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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021
Brookings, Oregon
COVID cases fall, but 'not out of the woods yet' By Julie Akins For The Pilot
“We’re not out the woods yet.” That was the dominant theme of the second Curry County Town Hall on COVID-19 held Wednesday evening via zoom and expressed by Doctor Tom
Jeanne from the Oregon Health Authority. 14 new cases were tallied by OHA on October 26, and the average number of new cases per week in Curry County is roughly five. The county is modeling closely to the national numbers, showing a decrease since a large
spike in August of 134 new cases on the 16th and another smaller spike in September. In total, Curry County has reported 25 deaths and 1,827 cases. But Wednesday’s presentation also documented an uptick in vaccinations to 63% of Curry County residents having at least
one shot. A fact which Olivia Davis from the Brookings Harbor Community Food Bank drove home with her personal story of contracting COVID-19 despite being vaccinated with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. “I was very, very sick. I didn’t know if I was going to make it.
A haunted Halloween in Brookings
I’m a two time cancer survivor and a diabetic. I’m here because I had that shot. Take it from me,” she said. Her group, The Brookings Harbor Community Food Bank, The Curry County Homeless More COVID, Page A5
Gold Beach to discuss moving power lines By Diana Bosetti The Pilot
A workshop to discuss the possibility of funding a feasibility study to pursue moving unsightly power lines underground at a projected cost of up to $6 million will be held prior to the Gold Beach City Council meeting Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. Gold Beach Main Street, a group that’s made impressive strides to improve the livability, safety and aesthetics of the town, is asking the city to invest in a feasibility study to deter-mine whether power lines along Highway 101 - on land owned by the state - can be buried. Just prior to the Nov. 1 city council meeting, the council members convened as the city’s Urban Renewal Agency to discuss the matter. “The city doesn’t have a dog in this fight, so to speak,” stated staff reports submitted to the URA prior to the meeting. Staff reports further stated that “while it is understood that a segment of locals are deeply committed to removal of the visual clutter of the utility poles on Highway 101, removal of the visual clutter comes at hideously expensive estimated cost - especially considering the depressed economic condition of Gold Beach, Curry County and the SW Coast region generally.” Elsewhere in Gold Beach, where property is not owned by an outside government entity, power lines have already been placed underground. GBMS has partnered with the URA and Oregon Community Foundation before - most recently to bring several benches and improved landscaping to several public and private proper-ties within the city.
The Chetco Pelican Players brought the fright to Halloween night in Brookings during a haunted house that drew big crowds. Above, Jef and Ashley Walker are in full costume as they prepare to bring chills to those who walked through the haunted house. Left, Lily Temple plays her role to perfection on the most haunted night of the year. Photos by Diana Bosetti/The Pilot
Changes needed to protect the ocean, world By David Rupkalvis The Pilot
As climate change begins to impact the ocean, legislative action could help the ocean be one of the ways to solve the problem. That's the message Jean Flemma, director of the Ocean
Defense Initative, shared last week during a discussion with the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. And the rest of the country would be better off if it followed Oregon's lead, she said. "Oregon was ahead of the curve when it came to ocean
planning," Flemma said. "As much as Oregon was a leader in ocean planning 30 years ago, the state is still a leader today." Flemma said as the climate changes, the ocean is overwhelmingly impacted. "The climate crisis is an ocean crisis," she said. "The ocean has
been capturing our global climate emissions, and it has been absorbing the heat." Flemma listed ways the ocean has struggled due to climate change, pointing to rising sea levels, coral bleaching, toxic algae, acidification and struggles in the fishing industry. But as much
as the ocean has changed, it can be a part of the solution, if local, state and federal politicians are willing to act. "Here in the U.S., integral ocean policy was somewhat stymied the last four years at the
More Ocean, Page A5
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