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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Brookings, Oregon

Recall election results may not be known for days JEREMY C. RUARK ELLIOT SCHWARZ Country Media, Inc.

the results to the Brookings City recorder, who then has five days to announce the results, according to Brookings Mayor Ron Hegenskog. The seats may not be declared empty until 35 days after Nov. 7, Hedenskog said. Hedenskog, Brookings City Council President Ed Schreiber and Councilor

Brookings residents had the opportunity to cast their votes during the Nov.7 Special Recall Election, but results may not be known for days after the event. Curry County Elections officials have 25 days to complete the counting, send

Ron Hedenskog

Ed Schreiber

Michelle Morosky are the subject of the recall. In a recent online Pilot

Life after

Poll, 89.1% of those participating voted for the recall, while 10.1% voted against the recall. Michelle If all three Morosky officials are recalled the city council is immediately left without a quorum. The

city’s charter declares “A vacancy in the council shall be filled within 60 days by: • Appointment by a majority of the council; • Special election when the number of vacancies in the council exceeds the number of members holding office.” Without a quorum, another special election is mandated by the charter.

“The terms of office of those appointed or elected run from the time of their qualifying for office after appointment or election and until expiration of the terms of their predecessors who have left the offices vacant,” the charter states. According to Schreiber, execution of municipal See RECALL, Page 11

death

Baby orca’s body now contributing to science BREE LAUGHLIN Country Media, Inc.

deceased newborn orca that washed ashore on a beach in Brookings six years ago is now contributing to marine education through a local exhibit at the Charleston Marine Life Center in Coos Bay. The six-foot long baby orca skeleton was placed alongside a full-grown female orca skeleton. The two marine mammals are now “swimming” together and greeting visitors as they enter through the doors of the Charleston Marine Life Center. The CMLC is the public outreach center of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, the University of Oregon’s marine biology research and teaching field station. Shortly after the infant orca was found, scientists performed a necropsy to find out how it died. They learned that the newborn orca had air in its lungs, but it did not have any milk in its stomach. They hypothesize that the orca got separated from its mother shortly after birth, and that it was about two days old when it died. After the necropsy, scientists decided to preserve the skeleton so others could learn more about the difference between adult and baby orca skeletons. It took a team of marine biologists and community and student volunteers about five years to

complete the process of decomposing and then piecing together the whale skeleton for the exhibit. “It is not common to have a baby orca skeleton – and baby skeletons are different from adult skeletons – so this was a very important opportunity to learn about what newborn whale skeletons look like,” said Trish Mace, the director of the Charleston Marine Life Center. It was a time-consuming process, not only because orca skeletons contain many bones, but also because infant whale skeletons aren’t fully formed, Mace said. Figure out as you go process There was no simple blueprint to follow. Nancy Treneman, a research associate and instructor at OIMB, took the lead in recreating the skeleton. The infant cetacean was still in the process of developing its bones so many were still cartilage and had not yet ossified, she said. She and her team used epoxies and acrylics to fill in the blank spaces that were cartilage. Also, because the infant whale bones were so small compared to an adult, it took some creativity to fuse the delicate pieces together and support the skeleton.

Bree Laughlin / Country Media, Inc. The baby orca skeleton and a full-grown female orca skeleton greet visitors as they enter the Charleston Marine Life Center. In some ways it was a figure-it-out as you go process, Treneman said. But the meticulous team took their time to do it as accurately as possible. While the death of an infant whale isn’t something anyone wants to see, the silver lining is that many have already learned and will continue to learn from it. “Orcas, it seems, are e v e r y b o d y ’s favorite marine mammals. They are romanticized in some ways. But they’re also a top apex predator in the ocean. They have no natural predators. They are really intelligent and they’re social,” Treneman said. There is still a lot to learn about orcas, so it is special to be able to give visitors to the

Marine Life Center an up-close view of the skeleton, she said. Impressive collection The orca exhibit now adds to the impressive collection of exhibits at the Charleston Marine Life Center. The center is part museum, part aquarium, and is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children and students are free, adults are $5 and senior entry is $4. It is located at 63466 Boat Basin Road in Charleston. “For locals who come in, they are getting to know their own backyard, in essence,” Marine Life Center director Mace said. “I think we have a lot more

diversity of marine life here than most people realize,” she said. Exhibits at the marine life center include tanks that hold live sea creatures, fish and other marine life that have been preserved, as well as sea turtle and marine mammal skeletons. There are also many interactive exhibits and views of the Charleston Marina and the bay. It is illegal to collect marine mammal bones without a permit. If anyone comes upon a stranded marine mammal, dead or alive, they should report it the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline at 1-866-767-6114. The Charleston Marine Life Center can be reached at 541346-7280.

‘Breaking the Cycle’ of Oregon’s Domestic Violence STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc. Oregon needs an integrated, over-arching strategy to best combat domestic violence, according to the Oregon Audits Division. The division has released an advisory report assessing Oregon’s role in addressing this issue and offering suggestions for Courtesy photo improvement. Domestic violence is behavior that one partner uses to control the other, according to the audit. It can include Definition physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as threats and economic control. Domestic violence is behavior that one partner uses to control the other, Fast Facts according to the audit. It can include physical, Nationwide, 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, have sexual, and emotional been physically abused by an intimate partner. In abuse, as well as threats Oregon, over a third of adults experience domestic and economic control. violence in their lifetimes. Nationwide, 1 in 3 women,

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and 1 in 4 men, have been physically abused by an intimate partner. In Oregon, over a third of adults experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. “Domestic violence is pervasive, immensely harmful, and often fatal,” Oregon Audits Director Kip Memmott said. “This is an area where state government can do more to help. As auditors, we are uniquely positioned to provide state leaders with information and offer potential solutions on critical issues of public health and safety.” Because domestic violence seeps into every aspect of a victim’s life, Memmott said services to help must be similarly wide-ranging: emergency housing, assistance

navigating the legal system, childcare, mental health care, and more. She said best practices require addressing domestic violence with an integrated approach. Memmott said services to prevent domestic violence in the first place are critical. It is equally important victims and survivors are able to protect themselves from abuse that has already occurred by quickly and easily accessing the wideranging services that are available. However, multiple barriers stand in the way of access. What the review found Victims and survivors face multiple barriers to accessing community services and navigating the

justice system. Systemic social welfare issues, such as the lack of available housing or access to services like childcare, mental health care, and legal assistance often translate to urgent unmet needs for domestic violence victims. Oregon advocates report fragmented and under-resourced social services and complex criminal and civil justice systems contribute to access issues. Domestic violence service providers face high administrative burdens, staffing issues, and challenges expanding equitable outreach, prevention, and intervention services. Oregon lacks a See ABUSE, Page 11

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