The Fight That Wasn't

C M C M Y K Y K TAMED DEBATE STATE CHAMPION Groups compromise on wolves, A10 Coquille shot putter tosses for title, B1 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 theworldlink.com I $1.50 THE FIGHT THAT WASN’T Full-day classes The Associated Press A collapsed section of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit are an easy pick River is seen in an aerial view Friday.Part of the bridge collapsed Thursday evening,sending cars and people into the water when a an oversized truck hit the span, the Washington State Patrol for CB schools chief said.Three people were rescued from the water. BY THOMAS MORIARTY The World Collapsed hile North Bend has ago- nized over the changes nec- W essary to accommodate all- Wash. bridge day kindergarten, its neighbor to the south is moving forward at full speed — and without apparent controversy. The Coos Bay School Board voted highlights last week to implement full-day kindergarten. The decision comes on the heels of the board’s decision to return to a partial five-day school week. repair need Superintendent Dawn Granger said the kindergarten decision wasn’t cheap. BY EMILY THORNTON “The thing is, it’s a cost of The World $300,000,”Granger said. But to the district, the benefits are NORTH BEND — Drivers crossing the McCul- well worth that sum. lough Bridge have endured bridge renovation for the “We don’t even get three hours of past several years — in hope of avoiding the disas- instruction in the current model,” trous consequences of a bridge collapse. Granger said. The superintendent The inconvenience may be worth it. expects significant improvements in Although it is unclear what caused Washington reading and math. state’s Skagit River Bridge to collapse, the accident That’s important, Granger said, raises concern over whether the same could happen because those areas are tested heavily to local bridges such as the McCullough and Eastside starting in third grade. bridges. The McCullough Bridge has been undergo- Madison Elementary School ing a restorative process called cathodic protection, Principal Arlene Roblan said this is the which sends electric waves first time the district will have a dedi- through the metal to make it cated full-day program since she start- Inside rust-resistant. ed working here more than 20 years Read more on bridge “Bridges need ongoing ago. fallout. Page A6 maintenance that maintains “The closest we ever came to that the integrity of the bridge,”said was a few years ago we did a develop- Linda Johnson, spokeswoman mental kindergarten for students we By Lou Sennick, The World for Hamilton Construction Co., the company work- thought could benefit from being there Cindy George works with her afternoon kindergarten class at Blossom Gulch Elementary School ing on the McCullough Bridge. “Cathodic protection all day,”Roblan said. on Thursday.The group was coming up with suggestions for names and words for their own per- is one item that’s part of the bigger picture.” Mary-Margaret Stockert, a kinder- sonalized alphabet book. The number of times cathodic protection is need- garten teacher at Madison, said she also ed varies, Johnson said. doesn’t see any negatives to a full-day kindergarten for fall 2013. Roblan said her school is freeing up Hamilton conducts a range of treatments on kindergarten program. Why no uproar in Coos Bay? One space by re-employing a classroom bridges, including updating mechanical systems on “I’m so excited that we’ll have time apparent reason is that the change currently dedicated to professional Florence’s Siuslaw Bridge, rehabilitative work on do everything justice,”Stockert said. won’t disrupt families by forcing chil- development. Curry County’s Rogue River Bridge and new con- She said teachers currently have to dren to change schools. North Bend’s Linda Vickrey, principal at Blossum struction on the Shreveport Bridge, Johnson said. cram too many subjects into two-and- proposal involved putting the youngest Gulch Elementary School, said her The McCullough Bridge, completed in 1936, is a-half hours. grades in one school and intermediate school can accommodate the full-day almost 20 years older than the Skagit River Bridge, “We have to fit in writing and social grades in another. program simply by moving a few teach- whose Thursday collapse is under investigation by studies and math and P.E. and art,” Coos Bay made that move years ago, ers between classrooms. state and federal authorities. Stockert said. “It’s so frustrating.” for different reasons. Having reconfig- Though the plan seems to lack con- “We know at about 7 p.m., an oversized truck The absence of turmoil over the uration out of the way is one factor in troversy, some Coos Bay parents have struck the bridge,”said