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SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946

www.currypilot.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

Brookings, Oregon

Governor outlines plans to reopen Oregon JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media

Oregon could be fully reopened in two weeks if the state can maintain its current COVID-19 vaccination rate. That’s the assessment from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown who outlined the state’s plans to reopen during a

Friday morning news briefing. As of June 1, 66.2% of Oregonians 18 years old and older have been vaccinated. Brown earlier had set a 70% vaccination goal statewide to be met by the end of June. “Thanks to all of you we are getting close to fully reopening our economy and moving out of this chapter of the pandemic. We just

need 127,000 Oregonians to take your shot for us to reopen in the next two weeks,” Brown said. Brown said the vaccinations have led to a sharp decline in COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations. Reopening outline In Brown’s outline of fully reopening Oregon, she said there would be no more capacity limits

for businesses. Masks would largely no longer be required by the state with the exception of places that the federal government has outlined that are still necessary, such as airports, public transit and health care settings, and no more requirements for physical distancing. “By in large we will be able to return to the activities and traditions

we have missed for more than a year, (such as) 4th of July barbecues, eating popcorn in movie theaters or getting a beer after work at the local brewery with your friends. Restaurants and bars will be able to have a full house,” Brown said. The governor also said she ex-

More Reopen, Page A2

Slack comes home to open bakery County

looks at spending federal funds

KNOX KERANEN The Pilot

After living and working in Utah for nearly 50 years, Debi Slack felt it was time to come home to Brookings, and open a bakery in the town she grew up in. “Our mom passed away last summer and so we buried her with my dad, and I just felt like I was home. I needed to come home,” said Slack. Slack graduated from Brookings-Harbor High School in 1973. In Utah, she ran a daycare business for 35 years, and then shifted to a managerial job at Walmart. Now in Brookings, she opened Beachin’ Bakes last week, yet there’s already talk around town about her prolific cinnamon rolls. They offer other options, too, including sandwiches, soups and a cornucopia of cookies. Although Slack has never owned a food business before, she said she has always loved to cook — a trait that may run in the family. In fact, Slack’s brother was owner of Boogie Board Bagels, which was in the same building Beachin’ Bakes is now located at. The opening of Beachin’ Bakes coincides with several shake ups in the Brookings bakery scene, including the closure of First Rise Baking More Bakery, Page A12

KNOX KERANEN The Pilot

Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot

After nearly 50 years away, Debi Slack recently returned to Brookings to open Beachin Bakes, a bakery on Chetco Avenue.

Iconic Galice Resort destroyed in fire KNOX KERANEN The Pilot

Southern Oregon is mourning the loss of the iconic Galice Resort, a lodge, restaurant and outpost along the Rogue River, after a structure fire broke out Tuesday. At 10:32 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters with Josephine County Rural Metro Fire were dispatched to the resort after receiving reports of smoke in the building. As staff from the store exited, they reported seeing fire activity “in the floor,” according to a Tuesday press release from JCRMF. As firefighters arrived, they began working on knocking down the immediate fire while Oregon Department of Forestry workers assisted in preventing spread to the surrounding natural area. Firefighters pumped water from the Rogue River onto the fire while a helicopter dropped water on nearby vegetation. While firefighters successfully prevented the fire from spreading to the neighboring raft rental building and rental cabins, the main building which held both the store and restaurant, are a total loss. An investigation into the cause of the fire will begin as soon as the area is safe to enter, according to fire officials. “The Galice Resort has been a mainstay in the community for 41 years although the building itself has been around much longer. Its role in the area took on new meaning as COVID restrictions were lifted, due to its capacity to serve significant numbers of people who were ready to get back outside, eat a good meal among friends and once again listen to live music.” West of Merlin and about 65 miles upriver from Gold Beach, the Galice Resort has been known as a rafting hub on the Rogue since Mary Lou and Gil Thomason took over the small lodge and cafe in 1981 and began renting out rafts shortly thereafter. Over the years, Mary Lou and Gil expanded the lodge and business until Gil’s death in 2011. More than 35 firefighters from multiple Photos contributed by Josephine County Rural Metro Fire agencies responded to the blaze, including A blaze that broke out at the Galice Resort, a spot popular for locals and tourists in the coastal region, Grants Pass Fire Rescue, Rogue River Fire destroyed the main building of the resort along with many of the belongings inside. and Oregon Department of Forestry.

With funds from the American Rescue Plan beginning to flow into the county, the board of commissioners is trying to decide how it will be spent. The first of two $2.2 million payments from the U.S. treasury, earmarked for COVID-19 recovery, recently hit the county’s bank account, but the outline from the federal government on how the money should actually be spent is fairly broad, giving local authorities the ability to use their own discretion. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, American Rescue Plan funds can be used to support households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers and the “communities hit hardest by the crisis.” Additionally, these funds can also be invested in local water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. The federal government handed out $65.1 billion to counties across the U.S. as a part of the act. During a June 4 special meeting, the board of commissioners briefly discussed the formation of a committee, which would make spending recommendations to the board. In public comment, Mary Rowe — local housing advocate — said some of the money should be used to properly identify and fix the housing emergency in the county, which was declared by the board in August of 2019. County Treasurer David Barnes spoke in favor of forming a committee, however, he too said the public should be given notice. “The first thing we need to do is identify who needs help the most, and then go from there,” said Barnes. Barnes also recommended the proposed committee be small and effective. He said a large group would move slower and could end up without results. Commissioner Chris Paasch also desired a small committee. “I think if we get too many people involved in this committee it’s going to become convoluted and you may end up spending more time on things than is necessary, so I would urge, if a committee is formed that it’s a smaller committee that is very focused,” said Paasch. Both Commissioners Paasch and Court Boice expressed a desire to serve on the proposed committee and County Assessor Jim Kolen also threw in his hat. More Funds, Page A3

INDEX

2021 Curry County Reader’s Choice Awards Shipwrecked treasure got the FBI’s attention AT CURRYPILOT.COM

Crosswords.............................................. A10 Crossword Answers............................ A7 Classifieds.......................................... A5

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