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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2021)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 1, 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 Office Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to noon Letters to the Editor policy LETTERS Voting for Rose Wilde for Lane ESD In this election, experience counts. Having our schools hit the ground running as they re- open is crucial for the success of our kids and community. The special election in May has many school board posi- tions on the ballot. I am watching for my ballot and will vote to support our schools by choosing Rose Wil- de for Lane Education Service District. Re-electing Rose Wilde for the at-large position on the Lane ESD Board means keep- ing her experience on the board to support expanded career and technical education opportunities and effective ad- vocacy at the state and county levels for each of our districts. Rememebr: The deadline to submit your ballot is May 18. —Kaki Burruss Deadwood Need to utilize resources for home-grown issues We have always reached out to other nations to give our monetary support for oth- er countries who have gone through famine and wars. Now, we have what I will call “Goodie Two Shoes.” These are the organizations and individuals that over- look what is happening in our country and put all their effort into trying to save other coun- tries by what they think is do- ing good. We have wonderful orga- nizations like UNICEF and CARE. We have high profile individuals who have estab- lished schools in Africa and supported efforts in devastat- ed countries like Haiti. What organizations and in- dividuals have overlooked is the place they live is the help that is needed at home. Open your eyes and discov- er we have starving families and children, homeless peo- ple, individuals that have been denied their right to vote, and those not able to get education or to be able to go out to play due to violence on their streets. I call it Two Shoes one step at a time when we have reformed our nation as one we may be able to make the other step. —Win Jolley Florence Voting Lacouture for school board seat If you have ever been to a student athletic event you will know that Brian Lacouture was there cheering on each and every local student. Rain or shine, he has been a mainstay of support for the students of Siuslaw and the youth of our community. He has quietly volunteered and has been a part of a myriad of service projects benefiting Florence and individuals in our community. I am excited that he has de- cided to serve on the Siuslaw School Board. I have known Brian for over 17 years and we have rubbed shoulders on many youth and service activities along the coast. Brian truly cares about kids. He not only gets to know their names and their inter- ests, but he remembers. He is one of the hardest working individuals I know and yet he finds time to selflessly helps others whenever needed. Brian and his wife, Ann, cur- rently have four children in the Siuslaw School District. I be- lieve that this is an important qualification for those serving on the school board. He believes that education should be the priority and will work to ensure that stu- dents here will receive the best education possible. Brian has — and will — continue to work with parents who have children affected by the deci- sions of the school board and will strive to get input from as many as possible before mak- ing a decision. Brian Lacouture believes that current educational ex- pectations of our youth are too low. By raising those ex- pectations, kids will be better equipped for future success and achievement regardless of their career path. I am grateful for those who volunteer and serve on the various committees in our community. I am voting for Brian Lacou- ture, Siuslaw School Board. —Brian Holmes Florence Community support of Habitat paint drive Thank You multiplied by 296! Our Florence community support made the Habitat for Humanity April Paint Drive a success! I am happy to report that we collected 296 gallons of paint that could have otherwise ended up in the landfill. Paint donated to Florence Habitat ReStore is screened for condi- tion and, if still usable, is sold in our ReStore helping to fur- ther the mission of Florence Habitat. If the paint is not usable, it is then safely recycled. We always accept donations of household paints, primers and stains at ReStore year-round during normal business hours. For more information, please visit www.florencehab- itat.org or stop by the Habitat ReStore at 2016 Highway 101. —Ivy Rash Admin Assist. Florence Habitat for Humanity 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