AN EDITION OF
Bandon
Cranberry Festival 2013 See Special Section INSIDE
WESTERN WORLD theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Inside this edition:
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 Arts and Entertainment . . . A5
Serving the Bandon community since 1912
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . B4
Mosquito spraying is now up in the air By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — A plan to conduct aerial spraying and deposit larvecide in ponds of water to kill mosquitoes in and around the Bandon Marsh Wildlife Refuge may be on hold after a crowd of Bandon residents, including local cranberry growers, bee keepers and organic gardeners, pleaded with the Coos County Board of Commissioners to reconsider. The board was scheduled to meet Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. in the commissioner’s courtroom in a special
work session to discuss the issue after a lengthy meeting Monday night left them no time to do so. Whether or not commissioners reconsider, the spraying likely won’t happen this week as anticipated said Commissioner Melissa Cribbins. “I think we came out here tonight with an open mind,” Cribbins said after the meeting. “We haven’t signed the contract yet and the truth of the matter is that we’re here to try to help and if the people in Bandon don’t want this, there isn’t any benefit to doing it.” A standing-room-only crowd and an
Pool group purchases property in City Park
angry outburst Monday at The Barn prompted commissioners to move the meeting next door to the 246-seat Sprague Theater. A show of hands indicated about one-fourth of those in attendance were in favor of spraying, with the majority opposed. Commissioner John Sweet moderated the meeting. Many of the comments were variations of a theme over residents’ concerns about the chemicals chosen to combat the mosquitoes that have infested the areas near the Bandon Marsh this summer.
Coos County Public Health Department Director Dr. Nikki Zogg said Friday that the county had contracted with Vector Disease Control International. The cost will be about $28,156 for the larvecide MetaLarv and approximately $23,160 for the insecticide Dibrome. USFWS will handle all of the MetaLarv and part of the Dibrome cost. The contract allows the county to back out if it decides the chemicals are too harmful.
■ See Mosquitoes, A6
Cranberry Festival weekend promises ‘royal’ fun
Bandon Western World
BANDON — The Bandon Community Swimming Pool Development Corporation has purchased a 10-acre parcel of land adjacent to Bandon City Park, intended as the new site for the future Bandon Community Swimming Pool. The new location places the future swimming pool facility within walking distance of Bandon’s Senior Center, The Barn, Sprague Theater, public library, playground and athletic fields. “The property allows the BCSPDC the opportunity to aggressively apply for new grants while redesigning a smaller swimming pool facility, meeting the needs of the current Bandon community,” said the group’s president Dave Reed. Reed explained that a smaller pool will allow for efficient use and low operational costs, while the overall size of the property will allow for conservative long-range planning for a structured facility growth. The location of the property also is significant to the BCSPDC, as the parcel connects to the city of Bandon’s urban renewal district. That means urban renewal funds could possibly be
■ See Pool, A6
McLauchlin hearing continued Bandon Western World
COQUILLE — The former teacher Bandon students referred to as “Mr. M” will have a little longer to wait before he has his date in court to answer charges he sexually abused a former student. Charles Eugene McLauchlin Jr. was arrested in July on 25 counts of seconddegree sex abuse. He also is facing 10 counts of online sexual corruption of a child. The popular one-time cross county coach and long-time math and science teacher at Harbor Lights Middle School in Bandon was supposed to have a change of plea hearing Tuesday, but the hearing was continued until late next month. McLauchlin was released on bail after spending nine days in jail in late July and is now staying outside the area. McLauchlin’s next court appearance is set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at the Coos County courthouse in Coquille.
Photo by Amy Moss Strong
Work in progress Artist Vicki Affatati works on the Port of Bandon’s centennial mural on the side of the of the Old Town Marketplace. See the Cranberry Festival special section in this issue for more information about the port’s celebration this weekend.
Centennial, cranberries coincide By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — Bandon isn’t called the Cranberry Capital of Oregon on a whim: Cranberry sales represent a significant agricultural revenue source for Coos and Curry counties, outpaced only by forest products and seafood sales. Although sales fluctuate every year, the cranberry industry remains strong and residents are poised to celebrate the fall’s upcoming harvest this weekend, as they have every year since 1946. The festival is hosted by the Bandon Chamber of Commerce.
Many activities are planned and readers can discover all the details in a special pull-out section in this week’s Bandon Western World. The weekend activities include the Port of Bandon’s Centennial celebration Saturday at 3 p.m. at the former U.S. Coast Guard building. What readers might not know about cranberries: There are approximately 150 growers in Coos and Curry counties, with more than 2,700 acres growing berries, 1,700 in Coos County and 1,000 in Curry County. In all, the counties account for 99 percent of Oregon’s crop.
Farmers usually don’t begin the harvest until late September or early October and are done by Thanksgiving, except fresh berry growers, who harvest up to late December. Oregon ranks as the fourth largest cranberry producing state. Wisconsin is the largest cranberry producing state (57 percent), followed by Massachusetts (30 percent), New Jersey (7 percent), Oregon (5 percent) and Washington (2 percent). The temperate climate along the southern Oregon Coast affords a long growing season, giving the berries a
■ See Festival, A6
Southern Coos lab is absolutely ‘perfect’ Bandon Western World
BANDON — The lab at Southern Coos Hospital has received a perfect score on its biennial inspection by the State of Oregon Public Health Laboratory Compliance Division. It’s an honor few receive, and though Bandon’s hospital lab normally scores high, it is the first perfect review. “We are very, very pleased,” said Jay
Straley, medical laboratory scientist who manages the hospital laboratory. “Our team works hard to get everything right every day.” During the inspection, a medical laboratory scientist from the state agency comes to the lab and spends a day and a half going through paperwork, logs detailing maintenance and quality control tests and reviewing the calibration and accuracy of all the equipment in the lab.
Need to sell your vehicle?
“They make sure we are taking care of our instruments and reporting proper results,” Straley said. “They review every analyte, every component of a test. For instance, a comprehensive panel has 14 analytes so they check each one to assure the accuracy of the results we release to the health care provider.” In addition to the state on-site
WE CAN DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE OVER 71,000 TIMES!
Call Sandy Today! 541-347-2423 Ext. 21
■ See Lab, A6