AN EDITION OF
Bandon
WESTERN WORLD Thursday, November 20, 2014
theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
U.N. trip:
TV tech:
Inside this edition:
Students chosen for visit, see page A2 for the full story
Comspan shows off new office, see A10 for the story
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4
Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8-9 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10
Photo by Amy Moss Strong
Scott McEachern is the new executive director of the Southern Coos Health Foundation.
Photo by Amy Moss Strong
Playground boycott From left, Shayla DeBerry-Osborne, Jessica Brink and Jenn Head-Von Bork and their children used to spend a lot of time at the Bandon City Park playground, but are now concerned that the tire mulch contains harmful chemicals. Their group, Bandon Families In Opposition of Recycled Shredded Tires is hoping to convince the city Parks and Recreation Commission to replace the mulch with a more natural ground cover.
The mulch will remain Commissioners vote on keep rubber groundcover at City Park By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — It’s not unusual for children to come home covered in dirt. But when Jenn Head Von-Bork would take her 7-year-old son to the City Park, the dirt he brought home was oddly different. “When Julian plays he spends 50 percent of his time rolling around on the ground,” Bork said. “He’d be covered with black when we’d get home.” Shayla DeBerry-Osborne had similar experiences with her four children,
ages 18 months to 6 years. But it didn’t hit home until one day last spring when Osborne made the connection after seeing her youngest, May, covered with black stains. After investigating, Osborne concluded the black stains were caused by the tire mulch used for ground cover at the playground. The mulch has been used increasingly since 2000 in various forms on playing fields and playgrounds throughout the United States and has been in place in Bandon’s since 2009. Bork doesn’t take Julian to the playground any more. She, Osborne and a
Student homelessness is still on the increase By Chelsea Davis Bandon Western World
SOUTH COAST — Student homelessness continues to increase in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Education released its student homelessness report this week, which breaks down how many homeless students attend each school district and where those students stay every night. In Oregon, that amounted to 18,902 homeless K-12 kids during the 20132014 school year, up 737 from the year prior. That number fell on the South Coast, from 613 in the 2012-2013 school year to 577 last school year. It's no surprise that the largest district on the South Coast, Coos Bay, would have the most homeless students: 243. But that's down from the 318 that Coos Bay reported the year prior. Last year, nearly 15 percent of Central Curry School District K-12 students were homeless at some point during the year, compared to 8.35 percent the year prior, the biggest increase on the South Coast. Bandon had the biggest decrease: 1.5
percent of its student population was recorded as homeless, compared to 4.35 percent in the 2012-2013 school year. Statewide, the majority of homeless students — 75 percent — share housing with another family or relatives at night due to economic hardship. The rest are unsheltered (10 percent), living in shelters (10 percent) or living in motels (5 percent). The South Coast is similar: 78 percent share housing, 13 percent are unsheltered, 5 percent live in shelters and 11 percent live in hotels or motels. There is some overlap in numbers since students bounce around throughout the school year. ODE also tracks “unaccompanied” students, those kids who don't stay with a parent or legal guardian at night. That number has stayed steady at about 3,100 statewide. On the South Coast last year, 79 students were unaccompanied, up slightly from the year prior. Reporter Chelsea Davis can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 239, or by email at chelsea.davis@t heworldlink.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ChelseaLeeDavis.
The World chosen as finalist for Lee Enterprises award COOS BAY — The World’s parent company, Lee Enterprises, announced Friday that The World is one of four finalists for enterprise of the year. The four finalists were chosen from more than 50 divisions in 22 states, which include print and digital daily newspaper operations, regional agricultural publications and nationwide digital services. In addition to The World, the other finalists are Times Media Company of Northwest Indiana, The Sentinel of Carlisle, Pa., and TownNews.com, a Lee subsidiary that provides digital publishing and revenue services to news
organizations. The World is one of three daily newspapers in Oregon operated by Lee Enterprises, including the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Albany Democrat-Herald. The World also publishes two weekly newspapers: The Umpqua Post in Reedsport and the Bandon Western World. This is the second round of good news The World has received this year. In July, the newspaper won 15 awards in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association's 2014 Better Newspaper Contest.
group of other parents in town are convinced the mulch is harmful to their children. While there is anecdotal evidence that the black material, comprising several known carcinogens such as lead, benzene and carbon black, is linked to cancer, no research has directly linked cancer to rubber tire mulch. “It’s really hard to tie cancer to the precise environmental factors that cause it,” Bork said. “All they can do is find the links.” The group feels there is plenty of SEE MULCH | A7
Director excited to support hospital Bandon Western World
BANDON — New Southern Coos Health Foundation Director Scott McEachern is enjoying his new position on the South Coast and is excited to be supporting and promoting the hospital’s mission of providing for the ongoing health and vitality of Bandon residents. McEachern has been with the foundation for about three months. He and his wife Taya, with daughter Sylvie, 4, chose to move to Coos Bay from Portland to take the job in Bandon to be closer to Taya’s parents, John and Jean Noland. The Nolands were English professors at Southwestern Oregon Community SEHOSPITAL | A7
Health insurance enrollment begins now through Feb. 15 By Geneva Miller Contributing writer
BANDON — Health insurance open enrollment began last week. For most individuals, the opportunity to enroll in a health insurance policy is available only through Feb. 15 each year. Shop and apply for health insurance independently, with an agent or community partner.
Shop on your own Apply for and enroll in insurance by contacting insurance companies directly for private or employee plans. Or, use the federal online marketplace. The online marketplace allows shoppers to view multiple policy options from participating insurance companies. Not all insurance companies participate in the marketplace. The marketplace is a federally sponsored service, and those who purchase through the marketplace can qualify for tax reimbursement incentives. Oregon Health Plan members can also apply or re-enroll through the marketplace. The state of Oregon sponsored its own online marketplace in 2013, Cover Oregon. This year, Oregon residents will use the federal website. Under the Affordable Care Act, those who do not have health insurance may be subject to tax penalties. Those with private, public or employer insurance policies may choose to re-enroll in the same policies for 2015. For an online sampling of policy options, enter information about the age of each member of your household and annual household income. Completed applications will require more personal details, such as address and social security numbers for each family member.? Go to HealthCare.gov to view the
marketplace, or to find participating agents and community partners in Southern Oregon.
Apply through an agent Your local insurance agent can help you choose a policy, on or off the marketplace. Bandon's insurance businesses contract with numerous health insurance companies, however, not all agents choose to participate in the health insurance marketplace. Apply through a community partner Participating health and human services organizations offer assistance to those who want help checking their eligibility, re-enrolling, or enrolling in the Oregon Health Plan. OHP is Oregon’s public Medicaid program. For community partner OHP assistance in Bandon, contact Coast Community Health Center, 541-3472529.
Important dates for insurance enrollment Patients who choose Medicare or private insurance plans must apply for changes or new policies within the open enrollment period each year, starting Nov. 15. Oregon Health Plan enrollment is open year round. Those who are not eligible for OHP must meet special qualification requirements to change policies or enroll after Feb. 15. Open Enrollment began Nov. 15. Apply for, keep, or change your coverage. Dec. 7 is the last day to change Medicare plans. Dec. 15 is the deadline to apply for or renew policies with coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2015. Dec. 31 is when coverage ends for 2014 plans. Feb. 15, 2015 is the last day you can apply for 2015 coverage before the end of Open Enrollment.