COAST CLASSIC
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Big tournament starts in North Bend, B1
Colorado spree happens on eve of Newtown anniversary, A6
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013
Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
Majority of area district’s students live in poverty
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Change can be good
Census report sheds light on poverty-stricken schools like Port Orford-Langlois ■
BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
On the South Coast, the Port Orford-Langlois School District stands out as the most povertystricken district, with 55 percent of its students falling below the federal poverty threshold. The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2012 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates on Thursday, which included school district data from the 20112012 school year. The U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty threshold is defined as nearly $18,500 for a single parent with two children or nearly $23,300 for a two-parent household with two children. But the district isn’t only an outlier on the South Coast; it has the highest child poverty rate in Oregon SEE POVERTY | A8
Knights to help feed the masses
Photos by Lou Sennick, The World
Ray Cox, owner of Giddings Boat Works in Charleston, takes a phone call on the dock Wednesday afternoon. Next to him is the Miss Emily which is getting the final trim and details finished before it is put into service. The company is currently renovating or upgrading two other fishing boats.
Giddings stays ahead of the curve
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
BY EMILY THORNTON NORTH BEND — With a lot of help from their friends, the Knights of Columbus will be able to distribute an estimated 1,100 food boxes to families in need this Sunday. The program has continued to grow over the past three decades as the need has grown, and this year’s effort is one of their largest to date. Volunteers with the Catholic men’s service organization were busy organizing the boxes on Friday inside the National Guard Armory in North Bend. They will add some fresh produce to the boxes on Saturday, thanks to an annual delivery from the Perrydale FFA. Club member Mike Main says this year’s boxes cost the Knights a little over $43 a piece, for a total of almost $45,000 this year. The boxes include assorted canned, and other non-perishable, foods bought from the Oregon Food Bank. There is also a $15 SEE KNIGHTS | A8
NBHS lands interim assistant principal
The World
CHARLESTON — He saw the silver lining in the gray clouds of hard economic times hanging ominously over the harbor. It didn’t scare him — too much. He was reluctant to take over Giddings Boat Works from Don Giddings six years ago. But, he knew he could turn it into a success. Giddings has tripled in size since Ray Cox took the reins. Its gross profit was $3.4 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, Cox said. It also grew from nine employees to around 30.
How did that happen? How he managed to grow
This is the first in an occasional series focusing on business people who are continuing to find success despite a difficult economy. See related stories on pages A4 and C1.
seemed surprising to others, but not to him. “I bought an already wellknown business,” said Cox. “The owners didn’t put a lot of effort into it and I could see the potential this place has.” When he took ownership, he made changes. “I started with upgrading the material and the employees,” he said. “We kept building and building and
work followed. It was like a business that was sick and needed nourishment.” He said one of his best decisions was hiring Mike Lee as manager in 2011. “He has a lot of experience,” he said. “He knows a lot of people in the business.” Word of mouth brought increased business, Cox said. The fishing community learned of his upgrades and
The World
By Alysha Beck, The World
Coos Bay Fire personnel respond to a structure fire on Commercial Avenue near Mingus Park in Coos Bay around 6:30 p.m. Friday night.
Nanette Eyck, Springfield Cheryl Volin, Coos Bay Linda Daley, Tucson, Ariz. Roxanne Ramsey, Coquille
Rebecca Brandis, Coos Bay David Crumley, North Bend Dale Herring, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
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SEE GIDDINGS | A8
Fire engulfs CB house
BY CHELSEA DAVIS NORTH BEND — A sudden change in administration in North Bend School District has thrown the high school’s track coach into an assistant principal position. Social studies teacher Jake Smith was hired as North Bend High School’s interim assistant principal on Friday following interviews that morning. He said one other district employee was interviewed for the position. “Some others applied but it was posted as only an in-house job,” he said. Smith will fill the role recently vacated by Bill Yester, who is now acting superintendent following BJ Hollensteiner’s retirement announcement on Dec. 3. Her retirement takes effect on Dec. 31. “If (Yester’s) job doesn’t get replaced next fall, then this job will be his to come back to,” Smith said. Smith has been a teacher at North Bend High School for the past 16 years. Reporter Chelsea Davis can be reached at 541-2691222, ext. 239, or by email at chelsea.davis@theworldlink.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ChelseaLeeDavis.
told their friends. “We kept getting more and more jobs,” he said. Lee said treating customers well was crucial. “If you treat people right, they’ll continue to come back to you,” Lee said. Cox said his business decisions also enabled growth. “I watch what I do so I’m not smothered in debt,” he said. The ability to change with the times was crucial to Giddings. When gas prices went up, fishermen wanted to make fewer runs, so they widened their boats. They also began doing in-house carpentry. “The fishing industry is always changing and we evolve with them.”
COOS BAY — A Coos Bay house went up in flames Friday night. At 6:33 p.m. Friday, dispatchers began receiving calls about a fire at 1170 Commercial Ave. Police arrived six minutes later, Coos Bay fire a minute later. “Flames were inside the house and were starting to come out,” said Coos Bay police Sgt. Hugo Hatzel. “They rapidly grew as we were standing here watching. It was a rapidly evolving fire.” The home’s listed homeowner, Francisco Castilla, 37, fled the house uninjured before help arrived. No one else was inside the home, Hatzel said.
Partly sunny 53/37 Weather | A8