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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2017)
September 1, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A Wyden blasts Trump’s response Scott Pruitt hasn’t said much regarding oil trains. “Under normal circum- stances, I’d say, ‘Well, may- be that isn’t all bad,’” Wyden said. “But … when I hear about all the stuff his staff is working on behind the scenes, I think we got to get him on the record on his plans. That is what I intend to do in Sep- tember.” Oregon Dem holds town hall in Seaside By Edward Stratton EO Media Group When immigration or white supremacy comes up at his town halls, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden sometimes recounts the story of how his parents fled Nazi Germany and how his father joined the U.S. Army to produce propaganda for the war effort. In his 844th town hall, and the first since the deadly vi- olence at a white nationalist rally this month in Charlottes- ville, Virginia, Wyden on Fri- day, Aug. 25, called President Donald Trump’s response horrifying. “All the people I know believe that when you see a swastika, this is not something where there are two sides of the debate,” the Oregon Dem- ocrat said to applause from a full crowd in the Seaside City Council chambers. “It’s wrong.” Wyden took questions on a variety of national issues and promised to continue fighting for the values of his constitu- ents. Russia EDWARD STRATTON/EO MEDIA GROUP U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, was in Seaside for his 844th town hall since joining the U.S. Senate in 1996. helps produce more jobs. Asked about Trump’s recent threat at an Arizona rally to shut down the gov- ernment this fall unless sig- nificant money for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is in- cluded in the federal budget, Wyden said Trump will find bipartisan resistance. “Republicans do not want to have anything to do with paying for this wall,” Wyden said, adding the U.S. instead needs infrastructure invest- ment. Taxes and spending Health care Wyden, the ranking mem- ber on the Senate Finance Committee, blasted the Trump administration’s one-page tax reform proposal, which would lower top-tier rates on indi- viduals and businesses and reorder much of the federal tax code. In the guise of helping small businesses, he said, there is a disturbing proposal to reclassify ordinary income as capital gains, taxed at a lower rate. “On my watch, I’m going to fight that every single step of the way,” he said, promising to advocate for bipartisan tax reform that benefits the middle class and Amid widespread oppo- sition, Republicans narrowly failed to repeal and replace the federal Affordable Care Act. Wyden said the efforts made a mockery of Trump’s campaign promises to expand insurance coverage and lower costs, with federal analyses concluding the two iterations of Trumpcare would have increased premiums and cut coverage for millions of peo- ple. The senator said Con- gress needs to pass bipartisan legislation to stabilize the pri- vate insurance market, clamp down on prescription drug prices and give states more flexibility to set up public and single-payer health care op- tions. Wyden highlighted bipar- tisan efforts with U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to pass legislation on chronic care, which would use telemed- icine, coordinated care and value-based payment to de- crease costs and expand ac- cess. The bill, forecasted by the Congressional Budget Of- fice to reduce direct spending on Medicare and Medicaid by more than $215 million over the next four fiscal years, was recently approved by the Sen- ate Finance Committee. Environment Astoria recently joined a number of cities formally opposing a proposed oil ter- minal in Vancouver, Washing- ton. Wyden was asked what he will do to protect the Co- lumbia River from becoming a fossil fuel highway to Asia. Wyden said the federal government can’t play Rus- sian roulette with people’s safety and needs to support initiatives that create incen- tives to improve tracks, re- place aging trains and support first responders. So far, he said, U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency Administrator Astorian names new managing editor EO Media Group Jim Van Nostrand has joined The Daily Astorian as managing editor. He is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience as a reporter and editor. Most recently, he was the digital editor at the Tri- City Herald in Kennewick, Washington. He replaces Laura Sell- ers-Earl, who is retiring from full-time work after 25 years with the Astorian and its parent company, EO Media Group, including the Seaside Signal. She plans to remain in the community. “Jim Van Nostrand brings a great depth of journalistic experience and leadership to our newsroom along with a strong commitment to excel- lence,” said David Pero, the Astorian’s editor and pub- lisher. “His career