WEEKEND EDITION
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The Arc of Curry County
Saturday October 12 2019
www.currypilot.com
Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
Curry amnesty program ignites response
need for
FLU SHOT
seems to never go away
David Hayes Staff Writer
H
ealth experts agree that when it comes to monitoring the annual influenza season, the only common denominator is how unpredictable it is.
The timing, severity and length of the season varies each year. Seasonal flu activity often begins as early as October,
W
Linda Pinkham Staff Writer
hen Curry County issued a press release on Oct. 8 about an amnesty program for unpermitted structures, it was overwhelmed with an avalanche of responses, prompting officials to assign a dedicated phone number to answer questions from the public and to process amnesty applications. “It’s going crazy,” Community Development Director Julie Schmelzer said when The Pilot called to ask questions about who should worry about obtaining amnesty. The recent buzz of activity came about after the Curry County Board of Commissioners approved an amnesty program at its meeting Oct. 2 to encourage people to voluntarily come to the county to obtain the necessary planning
usually peaks between December and February, and can last as late as May. Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitors the severity of the influenza season based upon three indicators: • The percentage of visits to outpatient clinics for influenza-like illness (ILI) • The rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations • The percentage of deaths resulting from influenza or pneumonia. More Flu Shot on Page A2
More Amnesty on Page A5
Meteor showers may light up Halloween sky Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
Y
ou might soon see your neighbor laying down outside and looking up at the night sky. Astronomers say that is one way to get a good view of meteor showers flying overhead. “The Southern Taurid meteor showers are just getting started,” American Meteor Society spokesman Robert Lunsford told The Pilot from his home in San Diego. “The Southern Taurids are unusual in that they have three shallow peaks that occur near Oct. 10, Oct 31 and Nov. 15. The peak, near Oct. 31, will not have any interfering moonlight and
will be the best of all three this year.” Lunsford said that under perfect conditions you might see five to 10 Taurids per hour. Under moonlight conditions, it will be fewer than five. “These meteors are notable because they tend to be bright and often fragment during flight,” he said. “While most meteors tend to last less than one second, the Taurids are slower and often last several seconds in flight.” According to Lunsford, the Southern Taurids can be seen all night, but the radiant - the area where these meteors shoot from - is best placed highest in the sky near 2 a.m. no matter what the time zone. Besides lying down to
view the meteor showers, Lunsford said the best area to view them is at higher altitudes where the sky is more transparent. “The more stars one can see, the more meteors will also be seen,” he said. “This is also true when the moon is out. “Getting away from city lights also helps one see fainter meteors.” Meteor showers are caused by comets and asteroids that happen to cross or pass very near the Earth’s orbit. They leave behind tiny fragments of ice and rock that we see as meteors when the Earth intersects these fragments. Lunsford said as the Earth orbits the sun, it encoun-
More Meteor on Page A6
This is a view of the 2015 Taurids Meteor shower. Photo courtesy Wade Earle.
California-style blackouts unlikely in Curry County W
hile hundreds of thousands of customers faced intentional power blackouts this week in California, a spokesman for Coos-Curry Electrical Cooperative said it is unlikely that such disruptions would take place in this region. Jacob Knudsen, marketing and member services manager at Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, (CCEU) said the Pacific Gas and Electric blackouts are a reaction to fire danger in California. “Much of what is happening in California is due to deferred maintenance,” he said. “It is a pretty drastic move. The utilities have not been aggressive in maintaining the vegetation along the right-of-way in their electrical grid distribution system.”
A Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative crew works on regional power lines as part of what the utility calls its proactive maintenance. Courtesy photo.
Index
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Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
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According to California’s PG&E, the disruptions are a precaution, allowing crews to make sure the utility’s electrical equipment would not cause fires during the dry, windy and dangerous conditions. PG&E spokesman Tony Khing said there are six different factors as to why the utility would call a public safety shutoff. “No single factor drives a public safety power shutoff, as each situation is unique,” he said. “PG&E carefully reviews a combination of many criteria when determining if power should be turned off for safety.”Khing said the factors generally include, but are not limited to: • A red flag warning declared by the National Weather Service • Low humidity levels, generally 20% and below More Blackouts on Page A6
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