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Fourth victim linked to Nicholson dies By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
A wave of violence that left three people dead in North Bend last month has now claimed a fourth victim. District Attorney R. Paul Frasier announced Friday that 73-year-old Linda Oyster had died from injuries she sustained when she and her husband were run over at the RV park at The Mill Casino. Oen Evan Nicholson, who is already facing six first-degree murder charges related to three other deaths June 18, will now face additional charges after Oyster died July 9. Nicholson remains in custody in Wisconsin while Frasier asks for him to be axtradited back to Coos County to face prosecution for the charges. Linda Oyster was staying at the RV park at The Mill Casino on July 9, when she and her husband were walking across the street. As Nicholson fled the scene after allegedly killing his father, he hit the Oysters with a 2019 Dodge 3500 pickup
truck. The hit-and-run incident left Anthony Oyster dead at the scene while Linda Oyster was rushed to Bay Area Hospital and River Bend Hospital in Springfield with critical injuries. Linda Oyster clung to life for three weeks before succumbing to her injuries. After leaving the RV park, police say Nicholson drove to the Herbal Choices marijuana dispensary in North Bend, where he shot and killed Jennifer Davidson. Nicholson then fled the area. He wrecked and caught the pickup on fire in Lane County and later kidnapped Laura Johnson from the Springfield area. Nicholson forced Johnson to drive more than 2,000 miles to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he turned himself in to police. Nicholson faces 10 felony charges in Coos County, but Frasier said he intends to file additional charges now that Linda Oyster has died from her injuries.
Oen Evan Nicholson
Devereux Center makes plans for cooling center By Jillian Ward The World
All photos by David Rupkalvis/The World
Erik White, who opened The Smiling Frog Gallery & Boutique with his wife Christi, stands in front of some of his gravitational art.
The Smiling Frog opens in North Bend By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Erik White has been an artist for as long as he can remember, and for many years he and his wife have dreamed of opening their own gallery. That dream came true last week when Erik and Christi White opened The Smiling Frog Gallery & Boutique in North Bend. The gallery showcases the Whites art as well as that of several other local artists. The boutique side is highlighted by homemade lotions, soaps, bath salts, scrubs, optimiz-
ing sprays and even dog treats Christi makes. And while The Smiling Frog is an art gallery, it bends the rules a little, opting for colors, lights, music and an atmosphere more in line with a party rather than a museum. That’s perfect for the Whites, who are finally able to embrace the home they moved to right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “I used to show in San Francisco, and then we had a kid,” Erik said. “So, we moved up here. We moved here right before the pandemic, so we were basically inside for a year.”
Erik has been a professional artist for many years, but he has long dreamed of having his own gallery. Shortly after his 5-year-old daughter, Sally Joe, was born, the Whites were on a trip through Oregon when they decided to open a gallery named The Smiling Frog. The name comes from six tree frogs the family owns. “I used to show with lots of other people, but it’s always at the behest of others and what they like,” Erik said. “We set it up with all the cool lights. It’s like it’s always a party in here.”
That fits Erik perfectly. Even as an artist, he stands out by being different. At The Smiling Frog right now, he has many pieces of what he calls gravitational art on sale. By mixing different colors of paints, White comes up with oneof-a-kind creations. He admits he doesn’t even know what the final product will be when he starts working on it. “It creates a unique pattern I could not even paint by hand,” he said. “It’s not copyable.” Erik has tried other kinds of Please see FROG, Page A2
Roadwork to impact traffic in Coos Bay By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Road construction on 4th Street in downtown Coos Bay will move ahead this week. After months of construction that impacted traffic between Commercial Avenue and Anderson Avenue, that portion of the work was scheduled to be completed over the weekend. Now, Knife River Materials is scheduled to move work down a block, shutting down traffic between Anderson and Donnelly avenues for the next two weeks. The city of Coos Bay said detour routes will be posted as the 4th Street will be completely closed. There will be limited business access for people working at businesses that are impacted. The work will include the demolition of the existing roadway, which
will be replaced. The work between Anderson and Donnelly is scheduled to be completed by July 25. Drivers in Coos Bay may also see some issues on Highway 101 the next two weeks between Johnson Avenue and Market Street. During that time, crews with ODOT will be replacing electrical cabinets for each traffic signal in the area. While the traffic signals normally run on timed schedules which keep traffic flowing along Highway 101 longer, when the work is ongoing, the signals will be temporarily out of sync. That could mean motorists will see more red lights than normal, which could back up traffic. In addition, the work may require some signals to be turned off between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. If that occurs, flaggers will be in place to control traffic. The work is scheduled to be completed by July 23.
Photo by David Rupkalvis/The World
COOS BAY ─ Homeless advocate Tara Johnson has a plan to protect people stuck outside in the heat. Johnson is the executive director for the Nancy Devereux Center, a place where homeless individuals can find food and resources. As director, she has had to face extreme weather before, though it has always been freezing temperatures in the winter. For the first time on the Oregon coast, Johnson has had to plan for hot weather. “…Coos County, and most of coastal Curry County, weren’t really hit by the (recent) heatwave,” she said, but pointed to where she lives, which on the eastern half of the county, that saw temperatures rise to 108 two weeks ago. “That’s hot. It was 89 degrees in our house because we don’t have air conditioning. If it was going to be that hot here, or even in the 90s here, I’d petition the city to open the warming center (as) a cooling center.” And though the plan to open the Devereux Center’s first cooling center was not needed during the last heatwave, Johnson said she is ready to move forward at any point this summer. During the winter, Johnson gets into the habit of checking the weather every day to see if the warming center is needed. “I have not gotten out of the habit this year,” she said. “I look at the weather every day.” Her mornings start off with her pulling up the county’s jail roster, checking her emails and looking at the weather forecast. “I’m still looking to see if we’re even in the heat advisory category and through all of this we’ve stayed in the white and not had a heat advisory,” Johnson said. “If there was a heat advisory, I’d be on the phone asking (Coos Bay City Manager) Rodger Craddock and (Coos Bay Fire Chief) Mark Anderson if we could be open as a cooling center.” The bottom level of the Devereux Center serves as the warming/cooling center space. Johnson explained that if needed to be used as a cooling center, it is well-suited for the job. “Our lower level is built into the hillside so it’s already many degrees cooler, but we’d (also)
Construction crews with Knife River Materials work to demolish and replace the intersection of Commercial Avenue and 4th Street.
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