has been filled with achievements in print and on a wide variety of digital platforms, and those qualities help position The Daily Astorian to serve our readers far into the future.” Van Nostrand is a na- tive of Washington state and spent part of his early career in Oregon. He returned to the Northwest five years ago from Washington, D.C., to be closer to family and friends. “It’s not often that you get to come home in this business,” he said. “I look forward to leading a great newsroom in one of the most beautiful places in the world to live.” At the Washington Bu- reau for Knight Ridder and then McClatchy newspapers, he worked with journalists covering the White House, Congress and the federal government, as well as for- eign correspondents in Bagh- dad, Beijing, Mexico City and other countries. He also taught digital storytelling to graduate journalism students as an adjunct professor at American University and worked with students from Penn State and Northwestern universities. He for- m e r l y served as a senior editor at Knight Rid- der Digital, where he managed Jim Van nation- Nostrand al, world and politics coverage on 28 Knight Ridder newspaper websites across the country. He led Knight Ridder’s online coverage of the Iraq war, the 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 Olympics, and the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He was part of a team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Bi- loxi Sun Herald’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Van Nostrand is a former U.S. Army infantry captain. He served in the First Infan- try Division in Germany and in the National Guard in Ore- gon and Pennsylvania. He is an avid historian and an active member of the On- line News Association. Speaking of federal in- vestigations into interference by Russia in U.S. elections, Wyden, who serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said both Con- gress and special counsel Rob- ert Mueller are both trying to follow the money. “What I said on the (in- telligence) committee is that our job is to tell all of you, the American people, what happened, how our democra- cy was hacked and do it in a way that doesn’t compromise classified information,” the senator said. Wyden talked about his leg- islation, the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, to require all presidential candidates to release their tax returns, while lauding the new sanctions against Russia overwhelming- ly passed by the Senate. Pushing back Faced with a woman who said Trump was causing people mental health issues, Wyden reminded the audience that despite all the dramatic rhetoric, President Trump has not been able to pass major legislation and faces mounting opposition from both Demo- crats and Republicans. “I do think the last few days have seen a lot of push- ing back,” Wyden said about Trump’s arguments with even conservative Republicans. “I don’t know how he expects to get his legislation passed. And that’s probably a good thing, because most of it is so flawed.” OBITUARIES Barbara (Wascher) Lund June 17, 1934 — Aug. 8, 2017 Barbara Lund will be re- membered as a loving, car- ing wife and mother. She leaves behind her sister, Betty; husband, high school sweetheart and true love, Larry; three daughters, Lau- rie, Linda and Jamie, along with their husbands; and six grandchildren. We will miss her smile, hand-written letters, and positive, inquisitive spin on life. She was a sweet wom- an who loved the simple life, playing games, taking long car rides, coffee and spend- ing time in Seaside Oregon, her birthplace. What she en- joyed most was being with her family and friends, trav- eling and laughing. Her last years were happily spent in Eugene, where she had many Barbara Lund friends at Willamette Oaks Retirement Community. Barbara’s celebration of life will be held at Willa- mette Oaks, 455 Alexander Loop in Eugene, on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. All are welcome. Governor defends state’s cannabis regulations By Paris Achen Capital Bureau SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown is pushing back against accusations by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Ses- sions that Oregon’s marijua- na regulations have failed to adequately protect public health and prevent leakage into the illicit market. In a letter to Sessions Aug. 22, Brown detailed protections and improve- ments Oregon has made to its cannabis regulation and enforcement systems and challenged the accuracy of information Sessions cit- ed in his questioning of the state’s compliance with the Cole Memorandum. The memo by the U.S. Department of Justice during the Obama administration in 2013 allowed states to op- erate legal marijuana pro- grams without federal inter- ference on the condition that states protect the public and keep cannabis from leaking out of the regulated market. In the letter, the governor addressed concerns outlined