Curry Coastal Pilot Nov 20 2010 A section

Page 1

COATS FOR KIDS

Emblem Club collecting gear for local children • 1B

HEAD-ON COLLISION

Brookings woman in critical condition after car accident • 3A

FISHING TIPS

Bank fishing made easy for newbies • 7A

WEEKEND EDITION

Serving Curry County since 1946 SATURDAY, NOV. 20, 2010

BROOKINGS, OREGON • 3 SECTIONS, 32 PAGES

50 CENTS

Storm Shooter convicted of endangering others warning issued for today By Valliant Corley Pilot staff writer

GOLD BEACH — A 74year-old man, who told the judge “I’ve been packing a gun since I was 12,” was convicted Thursday of recklessly endangering another for shooting targets and scaring neighbors across the Winchuck River.

tion, and from the reporting person’s home on the north side of the Winchuck River Road saw an older man, later identified as Torrance, pointing a handgun in the direction of the reporting person’s property. “Torrance was on his property located on the south side of the Winchuck River on State Line Road,”

Sheriff John Bishop said. Deputies contacted Torrance, detained him and seized the handgun he had in his possession. He appeared in Curry County Circuit Court on Thursday without his lawyer, who Torrance said had been delaying his court appearances against his wishes.

WAITING FOR HARRY

By Kelley Atherton Wescom News Service The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a winter storm warning for the interior of eastern Curry and Del Norte counties for today (Nov. 20). Snow was reported at Hayes Hills as of 10 a.m. Friday night. Several inches of snow are possible as low as 1,500 feet, while 4 to 9 inches of snow are expected above 2,000 feet and up to 2 feet of snow is possible at the highest elevations, according to the NWS. Along the coast, showers are likely with possible small hail and thunderstorms today and into Sunday. This time of year leading into winter is when the area starts getting storms like the one expected today, said Treena Hartley, a meteorologist with the NWS. “It’s not unusual to get fronts this time of year,” she said, “but this one is colder and a little bit stronger.” Stretches of U.S. highways 199 and 101 could have snowfall. Rock slides are also possible, especially along Highway 199. The NWS recommends calling the California Department of Transportation at 1800-427-7623 for road conditions and chain requirements before traveling. Motorists are encouraged to check the Oregon Department of Transportation’s website, tripcheck.com, for road conditions and chain requirements. Chains are required when snow is possible at Hayes Hill Summit (elevation 1,640 feet) on Highway 199 between the Oregon border and Grants Pass. Since significant snowfall can make travel dangerous, the NWS advises drivers to carry an extra flashlight, food and water in the vehicle in case of emergency. The storm warning will be in effect from 6 a.m. today to 8 a.m. Sunday. The heaviest precipitation will start midmorning through tonight. This early storm isn’t an indication that winter will be worse than normal, Hartley said. The seasonal forecast was already predicting a colder than normal winter, she said. Storms vary in how they form coming across the Pacific Ocean, Hartley said, adding that she “wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple more of these (storms).” On the bright side, there could be decent weather in store for Thanksgiving, Hartley said.

Gerald David Torrance was arrested on Aug. 27 and charged with recklessly endangering and pointing a firearm after a woman reported he was shooting across the river toward her property in her direction. Sheriff’s deputies received the report about 1:24 p.m., Sheriff John Bishop said. They then went to the loca-

“I’m through with him,” Torrance said. He said he wished to accept a plea bargain that had been offered to his lawyer by Deputy District Attorney Bob Meyer for Torrance to plead no contest to the recklessly endangering charge, with the second charge dismissed. See Shooting, Page 2A

Video at school raises eyebrows By Arwyn Rice Pilot staff writer

The Pilot/Jef Hatch

Excited Harry Potter fans line up outside Brookings Redwood Theater for the midnight showing.

