MIDWEEK EDITION
Wednesday September 11 2019
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Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
Officers chase RV through two states A
Staff Report
n Oregon man faces criminal charges after investigators said he led them on a two-state, highspeed pursuit that began near Port Orford and ended in Crescent City. According to the Oregon State Police, the incident began about 6:15 p.m. Sept. 5, along U.S. Highway 101 near Humbug State Park,
when law-enforcement officers encountered a woman apparently in distress. A male operating a motorhome left that scene traveling southbound as the female was being offered assistance. The motorhome later was seen on Highway 101 near Brookings, where officers attempted to stop it for a traffic violation. The large RV refused to yield and was
pursued as it fled further south along Highway 101 and into Del Norte County. California Highway Patrol and Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office personnel joined in the chase, but
reportedly fell back because of the RV driver’s reckless driving. Sgt. Edward Wilson, Crescent City’s acting chief of police, said a spike strip was deployed Danniel John Anderson. within
the city limits that slowed the vehicle somewhat. A Crescent City police officer subsequently attempted to force the RV to the side of the road, then continued the pursuit. Meanwhile, another officer raced ahead to warn motorists that a dangerous pursuit was coming. “One driver was unable to pull away, and the suspect ended up ramming a Tesla from
behind,” Wilson said. “The victim was not injured and the car suffered mild to moderate damage.” The suspect, later described as Danniel John Anderson, 37, of Woodburn, drove down 9th Street in Crescent City to Pebble Beach, then on 5th Street to a dead end, where he More Chase on Page A3
Who we are
Fishing out of Brookings Harbor means knowing the ‘port sampler’ Linda Pinkham Staff Writer Editor’s Note: This is The Pilot’s first in a series of “Who We Are” profiles, periodic special reports about the interesting people in our community and the difference they make.
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nyone who launches or moors a fishing boat at Brookings Harbor knows Trinity Sylvester - or will know her soon. Sylvester is a “port sampler” for the Ocean Sampling Project of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), which is based in Newport. What kind of job is a port sampler? You count fish. Throughout the day, Sylvester greets every boat she sees in the harbor, then asks everyone aboard a series of questions: “How many people were fishing?” Sylvester asks. “What time did you leave?” “Did you catch anything?” “Anything of color?” “Did you release any fish?” “How deep were you fishing?” “What area were you fishing in?” “Were you fish-
ing above or below Whaleshead?” She also notes whether the boat is a charter or private craft. Then, at the end of the day, Sylvester watches surveillance videos and counts the number of boats that crossed in and out of Brookings Harbor, so she can calculate the total number of boat trips. The average number of boat trips per day this season has been 60, she said, but in years past it was more than 100. She attributed the lower numbers to lots of wind and a lower-than-expected salmon count this season. “The lack of salmon has created more pressure on bottom fishing,” Sylvester said. All of the information she collects is averaged to estimate the total numbers and weights of the daily catches of each species, for each region. On a recent sunny afternoon, The Pilot followed Sylvester around to see her in action, checking out the day’s catches in a variety of buckets and ice chests. Hers is quite a task. More Port Sampler on Page A3
Fisheries meetings planned on the coast
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he Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is inviting the public to meetings Sept. 17 in Gold Beach and Sept. 18 in Port Orford to discuss the commercial black and blue rockfish and nearshore fisheries.
Geared primarily to commercial fishers with black and blue rockfish and nearshore permits, the agenda for the meetings will include: • Black rockfish management area elimination or modification
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Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
rganizers of the Coastal Christmas Light Parade said they are moving forward with the event following approval of a permit-fee waiver by the Brookings City Council. The action came during the council’s public session Monday night. Councilors waived their $62.50 permit fee, which organizers said would go towards purchasing cocoa, cookies, candy canes, and insurance required for the event. Parade organizers said that each year, the number of participants has increased and the subsequent Santa Party has grown more popular. They said they anticipate 200 people will be attracted to the downtown area for the holiday events this Christmas season.
The 2019 “Monarch Butterfly Festival” held Sept. 7 at Azalea Park in Brookings was well attended by butterflies in all stages of life, as well as by pets in costume, people who love butterflies and those wanting to learn more. Photo by Linda Pinkham.
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discussion (daily trip limits) • Harvest outlook from the 2019 cabezon stock assessment • Review of the 2019 season to date • Process and options for setting 2020 regulations
• Update on ODFW black rockfish habitat modeling • Input from industry and others interested in 2020 commercial nearshore fishery state management. The meetings will be held at
6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Reef Resort, 29362 Ellensburg and U.S. Highway 101 in Gold Beach; and the Port Orford Library, 1421 Oregon St. For more information, contact call 503-947-6000.
City Council gets in the holiday spirit
All smiles ...
Index
Charter boat captain Mike Brouillette answers Trinity Sylvester’s questions about the day’s catch. Photo by Linda Pinkham.
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This will be the sixth year the Coastal Christmas Elves have organized a downtown holiday light parade. The lineup for the parade begins Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at Azalea Middle School. The parade will wind down Oat Street to Railroad Street to Center Street, then into Oasis Park for a treelighting ceremony, Christmas caroling and Santa visits. In other business, the City Council authorized City Manager Janell Howard to execute an agreement with Ferguson Waterworks to purchase an automated meter reading system for $375,000. The purchase was budgeted in the city’s water fund and the Brookings Water System Replacement Fund. Over the past few years, the city and its budget committee have discussed converting to “smart” meters. The 201920 adopted budget includes funds to complete the first phase of that process.
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Howard said the funding includes radios to be used to read customers’ water meters, a complete drive-by package, and installation and training for the drive-by package. The city will not be replacing meters, only inserting the smart radio into current meters. “Once this phase is complete, we will be able to read all meters in approximately one hour, compared to two weeks,” Howard wrote in her council report. “With cost savings from a decrease in staffing of a half-time position, we estimate that it will be a 7- to 8-year return on investment. The radios are covered by a 15-year “bumper-to-bumper’ warranty.” Council members also received a More Council on Page A2
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