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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2021)
SN THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | SATURDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 | $1.00 September 2021 A Special Supplement to We are proud to have served the Florence area for over a quarter of a century! 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Siuslaw News Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY Florence reacts with the rest of the country to the tragic acts of terrorism on the East Coast he scene in Florence, Oregon, yes- terday morning must have been similar to other small-town scenes playing out all over the country, as the news of hijacked passenger planes crash- ing into commercial and government Sunshine with a high of 67 and a low of 51. Full forecast on A3 Realities of School board hears comments, complaints, commendations Siuslaw’s new school year By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News First week back, concerns and preparation Staff Report Siuslaw News Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B6 centers started to sink in. Workers on Maple Street were loading planks onto a truck. One of them said he’d visited New York two months ago, where he’d seen the World Trade Center. “You can’t believe how tall it is,” he said. At a bar on Bay Street, four patrons and the bartender were turned to the TV on the far wall. Rumors of other aircraft un- accounted for, one of them being tailed by fighter planes, circulated around the bar area. See 9/11/2001 page 10A Derek Wells and Tricia Wells (left) closed their custom furniture business Tuesday morning after hearing of the attacks. At Florence Municipal Airport, a group of local resi- dents watched the news unfold. COMMUNITY RECORDS How communities can commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 Originally published Sept. 12, 2001 T Local golfers take titles INSIDE — B Remember Together How events unfolded on the morning of September 11, 2001 In Memoriam: September 11, 2001 A STATE OF SHOCK WEATHER SPORTS A Timeline of Terror SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE VOL. 131, NO. 73 S EPTEMBER 11, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON Spanish student comes to Florence INSIDE — A3 Siuslaw News “The mood was good,” Siuslaw School District Superintendent An- drew Grzeskowiak said about the first day of school. “That’s usually what happens every year. There’s kind of a nervous energy, but once kids get in the building, and every- one gets back into the classroom, it’s positive across the board.” In some respects, the school open- ing was similar to that last spring, when classes were opened for the first time since being shut down in 2020. “There was a lot of nervous energy in that transition in early February. When the kids hit the buses and the hallway, all of that went away. Kids were happy, teachers were happy. People adapted,” Grzeskowiak said. See BACK page 6A FOLLOW US FOR THE Members of the Siuslaw com- munity attended a special meet- ing of the Siuslaw School District Board of Directors on Wednesday, which was able to be held live at the Siuslaw High School football field grandstands. The meeting was simultaneously broadcast on the district’s YouTube page. The meeting was planned by the school board to gather public comment from the district. Nine speakers addressed the board during the in-person meet- ing. Many people wore masks and kept a six-foot distance between groups. In addition, the district received 39 written comments. These are included in the meeting materials and can be read at www. siuslaw.k12.or.us/page/school- board. The 40-minute meeting can be viewed in its entirety at https://bit.ly/97JYouTubeChannel. School Board Chair Sneddon opened the meeting, saying, “The main object we’re here for tonight is public input, and to allow folks an opportunity to address the school board.” Speakers were allowed three minutes per person. They spoke MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS The Siuslaw School Board held a special, in-person session at the Hans Petersen Memorial Field grandstands on Wednesday, spe- cifically to hear public comment from district families and area voters, like parent Jennifer Waggoner (left). from a microphone and were able to directly look at the six mem- bers of the Siuslaw School Board. One director, Guy Rosinbaum, announced his resignation prior to the meeting and was not in at- tendance. “I’d like to welcome you and thank you all for being here,” Sneddon continued. He encouraged the attendees to behave courteously. As the speakers began, they brought up a variety of issues, including masks — both for and against — school standards, teach- ing curriculum and other district decisions. Some people wanted to express frustrations, and others offered words of support. Several speakers wished the dis- trict would do more to establish local control. “I realize it was difficult for all of us during COVID, but from the view of a citi- zen in Florence, it appears that your actions are 95 percent for the state and 5 percent for the See COMMENTS page 10A LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM 20th anniversary of Sept. 11 commemorated nationally By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 On Saturday, the 20th anniversa- ry of the most destructive attacks ever perpetrated on American soil will be recognized locally and across the nation. Events on that day will be held nationwide and will commemorate the unprece- dented attacks which took place on September 11, 2001. The repercus- sions from the attacks continue to reverberate throughout American culture on many levels, changing the way the country views itself and its role in the world. The day of the attack —which many Americans strongly remem- ber —refocused attention on global terrorism as this country’s primary enemy. This led to the changing of decades-old policies which were designed to thwart major powers like the Soviet Union and China. The pursuit of those involved in the attacks became a 20-year bat- tle to identify, locate and neutral- ize those responsible. That effort continues, as American troops were completely withdrawn from posts in the Afghanistan only last week. Locally, there will be a Sept. 11 recognition ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, at the corner of Maple and Bay Streets in Historic Old Town at the start of the 10th an- nual Rods N Rhodies Car Show. The commemorative service will include representation from the Florence Police Department, Siu- slaw Valley Fire and Rescue, U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River, Western Lane Ambulance District and local veteran and patriotic groups. See ANNIVERSARY page 5A Come in September 8-16 to pick up your Envelope! 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