WEEKEND EDITION
Friday December 13 2019 www.currypilot.com
Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
Signs suggest growth
Whale watch
Economic forecast for 2020 Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
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bright economic forecast into 2020 for Curry and Coos counties is emerging from the Oregon Employment Department. The region’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate in October was 6.2%, continuing the historic low levels of the past several months. The employment department listed 8,536 employed Curry County workers in October and 411 unemployed. Department economist Sarah Cunningham said the jobless report is a key indicator of what’s ahead. The Pilot: Specifically, what are the “key indicators” the Oregon Employment Department uses to develop the Curry/Coos regional data about jobs and employment. Sarah Cunningham: We use the monthly Local Area Unemployment Statistics, which provide an estimate of the unemployment rate, and the Current Employment Statistics, which estimate how many jobs
Visitors flock to the Pacific coast each winter to see the whales’ migration. Photos courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
Winter migration
attracting coastal visitors
More Growth on Page A4
High-speed chase ends in crash, arrest
Jacob Hansen. Photo courtesy Curry County Sheriff’s Office.
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Staff Report
Brookings man faces multiple criminal charges after a high-speed chase and crash in the Harbor area. According to the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, the chase began shortly after 11 a.m. last Saturday when a deputy observed a dark-colored Subaru traveling on U.S. Highway 101 near Museum Road south of Harbor. The vehicle was traveling over the speed limit and also had failed to dim its lights to oncoming traffic, said officials. The sheriff’s office said that as the deputy turned on his vehicle’s emergency lights and siren, the Subaru accelerated. The deputy gave chase and notified the dispatcher that the vehicle was traveling at more than 100 mph into Harbor when the deputy lost sight of it. Another sheriff’s deputy saw the Subaru speeding by as it passed him near Court Street in Harbor.
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The sheriff’s office said the fleeing vehicle tried to turn right onto South Bank Chetco Road when the driver lost control, hit a curb and rolled the car. The Brookings Fire Department and Cal-Ore Life Flight responded. Two female passengers in the fleeing vehicle - Fallon Melsha, 21, and Jordan Alkrie, 20 - both of Brookings, were transported to Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City for injuries they received during the crash. The two were released from the hospital that evening, said officials. A male passenger, Christopher Phillips, 24, of Brookings, complained of pain but left the scene of the crash in a taxi. The driver of the vehicle - Jacob Hansen,30, of Brookings - was transported to Curry General Hospital. After receiving a medical clearance, deputies arrested Hansen and took him to the Curry County Jail. Hansen was held on charges of reckless driving, attempting to elude, reckless endangering, and driving under the influence of intoxicants. According to officials, Hansen admitted to the deputies that the reason he tried to get away from them was because he had been drinking and that his Oregon driver’s license was suspended. The Oregon State Police responded to assist in the investigation. All information about the incident has been sent to the Curry County District Attorney for prosecution.
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Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
housands of gray whales will be making their annual migration south along the Oregon and California coasts this month, promising to attract plenty of visitors. An estimated 25,000 gray whales are expected to swim past the shores over the next several weeks, part of their annual migration south to the warm calving lagoons near Baja, Mexico. The end of December is the peak time for their migration, with roughly 30 whales passing by per hour. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department highlights the migration through its annual Winter Whale Watching Week, Dec. 27-31. A gray whale Trained volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here program will be stationed from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. each day at more than 20 of the best whale-watching sites along the coast, ready to help visitors spot whales and to answer questions about the animals. (View the site map at currypilot.com.) Oregon Parks and Recreation Ranger Luke Parsons gives some insight into the whales’ migration: The Pilot: What is it about the whales that attracts people to the Oregon coast? Luke Parsons: Seeing a whale is usually a pretty unforgettable experience. Most people remember exactly
rises out of the ocean. where they were the first time they spotted a whale. I’m not sure exactly why we have such a fascination with them, but many people are just awestruck by their immense size. And once you start to learn about their behaviors and intelligence, you just really start to appreciate how amazing these animals really are. In other parts of the world, to go whale watching, many times you have to venture out in a boat for many miles. Here along the Oregon coast, you can go to almost any More Whale on Page A5
A Crash Course ...
Special tax districts
Part One
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Linda Pinkham Staff Writer
eats quickly filled to capacity when Curry County commissioners invited the public to an informational meeting about special tax districts, held at the Brookings Elks Lodge on Monday. Local officials said they’re frustrated by a scarcity of funds to run the county, and that special tax districts have felt “adversarial” scrutiny regarding the amount of property taxes that go everywhere except county government - but still run desired, even More Tax on Page A4
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Residents and board members showed up in force for a meeting about special tax districts called by Curry County Commissioner Christopher Paasch. Photo by Linda Pinkham.
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