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MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013
Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
$5K reward posted for copper thieves The World
COOS BAY — A $5,000 reward for metal thieves posted by South Coast companies last week is only this region’s most recent development in the nation’s battle with metal theft. In a May 2013 report, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks metal theft claims, reported a 36 percent increase in claims nationwide between its 2009-2011 and 2010-2012 survey periods.
The South Coast’s most recent development in the battle came Aug. 12, when Pacific Power and Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative jointly issued a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of thieves cutting down their lines for copper. Pacific Power said that more than $50,000 worth of wire and equipment have been stolen from its Southern Oregon system in the last six months. Oregon State Police Lt. Steve
Smartt said that the brazen nature of the powerline theft isn’t surprising given the lengths to which local brass bandits have recently gone. With copper and other metal prices soaring, many local criminals have found the risk more than worth the reward. “They’re stealing spikes from the railroad now,” Smartt said. “Anything that’s not nailed down.” And, obviously, a few things that are. He said that it’s more common
for his troopers to stop vehicles with suspicious loads of metal than you might think. Cars and trucks transporting scrap metal are required to bear a transportation certificate listing the metal’s origin and destination. “We’ll have PC (probable cause) for a stop and then we’ll investigate further,” he said. “I know that most of the people we contact, we’ve had other contacts with.” Smartt said much of the area’s metal theft is drug related.
Natural disaster drill on Sept. 7 THE WORLD
Reedsport man going to prison ROSEBURG (AP) — A Reedsport man who contributed to a friend’s death and later helped a fellow prisoner escape has been sentenced to more than six years in prison. The News-Review of Roseburg reports that 36-year-old Sandy Haines Jr. was sentenced Friday after pleading no contest to criminally negligent homicide and guilty to escape and failure to appear. Prosecutors say Haines got into a fight with a longtime friend — 52-year-old Timothy Yaryan — in April 2012. Yaryan drove away from the
INSIDE
SEE PRISON | A8
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
Photos by Lou Sennick, The World
Hands are all you see as Glenn Thurkow, below, and Dana Sweatt work on the boards being attached to a replica of a Celtic boat Thursday at the Coos Bay Boat Building Center. The basic design is modeled after small boats built in Western Ireland made of wood with skins around the outside. Construction has been taking place for a couple months now, and instead of skins, the shell will be made of a newer ballistic nylon material.
SEE COPPER | A8
COOS BAY — There is an Irish proverb that basically says “the schoolhouse bell sounds bitter in youth and sweet in old age.” The Coastal Celtic Society is hoping their newest project will help all age groups see just how sweet learning can be. Members are in the midst of building a traditional wooden Celtic boat through a partnership with the Coos Bay Boat Building Center and are hoping it will be the first of many. “We’re learning as we go on our first boat, our intention down the road is that if we can see that this is a project that is doable and we can improve on how we’ve done it and cut the amount of time down.” said Bob More, one of the members who is working on the boat. “Down the road we’d like to engage some kids in helping us build one. We think that would be a great community project and very educational. Even if that doesn’t happen, our being able to display the finished boat, at the different Celtic events and other community events, would be educational in itself.”
Education is a driving force for the Celtic Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Even if sometimes they are the ones that are learning the lessons. For instance, one of the first things they discovered on this project was that there is very little information on just how to go about building this kind of boat. Even the spelling of the name, currach or curragh, appears to be interchangeable. More says currachs (pronounced with an x sound at the end) are still in use on the west coast of Ireland, but they are built with information that has been handed down from generation to generation. The lack of exact instruction is a mixture of good and bad, says member Tim Gibbons. It allows for a certain amount of modern creativity to figure out how to match the historic design. More says Gibbons is skilled enough in helping to do boat design that he was able to create a technical drawing for them to work from. “The way they built them in the old days they used any wood that they had at hand. They built it outSEE BOAT | A8
Tim Gibbons used the descriptions and basic drawings of the Celtic boat for the new one being built at the Coos Bay Boat Building Center. The design of the boat goes back about 1,000 years and was made from materials found along the shoreline. Copper nails are used in the Celtic boat to help hold it all together. They will resist corrosion in a water environment. The other nails are used to temporarily hold pieces together during construction of the boat.
Wildfire threatens The Dalles water supply THE DALLES (AP) — A group of wildfires near The Dalles is threatening about 70 homes, officials said Sunday, and some residents in the area have been given notice that they should be ready for evacuation. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office said there is fire about a mile and a half from some structures. Three wildfires are in the area, with the largest covering about 700 acres in The Dalles watershed. The lightning-caused fires were detected Friday. Gov. John Kitzhaber declared the wildfires a conflagration so the state fire marshal could mobilize resources to assist locals in battling the
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blaze. Officials prioritized the local water treatment plant for immediate protection, since it supplies water for much of The Dalles. Residents of about 35 of the 70 homes threatened have been told to prepare for evacuation, and officials said Sunday there was a high probability that an evacuation could occur. The American Red Cross has established a shelter for residents who might be displaced. As of Sunday afternoon, there was no containment number for the fire. About 200 people were assigned to help combat the blaze. Hundreds of personnel continue to battle wildfires elsewhere in the state, including two
Pine bark beetles
STATE
COOS BAY — Get Ready Coos Bay. That command is also the title of an event, to be held next month, that will help you accomplish that mission. Coos Bay Fire and Northwest Natural Gas are teaming up to put on a natural disaster preparedness event on Sept. 7. The American Red Cross, public safety agencies, local businesses and other organizations will be there to handle any questions. Organizers are reminding people that disasters can strike quickly and without any warning, leaving the south coast cut off from receiving any immediate aid. Water, gas, electricity and phone service could be hampered or decimated. But, they say, through preparation and teamwork, families can learn to cope. The Coos Bay Fire Department would like to remind everyone to keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least three days. Assemble a disaster supply kit with items you may need in the event of an evacuation, and store your supplies in sturdy, easy to carry, containers such as backpacks or duffel bags. Get Ready Coos Bay will take place Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coos Bay Fire Department at 450 Elrod Ave. They will be providing a free lunch, and the first 100 families that attend will also receive a free Red Cross emergency kit.
Colleen Barnes of Port Orford knows firsthand the emotional toll metal theft can exact on families. Over the past several months, thieves made off with the motor, gas tank and transmission of a drag-racing boat built by her greatgrandfather. “There were three brand new diesel motors sitting there,” Barnes said. “Those were untouched.” The most recent theft was three
Alliance helps build Celtic pride
While the problem seems to be slowing down and moving east, the scenic area around Crater Lake is being hit hard.
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large blazes in southwestern Oregon. Officials said Sunday the Douglas Complex blaze north of Glendale has burned nearly 50,000 acres but is now 75 percent contained. The Big Windy Complex fire northwest of Galice is approaching 20,000 burned acres and is only 20 percent contained. More than 1,000 personnel are assigned to each of the fires, which were caused by lightning. There are several other fires around the state of differing sizes and containment. The Oregon Department of Forestry has spent more than $70 million fighting major wildfires so far, much more than it typically spends.
FORECAST
BY THOMAS MORIARTY
Partly cloudy 70/53 Weather | A8
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