PLIGHT OF REFUGEES
CRUSHING BLOW
Women struggle after fleeing Syria, A7
Germany routs host Brazil in World Cup, B1
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
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Poll: High-profile shootings don’t change opinions BY KRISTIAN FODEN-VENCIL Oregon Public Broadcasting
Public opinion about gun control laws doesn’t appear to have shifted after two high-profile school shootings in the Pacific Northwest. That’s according to a new OPB poll conducted after deadly attacks at Reynolds High School and Seattle Pacific University. Back in April, before both shootings, OPB conducted a phone survey of registered Oregon voters that asked opinions on gun control issues. It showed 76 percent of respondents would support a law requiring background checks for all gun purchases except for those between family members. Now a new poll of Oregon residents, conducted after the shootings in late June, shows that public opinion hasn’t changed much. SEE GUNS | A8 By Alysha Beck, The World
Forest officer T.J. Ramos talks to wildland fire trainees about what materials can contribute to a fire during Coos Forest Protective Association’s basic wildland fire school at Camp Fircroft in Langlois on July 2.
Seasoning for fire season CFPA, BLM firefighters preparing for wildland fires ■
BY THOMAS MORIARTY The World
LANGLOIS — As South Coast families were stocking up on fireworks and hot dogs Thursday afternoon, newly minted wildland firefighters were learning how to extinguish the flames that would likely follow. John Flanagan, public information officer for the Coos Forest Protective Association, said his agency has been running wildland firefighting classes at Camp Fircroft near Langlois for the past three years. The trainees, a mix of CFPA and BLM personnel, received the most basic level of firefighting instruction. Their train-
ing will continue throughout their time as firefighters. The class Thursday focused on managing the wildland-urban interface — the nexus of fire-prone wildlands and human structures. Rural homes don’t have to be completely clear of brush to mitigate fire risk, but homeowners should still exercise caution. Flanagan said fires start when gutters filled with dry leaves are ignited by stray sparks. “(The home’s exterior) can have plants,” he said. “But they should be plants that are fire-resistant.” Flanagan said wildland firefighters spend much of their time in the field fighting blazes started by fireworks and campfires. “It seems that the summer activities we all enjoy and wildfires go hand in
hand,” he said. Jeff Wilmarth, one of CFPA’s incident commanders, said that during the 2013 fire camp, a wildfire that broke out nearby was used to provide in-the-field training for the class. “Last year was a little extreme,” he said, smiling. Since January, 26 fires and 819 acres have burned inside CFPA jurisdiction. With fuel moistures low going into the summer, federal and state forestry officials are gearing up for what could be another busy season. “All of the predictions are that it will be more dangerous and active fire season than usual,” Flanagan said. Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at thomas.moriarty@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasDMoriarty.
It shouldn’t get any worse — at gas pump Experts say gas prices may have reached their peak for the year ■
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
The South Coast continues to hover about 3 cents higher than the statewide average for a gallon of gasoline. The good news is that it should not go any higher. According to AAA Oregon/Idaho, crude oil and wholesale gasoline prices are ticking down, but drivers are still paying some of the highest pump prices in years. The national average for regular unleaded fell two cents this week to $3.65 a gallon, while Oregon’s average is holding steady at $3.981. That is just three-tenths of a cent less than the year-to-date high of $3.984 set July 3. However, Coos Bay’s average actually rose, from $4.013 last week to $4.017. SEE PUMP | A8
Obama requests Legal pot now a short drive for many Oregonians $3.7 billion for Recreational pot border crisis sales in Washington state started this week ■
BY ERICA WERNER AND JIM KUHNHENN The Associated Press
BY STEVEN DUBOIS The Associated Press
The Associated Press
President Barack Obama speaks May 28 at the commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s Class of 2014. Tackling what he has called a humanitarian crisis, Obama on Tuesday asked Congress for $3.7 billion to cope with a tide of minors from Central America who are illegally crossSEE BORDER | A8 ing the U.S. border.
Q&A on push to treat young immigrants as refugees
Police reports . . . . A2 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A3 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
ple who have arrived unaccompanied since last fall fled violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Would-be refugees and asylum seekers must navigate a complex system. Here are some answers to key questions about the process: Q: How does the U.S. handle refugees? A: The U.S. government contracts with organizations that handle all the details of accepting a refugee from another country. For example, the International Rescue SEE REFUGEES | A8
Comics . . . . . . . . . . A6 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . A6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Classifieds . . . . . . . B5
DEATHS
INSIDE
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Pressure continues to mount on the federal government to treat as refugees the thousands of children traveling alone from Central America and crossing the border into the U.S. Officials from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees told The Associated Press this week that they hoped the U.S. and Mexico will consider the children refugees displaced by armed conflict, meaning they would not automatically be sent back to their home countries but receive international protection. Many of the 50,000 young peo-
PORTLAND — Recreational pot is now on sale in Washington state, but actually getting that pot required some patience Tuesday for residents not only of neighboring Oregon but southwest Washington as well. Freedom Market in Kelso, Washington — 45 miles north of Portland — was scheduled to begin sales at noon Tuesday, but the pot delivery scheduled for late morning got delayed, and then delayed some more. Owner Kathleen Nelson said she offered water and pizza to the 50 to 60 dedicated customers who waited into the evening. “The truck arrived! Yeah!” Nelson said after the shipment finally rolled in about 8:30 p.m. Then store workers scrambled to sort the 19 strains and stock the shelves so the first customers could make their purchases. Did she ever consider canceling Tuesday’s effort and waiting a day? “We are not missing this date!” she declared. Nelson estimated the initial supply might sell out Tuesday night, but she planned to replenish her stock and have more available on Thursday. Nelson estimated about 100 people had come to the store by noon, and the license plates were split about 50-50 between Oregon and Washington.
Lyle Hansen, Myrtle Point Kenneth Richards, Coos Bay Katherine Wright, Coos Bay Manuela James, Coos Bay
The Associated Press
Co-owner Hollie Hillman talks with Longview,Wash., business owner Dave Grumbois as they wait inside her medical marijuana clinic for the first delivery of stateapproved recreational marijuana so that she can begin sales across the parking lot at The Freedom Market in Kelso, Wash., on Tuesday. stoned could get busted, just like a driver. I don’t think access drunken Oregon State Police said they’re to cannabis in Oregon not doing anything differently in response to Washington’s pot sales. is difficult. “We are always on the lookout for drivers under the influence of Leland Berger alcohol, drugs or a combination of Portland lawyer both,” Sgt. Gregg Hastings said. Washington law allows the sale of up to an ounce of dried mariThe closest legal pot shop to juana. Under Oregon law, Portland opens Wednesday, just possession of up to an ounce of across the Columbia River in marijuana is classified as a violaVancouver, Washington. tion, punishable by a fine. Law enforcement officials say Owners of stores near Portland nothing stopping anticipate lots of Oregon custhere’s Oregonians from buying pot in tomers, but some observers say Washington. But the law bans swarms of motorists and bicythem from bringing the marijuana clists heading across the state line back with them for use in their are unlikely. home state. Because state-regulated mariAlso, authorities say Oregonians who drive home SEE MARIJUANA | A8
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Richard Griffith, Langlois Glenn Jarmain, Reedsport
Obituaries | Ax
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FORECAST
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama appealed to Congress on Tuesday for $3.7 billion in emergency spending to deal with the immigration crisis on the nation’s southern border, where unaccompanied children have been showing up by the thousands in a human drama that’s causing a political storm in Washington and beyond. Obama himself was flying to Texas on Wednesday, a trip designed mostly for political fundraising for Democrats but now
Partly cloudy 68/55 Weather | A8