Latest Harry Potter film draws midnight crowd By Jef Hatch Pilot staff writer Waiting patiently in line since 5:30 p.m., Brookings-Harbor High students Ronnie Manley and Justin Goodwin were the first of over 50 people who were standing outside the Redwood theater before it opened at 11 p.m. Thursday night. With the temperature dipping into the low 40s through the evening, waiting for Redwood Theater to allow patrons in for the premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows —

Part 1” couldn’t have been comfortable, but Manley and Goodwin stuck it out to get perfect seats for the nearly sold out show. With 220 total seats, being at the theater early was the difference between getting stuck in the front row or getting a prime “double seat” on the back two rows. The house was packed with fans of all ages with the majority being highschool aged. The youngest fan was eight and the youngest-at-heart fan 75. Loreen Smallwood, 75, is an avid

fan of the series and has been to see all of the midnight premieres of the Harry Potter films that have been shown at Redwood. “I actually have to drag her (pointing to her daughter Stacie) to these things,” Smallwood said. “I really love the Harry Potter movies.” The youngest fan, Kaidan Murray, was brought to the theater by his mother to enjoy the premiere. Groups of friends were the norm as people came in large groups to watch the show. See Movie, Page 2A

Volunteers sought today for lighting of Azalea Park By Charles Kocher Pilot staff writer Though volunteers last weekend nearly completed the job, there’s still some work to be done in preparing Nature’s Coastal Holiday for next week’s opening. Organizers estimate that just a few hours of effort are left for a final work party scheduled for 9 a.m. today (Nov. 20) at Azalea Park. The work will go on, rain or shine, and is organized

by the Rotary Club of Brookings-Harbor, one of the co-sponsors of the 14th annual lights display in the park. An estimated 300,000 lights are in the display, many in unique sculptures of animals, fish and insects that are a hallmark of Nature’s Coastal Holiday. Chair Don Tilton said this week he was overwhelmed by all the help coming from the community to get the show up and running again this year. See Lights, Page 3A

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The Pilot/ Charles Kocher

Volunteer Joe Donohue prepares to hang a string of lighted garlands on the shrubs at Azalea Park.

Weather Nov. 17 Nov. 18 Nov. 19 Normal

High 55 52 50 57

Low 41 44 42 44

When sixth grade social studies teacher Nancy Chew prepared her lesson plan on types of government, she turned to the website www.neok12.com, which collects educational videos for classroom use. However, when word spread into the community about what video she chose to show students, the Brookings-Harbor School Board got an earful from several citizens — and Chew learned a valuable lesson in checking her sources. The 10-minute video she chose, “A brief overview of all types of governments,” turned out to be a John Birch Society production, with the attribution edited out. The John Birch Society is a controversial ultra-conservative group founded in 1958. “There’s no way I could have known who produced that,” Chew said. “In hindsight, there should have been more research on my part.” Chew will use the experience as a teaching moment about the reliability of materials found on the Internet, she said. “You cannot believe everything you read, everything you see,” she said. The class completed a section on how to identify bias in materials earlier in the year, she said. The new lesson will include another discussion of bias, as well as a lesson in knowing your sources, she said. The video uses a scale of government types by degree of government control, and mixes government and economic systems. At one point, the video claims democracy is not a workable form of government. Four individuals brought the video to the attention of the Brookings-Harbor School Board Wednesday night, objecting to the video’s content. See Video, Page 3A

Sunrise/Sunset Rain 0.06 0.67 0.17

Hi wind 26 29 19

Precipitation totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inches Since Jan. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57.38 Normal since Jan. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57.22 Since Oct. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9,89 Normal since Oct. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11.53

Nov. 20 Nov. 21 Nov. 22 Nov. 23

A.M. . . . . . . . . . . . .7:13 . . . . . . . . . . . .7:15 . . . . . . . . . . . .7:16 . . . . . . . . . . . .7:17

P.M. . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:52 . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:51 . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:51 . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:50

Forecast Lots of rain all weekend. See Page 3B for details. 24-hour weather: http://www.currypilot.com


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