Parents to NB Board: $3M Shortfall
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C M C M Y K Y K FREE PASS ON KILLING EAGLES TWO MORE HURDLES Wind farms have yet to be prosecuted, A5 Pirates set for district meet, B1 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2013 theworldlink.com I 75¢ NB nurse pleads guilty to pill theft BY GEORGE ARTSITAS The World COQUILLE — A North Bend nurse pleaded guilty Monday to unlawfully possessing her elderly patients’ Oxycontin. Michelle Marie Dieckman, 43, appeared in court for 23 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, a Class C felony in Oregon. She pleaded guilty to two of the counts. Each count involved a different patient. Dieckman worked at Baycrest Village, a senior living center in North Bend. “It’s just horrible” to think that a caregiver would steal a patient’s medication, said Sarah Lundstet, Coos County assistant district attorney. By Thomas Moriarty, The World Jessica Engelke, right, listens with other parents and community members as North Bend School District administrators present a proposal to Dieckman voluntarily surrendered her nursing reconfigure grades K-5 between Hillcrest and North Bay elementary schools at its Monday night board meeting in the North Bend Middle School SEE PILLS | A8 cafeteria. County tackles Parents to NB board: $3M shortfall BY EMILY THORNTON Don’t move grades The World COQUILLE — Coos County’s budget is about $3 mil- lion short for the coming fiscal year, officials said Mon- BY THOMAS MORIARTY School Board schools. The The administration also day. The World Monday N.B. schools reconfigura- advocated the plan as a way Next week, members of the budget committee will night. Do you have kids in the North tion would to increase collaboration begin working to close the gap between the county’s NORTH BEND — Ele- Peabody Bend School District? The district send grades among teachers at the same $19.8 million in resources and $22.9 million in proposed mentary school classrooms was referring is planning to hold parent input K-2 to Hill- grade levels. Hollensteiner expenditures. The county is running out of saved-up should stay right where they to a list of meetings from 6-7 p.m. May 15 and crest, grades said the reconfiguration timber money and expects to have none by next year. It are at Hillcrest and North pros and May 22 in the North Bend City 3-5 to North would balance class sizes already has begun making cuts but needs to make more, Bay elementary schools, cons handed Council chambers. Bay and across grade levels and officials said. North Bend parents told the out at a grades 6-8 group students with age- Also discussed Monday was the need to upgrade school board Monday night. board work to North appropriate student popula- some of the information technology department’s “While I am not scream- session earlier this month. Bend Middle School. tions. equipment. Some of the gear is at least 10 years old, said ing, smiley face emoticon, One whimsical entry said, At the heart of the pro- The plan would require Sandi Arbuckle, who works for the department. The and while you don’t yet “We will need earmuffs so posal is the district’s desire remodeling the North Bay budget committee tentatively approved the depart- require the ‘earmuffs’ so we can’t hear all the scream- to implement all-day school, splitting a kinder- ment’s proposed $95,000 for next year’s data project, cavalierly spoken of in dis- ing that is going to take kindergarten a year ahead of garten classroom into two which includes new software for the Coquille and North tinct communications, be place.” its original schedule. Start- separate ones and building Bend buildings. The department’s total budget is assured that I like other par- Monday’s meeting was ing this fall, the state will six more classrooms by sub- $880,000. ents of children in this dis- Superintendent B.J. Hollen- begin funding full-day pro- dividing a gathering room The committee also tentatively approved the sheriff’s trict — children we have steiner’s first formal presen- grams if the district has the and a gymnasium balcony request to divert about $9,000 from animal control to entrusted to your care by the tation of a proposal that ability. But Hollensteiner space. The district would his department’s equipment budget. The money had way — that we will not go would split grades K-2 and says doing so requires a also have to reconfigure quietly into the night,” Doug 3-5 between North Bay and restructuring of district SEE BUDGET | A8 Peabody told the North Bend Hillcrest elementary classrooms. SEE SCHOOLS | A8 Just kidding around State Legislature nears voting on hospital tax BY JONATHAN J. COOPER