable in our society who
Safe Families calls our com-
don’t have support, family or a munity to be a community for a
community to help them.
family who is in need and we are
Safe Families encourages going to see our lives fulfilled as
churches to come alongside we live out our design and mis-
these families who are struggling sion, and we are going to see a
at their greatest time of need to family’s life change.
support a parent, to keep the kids
safe and to help keep a family
unit together.
For more information, visit
Host Families: Take in children
www.90/30.com, which is in
for short periods of time while
partnership with Safe Families
their parents get back on their and learn all that 90by30 is doing
feet.
to support preventing child abuse
Family Friends: Provide sup-
and neglect with other local
port to families in need through
programs.
Guest Viewpoint
Office Hours:
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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.
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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