Mike Allende, spokesman for change in Coos Bay stands in sharp the smooth adoption of the full-day expressed concern about the longer the Washington Department of Transportation. contrast with North Bend, where pub- model, Granger said. school days. Kaylynn Thorsen wonders “We’re not sure exactly why the bridge went down. lic opposition prompted the school “The other piece of it is we have We’re still trying to investigate.” board this week to abandon full-day more room,”she said. SEE SCHOOL | A10 The Skagit Bridge passed inspections in August SEE BRIDGE | A10 Something fishy about scales on airport terminal I Recent construction shows signs of wear at North Bend airport BY TIM NOVOTNY The World NORTH BEND — After five years of salty air, the local airport terminal’s once blue-green steel shingles have taken on a yellowish hue, but airport officials appear to be working on the problem. The chemically treated tiles were Contributed photo By Lou Sennick, The World The tiles on the outside of the Southwestern Oregon Regional Airport had blue and When it opened in July 2008, the airport terminal at Southwestern Oregon Regional attached to the Southwest Oregon green hues when they were first placed on the building.The airport board isn’t saying Airport sported steel tiles that glimmered in the sunlight.Now,those tiles are rusting from much about the tiles’dramatic change in color. the corners. SEE TILES | A10 Nuclear tensions What’s Up . Go! Sports . B1 Shirley Moore, Coos Bay T S S E Preston Gray, Albany D North Korea sends diplomat to A H L D Police reports . A2 Comics . C5 I China, possibly signaling a cool- Gary Tanner, North Bend C T R E A S Showers South Coast. A3 Classifieds . C6 Miriam Heath, Myrtle Point O ing in nuclear ramp up seen E R N 61/52 W I recently. Page A9 D Opinion. A4 Puzzles . C7 Obituaries | A5 O F Weather | A10 C M C M Y K Y K C M C M Y K A2 •The World • Saturday, May25,2013 Y K South Coast City Editor Ryan Haas • 541-269-1222, ext. 239 theworldlink.com/news/local Thefts & Veterans, MHS students unite for program Mischief BY TIM NOVOTNY Peggy Bohannan, a mem- COOS COUNTY The World ber of the American Legion May 23, 8:17 a.m., suspicious male Auxiliary, has had numerous near ODOT site arrested for disor- COOS BAY — Marshfield family members serve in the derly conduct, milepost 1, state High School sent its stu- armed forces, including her Highway 42. dents into the Memorial Day husband, who served in the weekend with a powerful Army for 20 years. May 23, 9:00 a.m., pet cat shot message about the meaning Bohannan said the event with a pellet gun, 59700 block of of the holiday: Roderick Road. served an important purpose. “Think first of love each “Every generation there May 23, 10:23 a.m., unauthorized time you tell their story. It will be young men and women use of a motor vehicle, 95200 gives their sacrifice a name serving our country” she said. block of Wind Song Lane. and takes from war its glory.” “It’s important that they learn May 23, 4:13 p.m., tools, shovel, The message came from a about what that means before and generator found along road poem, written by Dr. Samuel they are asked to serve.” in the brush, Whiskey Run Lane. J. Hazo, inscribed on the Vietnam veteran John Hill entrance May 23, 6:55 p.m., investigation of said he came to the event to possible domestic assault, U.S. Busy stone of show support for all those Highway 101 and East Bay Road. the Penn- who have served. weekend sylvania “Veterans need to support Medal of NORTH BEND Find things to do each other because it’s a Honor family.” May 23, 6:31 a.m., unlawful entry this Memorial Memorial into motor vehicle, 1600 block of Day. Go!, Inside He also said it is important and print- for veterans to support com- Lincoln Street. ed on the By Lou Sennick, The World munity events like this one May 23, 7:32 a.m., vehicle ran- front of the event program. An honor guard from the American Legion leads the colors to the stage at Marshfield High School on and Saturday’s Memorial Day Students delivered the pro- sacked but nothing taken, 1800 Parade in Coos Bay. gram Thursday, during the Thursday morning during their Memorial Day Program honoring local veterans and Marshfield alumni who block of Grant Street. “This town supports veter- school’s fourth annual died in the Vietnam War. May 23, 2:04 p.m., man in vehicle ans and I salute Marshfield for Memorial Day program, warned for indecent exposure, being supportive of us,” Hill which also was open to veter- and have this day for those understand the sacrifice of the school’s Band of Pirates; a Connecticut Avenue and Monroe who died and sacrificed for people who came before spoken history of the Vietnam said after the program.

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