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North Bend councilor arrested for harassment By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
North Bend City Councilor Susanna Noordhoff was arrested Wednesday morning in relation to an incident involving her neighbor. North Bend Police Chief Gary McCullough said Noordhoff was arrested on a charge of harassment and cited in lieu of custody.
He said the arrest was related to in incident reported earlier in The World where Noordhoff got into an altercation with a neighbor involving the possible removal of a large tree. In that incident, McCullough told the city council Noordhoff had approached the home owner and an arborist looking at the tree, which is in the backyard of a home two doors down from Noordhoff’s home.
Noordhoff said she approached the owner because the tree sits on the property line between that home and her next-door neighbor. She said she only went over there to ask if they had called the other owner, who lives in Washington state much of the year and was not home at the time. According to Noordhoff, during the discussion, the property owner got very aggressive, and Noordhoff
responded by pushing her away. When McCullough talked to the council two weeks ago, he said the neighbor had decided not to press charges, only asking the Noordhoff be trespassed from her property. McCullough said things changed last week when the property owner came to the police station and said she wanted to pursue charges. “With a Class B misdemeanor,
there’s a two-year statute of limitations,” McCullough said. “The victim came in and said she wanted to pursue charges.” Police went to Noordhoff’s home Wednesday morning and filed the charge of harassment. McCullough said the case will now go to the district attorney’s office, where the DA will work with Noordhoff to decide how to move forward.
North Bend honored for supporting Little Theatre COVID
boosters approved for young children
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
A long-time partnership between the city of North Bend and the Little Theater on the Bay led to the city receiving a major award last week. During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Jessica Engelke announced North Bend is the recipient of the 2022 Oregon Economic Development Association’s “Urban Renewal Project of the Year” award. The statewide honor recognizes a project that has helped transform or revitalize a community using tax increment financing. The Oregon Economic Development Association is the state’s foremost trade association for the state, regional and local economic development professionals on the front line in diversifying and expanding local economies. North Bend has been at the forefront of the renovations and improvements to Little Theatre on the Bay since the project started in 2015. Due to the condition of the historic theater, Liberty leaders faced a tough decision in 2015 - tear down
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Contributed photo
During last week’s city council meeting, the North Bend City Council and the Little Theatre on the Bay’s Restoration Committee received the Please see HONORED Page A2 Urban Renewal Project of the Year award.
Engelke touts her experience, vision in mayor’s race By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke urged voters to look at her record and her plans for North Bend when taking part in a forum with the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Engelke got a unique opportunity to answer questions alone after her challenger, former Mayor John Briggs elected not to participate in the forum. Engelke opened by saying the success of North Bend is very personal to her. “I love this community,” she said. “I’m a North Bender, and I’m proud to be one. I know I can do the job, and I’m qualified to do the job. I’m not here to complain, I’m here to contribute. I’m very proud of the accomplishments in the short two-year period. I’m here to move us forward another 20 years, not to take us back.” Engelke then answered questions from Ron Kutch, the vice president of government affairs and economic development for the chamber. ------------------------------------What made you decide to run for office and what do you bring to the table? “I believe in leadership, and it starts from the top,” Engelke said. “The main thing I was to do as mayor is carry things forward. What can I bring to the table is I’m a relationship builder and convener. I’ve been able to do that for the last two years.” ------------------------------------What is the city council’s priorities the next two years? “Looking ahead with some of the development happening in
