FIRES RAGE IN CALIFORNIA
SEASON SNUFFED OUT
Heat, high winds pushing flames, A7
Blazers’ playoff run ends in San Antonio, B1
THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2014
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Fire sparks investigation Major crimes team called to scene of blaze in Charleston
structure fire at 62222 Crown Point Road. Fire commanders put out a mutual aid call for additional engines just before 6:30 p.m., drawing fire crews from throughout the county. Law enforcement restricted media access to the scene, citing downed power lines. According to the Coos Bay Police Department log, Coos County sheriff's deputies at the location requested a K-9 at the intersection of Crown Point and Oxford Road at 8 p.m. An officer from Coquille Tribal
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BY THOMAS MORIARTY The World
By Thomas Moriarty, The World
A Charleston Rural Fire Protection District truck sits in the driveway of 62222 Crown Point Road on Wednesday afternoon after a home burned on the propertyTuesday night.
CHARLESTON — Coos County law enforcement agencies kept busy Wednesday investigating a Charleston-area property where a home burned the night before. Firefighters from the Charleston Rural Fire Protection District were dispatched Tuesday evening to a
Police was also called to the scene. The Coos County Major Crimes Team — composed of detectives from local law enforcement agencies, the district attorney and chief deputy medical examiner — was activated Wednesday afternoon. The team is responsible for investigating homicides and other major crimes that happen inside the county. Detectives from the Coos Bay Police Department were seen arriving at the property just after 1 p.m. SEE FIRE | A10
Gay marriage ban
The bounty of the bay
Judge clears way for ruling
according to the White House. Obama also was to headline a pair of high-dollar fundraisers benefiting Democratic candidates in the November elections. On Thursday, the president and first lady Michelle Obama planned to attend the dedication ceremony for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx kicked off the public works push Monday, warning that the Highway Trust Fund, which relies on gasoline taxes, could run dry in August. Those taxes haven’t gone up in 20 years. On Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden said in St. Louis that “we’ve stalled” on public works projects, while highlighting a $410 million renovation to the Gateway Arch funded largely by
EUGENE (AP) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a national group cannot defend Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage after the state attorney general refused to do so, paving the way for a ruling on the voter-approved ban that could come at any time. The National Organization for Marriage argued it should be allowed to intervene on behalf of its Oregon members. But U.S. District Judge Michael McShane said the attorney general is accountable to Oregon voters, while the group supporting marriage solely between a man and woman is not. “I’m not prepared to substitute a third party for the executive branch,” McShane said. The decision is a blow for critics of gay marriage, who had hoped to join the case so they could appeal any ruling striking down Oregon’s same-sex marriage ban. The group’s chairman and lawyer, John Eastman, said he plans to appeal Wednesday’s ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “These things never end at the trial court,” Eastman said. The judge has not said when he plans to rule on the underlying case. McShane found the National Organization for Marriage did not file its request in a timely manner and failed to show that its members had specific interests that needed to be protected. The group said it was seeking to defend the interests of its Oregon members but declined to identify them, citing fears they would be harassed. It said the members include a county clerk who issues wedding licenses, the owner of a wedding business, and a resident who voted in favor of the 2004 ballot measure that added the same-sex marriage ban to the state constitution. The request was opposed by lawyers for the state and for four gay and lesbian couples, who brought two cases that later were merged. Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the ban is legally indefensible and has urged the judge to throw it out, creating a rare case where both plaintiffs and defendants sought the same out-
SEE REPAIRS | A10
SEE RULING | A10
By Lou Sennick, The World
Jeff Sturges, left, and Tim Sturges offload North Bend Oysters into a waiting truck from Pacific Seafoods on Tuesday at their dock in North Bend. Two of the company’s oyster barges were working the bay collecting the steel baskets and loading them into the waiting truck.
LINCOLN CITY (AP) — An Oregon coastal city where property values are rising faster than incomes is struggling to find a compromise between owners of vacation rentals and year-round residents. Tourism is a mainstay in Lincoln City, population about 8,000. There are about 500 vacationrental homes sprinkled throughout the residential zones, and the city is considering whether to regulate their growth by, for example, limiting where vacation properties can be located, limiting rental days and setting safety standards. The median household income in Lincoln City rose by about 10 percent between 2000 and 2011, while the median house price rose by about 45 percent during that time period, the Salem Statesman Journal reports. City Council member Chester Noreikis said regulations are need-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is running out of money to repair deteriorating roads, bridges and ports, and President Barack Obama says more federal spending will help avert a looming crisis that could stifle economic growth and torment commuters. Obama’s visit Wednesday afternoon to New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge was a central part of his administration effort this week to call attention to the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. The major Hudson River crossing point, which opened to traffic in 1955, is now being replaced at a cost of $3.9 billion. The financing is largely by bonds paid for through higher tolls. In addition to promoting a four-year, $302 billion transportation plan that he wants Congress to back, the president intended to cite efforts to cut red tape and delays in permitting,
we’ve been in limbo not knowing if we could keep our business.” Gene Scrutton Rental owner, manager
ed because the price of rental homes has made it difficult for Lincoln City residents to buy property in their own city. “Right now, there is very little affordable housing in the city,” he said. But regulations could hurt the tourism industry and jeopardize jobs, workers and property owners said. SEE RENTALS | A10
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Police car-B-cue Former patrol car in Bend has been transformed into a barbecue and meat smoker for public relations events . Page A5
STATE
Police reports . . . . A2 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A6
“It’s been three years
FORECAST
Obama asks Congress for road, bridge funds
INSIDE
Lincoln City debates whether to curb rentals
Partly cloudy 68/51 Weather | A10
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