WEEKEND EDITION
Gator Nation to Rock Brookings P B1 see
age
Saturday August 24, 2019
www.currypilot.com
Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
Fire chief quits under pressure the district. In court documents reviewed by The Pilot, Larson stated in a letter addressed to the Harbor rural fire district’s board chairman, Sam Alaimo: “The current makeup of the HRFPD Board, with its two new board members, has unfairly
Pilot Staff
R
obert Larson has submitted his resignation as Harbor Rural Fire Protection District chief effective Aug. 31. At the same time, Larson reportedly has filed an intent to sue
undermined my authority and my effectiveness to do my job as Harbor Fire Chief. At this time, I believe that the health and safety of the Harbor Fire District’s residents is at risk. Therefore, I am tendering my resignation effective August 31, 2019.” Larson’s resignation follows on
the heels of a petition submitted earlier this month to the district board, signed by all but one of the active volunteer firefighters, which indicated no confidence in his ability as chief. That petition was presented prior to the fire district’s Aug. 14 board meeting.
The board is scheduled to meet again at 7 p.m. Sept. 11. The Pilot requested a statement from the Harbor fire board regarding Larson’s resignation and his pending lawsuit. No response had been received as of press time.
LOCAL ROASTERS
The latest from a trio of coffee purveyors
Linda Pinkham Staff Writer offee is an essential part of the morning routine for most people - but what do you really know about your morning brew? The Pilot visited with three local coffee roasters to find out what they do, how they do it, and where to get the freshest locally roasted coffee around.
C
Chetco Coffee Chetco Coffee in Brookings began as an experiment in July 2013 when Todd Pearson wanted to try roasting his own coffee beans. He put together a roaster he made out of a steel pot, spoons he used for blades, and a small motor to power those blades. Then he created a stand for his heat gun, which added the heat necessary to roast the beans while they turned. Pearson successfully roasted about one pound of beans at a time. He was so excited, he told his coworkers and friends about it, and soon was roasting coffee to share with them. “In August 2013, we decided to make our little coffee roasting experiment a business, since word of mouth was keeping Todd very busy,” said co-owner Kathleen Pearson. Not long after, demand was getting to be more than Todd Pearson could manage by using his one-pound bean-roasting method. So he constructed a rotisseriestyle roasting method using a barbecue and a steel perforated drum that rotated over the heat, again propelled by a small motor. This method served him for several years, although he now has an official hot-air coffee roaster. Pearson roasts in small, 3-pound batches to maintain consistent quality, on average roasting about 50 pounds of coffee a week. “We typically roast to order, which means our coffee More Coffee on Page A3
(Main Photo) After roasting, the coffee beans are dumped into a bin where a powerful fan cools the beans at Nectar of Life Coffee. (Upper Right) Norris Harper, Jr. talks coffee with a customer at the Crescent City Downtown Farmers Market. (Lower Right) Martin Jennings checks the settings on Nectar of Life’s custommade coffee roaster. It uses a forced-air system to regulate temperatures and separate the chaff and soot from the roasted beans. Photo courtesy Nectar of Life.
Gold Beach football is back … barely Randy Robbins For The Pilot old Beach High School’s head football coach was in a good mood Thursday. For the last two months, Kevin Swift hadn’t had much to smile about. The number of athletes who had said they’d come out for the varsity team had dwindled from 20 in May to just five by July. It appeared the Panthers would not be able to field a football team for the first time in school history.
G
During a practice session, Gold Beach High School head coach Kevin Swift challenges his team to strive to be their best. Photo by Randy Robbins.
Index
Classifieds.................B4-8 Comics......................B4 Crosswords...............B4 Obituaries.................A5
Weather HIGH LOW
Past four days
Tues 69 53
5-day forecast: Page B2
Wed 66 56
Thurs 82 59
Fri 72 55
Then, when all seemed lost, things got much better. Swift had spent a week ringing up Division 1A high schools in a last-ditch effort to arrange for six games of eightman football. But that was an exercise in futility, which resulted in one lone game. Everyone had booked their opponents long ago. Then, smiled Swift, “A miracle happened.” One by one, the Gold Beach players who earlier had expressed interest all said they’d come back. “I want to thank The Pilot
Tides Sun HIGH 2:05 AM LOW 8:47 AM HIGH 2:26 PM LOW 7:38 PM
Call us 541-469-3123
Mon Tues 3:06 AM 4:00 AM 9:49 AM 10:39 AM 2 :38 PM 3:41 PM 8:41 PM 9:40 PM
Fax 541-469-4679
for bringing awareness to our plight,” Swift said. “I think it helped.” He said the timing of a front-page story that appeared in the region’s newspaper seemed to motivate the town and the students. “I said to (the students), ‘Do you want to be the first class not to have football here?’” Swift’s challenge resonated. Ultimately, 22 players showed up to play. Addressing them in the high school’s weight room, the long-time coach didn’t cut them any slack. “Where’s my win-
less baseball players?” asked Swift, who doubles as the school’s athletic director. A few hesitant hands went up. “Do you know WHY you were winless? It’s because you don’t have enough muscle to throw the ball from third base to first base without the ball bouncing off the infield once!” His assistant coaches chuckled, along with a sheepish grin or two from the More Football on Page A3
Sunrise/Sunset RISE SET
Sun 6:36 8:01
Online www.currypilot.com
Mon 6:37 8:00
Tues 6:38 7:589
Wed 6:39 7:56
$1.50