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AN EDITION OF
Bandon
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Thursday, August 22, 2013 Serving the Bandon community since 1912
WESTERN WORLD theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Practice begins:
New business:
Inside this edition:
Tigers start fall drills ; see Sports, page B1.
Heat Pump Store opens, see page B4 for more photos
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4
Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2
City Council: Mosquitoes must go By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — It happened in 2007 in the Coos Bay area of Englewood: People couldn’t leave their homes, walk their pets or tend to their gardens. They had to dash madly from their homes to their cars. It was described by some as a plague. Now it’s happening in Bandon. Homeowners adjacent to the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge are inundated and unable to carry on normal activities. According to some residents, there have been trips to the local emergency room by people allergic to the bites. However, the Coos County Health Department has yet to issue any kind of health warning. The mosquitoes have caused campers to leave Bullards Beach State Park and golfers to run for cover at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. That all has to change, and soon, according to the
Bandon City Council. The council held a special meeting Monday afternoon, attended by more than 50 angry residents demanding something be done. City Manager Matt Winkel had already drafted a strongly worded resolution asking for immediate action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the council allowed the crowd to vent. Roger Straus, who lives across from the Bandon Marsh, told councilors he their resolution needed to be stronger and that the city should take immediate action. “Why has the city not cited the refuge?” Straus asked, referring to the city’s municipal code on nuisances that could affect public health. “Based on my reading, the city is empowered to cite the marsh and it’s clear as to what will happen: The respondent is required to do something.”
Judge clears the way for Crum trial to proceed
DeFazio demands action on mosquito problem BANDON — U.S.Rep.Peter DeFazio,D-Ore., is pushing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to immediately act to eradicate an onslaught of mosquitoes in and around the Bandon area. In a recent letter, DeFazio asked USFWS to provide a range of options that will repress the mosquito swarms and provide relief for area residents, visitors, and the local economy. “I first asked Fish and Wildlife Services about the mosquito swarms around Bandon in May — they told me they were looking into the
■ See DeFazio, A7
■ See Mosquito, A7
Historic moment for Ni-les’tun Unit
By Tim Novotny Bandon Western World
COQUILLE — The judge presiding over an omnibus hearing in a Coos County courtroom on Monday made sure everyone was on the same page regarding the trial of Charles Crum. “The question is, did your client menace anybody?” said Judge Michael Gillespie to Crum’s public defender during the court proceedings. That statement defines the focus of a case that became complicated at the start. Crum, 52, of Bandon, was shot by authorities and arrested on Christmas Day of 2012. He had allegedly brandished a weapon at four law enforcement officers who were responding to a 911 call. Court documents indicate that Crum had been the one to make the call for an ambulance. Police were called, according to the prosecution, because of an outstanding warrant that Crum had for failing to appear in court on another matter. That is one bit of information that Gillespie ruled would be allowed for the trial, even while limiting the scope of the defendant’s prior history that could be allowed as evidence. It was one of several pre-trial motions the judge ruled on, setting the stage for the two-day trial set to start on Thursday, Aug. 29. Crum took the stand at one point during the hearing, testifying on a defense motion to have his Dec. 26 interview with detectives left out of the trial. After initially refusing to talk with police on Christmas Day, and after being treated for his wounds, Crum did speak the next day with Detectives John Riddle and Jon Bohanan at Coquille Valley Hospital. On the stand, Crum said he was in pain and confused. “Basically, I was traumatized; I still am,” he testified. “I cannot recall everything that happened that evening. I don’t know if I blocked it out or whatever.” His attorney, Ron Cox, argued that what mattered was that Crum had invoked his right to remain silent on Dec. 25 and not enough time had elapsed before he agreed to the interview the following day. Gillespie, however, ruled that the state had met the conditions set under prior legal precedent to allow the interview to be used as evidence in the case. After the hearing, District Attorney Paul Frasier put the purpose of the trial
■ See Crum, A7
File photo by Steve McCasland
The Ni-les’tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was forever changed in 2011 with an expansion that allowed the tides to ebb and flow in what had been farm land for decades. Now residents are blaming that same area for a mosquito infestation this summer. Plans to study further expansion efforts were recently put on hold.
USFWS suspends study of proposed marsh expansion By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has suspended a study of the potential for expanding the boundary of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. “The service appreciates the support that was expressed from partners,
local residents and landowners, but due to limited resources it is necessary to suspend the planning process at this time,” said Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Project Leader Roy Lowe. Bandon Marsh Refuge Manager Dave Ledig said the action was not due to the current problem with mos-
quito populations that have been attributed largely to the expansion done on the Niles’tun Unit of the refuge two years ago. “It was unfortunate timing that this decision came at the same time because the mosquito issue did not impact the decision to suspend the study (of potential further expansion of the
marsh),” Ledig said. In 2011, the USFWS began the study as part of a longterm land planning process. Although the USFWS maintains its interest in the study, the decision has been made to suspend the study due to limited funding and resources. Consequently, a
■ See Marsh, A7
Traffic stop nets 3 on burglary, drug charges Bandon Western World
BANDON — Three Bandon residents were arrested as a result of a burglary investigation that began earlier this month. Following a traffic stop by Bandon police off state Highway 42S on Monday, Aug. 12, deputies arrested 40-year-old Coy D. Smith and Kayla M. Colgrove, 21, on charges of first-degree theft.
A third passenger, Dayleen R. Austin, was arrested on a charge of probation violation. Deputies located drug paraphernalia, marijuana and a small quantity of crystal methamphetamine inside the vehicle. According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began the morning of Aug. 5, when deputies responded to a reported burglary of a tool shed in the 50000 block of U.S.
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Highway 101. Information gathered at the scene led to the identification of Smith and Colgrove as suspects. Bandon police initiated the traffic stop as a part of an attempt to locate the suspects. The three were taken to the Coos County jail, where Smith and Colgrove were booked and released. Austin is currently being held on the probation violation.
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