Let There Be Lights
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RUNNING INTO TROUBLE RUNNING OUT OF TROUBLE Sack injures Packers quarterback, B1 Patrons flee NJ mall shooting, A7 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013 theworldlink.com I 75¢ Curry Prayer Chapel again votes on open to the public safety BY THOMAS MORIARTY ago as a public-access space Looking around the newly The World for prayer. restored sanctuary, their funding With help from an army of boss, Chief Gary McCullough COOS BAY — For the first volunteers, the doors first could hardly recognize the time in 63 days, the faithful opened Aug. 23, 2003. The building. GOLD BEACH (AP) — Curry returned to Coos Bay Prayer chapel has been run by a “It looks a little different County voters are considering a Chapel on Monday morning. 501(c)(3) non-profit ever than the last time I was in property tax increase that could Approximately 30 people since. here,” he mused to another test a new public safety emergency packed into the chapel’s tiny After the bombing attempt patron. “It looks really nice.” funding law. sanctuary for its official and subsequent fire, the Following the fire and sub- If voters on Tuesday approve rededication — the building’s group brought in the restora- sequent discovery of the IED, tripling their county property tax first public opening since tion firm SERVPRO to repair McCullough called in the rate — the lowest in the state at 59 an attempted bombing the damage. Oregon State Police Arson cents per $1,000 valuation — it Sept. 3. Miraculously, the chapel’s and Explosives Unit from will raise $3.3 million a year for By Lou Sennick, The World “I just opened the doors ornate stained-glass win- Central Point. sheriff’s patrols, the jail and other The Rev. Jay Meyer, from the Allegany Community Church, and turned the heat on this dows had escaped the inci- The bomb squad, in turn, law enforcement. talks about the small wooden crosses made from the same morning,” said Steve Plinski, dent unscathed. called the FBI. If they turn it down, county wood as the big one behind him that were given to the peo- the chapel’s founder. Throughout the ceremony, The FBI is investigating the officials say they will be in touch ple who helped build the Coos Bay Prayer Chapel 10 years Plinski conceived the two Coos Bay police officers with the governor to talk about ago. He helped to preside over Monday’s rededication. chapel more than a decade kept watch outside. SEE CHAPEL | A10 declaring a public safety emer- gency. Current funding only runs through the middle of next year. An emergency declaration would allow county commissioners to impose a surcharge on some exist- ing taxes to fill half the budget gap, Let there be and the state to pick up the rest. The Legislature enacted the law this year in anticipation that rural counties like Curry would face funding crises related to lights — lots declines in federal subsidies to timber counties, and voters’ refusal to increase their taxes. The levy only runs three years. By that time, county officials hope of them that legislation will have been enacted by Congress to boost log- ging on federal lands in Western Oregon known as the O&C lands. Counties with O&C lands within their borders get a 50-percent share of revenues from timber sold. Revenues have been declin- ing since the 1990s due to logging cutbacks on federal forests to pro- tect fish and wildlife habitat and clean water. Sardine harvest slashed BY JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press GRANTS PASS — Federal fish- eries managers slashed upcoming West Coast sardine harvests by two-thirds while scientists try to get a better handle on indications the population is significantly dwindling. The Pacific Fishery Manage- ment Council voted 7-6 Sunday in Costa Mesa, Calif., to set the com- Photos by Alysha Beck, The World mercial harvest level for Califor- Volunteers set up the frog jumping light display in the garden pond at Shore Acres State Park on Saturday morning.Top,Layne Phillips,8,helps string lights on bushes around the park. nia, Oregon and Washington at About 300,000 LED lights are put up over the course of six weekends for the Holiday Lights show that runs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. 