C M C M Y K Y K GOOD AS GOLD CONSERVATION EFFORT Aly Raisman wins floor exercise, B1 Soda makers secure water source, A6 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 8, 2012 theworldlink.com I 75¢ Three-year-old Channing Reiber holds his fire truck Tuesday as firefighters battle flames that destroyed the First United Methodist Church on Meade Street in North Flames destroy Bend.The boy lives nearby. By Jessie Higgins, NB church The World Pastor vows to rebuild BY JESSIE HIGGINS The World NORTH BEND — Fire destroyed the First United Methodist Church on Tues- day morning. The blaze started around 10:30 a.m. Firefighters from North Bend and Coos Bay had it mostly extinguished — though still heavily smoking — by around 2 p.m. “With all the damage inside, it is a complete loss,” said Pastor Jerry Steele on Tuesday afternoon, the smoldering church at his back. Steele glanced quickly behind him, then looked away. “It is a tremendous disas- ter, but it’s a building,” he said. “The church is the peo- Contributed Photo by Tom Shine ple.” Firefighters approach the blazing entrance to First United Methodist Church on Tuesday morning.The state fire marshal is scheduled to begin an investigation this morning. Steele said the state fire marshal would begin this morning to investigate the fire’s cause. Flames rose 8 feet Church office manager Pat Kerkow was alone in the building when the fire broke out. She said sometime between 10 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, she walked into the sanctuary to find the back wall ablaze. Flames were shooting “8 feet in the air,”she said. Kerkow used a landline telephone inside the church to call the fire department. Then she escaped safely out- side. By the time fire crews arrived, much of the building was ablaze, said Hunter Marchant, who was repair- By Benjamin Brayfield, The World ing the roof of a house across Coos Bay firefighters prepare their oxygen tanks before assisting North Bend firefighters at First United By Jessie Higgins, The World the street when the fire Methodist Church on Meade Street, North Bend. The fire burned for more than two hours.“With all the Pastor Jerry Steele of North Bend’s First United Methodist Church turns started. damage inside, it is a complete loss,” said Pastor Jerry Steele. “It is a tremendous disaster, but it’s a away from the fire scene Tuesday afternoon. Steele pronounced the struc- building.The church is the people.” ture “a complete loss,”but vowed to rebuild his church. SEE FIRE | A8 Fisheries will intervene in LNG National Night Out permit process THE WORLD PORTLAND — The National Marine Fisheries Service told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Aug. 1 that it won’t be a cooperating agency in the prefiling environmental review of Jordan Cove Energy Partners’ proposed LNG export terminal and the Pacific Connector Pipeline that would serve it. Instead, NMFS said, it plans to seek inter- venor status in the approval process. The letter asked FERC to review com- ments NMFS submitted about Jordan Cove’s application for an import terminal. NMFS has said Jordan Cove hasn’t submitted enough information about the project’s pos- Beck Kyelberg,8,races in a potato sack dur- sible environmental impact. Chuck Wheeler of NMFS’ Roseburg office ing one of the events at National Night Out referred inquiries to Laurie Beale, an attor- on Tuesday. The 29th annual National Night Out helps organize communities to fight ney for the agency in Seattle, who didn’t Photos by Benjamin Brayfield, The World return a phone call Tuesday. Students at the Pacific School of Dance perform a “flash mob” routine Tuesday at National Night Out against drug use and crime. Reporter Gail Elber can be reached at 541- festivities in Ferry Road Park in North Bend. 269-1222, ext. 234, or at gelber@the- worldlink.com. Police reports . A2 Sports . B1 T S S Alfred Rohde, Reedsport E Lela Denton, Coos Bay A H D What’s Up. A3 Comics . B5 Nellie Edson, Reedsport I Martha Sleeper, Myrtle Point C T E A S South Coast. A3 Classifieds . B6 Carter Boehm, Lakeside Mostly cloudy E | Obituaries A5 R N Ethel Pillion, Bandon 66/55 I D Opinion. A4 Puzzles . B7 O F Weather | A8 C M C M Y K Y K C M C M Y K A2 •The World • Wednesday, August 8,2012 Y K South Coast Managing Editor James Casey • 541-269-1222, ext. 239 theworldlink.com/news/local Thefts & Mischief DuneFest reflected safe practices COOS BAY Aug. 6, 