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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

Partnership pays off Swim teams thrive working together, A13

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Coos County won’t move to high-risk level By ZACK DEMARS The World

Coos County won’t see any changes in COVID-19 restrictions this week, despite recent increases in virus cases. Under case data released by the Oregon Health Authority Tuesday,

Coos County was the only in the state on track to see new restrictions next week — but that won’t happen, yet. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced she would be imposing a two-week cautionary period for Coos County, leaving it in the moderate-risk level of restrictions

According to state data Tuesday, the county reported 124.8 cases of the virus per 100,000 in population over the previous two weeks, and a test positivity rate of 3.9%. Both rates are the highest the county’s reported in several weeks and would qualify the county for high-risk restrictions without the

governor’s pause. “Because Coos County recently improved in risk level (from High to Moderate)—and because recent upticks in cases can be traced back to specific sources (rather than being reflective of community spread) — we assigned them a twoweek caution period as had been

our practice prior to the most recent statewide surge,” wrote Liz Merah, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, in an email. “This caution period, coupled with continued vaccination efforts, will give the county time to drive

Please see COVID, Page A2

North Bend Pool to reopen July 1 By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

Photo by Zack Demars/The World

Gladys Johnston sits with her brother, Harley Mitts. Gladys will celebrate her 103rd birthday Saturday, while Mitts is 94 years old.

Lifelong Oregonian reflects on 103 years ZACK DEMARS The World

As COVID-19 wanes, Gladys Johnston is celebrating living through her second pandemic. Born in Molalla, Oregon, during the middle of the 1918 Flu Pandemic, Johnston and her family will celebrate her 103rd birthday Saturday. She credits her longevity to one thing: “Stay active. It’s got some-

thing to do with it,” Johnston said Wednesday, looking over stacks of old photo albums during an interview. “I was never any one to sit around.” And if Johnston’s life story is any indication, she’s done just that. Growing up on a farm in Aurora, Oregon, Johnston finished just a year of high school before helping her father. “I helped my dad in the field because I was the oldest,” Johnston said, referring to her two brothers,

Harley and Eugene Mitts. Harley Mitts, now 94 and Johnston’s only surviving brother, remembered fondly their years growing up on the farm and, later, Myrtle Creek. Mitts and Johnston recalled a time when they spotted a fire on the roof of their home. “I ran the pump outside to the well, and she carried buckets in the house, upstairs and out on the roof to put the fire out,” Mitts said. Johnston’s active life continued

after Myrtle Creek. She’d often sing, dance and play guitar at dance halls and barn dances around the region. (She still yodels to this day.) In fact, one of those dances — at the Melody Mountain Dance Hall — is where she met her future husband, Clarence. The two married when Gladys Johnston was 25 and moved from logging camp to logging camp.

North Bend is planning to open its pool July 1, and it could be free to everyone for three months. During a work session with the city council Monday, Finance Director Jessica Terra explained the city has applied for an Oregon Community Foundation grant which would cover expenses for July, August and September. If the grant is awarded, the city plans to waive all fees to use the pool during those three months. “I think our game plan is to reopen July 1 regardless,” Terra said. “If we don’t get the grant, it will be with the daily fees. With or without the grant, we can reopen July 1.” The announcement came a week after North Bend voters approved a tax levy to fund pool operations for five years. The North Bend pool has been closed since March 2020 due to COVID-19, and work has already begun to get it open again. City Recorder KayLee Marone will also be in charge of running the pool. She said the city plans to have the pool open for the summer months before closing it again from October through December. During that time, the city will have a contractor to replace the pump and filtration systems that have been in place since the pool opened in 1956. The city is also planning to replace the boiler and other work. “We have all the updated guidance,” Marone said. “Depending

Please see Birthday, Page A3

Please see Pool, Page A2

Coos Bay liquor store cuts ribbon on new building By ZACK DEMARS The World

Around 20,000 bottles of liquor, spirits, beer, wine and more moved across Coos Bay learlier this month. The city’s only liquor store moved into a new location on U.S. Highway 101, and celebrated the opening of the new building with a ribbon-cutting. “This has been a really, really long time,” Liquor 101 owner Scott Farlow told city leaders and residents who gathered for the ribbon-cutting. “We finally got everything set and it’s just been a long process.” Farlow said he’s been in the process of moving to a new store

for three and a half years, since the building the property previously occupied was sold. After purchasing two lots on the highway, Farlow and his crew began building their new space from scratch. Farlow, who’s owned Coos Bay’s liquor store for about 15 years, said he visited a lot of other stores before designing his exactly how he wanted it to look. In just the first few days of operating, he said customers have noticed. “They clearly can recognize that we worked our butts off,” Farlow said. “I don’t think there’s much that compares to this.”

Photo by Zack Demars/ The World

Owner Scott Farlow addresses a crowd of friends and supporters before cutting the ribbon on the new Liquor 101 store last week.

Please see Liquor, Page A3

Photo gallery: A birthday a century in the making Photo gallery: Relaxing on Umpqua Beach

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