5,446 metric tons for the first six months of 2014, down from 18,073 metric tons for the same period in Holiday lights an ‘instant community tradition’ 2013. The issue will be taken up again after a new and more com- plete population assessment is BY CHELSEA DAVIS Shirley Bridgham said. “It became every year. This year there will be issued in April. The World an instant community tradition.” around 300,000 lights — mostly Holiday lights They strung 6,000 lights, set up a LED — by the time the 7-acre area is Council member Marci I 4-9:30 p.m. Nov. 28 - Dec. 31 Yaremko of the California Depart- COOS BAY — Inch by inch, Shore Christmas tree and decorated the finished. More than 50,000 are in Includes Christmas Eve, Christmas ment of Fish and Wildlife says the Acres State Park is becoming garden house; 700 people showed the sculptures alone. and New Year’s Eve. council decided to take an even brighter for the holiday season. up for a lighting ceremony the first “It’s an amazing transformation,” I Walk-through display, open garden more precautionary approach A year after Friends of Shore night. That season, the event drew Bridgham said. “We wanted to have house. than management guidelines call Acres Inc. formed in 1986, the group 9,000 visitors. a hook to get more people to Shore I Hot cider, punch, coffee, cookies. for because the current assess- decided to light the park similar to Today, 40,000 to 50,000 people Acres. It’s a special place, in winter I Parking fee: $5 per vehicle or cur- ment was lacking some informa- the Butchart Gardens in Canada. walk through the display every year. time as well as summer. I feel it con- rent OPRD annual parking pass, coastal tion, such as surveys showing too “Someone said, ‘Let’s put some Last year, the event brought in tributes a lot to off-season tourism, passport, current OPRD campground Christmas lights out and see if any- 47,336 visitors. receipt or current special access pass. SEE SARDINES | A10 one will come out in the dark,’” The number of lights has grown SEE LIGHTS | A10 Joseph Griffis, Coquille DeLoy Barkwell, Coquille South Coast. A2 Sports . B1 Lance Fenzel, Coos Bay S Ervin Royer, Myrtle Point Dale Mauchley, North Bend E H Margot Green, Powers D Police reports . A3 Comics . C3 Beth Andresson, Eugene Donald Schrag Sr., Powers I T Charlotte Hubbard, Coos Bay A S What’s Up. A3 Puzzles. C3 James Henriksen, Bullhead Patrick Nelson, Myrtle Point E N City, Ariz. Earl Brown, Coquille | I Obituaries A5-6 Opinion. A4 Classifieds . C4 D Joe DeGarlais, North Bend Dorothy Poppe, North Bend WE CAN DELIVER YOUR Need to sell your vehicle? MESSAGE OVER 71,000 TIMES! Call Valerie Today! 541-267-6278 A2 •The World • Tuesday, November 5,2013 South Coast Executive Editor Larry Campbell • 541-269-1222, ext. 251 theworldlink.com/news/local District begins probe into Coos Bay teacher’s allegation I Educator said Peggy Stock, Oregon School through with the mandate time for the school board’s Boards Association’s legal, because their jobs have been meeting on Nov. 12, “but faculty feared labor and PACE services repeatedly threatened if they that’s not a guarantee.” consultant, has launched an don’t.” “It depends on her need threats of firings investigation into Madison At the time, Martin said Elementary second-grade the board had no choice but to for follow-up interviews,”he BY CHELSEA DAVIS teacher Michelle Newsum’s investigate such a serious said. The World claim that teachers were told allegation. Stock could not be reached to implement a “Walk to “If it is (true),that’s a huge before publication deadline. COOS BAY — Coos Bay Read” program or they would problem,”he told The World Reporter Chelsea Davis can school officials began an lose their jobs. after the meeting. “If there’s be reached at 541-269-1222, investigation into a teacher’s “Many teachers are afraid no truth to it and these state- ext. 239, or by email at allegation against adminis- to speak for fear of retribu- ments were said in public, trators. tion,”Newsum told the school that’s also a huge problem.” chelsea.davis@the- Coos Bay School Board board at its October meeting. Martin hopes Stock will worldlink.com. Follow her on chair James Martin said “The teachers ... follow finish the investigation in Twitter: @ChelseaLeeDavis. Two Coos Bay men in jail after one By Thomas Moriarty, The World ANorth Bay volunteer firefighter extinguishes the remains of a struc- ture fire in the 61000 block of Honeydo Road in Hauser on Monday allegedly beat other with flashlight afternoon. THE WORLD 5 at The Mill Casino-Hotel. ment to be dismantled and Fire engulfs SOUTH COAST Teams will chose themes for deep cleaned. Extensive COOS BAY — Two Coos the fierce competition of Best retraining of plant employ- Bay men were arrested Thurs- REPORTS Theme and Best in Show. ees, contractors and other structure, vehicles day after one of them alleged- The 2012 Festival of Trees personnel has started, said ly bludgeoned the other with enough for him to be flown to raised nearly $13,000 that president Mark Reser in a Chief James Aldrich.