Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2021)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | JULY 17, 2021 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR | 541-902-3520 | CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit- ing the free exercise thereof; or abridg- ing the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peace- ably to assemble, and to petition the Government 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 Chantelle Meyer Front Office For Advertising: ext. 318 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 314 541-997-3441 For Classifieds: ext. 310 DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news releases, Monday noon; Classified line ads, Monday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Friday noon. Saturday Issue—General news releases, Thursday noon; Classified line ads, Thursday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Wednesday 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 sub- scription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 87439 LETTERS (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis- sions on these and other topics are al- ways welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) Positive Relationship Between Schools and Community I’ve been fortunate to live in the Siuslaw Basin since 1970, 47 of those years in Deadwood. Both of my chil- dren attended Mapleton schools for all of K-12, and now our granddaugh- ter is excited to begin full-time first grade there. Beginning in 2000, I was hired and then privileged to serve 20 years as varsity Boys & Girls Track and Field Coach. In all of this, I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know countless folks who have made this their home for anywhere from short to long-term. I have seen as a neighbor, parent, fan and advocate, the significant and positive relationship between the schools and this community. My own philosophy of coaching was to pay attention to the “whole person” of the student-athlete, recognizing the overall worth and contribution of home, school, jobs, friends, and of course sports. Today in many places, I believe too much attention is paid just to winning or losing, the stop- watch and the measuring tape, and not enough to the overall experiences of these years for young people, and their many needs and potential as people. This brings me to my comments on the remarkable article just published by Siuslaw News sports reporter, Zeahna Young. Her lengthy, in-depth portrayal of one of our stand-out athletes, JJ Neece, and his highly re- spectful acknowledgment for the op- portunities and relationships he has had here, is a wonderful documenta- tion of the genuine power both of a uniquely talented individual and the commitment of a strong communi- ty dedicated to together making the most of all the advantages of small- town life. The article, “It Takes a Vil- lage to Raise a Sailor,” ran July 10. This perspective also reminds us that every one of our young people growing up here is unique in their own way, and as they move ahead into their futures, they will have been enhanced and valued by this place, its history, and their opportunities for well-being as individuals and citizens. — Johnny Sundstrom Deadwood Fireworks Honor History Reading the Letters to the Editor on July 10, I took exception to Larry Bolt’s letter (“Late-Night Fireworks Disturb the Peace”) blasting the fire- works our country has used for many years to celebrate the date we separat- ed ourselves from British rule and be- came a new nation under ourselves. Tell your dislikes to all the military veterans and families that live in the Florence area, many of which have shed blood in the defense of our great country since that time. It is one time of the year that we celebrate in this fashion, and I understand your dis- like of the noise it provides. May I suggest you purchase a set of ear plugs and go to bed in peace. Your suggestion as to the Florence City Council’s lack of courage and in- action in allowing this “inexcusable situation” to exist is totally out of line. Please note, we who celebrate in this fashion are law-abiding citi- zens of the Florence area and want to continue. We do not want to lose this tradition, along with the now un- happy people tearing down statures of famous statesman and military personnel. They are trying to erase our history, some of which we can be proud of and some not so proud of. Nevertheless, it is the history of this wonderful country. God bless America. — Tony Cavarno Florence County Has No Way to File Complaint I am a homeowner in Dunes City, Ore. I am aware that we pay no city tax, but we do pay county taxes to live in Lane County that rank as the 454th highest of 3,143 counties in the U.S. I recently had my dog bit by a vicious dog on Salal Street and there is no formal procedure in place to give the dog owner a citation of any sort. I was passed from Dunes City to the Lane County Sheriff ’s Office to City of Florence Police. Nobody wanted to take any responsibility to file a formal complaint against this irresponsible dog owner. I know of four other neighbors who have experienced aggressive behavior by this dog as well. Their dogs have not been bitten yet, but all are afraid to walk by this house. How sad that you cannot feel safe to walk your dog in your own neigh- borhood. I guess I’ll start walking with bear spray and continue to pay my county taxes without receiving the services they are entitled to in the big city of Eugene. — Lori Carmichael Dunes City Speedy Repair On the morning of Saturday, July 10, my wife noticed water coming through the pavement in front of our house. She called the dispatcher, and he had a Florence maintenance work- er at our house in less 20 minutes. The worker concurred we had a water leak in front of the house. He made a phone call and in just a few minutes three men were on scene and repaired the leak in a short amount of time. I really appreciated the workers for coming in on Saturday to repair the leak. They filled the holes and on Monday paved the asphalt that re- moved. We have a good maintenance crew that are knowledgeable and made this leak a quick fix. Thanks again, guys, for the speedy repair. — Lee Allen Florence More Annexation Attempts The City of Florence Planning Dept is attempting to annex anoth- er “right-of way” from Lane County, part of Heceta Beach Road (July 7, 2021, Notice Of Hearing, 5:30 PM). The Florence Planning Depart- ment learned from what transpired with the attempted “physical” Ben- edick annexation of Oceana Drive, a Lane County jurisdiction, here, and changed the wording to “annexation of right-of-way.” So now, the city apparently won’t have any legal re- sponsibilities for these additional an- nexation sleight-of-hand maneuvers — Lane County still would — and the residents don’t have any say or vote. But Lane County residents, as usual, get the shaft — and the City of Flor- ence gets the taxes! Annexation in the past has been used to enable rural properties to re- ceive urban services. The reasoning was that only the cities could provide essential services such as police, fire, water and sewer etc. However, with the onset of counties now delivering such services, the normal reason to annex has been diminished greatly. Rather than annexation being a logical prerequisite to development of property, it has become a sort of bargaining chip used by property owners to negotiate with local gov- ernments in order to find the “best deal” and “path of least resistance” for development of their property, and has become an invitation to litigation between cities and urban counties, not to mention all the opposing citi- zen residents. The only people being allowed a “real” say in these matters (unless you’re F. Lee Bailey) are the develop- ers & Florence Planning Dept., which is attempting to gobble up isolated pockets in a hodgepodge manner, like a government PAC-MAN, for tax purposes and possible personal gain. I encourage everyone in the city and county to research this mat- ter before the upcoming hearing on Tuesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. and voice your objections and displeasure about how the city conducts its busi- ness for special interest purposes and what untold future negative ramifica- tions they entail. People should also contact Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich. Florence City Hall needs to contain and direct its special agenda atten- tions and resource efforts to the very obvious problems within its own lim- its. — Jeff Talbot 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 and Guest Viewpoints as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Email letters to cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com To be considered for publication: Letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. In addition: • Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Siuslaw News cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Authors should ensure any information is ac- curate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay, and include sources where possible. • Letters have a 300-word limit and may be edited for grammar and clarity. • Authors must sign their full name and include their street address (only city will be printed), as well as a daytime phone number and/or email address for verifi- cation. The person who signs the letter must be the ac- tual author. Siuslaw News does not accept anonymous Letters to the Editor. • Siuslaw News will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poet- ry, open letters, letters espousing religious views with- out reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters also may not be part of letter-writing campaigns. • Writers are limited to one published letter every two weeks. To submit to the Siuslaw News: Emailed submissions are preferred. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. The newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. 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