3:17 p.m., burglary, 60000 block of Seven Devils Aug. 6, 7:20 a.m., man arrested Road. BY SARAH HAASE practice. for menacing, 100 block of The World “When we see more fami- North Cammann Street. Aug. 6, 5:10 p.m., dispute, 93000 lies, we see less drinking, we block of West Dove Lane. Aug. 6, 1:53 p.m., woman cited WINCHESTER BAY — see less things of people for shoplifting, 100 block of Aug. 6, 5:17 p.m., hit and run col- Police and security officers doing things they shouldn’t South Seventh Street. lision, 57000 block of Round at DuneFest had an easier do.” Lake Drive. time with crowd control and Although more families Aug. 6, 2:55 p.m., woman arrest- ed for Curry County warrant for Aug. 6, 5:46 p.m., child abuse, reported fewer illegal inci- were reported at the event, failure to appear, 500 block of 91000 block of Hill Road. dents this year. many thrill seekers were rid- The event was dubbed ing screaming machines up Central Avenue. Aug. 6, 6:09 p.m., man arrested “the most fun a family can Banshee Hill and flying up Aug. 6, 9:25 p.m., burglary, 1100 for restraining order violation, 1100 block of Sitkum Lane. have in the sand” and offi- and down the expansive block of North Eighth Street. cials said that motto was evi- dunes. Aug. 6, 10:13 p.m., fight, Madison Aug. 6, 7:04 p.m., threats, 93000 dent over the weekend. Sheriff Jeff Frieze said the Street and Garfield Avenue. block of Vista Del Rio Drive. The Douglas County event was well organized, Aug. 6, 10:48 p.m., dispute, 400 Sheriff’s Department, with which also helped to keep block of North Cammann Street. BANDON assistance from the U.S. For- calls to a minimum. Frieze Aug. 3, 7:29 a.m., criminal mis- est Service, Winston, the said multiple citations were Aug. 6, 10:50 p.m., unlawful Emergency Medical Services issued during the event, entry into motor vehicle, 400 chief, 100 block of 10th Street. and Sutherlin Police Depart- specifically for crossing the block of North Cammann Street. Aug. 3, 2:30 p.m., harassment, 500 block of U.S. Highway 101. ments, Douglas Interagency southern boundary area of Aug. 6, 11:49 p.m., dispute, 400 Narcotics Team, Oregon the dunes. That section block of North Cammann Street. Aug. 3, 4:42 p.m., theft, 100 State Police and Starplex remains closed to riders dur- block of North Avenue. Crowd Management Ser- ing the event. NORTH BEND Aug. 3, 7:54 p.m., harassment, vices helped to keep illegal “The most significant Aug. 6, 8:11 a.m., theft of bike, 800 block of Division Avenue. activity to a minimum. incidentt was two males who 2700 block of Brussells Street. Aug. 4, 1:15 p.m., dispute, 100 Scott Anderson, head of tried to elude us,” Frieze the local EMS, said the said. Aug. 6, 8:59 a.m., theft, 2300 block of Alabama Avenue. increased amount of families “A 16-year-old and an 18- block of Lombard Street. Aug. 4, 2:41 a.m., harassment, helped to minimize calls. In year-old tried to get away Aug. 6, 11:04 a.m., theft, 2700 900 block of Southwest Oregon past years, he said the event from us, and the 18-year-old By Jake Crump, The World block of Virginia Avenue. Avenue. attracted more dare-devil crashed twice before we were Matt Dalton lets air out of the tires on his Volkswagen Beetle before tak- Aug. 6, 3:20 p.m., fight, 800 Aug. 4, 11:36 p.m., disorderly type riders. able to catch up with him ing the vehicle out on the sand. block of California Avenue. conduct, 100 block of Baltimore “There are a lot more fam- near Banshee hill.” “Our focus has been to our best year since 2003.” Avenue. Aug. 6, 6:16 p.m., threats, 1600 ilies out here,” Anderson Starplex Crowd Manage- make it a family-friendly According to the Sheriff’s block of Garfield Street. Aug. 5, 12:58 a.m., assault, 100 said. ment Services has helped the environment and to not have Department, a rough tally of block of Alabama Avenue. “More families means it’s DuneFest committee since all of the drinking and all the calls and incidents were Aug. 6, 6:48 p.m., theft, 1600 more controlled. People are 2003. Brent Fuller, a Starplex stuff that comes from the available by Sunday after- block of Virginia Avenue. REEDSPORT taking a little more time; public safety officer, said this party atmosphere. It’s made noon. They include: they’re not nearly as excited year’s event was one of the it an all around family fun I 2 fist fights Aug. 5, 8:37 a.m., disturbance COOS COUNTY about going 9 million miles smoothest he has witnessed.