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Woman killed after being hit in parking lot By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

A 20-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a car in a parking lot in downtown Coos Bay on Tuesday morning. According to Deputy Chief Chris Chapanar, Raven English died at the scene when she was hit by a car in the public parking lot on the southeast side of Commercial Avenue and North 3rd Street. Chapanar said police received a 9-1-1 call at 10:24 a.m. and arrived on scene within three minutes. English was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle that hit English stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. According to Chapanar, witnesses said English had been seen lying on the pavement in the parking lot shortly before the incident. A person in the area encouraged English

to move. Minutes later, the vehicle hit English, and the driver said they had not seen English on the ground and drove over her. A resident nearby talked to The World and said she heard a woman saying, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” shortly before police arrived. Chapanar said the driver was so traumatized she was transported by ambulance to Bay Area Hospital. English had been a client at Coos Bay’s Devereux Center, according to Executive Director Tara Johnson. She may have had severe mental health or substance abuse issues, Johnson said. The Coos County Crash Team was notified and representatives from the Oregon State Police, Coquille Police Department, Coos County District Attorney’s Office and the Coos County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to assist.

Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World

Coos Bay police gather together while investigating a fatal accident in a parking lot in downtown Coos Bay.

State officials urge waterway safety Soccer

organization says event was safe

JEREMY C. RUARK

jruark@countrymedia.net

April’s early summery weather attracted many who flocked to area waterways over the weekend. But the early jump on summer recreational activities has also prompted safety concerns from first responders and the Oregon Marine Board. In the following conversation, The World speaks with board representative Ashley Massey about how to best protect yourself, family and your friends as you head to the local waterways to enjoy the natural beauty of our state. The World: What do you find is the mentality when such a first hot sunny weekend arrives and folks head to the waterways that could lead to injury or even death? Ashley Massey: The impulse to “get out there” after bouts of cabin fever. It’s a natural impulse, but recognize it for what it is. Then pause and take the time to plan ahead. Decide ahead of time where you want to put in/take out and learn if there are any reported waterway obstructions like snags, fallen trees, and strainers. Use the Marine Board’s in-

By ZACK DEMARS The World

the budget committee last week was prepared by city staff, and the city council will formally review and approve the budget in June. “I’ve always said this, I think our budget is one of the most important documents that the city has,” City Manager Rodger Craddock told budget committee members during their meeting April 15. Some revenues face COVID declines One of the key takeaways from the next year’s budget is the contin-

A youth soccer event held earlier this month is still attracting the attention of local health officials this week as the organization which ran the event maintains it was safe. Coos Health & Wellness didn’t confirm that the agency had traced any virus spread to a soccer event it raised alarm about last week, but said contact tracers are still trying to investigate the group event which may have included an individual with COVID-19. “At this point we’re still actively investigating that, whether or not it’s becoming a problem. But we know that we’ve got a window that we’re looking into,” said CHW assistant director Dr. Eric Gleason. According to Gleason, the agency has heard from a few parents about the event, but a lack of information has made it hard for contact tracers to identify any cases resulting from a student who tested positive from the virus. Coos County Youth Sports, which organized the soccer event, says it handled the situation appropriately. “There’s nothing to show that there’s any spread of COVID,” said Kate Dyer, the organization’s attorney, in an interview. Dyer said the event was an April 10 practice, with all of the teams from program meeting at the Bangor school field, which the organization rents. CCYS received word two days later one of the players, a young girl from the Millicoma School, had tested positive for COVID-19 at school, Dyer said. Dyer said only the dozen-or-so members of the girl’s team came in contact with her, and that none of them have tested positive for the virus. Dyer maintained that the girl

Please see Budget, Page A3

Please see Soccer, Page A3

Courtesy photo from Ashley Massey

Children are naturally attracted to water and keeping a sharp eye on them at all times is very difficult. Having children wear life jackets helps Please see Safety, Page A2 remove some of the worry.

NB transportation plan moves forward BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

By a 5-1 vote, the North Bend City Council moved a step closer to approving a new Transportation System Plan. Councilor Susanna Noordhoff voted no, saying the plan moves too much through-traffic through city streets. The plan has been in the works since 2018, transportation

engineer Angela Rugby told the council. Since then, many public meetings have been held to gather input from residents, businesses and city staff. The finished product showcases those results. Rugby said the public meetings led to changes in the plan. One change was including a tsunami evacuation route and prioritizing streets on that route. The No. 1 Please see Plan, Page A3

Budget committee signs off on CB budget proposal ZACK DEMARS The World

Coos Bay city leaders are one step closer to having a plan for the city government’s next year. The city’s budget committee, made up of city councilors and citizen volunteers, met last week to review the city’s proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which begins July 1. City activities for the next fiscal year are limited to what’s been budgeted for the in the annual process. The proposed budget advanced by

Photo gallery: Council tours North Bend pool Photo gallery: Pinwheels return at Kids' HOPE Center

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