T he C olumbia P ress
September 7, 2018
Essay on voting targets high schoolers
To promote the importance
of voting, area high school
students are invited to par-
ticipate in an essay contest, “I
Will Vote.”
It’s open to all high school
students in grades 9 to 12
in Clatsop County or Pacific
County, Wash.
Indivisible North Coast Or-
egon and the American Asso-
ciation of University Women
Astoria and Seaside chapters
are the contest’s sponsors.
Winners will get $250 for
first place, $150 for second
and $100 for third place.
“Voting is the bedrock of
our democracy, and yet nu-
merous sources indicate it’s
the voters under 24 who have
the poorest turnout,” said
Melissa Ousley, a local edu-
cator who’s a member of the
contest committee. “We want
this essay contest to inspire
students to pay more atten-
tion to their rights and to the
importance of voting.”
Essays should be 500 words
or less and will be judged on
reasoning, perspective, clari-
ty and authenticity.
Entries must be typed and
submitted to iwillvoteessay@
gmail.com by Oct. 8. Winners
will be announced Oct. 29,
before the Nov. 6 midterm
election.
Complete rules and instruc-
tions are available online
at www.indivisiblenorthcoa-
storegon.org.
This Week in Aboriginal History
by Carl A. Ellis
Indian Affairs makes a formal apology to Indians
Sept. 7, 1972: The com-
missioner of Indian Affairs
extends federal recognition
to the Chippewa Tribe of
Sault Ste. Marie in Northern
Michigan.
The federal government
placed land in trust for the
tribe to become its official
reservation.
Sept. 8, 2000: The Bu-
reau of Indian Affairs marks
its 175th birthday and Kevin
Grover, head of the bureau,
offers a formal apology to
American Indians for the pre-
vious misdeeds of the agency.
Sept. 9, 1836: Alexander
Le Grand, a frontier survey-
or/trader, is appointed Indi-
an commissioner and put in
charge of negotiating a peace
treaty with the Comanche
and Kiowa Indian tribes.
Sept. 10,1874: Capt. Wyl-
lys Lyman and 60 men from
the 5th Infantry are attacked
by Indians at the Washita
River in Oklahoma while es-
corting a supply wagon train.
The soldiers remain bar-
ricaded for several days un-
til relief arrives from Camp
Supply, an Army post set up
in Indian territory to protect
the Southern Plains.
Sept. 11, 1965: The
Kinzua Dam opens on the
Allegheny River in western
New York. Its construction
had forced the departure of
Pennsylvania’s last Indian
tribe, the Senecas, who now
live near Salamanca, N.Y., on
the northern shores of land
flooded by the dam.
Sept. 12, 1874: Maj. Wil-
liam Price and three troops
from the 6th Cavalry battle
with Indians between Sweet-
water Creek and the Dry Fork
of the Washita River in Texas.
Two Indians are killed and
six wounded. Fourteen of the
cavalry’s horses are killed or
wounded and troops seize 20
Indian horses.
Sept. 13, 2011: A federal
order requires the Cherokee
Nation, one of the country’s
largest tribes, to restore vot-
ing rights and benefits to
2,800 descendants of the
tribe’s former slaves.
The tribe’s plans to hold
a special election for a new
chief are thrown into turmoil.
The tribe says it won’t al-
low the U.S. government to
dictate whether it removes
African Americans from its
citizenship rolls.
Ellis is an author and his-
torian working on a book
about American Indians.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Sept. 10: Chicken a la king, biscuits, broccoli, ro-
maine lettuce salad, bread pudding.
Thursday, Sept. 13: Pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, red
cabbage, tomato salad, berry trifle.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is
$5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.
7
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Talk politics and still sleep well
OK, Labor Day is behind
us and the kids are back in
school. Parents and grand-
parents can sit back and en-
joy a quiet cup of coffee.
But, as most are aware, it
is the official kickoff for na-
tional political campaigns in
the United States. Many may
groan over that, but some
of us – including me -- love
election years.
It seems that the midterms
have become more important
and require more study and
evaluation than ever before.
Of course, after the midterm
election, we begin the next
presidential election rhetoric
even though a current presi-
dent is only halfway through
his or her term.
I know some hate election
campaigns. And I realize I
have a spirit of competitive-
ness, but champion myself
in that I do know what’s go-
ing on in the elections even
if I don’t enjoy discussing
politics (or religion) in pub-
lic gatherings. Both are very
personal.
However, should an appro-
priate occasion arise, I don’t
mind taking the lead or at
least the front seat.
I suppose that’s because I
know so much less than oth-
ers may think I know.
A senior thought I might
add here is that the older I
get, the less the outcome real-
ly matters. I’m reminded that
when all is said and nothing
done, the committee meeting
is over!
T oasTy Toes
Yes, we seniors are full of
knowledge, I suppose, but
that doesn’t mean we can’t
learn something new.
For example, we can sleep
better with warmed socks. If
we throw our socks into the
dryer for 10 minutes just be-
fore bed and then slip them
on, we will fall asleep fast and
sleep more soundly.
Why? Warming our feet
widens blood vessels and
draws heat from our trunk,
which lowers our core tem-
perature. And that’s a natu-
ral trigger for drowsiness, ac-
cording to the article I read.
J usT deserTs
A word about that discus-
sion on the word “dessert” or
“desert.” Here is the Encarta
Dictionary ruling on the sub-
ject:
“Usage of desert or des-
sert? Dessert, pronounced
with the stress on the sec-
ond syllable, means ‘a sweet
course eaten at the end of a
meal.’
“Desert, pronounced with
the stress on the first syl-
lable, means ‘an area with
little rainfall,’ and with the
stress on the second syllable
means ‘something deserved,’
as in just deserts, or is a verb
meaning ‘abandon’ or ‘leave
without permission.’ ”
V olunTeers ?
And finally, over at the
Warrenton Senior Citizens
Inc. meal site, I have been
asked to mention that there
is a need for more volunteers
to serve in the kitchen on
Mondays.
If you can help even one
Monday a month, call 503-
861-3502 on a Monday or a
Thursday and ask for Nancy
Jacobson or Lorna Ander-
son.
There’s no pay, but a good
feeling and a meal. It’s been
said that the more we give,
the happier we feel and
that volunteering increases
self-confidence.