Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 Stay safe in the water Coast Guard offers boat safety checks, A7 PARTLY CLOUDY 57 • 43 FORECAST A14 | TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 | theworldlink.com | $2 County reports 34th death as mask mandates change More children eligible for vaccine, CDC says masks can come off for many ZACK DEMARS A woman in her 100’s died the county’s seen since cases of vaccinated as of Thursday. and Prevention announced new The World with the virus, according to Coos the virus started appearing. As of No masks needed in most circum- guidance Thursday that anyone Health & Wellness. The presence of Thursday, the county reported just stances for fully vaccinated who’s more than two weeks beyond Amid hopeful news from state underlying conditions is still under 43 active cases of the virus and two And for those who are fully their last dose of a COVID-19 vac- and federal COVID-19 experts, investigation. hospitalizations. vaccinated, federal officials issued cine can largely get back to doing Coos County this week reported its Coos County’s COVID-19 case Just about half of the county’s exciting news this week. 34th virus death. rates still remain some of the lowest 16-and-older population had been The Centers for Disease Control Please see Virus, Page A3 A celebration a century in the making Ballots due by 8 p.m. today BY ZACK DEMARS THE WORLD Tuesday is the last day to return ballots in the May special district election. Just under 17% of Coos Coun- ty’s 47,500 registered voters had returned their ballots for this week’s election as of Thursday, according to the Coos County clerk’s office. That’s about 2,600 ballots behind where ballot return was at the same point during the 2017 special dis- trict election (not to mention 21,000 ballots behind the same point in the recent general election, which set turnout records with a hotly contested presidential race.) Voters have just a few days left to return their ballots for votes for school boards, health district boards and tax measures to be counted. Ballots must be returned by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 18. They can be returned to any drop box in the state or mailed at no cost — though postmarks do not count for meeting the deadline by mail. Anyone who hasn’t yet received a ballot should call the clerk’s office at 541-396-7610. In Coos County, secure ballot Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World drop sites are available around the Bertha Sharpe is greeted by two of her nephews who flew down from Arizona to help celebrate her 100th birthday Wednesday. Sharpe celebrated her birthday with a drive-by parade at Inland clock at the Bandon City Library, Point Assisted Living. Below, Sharpe is greeted by guests who brought by baloons, flowers and gifts during the celebration. Coos Bay City Hall, Coos County Courthouse, Lakeside City Hall, Myrtle Point City Hall, North Bend Friends, family help Sharpe enjoy her 100th birthday party City Library and Powers City Hall. BY DAVID RUPKALVIS See interviews with candidates in The World contested races across the county on The World’s website at theworld- In her 100 years on Earth, Bertha link.com, and watch the website Sharpe has been known a lot of Tuesday night for the latest election ways – nurse, friend, wife, aunt, results. sister and faithful church member. And those who know her best admit while she excelled at all of those, she did it her way. And some- Planning times that meant being stubborn. So, those who knew her best were not surprised Wednesday Commission when Sharpe almost chose to stay away from her own party – her 100th birthday party. hears about But with help from the staff at In- land Point Assisted Living, Sharpe finally came out and watched as Front Street friends and family celebrated her biggest birthday to date. While COVID restrictions limit- progress ed the interaction, it didn’t stop the celebration and people took part in BY ZACK DEMARS a drive-by birthday party, stopping The World just long enough to say “happy birthday” while dropping off bal- A city consultant Tuesday updat- loons, flowers and gifts. ed the planning commission on the Sharpe was born May 12, 1921, city’s efforts to build a “blueprint” for the future development of Front Street. Please see Birthday, Page A2 “This is really all about imple- menting your vision,” Jim Hencke, the city’s consultant, told planning Wright to ask governor to reconsider Shutter Creek commissioners. “With the blueprint, the purpose is to advance the vision she isn’t reconsidering her intention referencing two recent bills which South