BALLOTING BEGINS
ROLE REVERSAL
Egyptians vote on a new constitution, A7
Patriots are underdogs Sunday, B1
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
theworldlink.com
■
75¢
Dock breaks up, litters beach BY THOMAS MORIARTY The World
By Thomas Moriarty, The World
Lighthouse Beach resident Karen Light picks up fragments of foam dock core Monday afternoon near the Cape Arago Light.
A week after it washed ashore near Charleston,Oregon State Parks started cleaning up a wayward dock that Coos County beachgoers say has gone from a nasty eyesore to an ecological disaster. The sections of the dock — believed to be from a private slip in the Charleston area — have begun to break up further, releasing thousands of pieces of polystyrene foam from the dock’s core across Lighthouse Beach. By Monday morning, tiny white pellets were spread across almost the
entire length of the beach, which lies between the Cape Arago Light and Bastendorff Beach off Cape Arago Highway. Several large wood, concrete and rebar sections of the dock itself — the largest See the scene online at approximately theworldlink.com/video 15 feet in length — bobbed in the surf alongside larger chunks of foam. That foam poses a significant threat to wildlife, said Mike Graybill, a marine biologist and former head of the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
CB fire chief is retiring Stan Gibson cites medical reasons in letter to city manager ■
Michael Hohn demonstrates how to use flags for a casualty evacuation during predeployment training.
“A bird with a gut full of plastic foam can starve to death from this,” Graybill wrote in an email Monday afternoon. “Not a nice way to die.” Graybill was one of dozens of volunteers who took to the beach over the past week to pick up large pieces of the foam that have begun moving northward across the sand. Walking along the cliffs Monday morning with a plastic bag in hand, Lighthouse Beach resident Karen Light pointed to tiny white pellets that stood out like snow against the green grass. SEE DISASTER | A8
Guard trains on South Coast for deployment
BY EMILY THORNTON BY EMILY THORNTON
The World
The World
Left, Oregon National Guard Spc. Jonathan Pecue is tied onto a sked, used for transporting injured soldiers, during predeployment training on Saturday. Below, Corey King takes cover while under direct fire in a drill during predeployment training. The unit also trained for medical and enemy ambush See the gallery online at theworldlink.com/gallery scenarios.
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Comics . . . . . . . . . . C3 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . C3 Classifieds . . . . . . . C4
Gloria Long, Custer, S.D. William Stratton Sr., Coos Bay James Clancy, North Bend Geraldine Rescorla, Coos Bay
Sally Olsen, Coos Bay Muriel Simpson, Coquille John Combs, Myrtle Point
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
Police reports . . . . A2 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A3 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
Photos by Alysha Beck, The World
Corey King, left, and Sgt. Anthony Miller, middle, test out their gas masks before a drill run by Andrew Graham, right, during training with Oregon National Guard's Bravo Company, 1-186th Infantry unit on BLM land near Fairview on Saturday.
DEATHS
INSIDE
COOS BAY — Coos Bay Fire Chief Stan Gibson announced his retirement effective Jan. 17. The announcement came in a letter last week to City Manager Rodger Craddock, citing medical reasons. He leaves the department after 161⁄2 years as chief and more than 40 years in firefighting. Gibson said heart problems caused him to have kidney failure last summer. He now must receive dialysis three times a week. He said he felt it wouldn’t allow him to perform his best at the job. “This is not my choice to retire at this time,” he said. “I wanted to work a couple more years, but my medical condition has forced me to make a decision.” Craddock said he planned to hire an internal candidate by the middle of February. Acting Chief Mark Anderson would remain in charge until then, he said. “(Gibson) is a valued employee and we’re sad to see him go,” Craddock said. “He was instrumental in moving forward with the new building project.” One of many highlights in Gibson’s career was helping the department move from its makeshift fire hall, built in the 1950s, to its current home. “It was in really bad shape,” Craddock said of the old building. Gibson began his career as a firefighter in Union City, Ind. From there, he became chief of training for the state of Indiana. He then was chief in Ferry Township, Mich., before moving to Coos Bay. He attended Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and Indiana Technical College, Fort Wayne, Ind. Reporter Emily Thornton can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 249 or at emily.thornton@theworldlink.com or on Twitter: @EmilyK_Thornton.
BLM FOREST — Shots ring out through the thickly-wooded forest. Voices yell. There’s more gunfire. A half-dozen men and a woman emerge from the thicket. They have captured an enemy soldier, only she wears the same uniform — an American Army combat uniform — camouflage pants, shirt and hat, as well as tan combat boots. Members of Company B, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry played war Saturday in preparation for possible deployment mid-2014. The 1-186th is part of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, which received notice from the U.S. Army that the brigade will tentatively deploy up to 1,800 troops to Afghanistan in 2014 for a tour that could last 400 days. If all goes as planned, it would be the second-largest deployment for the Oregon Guard since World War II. The largest was in 2009, with 2,800 citizen-soldiers, 600 of SEE TRAINING | A8
Mostly sunny 60/39 Weather | A8
Congratulations C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s DDavid a v i d LLane ane $$
SM 100,000 Scratch-ItsSM Winner
Cash Flurries ticket bought from Reedsport’s Price ‘N Pride Scratch & Shop at your lucky
Like Us! www.facebook.com/mckaysmarket
Follow Us! www.mckaysmarkets.com
@McKaysMarkets