AN EDITION OF
Thursday, September 25, 2014
theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Variety show:
Prefontaine win:
Inside this edition:
Bandon Feeds the Hungry, see page A6 for the full story
Bandon runner wins race, see page B1 for the full story
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B3
Se e o u r
ad on Pa
ge A6!
Bandon students shine on exams By Chelsea Davis Bandon Western World
BANDON — OAKS scores held steady in Bandon last school year, mirroring the statewide trend. Oregon students didn’t show dramatic improvement on state tests last year, recent data shows. The Oregon Department of Education released the 2013-2014 Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills results two weeks ago. Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton glossed over the report, noting Scores there were no glarGo online to ing increases or theworldlink.com/ decreases from the bandon to see a year prior. graphic of “As a district, we Bandon’s OAKS have tried to scores over the emphasize effective last four years, as teaching strategies, well as a database with an extra of scores for all emphasis on 100 South Coast percent student schools. engagement,” said Bandon Schools Superintendent Diane Buche. “We also have a community that values education and supports our efforts. We are a small district where our staff knows all the students and can monitor their progress closely. “Besides our regular curriculum and course work, learning labs, afterschool opportunities, extracurricular programs and service learning projects all help our students be successful.” By this time next year, school dis-
■ See Exams, A8
Photos by Amy Moss Strong
A great pumpkin Daniel Greer, 8, an Ocean Crest Elementary School student, helped his father, Michael Greer, and sister Marissa Lee, 9, grow this giant pumpkin in the family’s yard on Ohio Street Northeast. Michael said they planted Atlantic giant pumpkin seeds and were amazed at how many pumpkins they produced. This one is estimated to weigh 250 pounds. Daniel and Marissa want to carve the pumpkin to make a huge jack-o-lantern and Daniel hopes to grow a 500-pound pumpkin next summer.
Ballots are ready for November Bandon Western World
COQUILLE — The candidates have been certified and the November ballot is ready. Take a look at the local races and ballot measures Coos County residents will see on their ballot in the general election: Coos County Commissioner John Sweet will face Don Gurney. Gurney snagged 42 percent of the vote in the May primary; Sweet captured 41 percent. While five area mayors are running unopposed (Bandon Mayor Mary Schamehorn, Coos Bay Mayor Crystal Shoji, Coquille Mayor Matt Rowe, Myrtle Point Mayor Barbara Carter and North Bend Mayor Rick Wetherell), there are challengers for Lakeside and Powers: There are three seats opening up on the Bandon City Council: Incumbents Mike Claassen and Chris Powell are
Marsh adds acreage for waterfowl hunting Bandon Western World
BANDON — Starting Oct. 4, waterfowl hunters will have almost 300 acres more hunting grounds in the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday. Waterfowl hunting has been offered on a portion of the Bandon Marsh since it was established in 1983, but now the opportunity for the public to hunt waterfowl on the Refuge is being expanded to include an additional 286 acres of restored tidal marsh on the Ni-les’tun Unit, locat-
■ See Ballots, A7
Mosquito monitoring stations are proposed By Chelsea Davis Bandon Western World
ed east of U.S. Highway 101. “An expanded hunting program provides a quality wildlife-dependent opportunity and helps fulfill refuge objectives developed as part of the Bandon Marsh Refuge 15-year Management Plan,” said Roy Lowe, project leader for the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Hunters will be able to access the area by foot from the refuge’s parking lot along North Bank Lane and by boat from the Coquille River east of the mouth of Fahys Creek. Hunting in the Ni-les’tun
BANDON — Mosquitoes’ breeding season is coming to an end, meaning Bandon residents will have to wait until next year to see if this summer’s mitigation projects withstand the rain this winter. Coos County’s Vector Assessment and Control Committee chair Proposal Roger Straus Read the full updated county mosquito abundance commissioners monitoring program Tuesday morning. proposal online at Over the summer, theworldlink.com. Vector Disease C o n t r o l International applied the larvicide Bti over the Ni-les’tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge by air. Their coverage area has dropped from May to August, as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crews began draining the marsh and mosquito breeding habitats
■ See Hunting, A7
■ See Mosquito, A8
Keiser planning Wisconsin resort similar to Bandon By Melanie Lawder Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
BANDON — Across the country lies a small seaside city of about 3,000 people, called Bandon, Ore. Located right on the southern coast of the Pacific Wonderland, the city rests in a remote location. The closet metropolitan area is about 25 miles north in the bordering cities of Coos Bay and North Bend, with a combined population of more than 25,000.
The closest major metropolitan area, Portland, is a considerably farther hike, about a five-hour car drive. With its quaint shops, attractive boardwalk and location right on the water, Bandon has been described as “the bright star of the Oregon Coast,” said its mayor, Mary Schamehorn. The median sales price for a home in Bandon is presently $156,000, according to Trulia, and the town attracts an older demographic.
“Many of the people who have moved here in the last 20 to 30 years are retired, and while they are active volunteers, they no longer work,” Schamehorn said. “Retirement income is a huge part of what supports this area.” Like central Wisconsin, the Bandon area has a “thriving” cranberry industry, Schamehorn said.The city also has a history intertwined with cheesemaking and — coincidentally — it puts on an annual cranberry festival like the city of Wisconsin
Rapids. (Cranberry Blossom Festival in early June http://blossomfest.com/) But, perhaps more peculiar, Bandon also happens to be the home of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, developed by Mike Keiser — the same man facilitating the creation of Sand Valley in Rome.
Creating Bandon Dunes In the early 1990s, Keiser decided
■ See Keiser, A8