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Valiants, Vikings win state 3A titles, Sports
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MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014
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Parents, teachers weigh in on NB school reconfiguration BY CHELSEA DAVIS
Reconfiguration options
The World
NORTH BEND — Each North Bend school is standing its ground in the grade reconfiguration tugof-war. At meetings last week, parents and teachers discussed four options to shift grades throughout North Bend Middle School, Hillcrest Elementary, and the building that houses North Bay Elementary and Lighthouse School. The school board isn’t quite ready to make a decision. Board members will discuss the issue further at 7 p.m. Monday in North Bend City Council chambers. Board member Alane Jennings said they hope to make a decision at a March 17 work session. Board chair Megan Jacquot said
Option A: ■ Make Hillcrest and North Bay K-5 schools ■ Leave grades 6-8 at middle school ■ Move Lighthouse to middle school Option B: ■ Make Hillcrest and North Bay K-5 schools ■ Leave grades 6-8 at middle school ■ Lighthouse stays at North Bay
Options A and C have had the most support. Option A would make North Bay and Hillcrest K-5 schools, while Option C would make them K-6 schools. In both options, Lighthouse would move to the middle school. Lighthouse parents fear uprooting the school. Lighthouse
Option C: ■ Make Hillcrest and North Bay K-6 schools ■ Leave grades 7-8 at middle school ■ Move Lighthouse to middle school Option D: ■ Make Hillcrest and North Bay K-4 schools ■ Leave middle school as is, with grades 5-8 ■ Lighthouse stays at North Bay
teachers are asking why the district would change something that’s working. Overall, their students perform very well on standardized tests. “What we’ve been doing is working really well for us,” said SEE SCHOOLS | A8
By Chelsea Davis, The World
North Bend Middle School eighth-grade math teacher John Stiegeler discusses grade reconfiguration options with school board chair Megan Jacquot at a public input meeting last week.
Liquor, pot debate moves to ballot
3A State Basketball Tournament
We’ve got spirit
Groups expected to force issues as ballot initiatives in November ■
By Alysha Beck, The World
Valley Catholic fans have some fun while cheering on their girls and boys basketball teams in the championship games of the Class 3A state basketball tournament Saturday at Marshfield. The Valley Catholic girls lost to Vale 36-52, but the boys defeated De La Salle North 62-50. See full results in today’s 3A Hoops section. See photo galleries of all the games online at theworldlink.com/gallery.
Uninsured rate drops; health law cited
INSIDE
WASHINGTON — With just three weeks left to sign up under President Barack Obama’s health care law, a major survey tracking the rollout finds that the uninsured rate keeps going down. The Gallup-Healthways WellBeing Index, released Monday, found that 15.9 percent of U.S. adults are uninsured thus far in 2014, down from 17.1 percent for the last three months — or calendar quarter— of 2013. That translates roughly to 3 million to 4 million people getting coverage. Gallup said the share of Americans who lack coverage is on track to drop to the lowest quarterly level it measured since 2008, before Obama took office.
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The survey found that almost every major demographic group made progress getting health insurance, although Hispanics lagged. With the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group, Latinos were expected to be major beneficiaries of the new health care law. They are a relatively young population and many are on the lower rungs of the middle class, holding down jobs that don’t come with health insurance. But the outreach effort to Hispanics got off to a stumbling start. The Spanish-language enrollment website, CuidadodeSalud.gov, was delayed due to technical problems. Its name sounds like a clunky translation from English: “Care of Health.” A spot check of the SEE UNINSURED | A8
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The Associated Press
Part of the website for HealthCare.gov as photographed in Washington on March 1 reminds users open enrollment ends this month. A Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found 15.9 percent of Americans lack health insurance so far in 2014, down from 17.1 percent in the last three months of 2013.
Still searching for jet Mary Helen Durkee, Reedsport Vicki Hansen, Coos Bay Gladys S. Eason, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
Rescue helicopters and ships searching for a Malaysia Airlines jet rushed Monday to investigate a yellow object that looked like a life raft. It turned out to be moss-covered trash floating in the ocean. Page A7
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The Associated Press
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BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
SALEM (AP) — Now that key liquor and pot bills failed to gain traction in the Oregon Legislature, the venue shifts to the ballot box. Groups are proceeding with initiatives that would put questions on the November ballot about ending the state’s control over the liquor business and legalizing recreational use of marijuana. Since the end of Prohibition, just 18 states, mostly in the Northwest and mid-Atlantic, chose to control liquor sales within their borders. In 2011, Washington became the first of those states to privatize its liquor sales after voters there approved an initiative backed by grocers and Costco Wholesale Corp. Grocery chains such as Fred Meyer and Safeway have now set their sights on privatizing liquor sales in Oregon, where only stateregulated liquor stores are currently permitted to sell distilled spirits. Those stores — there are about 250 — are privately owned, but the state owns the alcohol on their shelves and pays a percentage of each sale to the owner. Liquor sales are the state’s third-biggest revenue generator after income taxes and the lottery. Officials project sales during the current two-year budget cycle will reach more than $1 billion, generating $252 million for the state general fund and $172 million for cities and counties. Instead, the coalition of grocers wants the state to allow stores that already sell beer and wine and are at least 10,000 square feet to be allowed to sell liquor, too. Existing liquor stores would be allowed to stay open, and some smaller shops like wine specialty stores would be able to sell liquor. SEE BALLOT | A8
Showers likely 57/41 Weather | A8
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