4A | APRIL 30, 2020 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR |
Opinion
541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
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#133880
Copyright 2020 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL
Letters to the Editor Policy
The Sentinel 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 include 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. Publication of any
letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the
volume of letters received.
Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative,
sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without
documentation will not be published.
Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel
readership area will only be published at the discretion of the
editor.
Political/Election Letters:
Why Congress should support community news sources
(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.)
D
uring this coronavirus pan-
demic, access to accurate and
trustworthy information in our
communities is as critical to life un-
der quarantine and as sought-after
as hand sanitizer and face masks.
Your local newspaper provides
the news and information unique to
your community. Where are testing
sites and who’s eligible? Which busi-
nesses are open? What is the local
online unemployment benefit appli-
cation process? What is the plan for
local education? And much more.
But your access to local news and
information is gravely threatened by
the economic carnage COVID-19
has wrought.
While local newspapers continue
to field reporters and bring news
and advice from public health au-
thorities in print and online — at
the same cost — their revenues have
all but disappeared as the business-
es that were their most important
advertisers have been reduced or
even shuttered. That’s why Ameri-
ca’s Newspapers and other organi-
zations representing local news pro-
viders are asking Congress to take
urgent action to ensure communi-
ties don’t lose their vital sources of
timely and trustworthy information.
First, we’re asking that Congress
expand and clarify the Payroll Pro-
tection Program to ensure it cov-
ers all local newspapers and news
broadcasters.
While some of these outlets may
be owned by larger organizations,
they must survive on their own. It’s
only fair that they should be includ-
ed in any expansion of the program.
These loans will keep the news-
Guest Viewpoint
By Dean Ridings
America’s Newspapers CEO
paper employees — your neighbors
— on their payrolls and help get the
news to you in print as well as on-
line. We appreciate the bipartisan
letter of April 19 from U.S. Senators
Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Ken-
nedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-
MN) and John Boozman (R-AR)
that requested waiving the Small
Business Administration’s (SBA)
affiliation rule to allow local media
outlets to access funding, pointing
to the critical role these outlets play
in keeping communities healthy and
informed.
Second, we are asking that the
Trump Administration direct cur-
rent federal government advertising
funds to local news and media out-
lets. These public service and infor-
mative ads could be similar to the
ones running right now about the
U.S. Census.
They could carry critical govern-
ment information about data from
the CDC, access to small business
loans, medical resources for fam-
ilies and other important topics.
We’re asking for a commitment that
would be spent in an equitable man-
ner across all local news providers.
We also believe that there should
be an immediate relief package that
is based on total newsroom employ-
ees. Some local news organizations
won’t survive without some type of
immediate grant or infusion that is
tied to the organization’s employ-
ees who directly work in the news-
room.
This is not a demand for an in-
dustry bailout by local news provid-
ers. Instead, these measures recog-
nize that local news publishers are
on the information frontline of the
coronavirus pandemic, providing a
public service vital to keeping our
communities safe, secure and sus-
tained during this unprecedented
public health crisis.
We encourage community mem-
bers who wish to support their local
news sources to contact the offices
of their senators and representatives
in the U.S. Congress (bottom right
of this page) and tell them you sup-
port expanding the Payroll Protec-
tion Program to include your local
news source and that the federal
government should use your local
newspapers or news broadcaster
to convey important information
through public service ads.
And finally, let them know that a
grant based on newsroom employ-
ees is critical at this time. Visit www.
usa.gov/elected-officials for their
contact information.
Consider taking this action to
ensure that your access to local in-
formation doesn’t become another
victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you and may you and your
family remain safe and informed
during this difficult time.
Invest now in LCC for long-term economic recovery
(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.)
R
ebuilding our local economy
and investing now is what is
needed for the long-term econom-
ic recovery as students return to
LCC to retool, retrain and re-enter
the workforce
Lane Community College is the
community’s college.
From Nursing to Medical Office
Assistance to Public Safety, LCC
is the starting point for many of
our local healthcare workers and
emergency first responders. We
stand united with all Lane County
residents in thanking our health-
care heroes and essential medical
personnel working to keep our
community healthy and safe.
The LCC Board of Education
understands the fear and eco-
nomic uncertainty we face as a
community, together, and we have
great empathy for community
members who have been recently
furloughed or laid off from work.
We too have had to lay off work-
ers as the landscape shifted to on-
Guest Viewpoint
By Mike Eyster
Board Chair, LCC
Matt Keating
Board Vice Chair, LCC
line and distance learning.
As the premiere education part-
ner squarely focused on training
the workforce that will rebuild the
local economy after this planetary
pandemic, LCC is the foundation
for local career and technical ed-
ucation (CTE) programs, for two-
year transfer education, and for
workers in need of retooling.
Lane County residents who have
lost employment due to this pan-
demic may need re-training. Local
employers — not just healthcare
employers but many others as well
— will need qualified applicants as
businesses restart, reopen and re-
establish themselves.
But LCC needs vital invest-
ments to continue to train and ed-
ucate local community members
returning to sharpen their skills.
As we prepare for a potential in-
flux of recently laid off students of
all ages — of all walks of life — we
ask for voters’ support.
Now, more than ever, invest-
ments in LCC’s workforce devel-
opment programs, public safety,
technology, and healthcare facili-
ties are desperately needed. With
voters’ help, LCC will be there for
those who are seeking to return to
the workforce; with voters’ help
LCC will be a support network for
our struggling small businesses.
We urge a “yes” vote on Measure
20-306, “yes” for the LCC Bond
and the future workforce of Lane
County.
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) Ensure any information
about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand
knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and perspective
rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor
column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes;
this constitutes paid political 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 reject any letter that doesn’t follow
the above criteria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite
2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
S entinel
C ottage G rove
541-942-3325
Administration
Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher
Gary Manly, General Manager... Ext. 1207
gmanly@cgsentinel.com
Gerald Santana, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1216
gsantana@cgsentinel.com
Veronica Brinkley, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1205
vbrinkley@cgsentinel.com
Carla Skeel, Inside Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1203
csummers@cgsentinel.com
Editorial
Ned Hickson, Managing Editor... 541-902-3520
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
Damien Sherwood, Lead Reporter... Ext. 1212
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Nick Snyder, Sports/Community News Reporter... Ext. 1204
nsnyder@cgsentinel.com
Customer Service
Meg Fringer, Office Manager, Legals, Classifieds... Ext. 1200
mfringer@cgsentinel.com
Production
Ron Annis, Production Supervisor... Ext.1215
graphics@cgsentinel.com
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
10 Weeks ....................................................................................$11.50
One year .....................................................................................$43.50
Senior 62+ ...................................................................................33.00
e-Edition year ............................................................................$35.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: 10 weeks, $16; 1 year, $56.50; e-Edition $35.
In foreign countries, postage extra.
No subscription for less than 10 weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30
days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are
non-refundable.
Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
Local Mail Service:
If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the THURSDAY of publication,
please let us know.
Call 541-942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Advertising Ownership:
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the
property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without
explicit written prior approval.
Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2020 Cottage Grove Sentinel