SOCCER SHOWCASE
HAMAS DEMANDS
MLS wins All-Star game, B1
Gaza blockade must be lifted, A7
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014
Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
Should we change the flags?
theworldlink.com
■
$1
CB blocks medical marijuana outlets City Council votes to reinforce an existing ordinance that prohibits medical pot dispensaries in city limits ■
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
COOS BAY— Despite receiving a written threat implying that no one from the Oregon Country Fair would ever visit Coos Bay, the City Council still voted 6-1 to effectively prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits. City Councilor Mike Vaughan was the lone dissenting vote. With a moratorium in place as they studied the issue, the council found the answer to their dilemma already existed within city laws. According to the background information on Tuesday’s agenda, “based on a review of the city attorney, amending the existing Business License ordinance
would be sufficient to deny business licenses to any business which was not in compliance with both state and federal laws.” Mayor Crystal Shoji explained Wednesday that the council’s decision was to, basically, reaffirm and clarify that section of the ordinance. They note that other jurisdictions, like Medford, have taken a similar route. Ordinance 5.05.080, dealing with license applications, has a section that reads that “approval or denial of the application shall be based on consideration of all available evidence as to whether the proposed business will meet the requirements of the City Charter and ordinances.” The next line is the one that the city council amended at Tuesday’s meeting. Preceding a list of four hurdles to overcome, the line changed from “the license may not be granted” to “the license shall not be granted.”
SEE COOS BAY | A8
Contributed drawing
An architect’s rendering of the Three Rivers Casino Coos Bay which is slated to open in May.
Coos Bay casino under construction BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
Flagpole feedback BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
INSIDE
COOS BAY — Will it be patriotism, tradition or a desire for something new that ultimately unfurls upon the flagpoles that line the Coos Bay Boardwalk? The city is calling the question, and they want residents to help them decide whether or not to change the 22 flags that adorn the city’s bayfront. Traditionally, the city flew international flags as a nod toward the heritage of the international port designation for Coos Bay. That took a patriotic
Police reports . . . . A2 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A3 40 Stories . . . . . . . A2 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
change under a different City Council back in 2009, when it was decided to fly the American flag on all flag poles until all troops returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. A taller, lighted United States flag has also remained flying across the street at the Purple Heart Memorial. In 2012, the City Council voted to stay the course with the stars and stripes. Still, Mayor Crystal Shoji said this week the questions keep coming in about when they might change back, or if the council will adopt a new policy entirely. She noted that, even if they go back to international flags, the allU.S. theme could be flown once again during holidays, like Independence Day and Memorial Day. “It’s one of those little
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Comics . . . . . . . . . . B5 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . B6
things, but we get a lot of people wondering if we are going to go back to the international flags, which I like,” Shoji said Wednesday. “We are a port city. We are an international port. So, I do think that is meaningful, but other people might have other ideas and we are welcoming those.” Shoji says at this point the council is just taking some public input. They could make a decision sometime in the next couple of months. However, there is no strict time table. This is just to get people thinking and talking about what they would like to see. In Coos Bay’s August newsletter, other options were suggested based on a variety of real world examSEE FLAGS | A8
DEATHS
City wants to discuss which flags to fly on boardwalk ■
Leon Williams Jr., North Bend Noble Gordon, Coquille Linda Rossback, North Bend Edward Springsteen, North Bend
COOS BAY — A new casino is coming to Coos Bay. The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are in the midst of building Three Rivers Casino Coos Bay on reservation land on Ocean Boulevard, across from Honda World. Tribal Council Chairman Bob Garcia said the 15,000-square-foot facility is slated to be completed sometime in May. By the time it opens, he said it will employ 50 to 60 full-time positions, with benefits. Unlike the tribes’ Three Rivers Casino and Hotel in Florence (a Class III gaming facility), the Coos Bay casino will be Class II. “We have a compact with the state for Three Rivers (in Florence),” Garcia said. “This (the Coos Bay project) doesn’t
Hurricane to hit Hawaii HONOLULU (AP) — Iselle was supposed to weaken as it slowly trudged west across the Pacific. It didn’t — and now Hawaii is poised to take its first direct hurricane hit in 22 years. Tracking close behind it was Hurricane Julio, which strengthened early Thursday into a Category 2 storm. State officials are assuring the islands are ready and people should prepare but not panic. Tourists wonder whether their flights and activities would be disrupted and tried to get in some last-minute beach
William Durr, Charleston Lynn Swafford, Coos Bay Valmore Orrell, Sylmar, Calif.
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
By Lou Sennick, The World
American flags along the Coos Bay Boardwalk fly in the breeze under sunny skies Wednesday.The city is looking for advice on the many flags, should they remain the same, or change them out to others such as states or countries.
require a compact.” Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, Class III gaming facilities, which include games like blackjack, craps and roulette, require a gaming compact with the state. Class II gaming facilities do not, and are primarily regulated by the tribal gaming commissions themselves. In fact, this is the land on which the tribes had originally proposed to build a casino, before the Coquille Indian Tribe opened the Mill Casino-Hotel in 1995. Three Rivers Casino Coos Bay was designed by Thalden Boyd Emery Architects. Chambers Construction, of Eugene, was contracted for the project, which will cost more than $5 million. It will hold 250 Class II gaming devices (which can include bingo and nonbanking card games) and a restaurant and bar. For more information, call Garcia at 541-999-1320.
time before the surf’s up, but ugly. And residents are making bottled water tougher to find than a cheap fruity cocktail. “Everybody says this is the last day of good weather, so we came down to the beach,” said Shonna Snodgrass, a tourist in Waikiki visiting from Stafford, Virginia. Hurricane Iselle was expected to arrive on the Big Island on Thursday evening, bringing heavy rains, winds gusting up to 85 mph and flooding in some areas. SEE HAWAII | A8
Mostly sunny 64/53 Weather | A8
Bargains of the Month Totes $6.99 Each 66-Qt. Latch Storage Box
COOS BAY 541-267-2137
COQUILLE 541-396-3161
A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS SERVING COOS COUNTY FOR OVER 98 YEARS