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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2021)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | DECEMBER 29, 2021 CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR Opinion Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 | CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM 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. Siuslaw News Front Office For Advertising: ext. 318 For Obituaries: ext. 320 Jenna Bartlett Chantelle Meyer Misty Berg Jeanna Petersen Mark Brennan Zac Burtt 541-997-3441 For Classifieds: ext. 320 For Faxes: 541-997-7979 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 314 Office Manager, ext. 320 Advertising, ext. 325 Lead Reporter, ext. 317 Sports Reporter, ext. 324 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, $84; 6-month , $61; 3-month subscription, $37.50; Out of Lane County — 1-year, $107; 6-month, $74; -month subscrip- tion, $50; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year, $65; 6-month, $35; 3-month, $15. Ask about our senior discounts. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Submit press releases to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 LETTERS (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on these and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community dis- cussion and exchange of perspec- tives.) Lord Bless the Elks Do you know this? On Christ- mas Day, we had two vegans and three traditional eaters, all of us older. Of we three traditionals, one had worked with the Florence Elks Lodge #1858 two years ago, and was aware of their Christmas Day Ministry to the community of Florence. Jean went and got three turkey meals with pumpkin pie, corn grits, stuffing, sweet potatoes, light and dark meat, cranberry sauce and wonderful gravy — with a biscuit, too! I was so impressed by the quality and flavor of the meal, and I have never before accepted a “benefit meal.” However, it came this year at the right time and it was a special gift! That was our prayer at the table: “Lord Bless the Elks organization and all their families.” — Ralph Ray Florence Helping Our Planet Thank you, Mr. Nichols, for your Letter to the Editor on Dec. 22 inviting us to share our views on individual attempts to help our planet, and ourselves, since there is no Planet #2. I agree that more can be accomplished by neighbors brainstorming than by some re- cent international efforts. 1. Cut your vehicle’s emissions by choosing dine-in rather than sitting in line at a drive-through. Your neighbors, and your planet, have to breathe that stuff. Humans are at the top of the food chain, but we’re suffering: asthma is on the increase. Polar Bears swim to extinction. 2. Take a bag or a bucket with you when you walk. Pick up the litter, the fishing line/net, any- thing that could trap or poison an animal in the sea or in the landfill. 3. Be mindful of where your trash ends up. The Florence Mas- ter Recycle team is ready to help. Plus, you can attend recycle events here when they return in 2022. Locally, St. Vincent de Paul takes sheet/chunk polystyrene foam (known by the brand name Sty- rofoam) and Shipping Solutions takes the “peanuts.” Florescent tubes go to hazardous material collection events. 4. Keep food containers in a tote bag and take it with you when you walk into a restaurant. Everyone in London was doing this in 1980. A small island nation can teach a big island nation a lot about wast- ing resources. 5. If you are no longer towing a boat, a trailer, or a ton of hay etc., do you still need your pick-up? 6. Read labels. Palm oil is a lead- ing cause of deforestation, always in someone else’s country. 7. Drug labs in the county pol- lute private water wells, which drain to creeks, to rivers, to the ocean. They pollute neighbor- hoods. Write a letter. 8. Too many Florence vehicles need new mufflers. Please ... you stink. 9. We could return to the days when we were all looking for gas-saver vehicles. This one IS po- litical. Why should OPEC lower the price of oil for a country full of wasteful, thoughtless, complain- ing people? If you don’t need what they’re selling, you win. As to costs, well, as I look back at my personal list, it all looks free to me. And very little trouble. Thank you, Mr. Nichols, for your well-written challenge. I look forward to more ideas from the Florence community that I can in- corporate into my own life. — Lisa Readel Florence Power of Rings Thank you to Three Rivers Ca- sino Resort for their generous gift toward state championship rings for the Viking football team. I wholeheartedly endorse these tokens of dedication, sacrifice, commitment and success for the players and coaches. I would have liked the check to have read Siuslaw State Champi- ons. I am a retired teacher and coach of a “minor sport.” When I look at my ring, I am re- minded each time of that look of accomplishment and pride in the eyes of my players. Each sport is a discipline unto itself. The end re- sult for each is to reach that final pinnacle of a state championship. Florence not only won in foot- ball, but in both Siuslaw Boys and Girls Cross Country. Thank you to the Siuslaw News for its report- ing of these champions and their success. We don’t get to go out to see a cross country meet. We can’t sit in the stands and cheer. It is an internal sport where the compe- tition is against time as much as other runners. The famous nov- el title “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” sums it up pretty well. Running does not require the explosive physical contact of football, rugby or la- crosse, yet training is an individ- ual battle with pain, endurance and self-discipline. Our young runners train every bit as hard as other athletes. I would like to see our boys and girls teams get rings as well. I don’t have to explain to any- one who has earned a ring what it means. It is a recognition of challenges met, obstacles over- come, adversities conquered and inspiration to younger athletes. As Scripture tells us, “all runners race, but only one wins the prize. Run so as to obtain it.” They have. That is the power of the rings. — John Ebbe Florence 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. Pub- lication 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 in- terest 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 suggested 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 day- time phone number and/or email address for verifica- tion. The person who signs the letter must be the actual author. Siuslaw News does not accept anonymous Letters to the Editor. • Siuslaw News will not print form letters, libelous let- ters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters also may not be part of letter-writing cam- paigns. • 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 let- ters 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 Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Siuslaw News DEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 | 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov Siuslaw News has updated its deadlines for December to include the winter holidays. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley Dec. 31 Edition — Special Friday Edition — General news releases – Tuesday (Dec. 28) noon Classified line ads – Tuesday 3 p.m. Legal Notices and Display Ads – Tuesday 3 p.m. The Siuslaw News office at 128 Maple St. in Historic Old Town will be closed on Friday. State Sen. Dick Anderson (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-303 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 Email: Sen.DickAnderson@ oregonlegislature.gov State Rep. Boomer Wright (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE, H-476 Salem, OR 97301 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. PO Box 39000 Salem, Ore. 97301-4047 Florence, OR 97439 Message Line: 503-986-1409 503-378-4582 Email: Rep.BoomerWright@ www.oregon.gov/gov oregonlegislature.gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden SN Office Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to noon 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 Florence City Hall, 250 Highway 101, Florence, 97439 541-997-3437 U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio ci.florence.or.us (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Dunes City Council Washington, DC 20515 Dunes City Hall, 82877 Spruce 202-225-6416 St., Westlake, OR 97493 541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 541-997-3338 dunescityhall.com www.defazio.house.gov