C M C M Y K Y K BULLDOGS SWEEP North Bend bounces Bruins, B1 SPINAL RESEAR CH FOUN DATION’S ## WE’VE ### Y GOT OUR BA RACE C FOR SP K INA TOD L HEALTH S AY ee ou ! r ad p g. A6 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013 Kustom Brandon Vernoy Timber! gets ready to catch his son Josiah should he Products start to head to Gov’t asks the ground while skating at the Snoddy Gym in states for trial goes North Bend. It was the second time the 5-year- cash back to 2014 old has skated and was at one of the monthly free BY RICHARD LARDNER I Millions of documents skating events on The Associated Press the first Saturday delay case progress for WASHINGTON — The U.S. For- of April at the Bay est Service is in the business of pre- Coos Bay business Area Church of venting fires, not starting them. the Nazarene. Yet the agency set off alarms in THE WORLD Congress and state capitols across By Lou Sennick, The World the West by citing automatic COOS BAY — A blizzard of spending cuts as the basis for court documents — roughly 79 demanding that dozens of states million pages — is delaying the return $17.9 million in federal sub- trial of Coos Bay business owners sidies. And it’s all come down to a charged with supplying defective bureaucratic squabble over helicopter parts to the military. whether the money is subject to so- The trial involving Kustom called sequestration because of the Products now is scheduled for year it was paid — 2013 — as the February 2014, more than three Obama administration contends, or years after federal agents searched exempt from the cuts because of the company’s property. the year it was generated — 2012 — A transcript of Jan. 18 proceed- as the states insist. ings in the case of USA v. Betten- To see the kids in Right now, it’s a standoff height- court, et al. was unsealed this action, scan the above code or visit ened by history and hard fiscal real- week. It shows that both the pros- http://tinyurl.com/ ities. But with taxpayer cash scarce, ecution and the defense need more chu7wuv both sides are digging in: The Forest time to sort through paperwork. Service has to slash 5 percent of its Harold Ray Bettencourt II, budget under sequestration. The owner of Kustom Products in Coos states, meanwhile, have depended Bay, was indicted in 2011 along for decades on a share of revenue with several family members and from timber cut on federal land. employees on charges of wire Perhaps least willing to compro- fraud and conspiracy to commit mise are members of Congress who wire fraud. Samuel Kauffman, a lawyer SEE BUDGET CUTS | A8 representing defendant Margo Let the good times roll Densmore, told Judge Michael Mosman that the defense needed time to review the files turned over BY LOU SENNICK After getting the go-ahead from the church, in discovery. The World Leishner and another person headed to Lebanon Kauffman said government with a pickup and trailer. estimates put June 18 as the earli- NORTH BEND — Wearing roller skates for only “We walked in, and they said, ‘Take what you est time it could produce the doc- for the second time in his life, 5-year-old Josiah want,’”Leischner said. uments. Vernoy was having some problems staying “We started throwing the skates in the back of The charges stem from a 2010 upright. Fortunately for Josiah, his the pickup with a 5-foot-tall cattle federal investigation that began dad was at his side. rack. Ended up with about 350 with a tip from an employee. That’s how a youngster learns to Get your skates pairs of roller skates, all donated.” Investigators said they uncovered experience eight-wheeled fun at The free skating in the Snoddy The only problem was, the evidence that Bettencourt, mem- Snoddy Gym. Gym is the first Saturday of the skates didn’t include smaller sizes bers of his family and several For the past four years, the gym month. This afternoon is the day for little kids. The solution turned employees sold defective helicop- next to the Bay Area Church of the for skating from 3-5 p.m. in the up in Grants Pass, where the local ter locknuts to the Department of Nazarene, behind Perry’s Electric, Snoddy Gym behind Perry’s in rink had been bought out by one in Defense. has offered roller skating on the North Bend. “Third Friday” free Medford. The whole pile sold for The locknuts in question are first Saturday of each month. Its skating day is 6:30-9 p.m. May 