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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

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CB parking lot could have water quality benefit ZACK DEMARS The World

Coos Bay city officials might turn a downtown grass field into a “green” parking lot. And while the obvious outcome of the lot would be 16 additional parking spaces downtown, the proj-

ect would actually have a different primary benefit, according to City Engineer Jennifer Wirsing: water quality. “It’s just not an asphalt parking lot. We have to incorporate water quality because that’s what’s funding this project,” Wirsing told city councilors during a work session

last week. The project is still in its conceptual stages, but Wirsing showed councilors a number of options of what the lot could look like. The ideas include a rain garden, covered dumpster, public art and interpretative signage. Interpretative signage isn’t

typically a key element of a parking lot — but because of how this one would be funded, it will be. City officials are hoping the funding will come through the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. Because the city funded a recent sewer project with a loan from DEQ, it qualifies for benefits

from the agency for doing additional water quality projects. “One of the options of that program is that we can also apply for a sponsorship option — and we call those S.O. projects, and they’re water quality projects. And if we

Please see Parking, Page A3

Remembering those who gave their all County

remains at moderate risk level By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World

MembersoftheBandonVeteransHonorGuardfirea21-gunsaluteduringaMemorialDayserviceattheBandonVeteransMemorial.Below,NanSandsplaystapsduringtheceremony.

Bandon honors those who died in service to our country By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

It was close, but Coos County will remain at moderate risk after the Oregon Health Authority released its latest county metrics report Tuesday. Early Tuesday, Coos Health & Wellness Assistant Director Dr. Eric Gleason said Coos County was on the cusp of moving into the high-risk category. “We are still waiting on metric numbers from the state,” Gleason said. “We think it’s going to be close. Fingers crossed. Our numbers have been fairly good the last week. If we are over, I don’t think it’s going to be long.” Please see Moderate, Page A3

Bandon honored those who gave their lives in service to our country with a short but moving ceremony Monday. On Memorial Day, members of the Bandon Veterans Honor Guard and the Patriot Riders led a parade of vehicles around the city, almost all flying American flags. The parade ended at the veterans memorial in city park, where the honor guard celebrated the men who gave their all with a 21-gun salute in front of a crowd of more than 50 people. "We're standing on front of our veterans' wall," said Capt. Gary Sands with the honor guard. "But the black one over there, that is the one for people who died in action.

OSU experts: Vaccinations will require creativity, collaboration ZACK DEMARS The World

Please see Memorial, Page A4

Marshfield students honor veterans at cemetery StudentsfromtheKeyClub, SNHS and Z Club gave up oneoftheirdaysofftohonor the veterans buried at the MarshfieldPioneerCemetery. Studentsplacedflagsatthe gravesofthemorethan100 veteransburiedatthecemetery.Thatnumberincludes morethan60whofoughtin theCivilWar.Left,DougSoles tiesdownaflagwithhelpfrom ElizabethCantu,left,andKady Acuna.Theflagsweretiedat theSoldier-SailorMonument thatwasbuiltin1915.Right, MariaRodriguezplacesaflag at a veterans' grave. To see morephotosfromtheevent, see Page A4. Photos by David Rupkalvis/ The World

Photo gallery: Finding perspective in the forest Photo gallery: Reflecting on 103 years of life

Please see Vaccines, Page A3

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Public health officials will need to be creative to keep pushing the state’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, according to a panel of Oregon State University experts. Just under 65% of Oregon eligible population has received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, inching towards the state’s 70% goal, which will lift most pandemic restrictions in the state, according to state data. But according to Chunheui Chi, an OSU public health professor, the state needs to see a lot more vaccinations to tamp down the pandemic. “Let’s just forget any so-called magic number for so-called herd immunity. The ideal is we want to vaccinate as many people as possible, because we have continued to face new variants that are more contagious,” Chi said during a panel this week. The panel weighed in on the state’s new incentive for getting vaccinated: A $1 million prize for

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