County drops to high risk, reopening restaurants By ZACK DEMARS The Pilot
After just two weeks closed, Curry County dining, recreation and entertainment establishments will be allowed to restart indoor operations Friday. According to the latest
COVID-19 data from the Oregon Health Authority, the county will move into the high-risk category of the state’s pandemic restrictions — a step below the extreme-risk category where the county has remained since late March. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced the move Tuesday, along-
side a number of other changes for counties across the state. Fourteen of the state’s 36 counties are now in the high-risk level, including six which moved from less-restrictive categories. “We are at a critical moment in this pandemic as we face more contagious variants of COVID-19
taking hold in our communities,” Brown wrote in a release Tuesday. “Now more than ever it’s imperative that we all continue wearing masks, maintain physical distance, stay home when sick and get the vaccine when it’s available to you.” The change means indoor dining and recreation will again
be permitted in the county starting Friday, though capacities will still be limited until the county moves into lower categories of restrictions. Among the rules: • Indoor dining will be limited to 25% capacity, or 50 people, which
More High, Page A3
More people are eligible as virus is ‘rebounding’ By ZACK DEMARS The Pilot
Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot
Andrew Sale, owner of Whale’s Tail Candy and Gifts, said he and his family spent almost every family vacation in Brookings, now they are locals.
As COVID wanes, more tourists expected along South Coast By KNOX KERANEN The Pilot
On a hot spring day, vehicles with license plates from states all over the continental U.S. filled the port of Brookings-Harbor parking lot, an indication that it could be a busy summer ahead for local businesses. Tad Hirabayashi and Kailyn Nguyen were visiting from Cal-
ifornia in their RV. They said Brookings has been everything they need while traveling and working remotely. “We were going to stay just one week, but the morning after we arrived, we called the park and asked to extend another week,” said Nguyen. The visitors are welcomed with open arms by local business owners, including Andrew Sale, owner
of Whale’s Tail Candy & Gifts. Sale said he and his family frequently vacationed in Brookings before they moved here six years ago. He and his wife just bought Whale’s Tail last June. “We couldn’t let it go. My daughter had her first ice cream right there in front of that ice cream cooler,” said Sale. Despite opening up during a pandemic, Sale said business has
surpassed his expectations. “It has been busier than what we expected, and I just think it’s going to get better,” said Sale. “There were a couple months during the year where it slowed down quite a bit, but not as near as much as we thought it was going to.” It’s hard to overstate the economic importance of tourism in More Tourism, Page A3
Artists work to create Curry County mural By KNOX KERANEN The Pilot
Taking turns glancing up at the giant, bare wall inside the 4-H Building at the Curry County Fairgrounds, a group of Gold Beach artists and art enthusiasts met last Wednesday to discuss mural designs. The Circle of Gold group was formed to design and paint a 500-square-foot mural on the north wall of the building, which is used for livestock auctions near fair time, as well as the 4-H archery program and dog obedience classes during other times of the year. Co-organizer Janee Lensing said the group’s name symbolizes the unity of a circle and the history of gold mining in the area. Lensing said these planning meetings have helped them determine what the community wants incorporated in the mural. “Basically, we have a blank palette and we have a hundred different ideas of what we could do with it,” said Lensing. “The sky’s the limit really. We wanted the whole county to be able to give us input.” For all of the participants, it was important that Curry County’s diverse landscapes, wildlife, agriculture and landmarks be included in
Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot
More Mural, Page A12 Lisa Shore and Meghan Flanagan look over ideas on the drawing board during a Circle of Gold meeting.
As COVID-19 cases begin to rise again in Oregon, state officials are expanding the list of individuals eligible to receive a vaccine, despite a reduction in expected supply. The update to the state’s vaccination plan came last Friday in a press conference where Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials described the state’s next several months of pandemic response as a tug-of-war between vaccines and virus spread. “Over the past two weeks, Oregon has seen our COVID case rates slowly rise. It’s clear that in Oregon and across the country, the fourth surge of this virus is at our doorstep,” Brown said Friday. “But make no mistake, this is a race between the vaccines and the variants. It’s a critical moment for us all to double down so we can outrun this next wave.” Brown and officials from the Oregon Health Authority announced expansions to the state’s vaccine eligibility: Starting Monday statewide, the household family More Virus, Page A3
Casey exhibit on display at Manley Art Center By KNOX KERANEN The Pilot
Calvin Casey has been interested in photography ever since his dad gave him a Kodak Instamatic when he was in the 6th grade, but it wasn’t until his 40s that he discovered it was his passion. The transformational moment came soon after Casey posted a photo he took on his phone of an antique wagon wheel in a grassy field. What followed was an outpouring of positive feedback from the community about his photo, and friends and family encouraged him to pursue photography full-time. The support he received from wagon wheel photo, in conjunction with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and an early retirement from law enforcement, meant Casey was all-in. “Photography really helped me out and saved me in a lot of ways because it gave me more of a purpose,” said Casey. At first, Casey was reluctant to change his new camera from automatic to manual mode — which allows a photographer more user control — but when he did, new doors opened up, and he noticed a significant improvement in his work. Casey said he doesn’t classify himself as one type of photographer because he likes to shoot everything from rusty, old farm equipment to people. However, no matter More Exhibit, Page A12