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Oct. 26, 2000
Battle over flouride in Willow CreekCounty tourist industry upTeen Vote 2000Burning a little cleanerWeight of the worldEnergy rebates availableGala draws wine connoisseursBattle over flouride in Willow CreekWHEN TOM LEWIS BEGAN PRACTICING dentistry in Willow Creek three years ago, he was appalled at the number of people with serious dental problems. "I volunteered in Nicaragua and in my opinion the teeth are as bad here," he told the Journal last week. Lewis came up with what he thought was a reasonable solution, add fluoride to the public water system. But in doing so, he ignited a debate that has pitted the county's public health community against some old-fashioned, small-town distrust of outsiders. "Fluoride probably is good for the teeth," John Donahue said, "but we are more than just teeth." Donahue has emerged as a sort anti-fluoride crusader for the town, spreading his concerns about the harm he feels fluoride might cause -- diseases he heard that could be fluoride-related, including thyroid disorders, kidney failure, arthritis, attention deficit disorder and Alzheimer's disease. "If there's a doubt -- and there's definitely a doubt -- and we don't have to fluoridate, then why do we? People who want it should get tablets," he said. "That's misinformation that's been put out for many years," Lewis said. He said there had been "many, many scientific double-blind studies showing the effectiveness and safety of water fluoridation," starting with experiments undertaken in the 1950s involving towns in the Midwest. Donahue admits that he isn't sure what diseases are caused by fluoride -- he said he gets his information from the Internet and is aware of its subjective nature. He is not a spokesman for any organized anti-fluoridation group, but many in the community seem to share his concerns. In early summer the Willow Creek Community Services District, which administers the town's water supply, sent out surveys with the water bills asking whether residents were in favor of or opposed to fluoridation. Of the 800 sent out, 200 were returned. Of those, 150 were opposed, according to district manger Marc Rowley. Lewis claimed the survey was unscientific in its methodology and of little use. "I don't think it's known what the users in this district want," he said. But Donahue is "absolutely convinced" that the survey's results were correct, even if it was unscientific. "I'll tell you right now if they have another survey it'll still fail." At the district board's August meeting, the survey results were discussed and the board decided not to take any action. It meets again Oct. 25 (after press time) and Lewis will again press for fluoridation, but Rowley remains skeptical the board will impose fluoridation unless residents favor it. Lewis held an informational town meeting Oct. 18 to try to convince residents of the advantages of fluoridation, but Rowley said he wasn't sure many minds were changed. "He [Lewis] brought along experts, they talked for several hours, the meeting ended and everybody walked out the door. They certainly didn't come to any conclusion." Lewis said that he believes in the democratic process, but that he isn't sure this should be a political issue. "I'll continue to advocate for fluoride," he said. As for Donahue, the situation is much simpler: "The whole thing is that we live in a little community and these are outsiders coming in and telling us to put fluoride in. And we don't want it. -- story by Arno Holschuh County tourist industry upTourism in Humboldt County is up and local governments have the money to prove it. A report on last year's bed tax shows tourism up 9 percent during the year ending June 30, the largest single-year increase during the 1990s. The total bed tax revenue was $2.8 million -- that's in addition to the approximately $2.7 million that comes from taxes on sales to tourists. It's another sign of a tourist boom, said Don Leonard, executive director of the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Phone calls to us asking for information about vacations here are up 25 percent," Leonard said. "It's just been a really good year."
On Nov. 7 some 2,200 unregistered voters will wander into Humboldt County polling stations and cast their votes, all in the name of civic education. Teen Vote 2000, organized by the League of Women Voters and KEET-TV, is a county-wide event that encourages teens to cast votes in a separate election. While teens' votes won't count, their election has been designed to be in every other way identical to that of regular voters. They vote on a ballot identical to their parents, which includes bond measures and propositions. Students are required to go to regular polling places and they had to register a month in advance of the election. Karen Barnes, a spokesperson for Teen Vote, said that she hoped the event would train young people to care about elections -- but also to remind their parents to vote. "We hope it causes discussions around the dinner table and brings adults to the polls as well," she said. The results of Teen Vote will be announced and analyzed on a live television program which will air from 10 to 11 p.m. election night on KEET-TV.
Burning a little cleanerWhen a Fieldbrook resident noticed her asthmatic daughter was having trouble with the smoke from wood stoves, she went to the Northcoast Environmental Center and asked for advice. What she received was a mass mailing sent to the 560 households in Fieldbrook giving advice on how to burn wood efficiently with minimal air pollution. The pamphlet explains how residents should use seasoned firewood, not green wood, four to six inches thick. The fire should burn hot, especially in the first 30 minutes, allowing plenty of air to enter the stove. Airtight stoves actually increase air pollution. Tim McKay, executive director of the center, said the NEC action was not unique. "We're very much community based and responsive to the person walking through the door."
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