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Ridge at Topits Park chosen as library site By JULIE AKINS For The World
And the winner for new location of the Coos Bay Public Library is the “Ridge” location at John Topits Park near the Old Armory. At least that’s the recommendation by the city council appointed library steering committee as of Thursday morning. Issues around parking and consideration of a bus stop will
be part of the discussion according to the architectural firm chosen for the project, Hacker Architectural Group. The committee met at 9 in the morning following an informational meeting on Monday exploring options for the library which closed and is undergoing a move. The downtown library first discovered leaks in 2014 and the foundation is crumbling ac-
cording to a structural assessment conducted that same year. The cost to repair the building has been deemed as too much. The cost to build a new library is estimated at roughly $22 million. Despite the council’s vote to move the library, there’s still a group who wishes for the library to remain downtown. Parks Commissioner Bev Myers urged her fellow commis-
sioners to leave the library in the downtown area on Monday. “We need to rebuild the downtown building for a proper two to three story library and fix parking,” she said. City Councilor Carmen Matthews who serves as liaison to the commission agreed with Myers but described staying downtown as impossible. “There is nowhere downtown which accommodates the
Tsunami Inundation Zone. We all wanted it downtown too, but we can’t do it,” Matthews said. So after consideration of several possible locations for the 31,500-square-foot building, the steering committee decided on the Ridge location due to its less intrusive presence on a nearby park, its easier accessibility and parking and its location above the Tsunami zone.
Tsunami threat passes with little impact Omicron
pushes COVID to record numbers
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
An underground volcano that erupted near Congo caused concern along the Oregon and California coasts Saturday morning. The volcanic eruption Friday night caused significant damage from tsunamis and ash in Congo, but it sent waves more than 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. Around 7 a.m., notices from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Curry County Sheriff’s Office and the National Weather Service warned of tsunamis along the Pacific Northwest. The waves were expected to reach Northern California shortly after 7 a.m., parts of Curry County by 7:30 and the Charleston and Bandon areas in Coos County shortly after 8 a.m. The warnings urged those in low-lying areas near the coast to be cautious and to evacuate to Please see Tsunami, Page A11
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World
Sea lions resting in front of Simpson Reef brace for waves pounding the coast Saturday morning. A volcanic eruption more than 5,000 miles away led to a tsunami warning and heavy waves in the region.
File photo
Congressman Peter DeFazio will not run for re-election in the Fourth Congressional District. The Democrat congressman recently endorsed Val Hoyle.
Field vying for DeFazio’s seat takes shape By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
The field vying for Congressman Peter DeFazio’s congressional seat is beginning to take shape. After DeFazio announced he would not be seeking another term, many expected a free-for-all as numerous candidates announced. But to date just five had, and last week one got a big boost. As of Friday, three Democrats have announced they are running. Val Hoyle, the Oregon commissioner of labor and industries, announced she was running the same day DeFazio announced he would not seek re-election. Hoyle is a former Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing
District 14 from 2009 to 2017. She ran for secretary of state, losing in the Democrat primary, before winning election as labor commissioner in 2018. Andrew Kalloch, an attorney who used to represent to the ACLU of New York, also announced he is running in the Democrat primary. Kalloch has also worked for the New York City comptroller and Airbnb. Zachary Mulholland has also announced he intends to run in the Democrat primary. On the Republican side, only Alek Skarlatos has announced a bid. Unlike the Democrat challengers, Skarlatos announced before DeFazio made his intentions known. Skarlotos is most known for being part of a group that stopped a gunman traveling
on a train to Paris. Skarlatos, a member of the National Guard at the time, was awarded the U.S. Army’s Soldier Medal from President Barack Obama. He won the Republican nomination n 2020 before losing to DeFazio. A fifth candidate - Dr. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh - announced he is running last week. Al-Abdrabbuh did not say what party he is running for, but he previously ran for election to the state house as a member of the Progressive Party. After saying he would not endorse before the primary election, DeFazio changed his mind last week, announcing Thursday he was throwing his support behind Hoyle. “I’ve thought a lot about the
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race to succeed me in the 4th Congressional District. We need someone who has progressive values and a proven track record of results. We need someone with deep roots in this district, who knows this district and has put in the work for our communities,” said DeFazio. “We also need someone who has proven that they can win tough races – tough races for the state house, and a tough race statewide. This district is already heavily targeted by the Republicans for takeover. It’s a little better than the district I ran in last time, but it is no slam dunk for a Democrat. We need a candidate who can hold this seat in November. That’s why I’m strongly endorsing Val Hoyle as the candidate in the 4th Congressional District.”
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As the Omicron variant surges through Coos County, case counts have already topped even the highest counts at any other time in the pandemic. As of Thursday, the county reported 1,198 active cases, easily the highest at any point in the pandemic. The good news is the lighter symptoms seemed to be keeping people safe, with just 10 people in the hospital and one new death in the last week. “As a community, we really need to focus on taking care of ourselves,” said Dr. Eric Gleason, assistant director of Coos Health and Wellness. “If you are sick at this point, just assume it’s probably COVID and reach out to those you’ve been around. We need to focus on the more at-risk population. Don’t go to the hospital unless you absolutely need help. If you have a positive test, you don’t need to go to the hospital.” Gleason said with the record number of cases, anyone who is sick, with any symptoms, should assume it’s COVID unless a test proves differently. Gleason said Omicron is a game changer because of the milder symptoms and because it is presenting differently in different people. Reported symptoms cover everything normally seen in a cold or flu, so Gleason said even the mildest symptom could be a sign of COVID. “Omicron has become a game-changer,” he said. “If you go outside, you’re probably going to end up with COVID. At this point, these preventative measures are keeping you from being hospitalized and possibly death. By doing these basic things we learned in kindergarten, we can get through this. “I’m concerned with anybody who walks through the front door. This thing is so contagious. It hits hard and fast.” Omicron’s level of transmission has made even the fully vaccinated and those who use all precautions at risk for getting COVID, but Gleason said those who are following the preventative measures are still at far greater risk. With the numbers soaring, Gleason said it may be hard to Please see COVID, Page A11
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