latest version expires this year. The The Associated Press extension will need votes from both parties to reach the superma- SALEM — The Oregon Legisla- jority required to pass bills that ture is nearing a vote on extending raise revenue. If majority Democ- a tax on hospitals and nursing rats all support it, at least two homes, but Senate Republicans are Republican votes in each chamber vowing to block it in hopes of will be needed to reach the three- extracting tougher cuts to public- fifths threshold. employee pensions. Senate Republicans said Mon- The state House is scheduled to day that they won’t support any vote today on the tax, which is pro- bill that raises revenue unless jected to raise about $2.1 billion Democrats agree to steeper cuts to over the next two years. The money retirement benefits for retired gov- provides a big chunk of the funding ernment workers. for the Oregon Health Plan, the Gov. John Kitzhaber signed a state’s Medicaid program for low- Democrat-backed bill last month income Oregon residents. that would save state and local gov- Hospitals and most nursing ernments $460 million in pension homes support the measure. The costs over the next two years. tax dollars they pay are matched by Republicans have pushed for more the federal government and ulti- than $1 billion in pension savings, mately come back to them in the saying the rising costs of pensions is form of reimbursements for the threatening investments in educa- By Alysha Beck, The World care they provide for Medicaid tion and other government services. A playful three-week old Nigerian dwarf goat climbs through an overturned slide on property off Blossom Gulch Road on patients. “I am concerned that the major- Monday afternoon. The tax was created in 2003 and was extended several times. The SEE HOSPITAL | A8 Jean Gilkey, Lakeside Police reports . A2 Sports . B1 Sibyll Johnson, Bend T S S Charles Smith, Coquille E Robert Emmett, North Bend A H D What’s Up. A3 Classifieds . C3 David Farris, Reedsport I Mary Flora, Myrtle Point C T E A S South Coast. A3 Comics . C6 Larry Jones Sr., Coos Bay Annita Slossen, Coos Bay Partly cloudy E R N Virginia Kerby, North Bend 63/49 I D Opinion. A4 Puzzles. C6 Obituaries | A5 O Curtis Parrish, Coos Bay F Weather | A8 WE CAN DELIVER YOUR Need to sell your vehicle? MESSAGE OVER 71,000 TIMES! Call Valerie Today! 541-267-6278 C M C M Y K Y K C M C M Y K A2 •The World • Tuesday, May14,2013 Y K South Coast City Editor Ryan Haas • 541-269-1222, ext. 239 theworldlink.com/news/local North Bend school Myrtle Point man seeks board seeks applicants more time in sex abuse case North Bend School District Board of Directors is currently seeking applicants for two BAY AREA I Coos Bay man on April 13. day: no jail time. vacant positions on the Ore- REPORTS In the incident report, the Shaun Cole Nix, 39, was gon Coast Technology School gets maximum for victim alleged she was forced COURT sentenced to two years’ pro- Board of Directors. To apply, will air at 2 p.m., May 14 at the to perform oral sex as pun- REPORTS bation after pleading guilty send a letter of application Coos Bay Public Library, 525 glass bottle attack ishment for telling her sister to second-degree criminal with qualifications to North Anderson Ave., Coos Bay. one of McCall’s secrets. assault, two counts of third- mischief April 29. Bend School District No. 13, It was once known as “the BY GEORGE ARTSITAS McCall is also facing mul- degree assault and one count In March, Nix was at a Attention: Board of Directors, place where Noah left his Ark” The World tiple charges for a domestic of menac- woman’s house and refused 1913 Meade St., North Bend, — 1,500 square miles of lush dispute. He ing. to leave. Once the owner of OR 97459. floodplains in central Mozam- COQUILLE — A Myrtle faces two Keller, 37, the house called Coos Bay Regular ORCO Tech Board bique, packed with wild ani- Point man accused of forcing counts of had all five police, Nix broke a window meetings are generally held at mals. But 15 years of civil war an elementary-school-age fourth- of his screen and fled, leaving his 7 p.m. the first Monday of has taken a heavy toll, and girl to give him oral sex will degree assault phone behind. every month. many species have been wait another month to take assault, two charges When the police arrived, For more information, con- almost completely wiped out. action on his case. counts of merged into they found Nix’s phone and tact Karen Hollingsworth at Journey with National Geo- Jake Sterling McCall, 33, felony-level one 70- soon after received a call from 541-751-6797 graphic to Mozambique’s requested to delay his case a strangula- month sen- him.