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Siuslaw News Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Florence, Oregon

Number 13 • 134 years

SCHOOL NEWS

Charter opening delay and banned book SIUSLAW NEWS STAFF

Rep. Hoyle holds Town Hall By TONY REED Siuslaw News

From the stage of the Florence Events Center, March 19th, Congresswoman Val Hoyle spoke to an almost full house during a town hall event. Following an introduction by Florence Mayor Rob Ward, Hoyle opened the discussion by talking about the difference between how people view news today, compared to what older generations recall. “When I was growing up, and I am of a certain age, we had one news program. We watched Walter Cronkite and then came out and discussed the same thing but came to different opinions,” she said. “Now what we have is that we literally hear different facts. So many people have outsourced their social

interactions and communications to social media, where the algorithm is run by people that feed you information that you already believe, so we’ve stopped talking to each other. That outsourcing of our social interactions and communication has made it so that we are not respecting each other as Americans.” Hoyle said the practice is detrimental to the country but has also become the impetus for political town hall meetings where people can interact with elected officials. Hoyle said that as an elected official, she is there to help and speak to the electorate, regardless of political party preference. CITIZENS UNITED Hoyle said one issue that should not be partisan in nature is the influence of money on

politics. She recalled Citizens United, where “Money was ruled as speech and corporations were ruled as people.” “I don’t know about any of you, but none of my neighbors are corporations. None of my neighbors are billionaires and that is not a partisan issue. We Americans have now had our campaigns sold out to the highest bidder and that is extremely detrimental..” she said over building applause. Many Americans are now asking themselves what they can do in the face of what appears to be a growing constitutional crisis, she said. Hoyle said the lines between the three branches of government are being blurred. She said that during a recent discussion with the Appropriations Committee, she asked why the Republican majority is handing

over the power of the purse and legislators ability to weigh in on proposed tariffs. “Let me tell you where I come from on tariffs. I worked in an American manufacturing company and we were devastated by NAFTA,” she said. “It was a terrible policy that sold out American manufacturing and we lost a lot of working people who felt that, again, we were selling off our manufacturing to the highest bidder.” She said that while tariffs play a role in the economy, she believes in fair trade policies that ensure American workers are given priority over people in other countries. “They [tariffs] should be used with surgical precision and not just blanket tariffs without investing in American See HOYLE, Page A6

Tsunami Warning System status a mystery By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Specific information about the West Coast’s Tsunami warning system has been difficult, if not impossible to obtain in recent weeks since the Trump Administration started another round of job cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Associated Press reports say NOAA officials submitted a list approving 10 percent of its employees to the Department of Commerce for layoffs. While most know NOAA for weather forecasting and reporting, it also operates many programs, including the Tsunami Early Warning System, which monitors quakes and calculates the potential for a tsunami and warns coastal communities that may be at risk. BOILERPLATE ANSWERS Attempting to contact NOAA for comment specific to the

INSIDE

Obituaries — A2 Sports & Lifestyle — B1

JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner

A message on the NOAA press page says layoffs have impacted its ability to respond. tsunami warning system has been essentially fruitless. Of about a dozen phone messages and emails from this paper over the last few weeks, only a single email was answered. “Our long-standing practice is not to discuss internal personnel and management matters,” said Susan Buchanon, director of public affairs at NOAA. “NOAA remains dedicated to its mission of providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic

Opinion — A3 Classifieds — B6-7

resilience. We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.” It should be noted that NOAA spokeswoman Monica Allen also told the Associated Press the previous week that the agency’s policy is not to discuss internal personnel matters, but said NOAA will “continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.” NOAA Chief Scientist Craig McLean told AP that weather forecasts across the US will be

negatively impacted by the cuts and worsen as a result, and will be apparent soon. “This is not government efficiency,” former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad told the AP. “It is the first steps toward eradication. There is no way to make these kinds of cuts without removing or strongly compromising mission capabilities.” LEADERS REACT Noting NOAA’s part in tsunami preparedness, U.S. See TSUNAMI, Page A7

SVCS delays opening Siuslaw Valley Charter School (SVCS) officials say are continuing toward opening Whitmore Classical Academy in Florence, but that it will take another year before it can happen. SVCS was working toward a fall 2025 opening, but is pushing that date up to September 2026. Since 2022, SVCS started the process of opening a publicly-funded charter school that will use the classical education model. In early March, after creating a master plan and vision for opening the school, newly-hired Head of Schools Arturo Rulelas resigned. Ruelas said the securing of a building was top priority if the school planned to open in fall 2025. An SVCS release said the last building that the school was working to lease became unavailable. “Once a building is identified there will still be significant work to be done to open our doors. Therefore without a building secured at this time, we cannot follow our original plan of a 2025 opening”, said Kay King, board president. “We know we have a lot of very disappointed parents and students. Our board will keep working around the clock to continue the rigorous processes associated with opening a brand-new school. We will continue to search for a commercial building or property. We would appreciate partnering with individuals in our community in this endeavor.” The release said more information should be available by Mid-April. It should be noted that US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney-Barrett recently recused See SCHOOL, Page A5

Editor’s note: Due to space constraints, the story about the investigation into allegations made against Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshops (CROW) will appear on our website this week and in the print edition next week, along with information about what’s happening across from Fred Meyer, and an OSU study about where Florence gets its news and information. Go to thesiuslawnews.com to check it out.

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