the community, I really think the focus needs to be on housing, the chronically homeless and economic development,” Engelke said. She said with housing, all kinds need to be considered including emergency housing and workforce housing. “How does a city help with that,” she asked. “We need to be as business friendly as possible. Let’s figure out how we come up with solutions.” ------------------------------------What kind of economic development plans do you have to make business easier? “We have an opportunity in the area to support the first eco port on the west coast,” Engelke said. “Are there any barriers that stop economic development? As a person who grew up here, I have seen the ups and downs of the community.” She said as a child, the economy was heavily reliant on the timber industry, which caused a local recession with the industry suffered. She said there needs to be balance and diversity moving forward. ------------------------------------What can be done at a city level to address homelessness? “This is not a North Bend problem, or a Coos Bay problem. This is not even an Oregon problem, it’s a national problem.” Engelke said. She said addressing homelessness needs to be done large-scale, pointing out she is a board member with the League of Oregon Cities and was appointed to a homelessness task for with a mayor’s statewide organization. “241 cities in Oregon are coming together,” Engelke said. “We’re all looking at how is this affecting our city? This group is putting togeth-
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North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke answers a question while taking part in a forum with the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Engelke’s opponent in the race, former Mayor John Briggs, did not participate in the event. er a legislative ask, and there’s going to be a dollar amount. We’re coming together as a task force and figuring out the solutions together.” ------------------------------------Do you support the prospect of a shipping container facility coming to Coos Bay? Engelke said the North Bend City Council has sent a letter officially supporting the project. She said the port would improve the economy region-wide, which would benefit all cities, including North Bend. “How do you fix things? It’s economic development,” she said. “It starts with the economy. You have to have a strong economy to build in other things. I support it and the council supports it.” ------------------------------------What is your opinion on the jail levy tax voters will be deciding on in November? “The reality is the cost of operations continue to go up,” she said. “In government, we’re usually locked in on property taxes and
Police Blotter
Obituaries Copyright 2022
what we can bring in every year. So what do we do? It’s not a city decision, but it’s a decision that will impact our city. When our officers arrest someone and they don’t have available jail beds to take them, it hurts our officers. It’s going to be a county decision.” ------------------------------------What is your vision for North Bend? “My vision for the city is walkable streets, a healthy, safe place,” Engelke said. “It’s a community that’s vibrant and really embraces the live, work and play mentality.” In closing, Engelke told the business leaders she hopes to continue to make improvements to her hometown. “I wont to be known as the visible mayor, the mayor who is out there,” she said. “I want to be known as the person who moved things along. Things are going in the right direction. I’m the person to take you forward for the next 20 years. I will sit down and talk to anyone.”
The bivalent booster shot for COVID-19 is now available to children ages 5 to 11 in Oregon. That’s the news Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state health official, shared during a monthly COVID-19 briefing Thursday. “Yesterday, the FDA and the CDC expanded emergency use authorization for COVID 19 boosters for children ages 5-11,” Sidelinger said. “That means that as of today, all people ages 5 and over are recommended to receive a bivalent booster dose. OHA data shows there are nearly 330,000 people between ages 5 to 11 in Oregon.” Sidelinger said the bivalent booster, which specifically targets the latest Omicron subvariants, was approved just before Labor Day and is available in all Oregon counties. Both Pfizer and Moderna have versions of the MRNA booster available. Only the Pfizer booster can be used for children ages 5 to 11. “The newly approved bivalent boosters target the Omicron subvariant and also protect against the original COVID-19,” Sidelinger said. “We know the bivalent boosters that are widely available will provide better protection against currently circulating strains than the original vaccine. Young people do not need to have had previous boosters to get the bivalent booster. The boosters are free and no insurance is needed. Providers have received the vaccine supplies and are ready to serve all ages.” Sidelinger also suggested all people consider getting their flu shot at the same time as their COVID booster. Sidelinger said across Oregon, nearly 70% of residents completed the original two-shot vaccine series. More than 259,000 bivalent booster doses have been administered statewide, which accounts for 6.1% of people in the state. “While we are all tired of talking about COVID-19, Oregonians are still getting sick of the disease,” Sidelinger said. The good news is cases and hospitalizations are dropping. Daily reported case counts in Oregon have fallen from 585 daily cases September 7 to 482 as of Wednesday. Nationwide average is also trending down. Case positivity is down from 7.2 percent to 6.8 percent. “The number of reported cases does not accurately show the cases in Oregon,” Sidelinger said. “Many people take home tests and do not report them. There are still a high number of cases in Oregon.” Sidelinger said nine counties in Eastern and Southern Oregon are still shown as high or medium risk Please see COVID Page A6
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