Coast’s economy has taken, ZACK DEMARS that you’ve already created and start The World to close Shutter Creek, the mini- reduced some mandatory sentences. with the recent pause of the Jordan to refine it and see if we can get mum-security facility near North In her budget proposal for the Cove Energy Project, the low levels some projects moving forward.” On the heels of a decision to keep Bend, at the end of the year. current legislative session, Brown of harvest planned in the Elliott Hencke said the current Front a similar facility open, State Rep. “Because of previous reforms laid out plans to shut down three of State Forest and declines in the fish- Street project is in its early phases, Boomer Wright is asking Oregon – such as SB 1008 and HB 3194 the state’s prisons to save on costs: ing industry and hatchery system. and builds on years of previous Gov. Kate Brown to reconsider her – the growth of the prison popula- the Mill Creek Correctional Facility “And on top of that, the econom- projects and master plans focused plans to close Coos County’s Shut- tion in Oregon has slowed to the near Salem, Warner Creek near ic detriment will be to Coos County on redeveloping and revitalizing the ter Creek Correctional Institution. point where we no longer need to Lakeview and Shutter Creek. and, of course, Lakeside area. As area. Brown announced last week she maintain costly prison capacity and But Wright, who represents the far as I’m concerned, it’s just asi- “It’s just kind of this history of, was backtracking on plans to close we can move forward with reduc- coast from Coos Bay to Yachats, nine,” Wright said in an interview. the city’s been working on this for the Warner Creek Correctional Fa- tions in beds,” said Charles Boyle, says the decision to close Shutter cility in south central Oregon — but a spokesperson for the governor, Creek is just one of many hits the Please see Shutter, Page A4 Please see Progress, Page A3 Photo gallery: Watching the sun go down at Sunset Bay OPINION A5 SPORTS A12 Photo gallery: South Slough Reserve OBITUARIES A6 CLASSIFIEDS A10 WEATHER A14 COMICS A8 AT THEWORLDLINK.COM D • Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878 • A Country Media Newspaper • Copyright 2020 Follow us online: facebook.com/theworldnewspaper twitter.com/TheWorldLink instagram.com/theworldlink A2 | TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 THE WORLD Weyerhauser saw mill in Birthday North Bend, and she jumped From A1 at the opportunity. She worked at Weyerhauser for more than 24 years before the youngest of five siblings. retiring at age 62. She grew up in Eatonville, At the time, Weyerhauser Wash., where she was active gave Sharpe a cash settle- in her church, and enjoyed ment and agreed to pay her gardening, raising chickens, medical insurance for her milking cows and pitching life, little knowing how long hay. that would be. On Wednesday, she said Sharpe married her hus- she became a Christian at age band Cliff in this area, and 12, and has never wavered in they were married for 30 her faith. Many of the friends years until Cliff died. Despite who celebrated her birthday being alone, she was fiercely knew Sharpe from her many independent, maintaining her years in her church. driver’s license until she was In World War II, Sharpe in her mid 90s, and living worked in a sawmill until alone in her home until she the men returned and needed was 97. jobs. Her niece, Ruth Spencer, She then went to school attended the birthday celebra- in become a nurse, earning tion, and she said although her RN at Tacoma General Sharpe’s body has given Hospital. While working at way some in recent years, the hospital, she saw an ad her mind has always been looking for a nurse at the perfect. Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World Bertha Sharpe is surrounded by 100 roses and many baloons as she celebrates her 100th birthday Wednesday. Bottom left, Sharpe had many friends greet her during the celebration. Bottom right, because COVID limited visitors, a drive-by parade was held for Sharpe. To explain, she told a story about Sharpe interviewing a year ago to get into Inland Pointe. When the nurse asked her where she was, a nor- mal question to determine someone’s cognitive ability, Sharpe was quiet for a lot time. She finally looked up, and said, “Well, I don’t know. Where exactly is the dividing line between Coos Bay and North Bend.” Spencer said she talks to her aunt Bertha once a week and has done so for 10 years. As far as Sharpe’s secret to living so long, mostly living right and exercising regu- larly. “I don’t know that she has any secrets,” Spencer said.