17. $200. anniversary was May 2. “I was so excited, because that The Associated Press “flight critical” locknuts that Kids are welcome and encouraged Best of all, it’s free. to bring a parent or adult with is what we needed,” Leischner In this 2012 photo, U.S. Forest Service attach main rotors of some heli- Terry Leischner is the organizer them, free of charge. said. copters to their masts. The failure Chief Tom Tidwell talks about a wildfire for the weekly skating. He said Next challenge: They wanted to of such a nut in flight reportedly in Utah. The U.S. Forest Service sparked while the gym was under con- have another night of skating. So, would be catastrophic — so much a backlash on Capitol Hill by demanding struction five years ago, a church member discov- the Third Friday skating event was tried out in so that military personnel report- that dozens of states return millions of ered someone with a lot of skates to get rid of. An edly call it “the Jesus Nut.” dollars in federal subsidies that were old roller rink had gone out of business. SEE SKATE | A8 paid out two months before the cuts SEE BETTENCOURT | A8 went into effect March 1. Gas outlook sunny It’s too nice outside for school THE ASSOCIATED PRESS time to re-energize and enjoy the would it be to create that anticipa- for summer season weather, adding that he wanted to tion for kids when it’s nice out?”’ SEATTLE — In sun-deprived re-create the excitement snow Sampson surveyed parents to Washington state, the promise of days get among the kids. He began make sure the day off wouldn’t BY TIM NOVOTNY for the past several weeks. nice spring weather prompted a teasing the possibility of giving cause any hardships and floated The World “In April, gas prices nationally small private school to give stu- the day off earlier in the week. the idea with the school board averaged $3.55 a gallon, which is the dents a day off to enjoy the sun- “In a world that’s got a lot hard before canceling school, he said. COOS BAY — Families can expect least expensive for the month since shine. things going, its’ fun to create a The 22 staff members will also get to pay lower gas prices this summer 2010. Gas prices dropped about 13 Friday is a “sun day”of sorts for moment joy,” Sampson said. the day off, he added. if current trends contin- cents per gallon in April, the 205 students at Bellingham The forecast for Western Sampson and another staff ue, according to which was the largest per- Christian School, a small private Washington calls for a weekend of member will be at the school AAA/Oregon. See for centage decline for the Christian school in Bellingham, sunshine, with highs hitting the bright and early, though, to wel- How good could it get? yourself month in 10 years. Wash., about 90 miles north of low 80s in some parts of the come any students who didn’t get “AAA believes the In comparison, gas Seattle. region on Sunday. the notice. national average may drop Fuel prices are prices averaged $3.89 in “SCHOOL CANCELLED DUE The sun day was also made The principal asked students to to $3.20 to $3.40 per gal- updated daily at April 2012 and $3.79 in TO GREAT WEATHER! possible because there weren’t take pictures of what they do on www.aaafuel- lon by mid-summer. In April 2011. WAHOOO!” the school’s website any days off because of snow this their sunny day off. He plans to gaugereport.com. Oregon, our average could Barring refinery prob- announced Thursday night. school year. show the pictures at an assembly be in the neighborhood of lems or international “Yeah! It’s a Sun Day today and “Kids just love the anticipation Monday. $3.30 to $3.50,” said AAA spokes- crises, prices may continue to fall into everyone gets the day off from of sitting around see if school is It’s not the first time the school woman Marie Dodds. mid-summer, AAA says. school.” canceled when it snows,”he said. has given students the day off Dodds says prices have been con- Principal Bob Sampson said he “You know, we haven’t had any because of sunshine. The last time sistently moving down at the pump SEE TRAVEL | A8 wanted to give students some snow days, so I thought ‘how fun was two years ago. Dorothy Huffman, Myrtle Point Jack Turner, Reedsport What’s Up . Go! Sports . B1 Earl Why, North Bend Albert Villeneuve, Reedsport T S S E Patricia Egner, Winchester Bay Myrle Kinner, Coos Bay A H D Police reports . A2 Comics .