Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
Coquille, Marshfield win Teams take Coos County titles, A9
CLOUDY 55 • 44 | TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022 | theworldlink.com |
Sheriff’s office seeks help in identifying robbery suspects By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help in identifying two men who committed an armed robbery on the outskirts of Bandon. According to Capt. Gabriel Fabrizio, the men went to a residence on Stock Still Lane On Tuesday, April 5. Around 8:20 p.m., a man who was described a being 6-0 and 200 pounds who was wearing a white hard hat, reflective vest and back mask approached the
owner of the home on Stock Still Lane. The home owner also reported seeing a second man dressed the same way. The second man was described as being much smaller. When the first man approached the homeowner, the two had a conversation at the front door. When the resident attempted to close the door, the suspect lifted up his shirt and pulled out a handgun. Fabrizio said the gun was likely a blue .45 auto. The suspect held the gun to the homeown-
er’s head and demanded cash. The resident complied and gave all the money he had. The suspect then took the home phone to prevent any phone calls and walked away. He was last seen getting into a vehicle, which headed west on Seven Devils Road. The Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the Bandon Police Department searched the area for the vehicle and the two men but were unable to find anything. Fabrizio said if anyone has any information that could help identify the two men involved, they are asked to call 541-396-2106.
Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World
Workers from Against the Grain Roofing work to replace the roof on Linda Talbert’s home in Coos Bay. An Army veteran, Talbert received the roof from Operation Rebuild Hope.
A new roof thanks to military service By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
When Linda Talbert joined the Army in 1972, she never imagined how it would impact her life decades later. In fact, Talbert joined the Army for the simplest reason imaginable. “To get away from home,” she said with a laugh. “That’s the truth.” For three years, Talbert served
as a clerk in the Army before getting out and beginning a venture that took her to Las Vegas and eventually in 2004, to Coos Bay. In 2004, she purchased a small home on North 14th Street and one of the first things she did was pay to put a 30-year roof on it. Since then, she has enjoyed her home, spending a lot of time outdoors gardening and with her dog, Precious. Several years ago, Talbert decided she wanted to enclose
her front and back porches, so she hired a local man to do the work. Using most of her savings, she paid up front and the man went to work, enclosing the back porch with walls and a roof. The same work was scheduled in the front yard, when problems began to arise. First, the back porch collapsed due to poor craftsmanship and later, the city of Coos Bay shut down the project because the man never received permits to do
work. When the porch collapsed and Talbert was forced to have the construction in the front removed, it damaged her roof more than she could have imagined. Three years ago, Talbert noticed when it rained water was leaking into her home. Over time, the leaks got worse. “It started to rain on the inside of here,” Talbert said, pointing to the front wall of her home. “It Please see NEW ROOF, Page A2
Merkley holds 500th town hall
By HILARY DORSEY Country Media
File photo
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley addresses a crowd during a town hall in Coos County. The senator recently held his 500th town hall since being elected.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley held his 500th town hall Tuesday, April 5, in a virtual town hall for Lincoln County. Topics included plastic pollution, fossil fuels and affordable housing. Merkley said it is estimated that we consume a credit card worth of plastic a week. Plastics are either burned, buried or put out to sea. He said we must tackle this issue from many angles. On the coast, people see plastic all the time. It is produced primarily from methane, Merkley added. “It has a massive impact on climate change through global warming,” Merkley said. The plastic industry is very strong and Merkley said he will keep at it. “The oil companies are making massive amounts of money,” Merkley said when the issue of fossil fuels came up. “The report for 2021 was the American oil companies make $209 billion in net profits.” Merkley said he is working in partnership with U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, among others, on The Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax, proposed by Whitehouse.
FIND THE LATEST NEWS AT THEWORLDLINK.COM THE WORLD • Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878 • A Country Media Newspaper • Copyright 2022 Follow us online:
The bill would cut a check for everyone in response to inflation and rising gas prices. The response to the high cost of fossil fuels is to end our addiction to fossil fuels, Merkley added. “The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the methane in the atmosphere continue to go up,” Merkley said. Merkley believes deploying renewable energy is the solution. An average solar panel produces about a quart of gasoline a day. “We have to make sure offshore wind is pursued in the context of dialogue with stakeholders but particularly the fishing community,” Merkley said. Housing was what made Merkley want to run for office. Middle class America cannot afford to buy a house right now. There is not a single town hall that he has held that has not addressed housing. A lot of housing on the coast is tied up with vacation homes. In closing comments, Merkley said the war in Ukraine is an absolute tragedy and Russia is now a dictatorship under President Vladimir Putin. “Let’s make our democracy work better,” Merkley said. CLASSIFIEDS A3 CALENDAR A12 OPINION A5
facebook.com/theworldnewspaper
$2
Coos Bay to wait on new taxi ordinance By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
After questions were raised about a proposed ordinance regulating vehicles for hire in Coos Bay, the city council chose to wait a little while before voting on an ordinance. The council was considering the ordinance that would allow companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city, but the former and current owners of Yellow Cab questioned whether the ordinance was strict enough to protect the community. Current Yellow Cab owner Jeremy Oliver told the council the parts of the ordinance related to drug and alcohol screenings as well as vehicle safety might not be strict enough. “The drug and alcohol policies with the proposed replacement is addressed only by a company simply creating a zero-tolerance policy for drivers while providing for hire services. Where is the enforcement? How does anyone know that any driver is impaired or not? “ Oliver then asked about vehicle safety requirements. “Vehicles are not addressed properly in the replacement ordinance,” Oliver said. “Vehicles in the existing ordinance require an annual safety inspection by a city approved facility. If we move to the proposed ordinance, how will the public know the vehicles being used by any vehicle for hire company is safe to transport the public?” Police Chief Chris Chapanar said sections of the ordinance related to both issues were changed or removed, in part because the city was not enforcing the current ordinance. He added that since vehicles have to be registered and insured, they would have to be safe to drive. Chapanar told the council the existing taxi ordinance was last updated in 2001. Since that time, the vehicle-for-hire industry has evolved greatly, with companies like Uber and Lyft moving in to the industry. “In an effort to keep up with modern times a new ordinance is being proposed,” Chapanar said. “This ordinance takes into consideration taxi cab businesses as well as some of the newer businesses such as Uber and defines them under the title “Vehicle for Hire.” There are insurance requirements to protect the owners and drivers, as well as the general public. “The ordinance requires a background check be done on all drivers to ensure the safety of the public at large. It requires a business license to operate within the city of Coos Bay and it regulates the number of vehicles one can store in a residential neighborhood.” The ordinance permits the city to conduct criminal background investigations on drivers, which includes searches going back seven years. The ordinance also allows no more than one vehicle to be parked or stored at a home in a residential area, and only one business license will be issued per address. “That’s to protect the residential neighborhoods where they don’t become a storage yard for vehicles for hire,” Chapanar said. Please see TAXI, Page A11
OBITUARIES A6, A10 COMICS A7 SPORTS A9
twitter.com/TheWorldLink
instagram.com/theworldlink