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Vigil acknowledges massacre of Chetco people BY BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation invited the community to come together in healing remembrances and in loving acknowledgment of the Deeni' lives lost in the Chit-xu village massacre on February 15,1853 that consisted of forty houses at the mouth of the Chetco River. The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation held the candlelight event to help heal their past and remember their ancestors who lived at the Chit-xu Taa-ghi at the mouth of the Chetco River at the Port of Brookings Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 18. The event included the lighting of candles, a welcome and prayer, a history of the massacre and keynote speaker Dr. Virgil Moorehead Jr., a licensed clinical psychologist and director of Two Feathers Native American Family Services. Everyone in the community was invited
Photo by Breeana Laughlin/The Pilot
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A crowd takes part in a candlelight vigil that remembered the massacre of the Chetco people during a ceremony hosted by the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation at the Mouth of the Chetco River.
Festival of Lights shines bright Heard
endorses Brock Smith to take Senate seat THE PILOT
ly whether it's just flu, or RSV, or even COVID, but we do know that our kids are out sick." Due to RSV, COVID, and the flu, Oregon has seen hospitalizations and emergency room visits spike to levels not even seen during the pandemic. OHA advises taking precautions such
Just days after he announced he was retiring from the Legislature at the end of the year, State Sen. Dallas Heard announced he was endorsing State Rep. David Brock Smith to be his replacement. Heard announced he was retiring from the Senate to spend more time with his family. He was elected to serve in the State House in 2015 and appointed to the Senate in 2018. "It has been an honor to have been chosen to be the voice for the people I have grown up knowing and loving,” said Heard. “Our district has seen many challenges over the years, and I have always given my all to meet them with faith and the peoples best interest in my heart. Representative Brock Smith has brought years of passionate devotion and legislative success to his native region of the coast while serving in the House of Representatives. I have always said that David is unequivocally the hardest working legislator in the State of Oregon and that remains true to this day. I fully support the good representative in succeeding me as the next senator for District 1 and encourage the people to grant him that opportunity. I firmly believe David is the champion we need to replace me as the voice of southwest Oregon," said Senator Heard. Brock Smith has served in the Oregon House of Representatives since 2017 and is an assistant leader of the House Republican Caucus. He is a former Curry County commissioner, school board member, city council pres-
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Photo by Breeana Laughlin/The Pilot
Nature’s Coastal Holiday Festival of Lights is brightening the spirits of hundreds of visitors who wander through holiday wonderland each day. The annual event began with a mere 22,000 lights in 1997 and has grown include more than 3 million dazzling lights. The 25-year-old Festival of Lights is a completely volunteer coordinated and staffed event. It is being held at Azalea Park and is open nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 27. The cost is $3 for adults and kids 12 and under are free. Cash only, please.
Superintendent hopes break will curtail illnesses impacts of RSV, influenza, and COVID. One of the concerns is the uptick in cases for children, where there have been historic levels of respiratory disease. Much like greater Oregon, Brookings-Harbor School District has felt the impacts of the surge in respiratory cases. Over the last two weeks, Super Intendant David
BY WILL LOHRE Country Media
Since October, Oregon has been dealing with a surge in respiratory viruses. During a press conference on December 8, The Oregon Health Authority detailed the state's need for medical care professionals and the increasing
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Marshall said many students have had to stay home sick, particularly younger kids. "The trend is it's more the younger students. So the elementary has a larger percentage out," Marshall said. "I think over the last two weeks, they've approached even up to thirty percent of the kids out. We don't know specifical-
Phone Number: 541-813-1717 • Address: 519 Chetco Ave, Ste 7, Brookings, 97415 • Email: Circulation@CountryMedia.net A2
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