WEEKEND EDITION
Friday November 29 2019 www.currypilot.com
Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
BOMB CYCLONE
packs a punch
Staff report
T
he clean-up from Tuesday’s regional windstorm was underway Wednesday morning, as a path of destruction greeted local residents and visitors. There had been no reports of injuries following what forecasters called a “historic bomb cyclone weather system” that swept across Curry and Del Norte counties, and south into California.
First-responders and utility crews were kept busy will a flurry of service calls, while drivers and pedestrians dodged a number of downed trees, fallen electrical wires, and other storm debris in roadways and along sidewalks. Brookings police reported no blocked streets by Wednesday morning after city, county and state works crews removed debris. Motorists were warned that some outlying roadways might still be blocked by
downed trees. In Crescent City, Russell Kinikin, the Ace Hardware assistant manager, said that at about 1 p.m. Tuesday one of his lumber buildings lost about 7,000 square feet of roof from a 120,000-square-foot facility. Kinikin said the wind caused no damage to the main store nor to any merchandise or vehicles. Crescent City Ace Hardware was open for regular business on Wednesday. Crescent City Manager Eric
Wier said the storm kept emergency responders tied up throughout the day Tuesday and into the night. “The major issue with this storm was not major rain, but major wind creating a lot of unusual scenarios and power outages,” Wier said. Emergency calls put a significant demand on the city’s response resources, Wier said. He estimated that More Storm on Page A3 (Above) An entire tree and the turf surrounding it succumbed to the wind at Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City. Photo by Jessica Goddard. (Left) This business sign along Highway 101 in north Brookings was a victim of the strong winds. Photo by Jeremy C. Ruark. (Right) This Gold Beach Shell gas station’s sign was deemed unsafe, so Fourth Street was closed as a precaution. A large U-Haul truck was tied off to the sign, and may have kept it from falling overnight. Photo by Linda Pinkham.
Kids help to light up town B
Jeremy C. Ruark Pilot Editor
rookings-Harbor High School juniors have helped spread the spirit of the season by decorating portions of Backus Park and U.S. Highway 101. The students’ efforts came as the Nature’s Coastal Holiday Festival of Lights organizers were looking for assistance in decorating the city. “Decorating downtown is new for us this year,” spokesperson Leslie Wilkinson said. “We were a bit concerned that there just weren’t going to be enough hands. “Thanks to the efforts of two of our board members, Justin and Hanna Flores, the junior class of BrookingsHarbor High School helped string lights in Bankus Park and along the U.S. Highway 101 frontage area.” The students conducted the light stringing on Friday afternoon, Nov. 22. The Festival of Lights at Brookings Azalea Park is a month-long tradition that begins Friday. The event started in 1977 with 20,000 lights strung in the bushes along the park’s pathways. This holiday season, the festival is set to decorate with more than 2 million LED lights. The event is conducted each season by Nature’s Coastal Holiday. “We want to really put Azalea Park on the map and make it the best show ever,” said Nature’s Coastal Holiday secretary Susan Dunn. On Nov. 2, volunteers gathered in Azalea Park to string the lights in a “String the Joy” project. “There’s so much to do and the public is how it gets done,” Dunn said. The Festival of Lights is open from 5-9 p.m. Nov. 29Dec. 29 at 640 Old County More Town on Page A2
Washing dishes – watching bears D
baby. It’s fun to think of them as a family.” Vail said her neighbors regularly talk of bears amongst the trees, getting into trash cans. One of her neighbors down South Bank Road even set up a nightvision camera to keep an eye on the four-legged visitors. Peter Tira, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) public information officer, said black bears actually are quite active this
David Hayes Staff Writer
Index
Classifieds.................B3-6 Crosswords...............A4 Calendar...................B1 Comics.....................A4
More Bears on Page A3
Directed by Saturday, Dec 7 at 7PM Daniel Sedgwick Gold Beach - Curry Public Library
Smith River resident Donna Vail took this bear photos across the Smith River from her back deck with a Nikon camera equipped with a 300mm zoom lens.
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adding that the population is growing statewide. According to the CDFW, California’s black bear population has increased over the past 25 years. In 1982, the statewide bear population was estimated at 10,000 to 15,000. The California black bear population today is conservatively estimated at 30,000 to 40,000.
Wild Rivers Symphony presents
P264883lA1129
onna Vail was washing dishes in her Smith River home last Saturday when out the kitchen window she spotted a trio of bears. She and husband Larry have lived in Del Norte County for 10 years, the last three on the Smith River along South Bank Road. They’ve seen plenty of wildlife, from elk to eagles. But no bears. So Donna Vail ran to get her 300mm Nikon camera, then snapped some quick shots of the three bears. “It was early morning, about 9 a.m. The bears are usually out at night when we’re sleeping. We don’t normally see them in the daytime,” Vail said. “I captured this big papa standing there. I like to think the other two were mama and
time of year. “You’ve got to keep in mind that bears have a great sense of smell. They are always looking for food before they hibernate for the winter,” Tira said. “They do slow down and are far less active, but right now, they’re out fattening up on the landscape. So, you really need to be vigilant if you live in bear country.” Tira said black bears are very common in the northwest corner of California,
Thurs 47 32
Past four days
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Tues 48 37
Mon 52 38
5-day forecast, tides and complete weather: Page B1
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