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MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014
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A flood of activity worth paying attention to Coos Bay’s flood maps change; insurance rates are going to rise ■
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
COOS BAY — The city of Coos Bay is the latest to get its flood plain “house” in order. The city recently adopted an updated flood insurance rate report, maps, and zone text amendments to its municipal code for flood damage prevention. It went into effect immediately. The move, required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, allows the city to remain eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program. A few days after Coos Bay took its action,
President Barack Obama signed a law that phases in rate increases for more than 1 million flood insurance policyholders, including the owners of more than 9,300 plans in Oregon. The reason is that the rates are going to jump. Significantly. The new law hopes to ease the burden, somewhat. These events do not appear to have happened coincidentally. Although Coos Bay planner Debbie Erler says the two are separate issues. “They wanted to make sure they were a little more accurate on who they’re requiring to get insurance, is my guess,” Erler said, “and I don’t know if it just happened to coincide.” Coincidence or not, the outcome of remaking the maps is going to have an impact on the lives of some residents, either positively or negatively. SEE FLOOD | A8
By Lou Sennick, The World
The city of Coos Bay changed the municipal code to reflect new flood plain data in the city.According to the new data and corresponding maps, much of the downtown area is included in the potential flooding area. This view of downtown is from the top of Telegraph Hill.
CB, county to decide on joining foundation
Child Abuse Prevention Month
BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
COOS BAY — The two remaining Bay Area Enterprise Zone sponsors will decide Tuesday whether to become members of the South Coast Community Foundation. After the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay board of commissioners’ unanimous approval March 19 and the North Bend City Council’s unanimous approval Tuesday, the Coos Bay City Council and Coos County Board of Commissioners will meet this Tuesday to round out the vote. For the foundation to move forward, each of the four enterprise zone sponsors needs to become a member of the foundation, the nonprofit organization established to manage half of the community service fees the Jordan Cove Energy Project would pay if it gets federal and state permits and if it receives a long-term property tax exemption. Each zone sponsor’s vote also includes
By Alysha Beck, The World
North Bend Police Detective Jon Bohanan plants pinwheels with volunteers at the Kids’ Hope Center in Coos Bay on Friday for the upcoming National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April.The 197 pinwheels planted represent each child abuse case in Coos County for 2013.The center acts as a mediator between different state agencies involved in child abuse cases and advocates for the children involved.
SEE FOUNDATION | A8
Politicians, experts split Oregon congressional map pleases both parties over fair minimum wage
INSIDE
SALEM — The 2010 election gave Oregon an evenly divided House of Representatives and a power-sharing agreement between Republicans and Democrats, and the result was a redistricting process that left both parties relatively happy. For the first time in a century, the state Legislature adopted new congressional and legislative maps that were not thrown out in court. “Redistricting in Oregon was not as pure as the driven snow, but was pretty evenhanded and occurred with a commendable degree of public input and transparen-
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change came to Oregon’s 5th District, represented by Democrat Kurt Schrader, which has long been the state’s most competitive. A slight Democratic registration edge became even smaller and stood last month at just over 2 percentage points. In the 2012 election, President Barack Obama narrowly beat Republican Mitt Romney in the district, 50 percent to 47 percent, compared with his 55-42 victory statewide. The district lost parts of heavily Democratic Portland and Corvallis, gaining lessliberal suburban voters in Clackamas County. That was the biggest coup for SEE DISTRICTS | A8
BY ALAN FRAM The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The federal minimum wage has left three-person families below the poverty level since 1980. It’s also well shy of the peak of its buying power almost half a century ago. Is the current $7.25 hourly minimum fair? Is now the time to raise it, and, if so, by how much? There is no objective answer. It depends on the political slant of lawmakers or the views of economists being asked. Economic data over the minimum wage’s 76-year history doesn’t provide definitive help, either. It shows erosion over time in the plight of minimum-wage earners, reflecting what the nation’s political system has produced, not necessarily what’s fair. Democrats backed by President Barack Obama are preparing to force electionyear votes on gradually increasing today’s
Boston Marathon display Items left at the memorial after the marathon bombing will be displayed in the Boston Public Library this month. Page A7
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cy,” said Janice Thompson, who advocated for fairness in the redistricting process as executive director of Common Cause Oregon in 2011. The new congressional map looked remarkably similar to its predecessor. It preserved the status quo, just moving a few boundaries to account for shifting populations. In the process, two districts got marginally more for competitive Republicans, but the GOP has failed to take advantage. Democrats still control four of Oregon’s five congressional districts, as they have after every election since 1996. The most substantial
NATION
BY JONATHAN J. COOPER
minimum to $10.10 by 2016, an effort that seems likely to fail in Congress. Republicans generally oppose the proposal, saying it would cost too many jobs. As a Senate clash over the issue approaches — perhaps this week — here’s a look at the equity questions the dispute raises. Q: What should be the minimum wage’s goal? A: Along with labor and liberal groups, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, sponsor of the $10.10 push, says the aim should be to boost low-earners and their families over the poverty line. As recently as 1979, when minimumwage workers earned $2.90 hourly, they made an annual $6,032 for a 40-hour work week. That exceeded that year’s federal poverty line of $5,784 for a family of three. The following year, when the hourly minimum rose to $3.10, a full-time workSEE MINIMUM | A8
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