AN EDITION OF
Bandon
WESTERN WORLD Thursday, May 22, 2014
theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Aces:
State bound:
Inside this edition:
Ocean Crest students excel, see A2 for the story
Tigers send eight to state meet, see page A10 for story
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4
Bandon schools chief is retiring
Election Results Coos County Commissioner No. 2 Don Gurney John Sweet Dale Pennie Lee Byers
43% 41% 12% 4%
Incumbent John Sweet is headed for a run-off. The final unofficial report Tuesday from the Coos County clerk’s office showed Don Gurney edging out Sweet by 154 votes — a gap of less than 2 percent.
Coos County Commissioner No. 3 Melissa Cribbins Matt Rowe Kermit Gaston Jr.
By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
52% 39% 9%
BANDON — School Superintendent Diane Buche will retire from the district June 30. Buche submitted her letter of resignation May 16, saying she felt it was time to spend more time with her family. She will stay on as a retired administrator until a replacement is found. Buche isn’t the only administrator to retire from the district this year. Ocean Crest Elementary School Principal Liz Olive and Harbor Lights Middle School Principal Debbie Greenfield have both submitted their resignations, and last year, long-time BHS Principal Gaye Knapp retired. In addition, several longtime teachers are retiring. Buche said a total of 11 teachers, administrators and other employees have retired this school year. Buche sent the following letter to her staff: “It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your superintendent for the last eight years and as Ocean Crest principal for one year. On Friday, I submitted my intent to retire as of June 30, 2014, to
Melissa Cribbins was re-elected to her county commissioner seat. She needed to pass the 50 percent mark to avoid a runoff challenge from Matt Rowe.
State Representative, District 9 Casey Runyan Jason Payne
50% 50%
The race between two GOP candidates vying for Caddy McKeown’s seat in the state house is neck and neck. According to unofficial results Tuesday night, Casey Runyan barely led Jason Payne with 50.18 percent of the vote. The two are separated by just 14 votes. Incumbent state Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, represents Oregon House District 9, which covers portions of Coos, Douglas, Lane and Lincoln counties. She's running for a second term in the state house.
Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Beaman Shala McKenzie Kudlac
Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A7-9 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10
65% 35%
■ See Buche, A6 By Lou Sennick, The World
Curry County Home Rule Ballot Measure No Yes
63% 37%
Mapping your neighborhood is encouraged
The speed zone through the Curry County community of Langlois has been changed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The overall length of the zone has been shortened to the dismay of many residents in and around the small unincorporated community.
Speed request to ODOT backfires By Amy Moss Strong
In a disaster, the neighbors around you are the most immediate source of help. Traditional 911 responders, (police, fire, medical, and utilities) are often overwhelmed by demand. Knowing what to do in the first hour of a disaster — often referred to as the “Golden Hour” — may save a life, reduce the severity of injuries, and reduce the amount of damage that you, your family, and your neighbors sustain. Disasters may include: floods, storms, fire or tsunamis. BandonPrepares continues their work to expand the “Map Your Neighborhood” program, which brings you and your neighbors together to prepare yourselves to be self-reliant during the first hours of a disaster response. There are volunteers available to help with implementing such a program in your neighborhood. For information, contact Bill Russell at BandonPrepares, 541-290-8595, or visit the BandonPrepares website at www.banprep.org.
Bandon Western World
LANGLOIS — Residents here know their neighbors, watch out for each other’s children and gather at the market to hear the latest news. “Townies” walk along the highway to the post office, feed store and another community hub: The library. This unincorporated area on U.S. Highway 101 in north Curry County, 15 miles south of Bandon, is home to 170 residents officially, and some 700 in the surrounding areas, including Langlois Mountain and Floras Creek. Langlois proudly claims its own identity, pace and personality. But to many travelers, it’s simply on the way to somewhere else.
In a well-meaning effort, a resident recently asked the Oregon Department of Transportation to consider lowering the speed limit through town from 40 mph to 30 mph. So imagine See the video for this the town’s sur- story online at when, theworldlink.com/video prise instead of lowering the speed limit, ODOT shortened the speed zone on April 9, moving the signs without notifying the community. The new, shorter zone encourages drivers to travel even faster through town, residents claim. “When ODOT gets a request, they are compelled to investigate,”
■ See Langlois, A6
■ See Blessing, A6
By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — It’s under control. That’s the message from both Coos County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was discussed at the county’s new Vector Assessment and Control Committee’s third meeting last Thursday night at The Barn. A contract was awarded to Dan Markowski of Vector Disease Control International to apply larvicide to ponds within the Ni-les’tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge that show signs of mosquito larvae. Markowski, USFWS staff, a Coos County Health Department employee and others have been monitoring the situation daily. And despite a fly-off that recently occurred of adult Aedes dorsalis — the breed of salt water marsh mosquito that swarmed in areas of Bandon from the marsh last summer — Markowski is
■ See Mosquito, A6
Bandon has a new officer
Blessing of the Fleet, marine swap meet is Saturday The Port of Bandon will hold its annual Blessing of the Fleet at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 24, in the boat launch parking lot at the Lost at Sea Memorial. The ceremony honors those who have been lost at sea, those who make their living on the sea and all veterans. Attendees are encouraged to contact the Port of Bandon office with names of their loved ones to be included in the ceremony. Following the ceremony, flowers and wreaths will be scattered at the mouth of the river by U.S. Coast Guard Coquille River Patrol and a gun salute will be held at the South Jetty provided by VFW Medal of Honor Post No. 3440 of Bandon. Donations of flowers are
Handle on mosquito situation
By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
Photo by Amy Moss Strong
Sworn to serve Bandon Police Chief Bob Webb, right, swears in the department’s newest officer Derick Smith. Smith has been a reserve officer for 41⁄2 years and is a Bandon native. The hire finally brings the department back up to six officers, a full force, Webb said.
BANDON — A familiar face will be patrolling and protecting Bandon. Derick Smith, 25, was sworn in as Bandon’s newest officer on May 15. That same day, officer Steven Lombardo, who was hired last year, graduated from his 16-week Oregon Public Safety Academy Basic Police Class in Salem and is back on patrol in Bandon. “Bandon now is up to six officers, a full force, for the first time in quite
■ See Officer, A6