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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014
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Last day to mail ballots
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Teachers still negotiating in Reedsport
One for the ages
SALEM (AP) — The Oregon secretary of state’s office says Thursday is the last day for residents to put their ballots in the mail if they want them to arrive in time for Tuesday’s election. An election day postmark isn’t enough. Ballots have to be received in the elections office by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted. After Thursday, ballots should be left in drop boxes to make sure they are counted.
BY STEVE LINDSLEY The World
REEDSPORT — The Reedsport School District and its teachers are currently in negotiations for a new contract, but those negotiations could reach an impasse in the next month. The administration sent out a report to community members and staff of the district Wednesday. The report said the district and the Association of Reedsport Educators engaged in mediation meetings, including one at 1:30 a.m. last Friday, in an attempt to reach a settlement on the 2014 collective bargaining agreement. The report said the two sides have been negotiating since March of this year and, according to the district letter, “have reached agreement on most of the articles in the collective bargaining agreement.” The remaining issues include the schedule at Reedsport Community Charter School, whether the district should pay teachers if they bring action against the district and, according to the report, pay for the next two years. The sides are also apart on salary. “The District has presented a proposal to increase the teachers’ salary by 1 percent this year and 1.5 percent next year,” the report stated. “The Association’s proposal is to have a 1.5 percent increase this year and a 2 percent increase next year.” The district letter stated that increasing pay that much would reduce the district’s fund balance to 2
Library holds fall fundraiser BY DEVAN PATEL The World
COOS BAY — The Coos Bay Public Library Foundation is hosting its third annual fall fundraiser, An Evening at the Library, this Saturday, as part of its efforts to maintain and improve the library. The event, which takes place at 7:30 p.m., features locally brewed, distilled and roasted beverages from 7 Devils Brewing Company, Bridgeview Coffee Roasters, Brandy Peak Distillery and Stillwagon Distillery, paired with appetizers from Black Market Gourmet. The evening culminates with the conclusion of the silent auction, which patrons can bid on until the end of the event. Tickets can be purchased for $30 before Saturday at the library and Art Connection and $35 at the door, with all proceeds generally being allocated for items the library cannot afford to purchase through its general fund. “Last year, we were able to buy new furniture for the young adult area and more public computers, so the proceeds go towards bigger one-time purchases that the library generally doesn’t have the resources to buy,” said library director Samantha Pierson. Although the library has not selected any specific items to purchase with the funds from this year’s fundraiser, a generous portion most likely will go toward building a new library, given the rate at which the current library is sinking into the ground. While each event has drawn 75 to 80 people, the library has not targeted a goal for donations despite seeing an increase from
SEE REEDSPORT | A8
The Associated Press
San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, left, and catcher Buster Posey celebrate the 3-2 win against the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday.
Bumgarner, S.F. win World Series BY RONALD BLUM The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A giant, indeed. Madison Bumgarner punctuated his World Series performance for the ages by pitching the San Francisco Giants to their third championship in five years with a 32 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. The big left-hander came out of the bullpen to throw five scoreless innings on two days’ rest, saving a Series pushed to the limit. And by winning Game 7 on the road, Bumgarner and the Giants succeed1 ed where no team had in 3 ⁄2 decades. “I wasn’t thinking about innings or pitch count. I was just thinking about getting outs, getting outs, until I couldn’t get
Ebola: Hospitals in U.S. are not ready BY JEFF DONN AND GARAN BURKE The Associated Press
them anymore and we needed someone else,” Bumgarner said in a monotone that made it sound as though he was talking about batting practice. A two-out misplay in the ninth almost wrecked it for him. Bumgarner had retired 14 in a row when Alex Gordon sent a drive to center field. The pitcher pointed his glove in the air, thinking it could be the final out, but the ball fell in front of Gregor Blanco for a single. Blanco allowed it to skip past him to the wall, and left fielder Juan Perez kicked the ball before throwing to shortstop Brandon Crawford in short left, holding Gordon at third. “When it got by him, I had a smile on
The U.S. health care apparatus is so unprepared and short on resources to deal with the deadly Ebola virus that even small clusters of cases could overwhelm parts of the system, according to an Associated Press review of readiness at hospitals and other components of the emergency medical network. Experts broadly agree that a widespread outbreak across the country is extremely unlikely, but they also concur that it is impossible to predict with certainty, since previous Ebola epidemics have been confined to remote areas of Africa. And Ebola is not the only possible danger that causes concern; experts say other deadly infectious diseases — ranging from airborne viruses such as SARS, to an unforeseen new strain of the flu, to more exotic plagues like Lassa fever — could crash the health care system. To assess America’s ability to deal with a major outbreak, the AP examined multiple indicators of readiness: training, manpower, funding, emergency room shortcomings, supplies, infection control and
SEE SERIES | A8
SEE LIBRARY | A8
SEE EBOLA | A8
Inspirational teen remembered
INSIDE
COOS BAY — A year ago today, the world lost a little bit of its sunshine when it lost a person who was adept at brightening someone’s day. Natalie Hill, a girl who taught all who came in contact with her how
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By Lou Sennick, The World file photo
SEE NATALIE | A8
Natalie Hill, near the center wearing sunglasses, walks in the Survivor Lap at the start of the 2013 Relay for Life in Coos Bay.
Mark Fortune, Florence William Duval, North Bend Sherry Frost, Coos Bay Marie Pierce, Eugene Carol Tanner, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
Oregon, Alaska pot fight Backers of marijuana legalization measures have a tough job — getting out the younger vote during a midterm election. Page A5
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The World
Crim, a cancer survivor and close friend of Natalie’s, even created a nationwide fundraising effort called Live Life Like Natalie (#LLLN). Natalie’s family is hoping the fight will continue, and that people will continue to keep her fighting spirit and memory alive. “We just don’t want Natalie to be forgotten. She was a very special girl,” Wanda Hill said. “She was very strong. She never complained about being sick. She was a very
STATE
BY TIM NOVOTNY
to love life and laugh in the face of all despair, died at the age of 17. A tenacious person, Natalie fought cancer to a standstill. Only her time ran out, not her fight. Today, that fight lives on through her family and friends. Wanda Hill, one of her grandmothers, said this past year’s Relay for Life events in Coos Bay and Coquille resonated with the memory of her granddaughter. The top fundraising team at both events was Natalie’s Cancer Warriors, who raised a combined $55,000 for the two events. Grant
DEATHS
People are asked to honor the life of Natalie Hill by continuing her fight against cancer ■
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