in a letter from Sessions last month. She noted she has signed into law several new regu- lations this year to prevent illegal sales and transport of cannabis products. For example, one law expands strict tracking requirements to medical marijuana, re- quiring all products to be tracked with radio frequency identification tags. Another law increases criminal pen- alties for marijuana crimes, such as illegal extraction and import and export. Brown and several other governors have encouraged Sessions to keep the Cole memo in place. Shirley Sopko Celebration of Life Saturday September 16, 2017 at 11:00am Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church Seaside, OR NOW RECRUITING! Shirley Sopko entered rest, at the age of 96, on Easter Eve, April 15, 2017, in Seaside, Oregon. Shirley married Joe Sopko on May 3, 1941 in Ohio. The couple moved to Seaside in 1946. They purchased property on North Shirley loved and was loved... Wahanna Rd., home to their 5 children: Rance, Ron, Mike, Joe, and Susan. Because of Joe’s dental lab business, the Sopko’s home became known as “Tooth Acres”. Shortly after celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary, Shirley’s life was turned upside down by the sudden death of her husband Joe in 1968. The devastating loss of her beloved Joe brought an outpouring of support from the local community, in particular Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church and from family members from Ohio. With this loving support Shirley raised her children as a single mother with courage and confi dence. After her children were raised Shirley embarked on a journey of her own. She began working at Seaside Heights Elementary School in the cafeteria, where she delighted in serving and nurturing children and staff with her kind words and warm smile. She also worked at the Seaside Convention Center for Oregon Fine Foods. She sold “Tooth Acres” in 1989, moved into an apartment on the Necanicum waterfront. Here her personable and trustworthy nature led her to another role –manager of apartments. She was 70 when she began and continued until she was 87. Her favorite activities included water aerobics at the Seaside pool, going to the Seaside Library, playing bingo, having lunch with friends at the Bob Chisholm Community Center, and taking walks on the Seaside Prom. She also loved scouting out local “tag” sales. Shirley loved deeply and gave back through volunteer work at her church Altar Society, Sunday Supper, Meals on Wheels, and Bingo. She also volunteered at the Providence Seaside Hospital’s gift shop. She spread joy wherever she went. “It’s good to get out, but it’s good to come back” was one of her favorite expressions. And whenever she came back to her apartment on the river, she loved opening the deck door to enjoy the “fresh, breezy air” and to “watch the trees swaying in the wind” along the river bank. She loved the simple pleasures of sunny days and gorgeous sunsets and the cozy rainy days were experiences she was grateful for. Shirley was lovingly called “Oma” by her family. She had a gentle touch. As a mother, she was a woman who listened with her heart, loved without condition, and affi rmed with encouraging words. When required, she spoke truth when correction was necessary. Shirley saw the good in everything and accepted what was. Her actions and words aligned, which cultivated trust. She was kind, thoughtful and dependable. She enjoyed meeting new people and learning about their life stories. Her generous heart and easy-going temperament gave Shirley a remarkable ability to make those around her feel comfortable and also created a welcoming haven. At home, she delighted in baking homemade bread, setting a beautiful table, and serving a wonderful meal made with love. Shirley’s faith, hope and perseverance were a constant throughout her life. She thanked God daily for the blessings in her life and this led to a heart of gratitude and contentment that she maintained until her last breath. In addition to her husband, Shirley was preceded in death by two of her sons, Rance and Mike. She is survived by her children, Ron (wife Melissa), Joe (wife Sherry), Susan (husband Jeff), and two daughters-in-law: Rance’s wife Gretchen and Mike’s wife Cheryl. She had eight grandchildren: Derek (wife Karen), Kirsten (husband Greg), Kara (husband Chris), Tim (wife Lauren), Matt (wife Trisha), Allison, Nikki, Peter, and ten great-grandchildren: Carlee, Mason, Bode, Graham, Hayden, Grace, Cadence, Cohen, Tyler and Grayson. VISIT ONLINE AT NWCWC.NET In Lieu of fl owers, please contribute to the Bob Chisholm Community Center. powered by music fi rst CIVIL W AR! REENACTMENT SEPTEMBER 2-4, 2017 FORT STEVENS STATE PARK GATES OPEN AT 9:00 A.M. BATTLES 11 A.M. & 3 P.M. SAT & SUN. - NOON MONDAY LIVING HISTORY ALL DAY ADMISSION: ADULTS $12, SENIORS & MILITARY $8, KIDS 6-12 $8 KIDS 5 & UNDER FREE. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT GATE OR ONLINE
