March to Oppose Measure 105
A March in opposition to the repeal of the Sanctuary status in Oregon is going to be held this Saturday. Organizers say the march will begin at the Methodist church and head down highway 101. Measure 105 on the ballot, if passed, would remove the state of Oregon as a sanctuary state and allow local sheriffs and municipalities to assist immigration officials in the apprehension and detention of residents that do not have citizenship status. Those in favor of keeping the status in place say Oregon has always been thought of as a receptive state when it comes to immigrants. One of the organizers of the March is Nancy Rickart who believes that changing the status would be harmful for Oregon and its immigrant population.
203: “finding people, sending them away, I mean it will be as ugly as what the president has been doing separating the children from their families.”
Those in support of the measure say something has to be done to secure our borders and to ensure that people come to the United States through legal and proper channels. Sherry Harvey, a proponent of measure 105, says that sanctuary status sends the wrong message to illegal immigrants, and as it stands law enforcement’s hands are tied.
204: “The thing about 105 is that it is really focused on law enforcement and the ability of state, local, and city law enforcement people to work with federal law enforcement.”
Over half of the Sheriff’s agencies in Oregon have signed on to support the measure. People on both sides are passionate about the issue. Voters will have the opportunity to decide on November 6th.
New Way to Vote on the Ballot
Is the county ready for a new way to vote? A measure on the November ballot would effectively change the way we choose our candidates. Measure 20-290 would allow voters to rate their choices as one might rate a movie. From a zero to 5 rating people can choose a number that would correspond to their level of support for a candidate. Zero meaning no support to 5 being complete support. Allen Zundel is one of the co petitioners of the measure and a former political scientist has worked through the process and outlines the difference
201: “The big difference between this and other forms of voting is that instead of picking just one candidate you can give candidates scores.”
This form, according to Zundel, would do away with the need for a runoff election. While the measure is on the ballot, he says that they are still working to get out information about how the system works and while still a young idea the feedback has been good.
202: “Generally what we’ve found is there is a lot of receptivity just to the idea of doing something different with elections.”
Information on the measure is available at starlane.us
Girls Found Safe
A happy end to a harrowing story. The two runaways that disappeared Sunday evening in Coos Bay have been located. Apparently from reports the girls never left Coos county. Coos County Sheriff Captain Andrews said the girls were located by a sheriff deputy walking along highway 101 near the highway 42 junction early yesterday morning. Both girls were in good health and have been reunited with their families. The 12 year old is back in Florence. Her father, Justin Young went to Coos Bay to pick her up. Family members, through social media, thanked everyone in the community for their love and support and the sharing of their post that received over 1900 shares on Facebook.
Festival of Books
Tomorrow evening at the Florence Event Center begins the Festival of Books. The event begins at 3 pm tomorrow with a free panel discussion about marketing featuring 4 local authors who have had success. The evening culminates with Guest speaker Amy Stewart, New York Times Best Selling Author tickets are 8 dollars in advance. On Saturday the Festival of Books will be from 10 til 4 pm featuring authors and publishers from around the country. Saturday’s event is also free.