‘A devastating lack of affordable hous-
Merkley introduces legislation to ease housing crunch in Oregon
By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Pilot
A “devastating lack of affordable housing” is something that can no longer be ignored, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said Tuesday as he announced he was unveiling the Affordable Home Act in
the Senate. Merkley said housing is something he hears about constantly and is something that must be addressed now. “Every single town hall I hold, every single meet and greet with elected officials, housing comes up,” Merkley said. “It’s a
challenge in rural areas, suburban areas, everywhere. Every Oregonian, every American, should be able to afford a decent home in a decent community.” Merkley said housing is something that every person needs, adding a stable home is a goal for every American.
“Housing is so much more than a building or a bed,” Merkley said. “Stable, affordable housing is a foundation for thriving families and thriving communities. Study after study has shown that children who grow up in a stable home do better in school and do better in the
Dance studio hanging by a thread
rest of their lives. When families have a stable home, children start to blossom.” Merkley said being able to rent a home is difficult throughout Oregon but added home ownership is even a greater chal
More Housing, Page A3
Marijuana taxes a surprise for Gold Beach By KNOX KERANEN The Pilot
Photos by Knox Keranen/The Pilot
“This may be a small town, but my students fit right in when they travel to dance in other intensive programs, such as at Eugene Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, and my past students have been competitive enough to get into some really good college dance programs. I’ve been very proud of that,” Sky-Marie McDonald said about her nonprofit dance studio.
McDonald urgently looking for new home for nonprofit studio By KNOX KERANEN The Pilot
Hanging by a thread. That’s how Sky-Marie McDonald describes the state of her nonprofit youth dance program,
Wild Rivers Coast Foundation for Dance, after she was handed a 30-day lease termination notice by the landlord of her studio last month. “The studio isn’t behind on rent, we paid faithfully through
the pandemic even when we had to close down and couldn’t utilize the space,” said McDonald. “I was told by the property manager that the landlord wants more money and has other plans for the building.”
McDonald founded Wild Rivers Conservatory of Dance in 2015, after moving to Brookings from Texas. The next year, she created the Wild Rivers Coast More Dance, Page A9
Police seek help identifying child in duffel bag From Staff Reports Oregon State Police have released new DNA details that the law enforcement agency hopes will lead to the identification of a deceased child found in a rest area near the Oregon Coast. On December 10, 2020, the Oregon State Police recovered the remains of a female child in the forest immediately adjacent to the H.B. Van Duzer Forrest State Scenic Corridor rest area east of Lincoln City. Her body was inside a duffel bag that had been concealed in the forest near the rest area. Based on the condition of the remains, little was known about the deceased’s race, appearance, or other identifying characteristics. In an attempt to identify the deceased, OSP and Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office used a specialty lab to extract DNA information to aid in her identification. With the assistance of Parabon Nanolabs, investigators now know more identifying details which will hopefully assist in her identification. The following new information is being released: • Age: 7 – 9
• Eye color: Hazel / Brown • Hair color: Brown / Black • Skin color: Light Brown / Fair with no freckles • Race: She has been identified as mostly Caucasian with some Central American ancestry • She was wearing a pull-up diaper Earlier anthropological and forensic dental examinations of the child determined she stood between 3’10’ and 4’6” tall. OSP has been working in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children since the discovery of the child’s remains. Over the past six months, detectives have definitively ruled out more than 60 potential missing kids from information provided by NCMEC and tips from the public. There is a strong likelihood this child has not been reported missing. Investigators said they would like the public to know they are already considering all children listed on the NCMEC website. This child would likely not have been seen since November 2020. If you have information that might help investigators, please call 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677).
Courtesy of OSP
Investigators had earlier released this sketch of the deceased child to help learn who she is.
Gold Beach recently received the 2020 local marijuana tax report from the state. The state collects a 3% sales tax from cannabis dispensaries on behalf of the city, in exchange for a fee, and then distributes the tax revenue back to the city. There are two dispensaries within Gold Beach city limits: Club Sockeye and La Mota. In total, the state collected $44,222.57 in cannabis sales tax in Gold Beach. After taking out fees and interest, they distributed $43,814.51 back to the city, according to a state Department of Revenue. The state also has an agreement with the city to share tax revenue collected from the additional 17% state sales tax on cannabis. The state distributed an additional $14,779.39 to the city as a part of the revenue sharing program. When looking at the numbers, City Administrator Jodi Fritts said she was surprised. “It just amazes me how much money those two little stores brought in, that’s a lot of weed,” said Fritts. Gold Beach Fire Department “State of the Union” Tyson Krieger, fire chief at Gold Beach Fire Department, submitted his first ever quarterly report to the city in what he hopes to make a recurring update on the successes and shortcomings of the department. This year, the 24-person volunteer department is looking to set another record for calls for service. In 2020, the department fielded a record 286 calls, which includes medical, car accident and structure fire calls. In 2021, the city is on pace to exceed 430 calls for service, representing a nearly 100% increase from last year. “No one single area such as medicals or car wrecks and certainly not structure fires have shown any substantial increase from 2020 to 2021. Just an overall increase,” More Gold Beach, Page A3