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North Bend School District sends bond issue to voters By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
The North Bend School District is hoping the second time is the charm for a school bond. The school district board voted recently to ask voters to approve the bond after a vote in 2021 fell short. The board voted to send a smaller bond to voter which will not change
the current tax rate. Instead, the $22 million bond will continue the tax rate currently being charged to property owners. The board voted unanimously to send the bond issue to the voters. The $22.695 million bond issue would maintain the current rate of 88 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
If approved by voters, the following projects will be included in the bond issue: * $3 million to renovate a multipurpose room at North Bend High School into a performing arts space; * $4.8 million to expand and improve CTE programs including culinary, health care professions, metals and graphic arts; * $637,000 to install an eleva-
tor at Hillcrest Elementary; * $1.2 million for HVAC upgrades at all schools in the district; * $2.5 million for window replacements at all schools; * $3.7 million for roof replacement at North Bend Middle School; * $189,000 for intruder and ADA locks on all classrooms in all schools;
* $2 million for electrical upgrades; * $101,000 for card lock access controls on major exterior doors at all schools; and * $3 million for plumbing upgrades districtwide. The bond will be placed on the May ballot, giving voters in the North Bend School District a second chance in a year to vote on the issue.
Neighborhood Watch group trying to make a difference Omicron
surge shatters COVID case record
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Matt Wilbanks never wanted to be a watchdog for Coos Bay and North Bend, but when a friend called, he was eager to help. “One of my friends had a shop on Ocean Boulevard in the Empire District,” Wilbanks explained. “His shop equipment yard got broken into four times in a month.” The first time, thieves made off with $35,000 in tools and during a later break-in, they stole props from a boat. So when the friend called, Wilbanks agreed to help. Technically homeless, Wilbanks began parking at the shop at night with his dog to keep an eye on the place. “There’s a dichotomy of crimes going on here,” Wilbanks said. “There’s your disorderly conducts and there’s burglary crews. The last time, I actually interrupted them and got attacked.” That night, one of the robbers hit Wilbanks’ dog over the head before escaping. After thay incident, Wilbanks reached out to a group of friends and discussed starting a group to keep an eye on the area. “Shortly after that, we started the Neighborhood Watch,”
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World
Matt Wilbanks spends a lot of his time keeping an eye on Coos Bay as the founder and part of the Coos County Neighborhood Watch. Wilbanks said. “We want them to know we are watching. We just started out with a bunch of our friends. There are eight to 10, but we are hoping to expand.” The Neighborhood Watch
group has been in the news for a couple of reasons. First, they openly carry guns, part of the effort of being seen. Second, they are very open about what they do. Wilbanks started a
Facebook page, where the group regularly updates followers about what they saw the night before. Wilbanks said the page is Please see WATCH, Page A10
Courtesy photo from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s office
Gov. Kate Brown delivered her final State of State during an electronic address to the Oregon Legislature.
Future Ready Oregon: Brown delivers final State of the State
JEREMY C. RUARK The World
During a passionate electronic address to the Oregon Legislature, Gov. Kate Brown said her legislative priorities for the short February session include helping working families by expanding workforce opportunities, affordable housing and child care. Brown will leave office at the end of the year due to the state’s term limits. She has served as governor since February 2015. “I stand here today at a pivotal
moment for Oregon,” Brown said. “Since I took office seven years ago, the world has fundamentally changed. Oregon has undoubtedly faced some of the most challenging times in our state’s history. However, even with all we’ve lost, we can see a path forward.” During her final State of the State address Feb. 3, Brown said the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating, but Oregon’s economy is strong. “In my last year as governor, I view every day, every moment,
as one more opportunity to focus on the big and bold work we still have to do for Oregon’s working families,” she said. Brown outlined her $200 million Future Ready Oregon platform as a three-part effort dedicated to building a strong Oregon workforce by providing access to child care, “so that parents that work can go to work knowing that their kids are cared for,” she said. Brown said her plan will surge an immediate $92 million to programs currently working, such as
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Constructing Hope, which helps Oregonians get back on their feet with no-cost construction training and career advancement. Innovation will be boosted through flexible grants to community-based organizations and industries supporting technical and health care training, she said. Brown’s plan includes $100 million to expand child care access and an additional $400 million investment in affordable housing.
The Omicron variant did exactly what was expected, leaving a record number of cases in its wake in January. Coos Health and Wellness confirmed 3,147 COVID cases were confirmed in Coos County in January, easily eclipsing the old record of 1,190 last September. But despite the massive amount of cases, the county only reported six deaths, the lowest month in over a year. As of Thursday, there have been 9,718 COVID cases in Coos County since the pandemic began two years ago. There are 1,254 active cases and 16 people in the hospital. Two new deaths were reported in the last week, pushing the total since the pandemic began to 132. While the weekly numbers seem high, it is a slight decrease from the previous three weeks. But Dr. Eric Gleason said that is likely due to something other than Omicron waning. “I think the numbers going down is probably due to athome testing rather than the prevalence of COVID,” Gleason said. “It looks better than it probably is.” Gleason said when looking at how other areas fared with Omicron, the peak of the virus is expected in the next week or two, at which point cases should fall quickly. Where they will plateau at, though, is not known. “Ideally, we’re going to start seeing some relief naturally,” he said. “So that’s a good sign. Hospitalization, relative to cases, is lower. Deaths, relative to cases, are lower.” With the increase in at-home testing, Coos Health and Wellness urged those who test positive to report their test results to the state, but even if that isn’t done, they emphasized it is important to let those you have been close to know. “We’re grateful that they’re testing, we’re grateful that they’re staying home, but we just want the public to know the numbers we have might not be accurate,” said Becky Fairhurst, RN and COVID lead for Coos Health and Wellness. “If you test positive at home, quarantine and contact those you have been around in the previous 48 hours, especially in situations without masks,” Gleason added. While there has been many Please see COVID, Page A11
Please see OREGON, Page A10
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