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Bandon still perfect

Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

All nine Tribes want a say

Picks up 51-6 victory, A6

In state water planning, A12

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Holiday Lights at Shore Acres canceled By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

For the second straight year, a holiday staple in Coos County will not be held. On Tuesday, David and Shirley Birdgham announced the Holiday Lights at Shore Acres State Park would be canceled this year. In a press release, Friends of Shore Acres announced the ongoing COVID concerns forced the organization to cancel the light show for the second straight year. “With deep disappointment

and regret, Friends of Shore Acres, Inc. and the Sunset Management Unit of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announce that the 34th Holiday Lights at Shore Acres 2021 is canceled due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential risk to the health and safety of volunteers, visitors and park staff,” the organization wrote. “Our traditional 50-60 thousand visitors represent local, state, national and international communities, increasing the potential for spreading COVID-19 among our most vulnerable pop-

ulations, many of whom volunteer and host this event.” The Holiday Lights has been a staple during the Christmas holiday season for decades as volunteers place thousands of lights around the state park. The event draws massive crowds to Shore Acres, a state park at Cape Arago. The event began with a small display in 1987 and has grown year by year into the largest event in the Coos Bay/North Bend area. Friends of Shore Acres hopes to bring the Holiday Lights back in 2022.

Photo by John Gunther

Various sea creatures greet visitors to the Shore Acres Holiday Lights celebration. For the second straight year, the holiday celebration has been canceled due to COVID.

Local economy continuing to improve By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World

As Mayor Jessica Engelke, right, look on Pool Manager KayLee Marone, left, reads a letter from the Judith Ann Mogan Foundation telling the city the foundation awarded a $375,000 grant to pay for repairs and upgrades to the pool.

North Bend receives grant to repair pool By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

A few months ago, the North Bend City Pool was on life support. After being closed for more than a year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the North Bend City Council included no funding in the 2021-22 budget for the pool. It

was up to voters to decide whether the pool was worth keeping. In May, a tax levy was voted on and easily approved by voters, giving the city funding the run the pool. When the levy passed, the city council made a promise – major repairs and upgrades needed to make the pool operable for years to come would be

completed one way or another. Since the vote, a slew of good news has come in regarding the pool. First, the Oregon Community Foundation gave the city $187,000 to fund pool operations over the summer and to make minor repairs at the facility. In less than three months, 12,000 people have used the

pool, even after new COVID restrictions forced the city to cut back on the number of people allowed inside. In Monday, another bit of good news came when KayLee Marone, who runs the pool while also serving as city recorder,

Please see POOL, Page A2

Contrubuted photos

Colton Cosby overcame more than just tough weather and rough terrain when he completed the 402-mile Oregon Coast Trail last week.

Cosby finishes Oregon Coast Trail, dreams bigger By Diana Bosetti Country Media

Traversing the 402-mile Oregon Coast Trail, dubbed OCT by seasoned hikers, involves dis-

connected and sometimes unsafe routes that require the navigation of tidal flows in order to proceed. Add to that a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis - a condition that mimics breathing through a straw - and

25-year-old Colton Cosby’s ambition might best be described as not a challenge, but rather a struggle. Not that Cosby, or “CJ” as short for Colton James Cosby, saw it that way. He completed

the trail solo on September 20, carrying a portable nebulizer in his 30-pound backpack in case he needed supplemental mist to Please see TRAIL, Page A11

Photo gallery: Picking blackberries near home Photo gallery: A freshwater paradise in Coos Bay AT THEWORLDLINK.COM   Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878  •  A Country Media Newspaper  •  Copyright 2015

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The economic devastation caused by COVID-19 is almost repaired, but there are still some hurdles to clear. That was the message Guy Tauer, a regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department, shared recently. On Tuesday, the state released its latest unemployment figures, showing Coos County dropped from 6.6 percent unemployment in August to 6.29 percent in September. In Curry County, the move was similar as the unemployment rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.7 percent. “We saw a little bit of a decline in the unemployment rate,” Tauer said. “We’re continuing to see a fairly tight labor market.” Tauer said the unemployment rate in both counties is actually below the long-term average, but it remains above the pre-COVID levels in March 2020 when both counties reported unemployment of about 5 percent. Tauer said while there are jobs available, more than 1,800 in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties can be seen on job boards, employers are struggling to find good workers. “What we saw across the state was an increasing number of vacancies the employers are saying are difficult to fill,” Tauer said. While some blame the tight labor market to increased unemployment payments, Tauer said the federal programs ended early this month. Whether the expanded payments kept people at home is not certain, he added. “It’s really tough to say,” Tauer said. “In the states that ended benefits early, while there was an uptick of employment and earnings, the amount of people that lost benefits was greater. How will it play out in September? There’s so many Please see ECONOMY, Page A12

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SPOTLIGHT ON SAVINGS!

1

$ 97

While supplies last. Sale runs through September 30, 2021.

Wasp & Hornet Killer 17.5oz

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Coos Bay

Coquille

(541)267-2137

(541)396-3161

Since 1916


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