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Schools plan for reopening JILLIAN WARD The World
SOUTH COAST — Regardless of President Donald Trump’s mandate for all students to return to school, Oregon is giving its schools a choice of three options. Not all of the options involve being fulltime in a traditional classroom. “Districts are still in the process of investigating parents, students and teacher needs,” said
Tenneal Wetherell, superintendent for South Coast Education Service District. Wetherell said blueprints, or plans on how schools plan to conduct education in the fall, are due to the state by Aug. 15. The plans that schools can adopt include reopening schools and bringing students and teachers all on-site, or having comprehensive online education, or adopting a hybrid model of both. “Each district is looking
toward what best fits their needs within the context of the health and safety required at the state level,” Wetherell said, adding that many districts are looking toward the hybrid models but that “each district is making their own independent decision.” When asked if the spike in COVID-19 cases on the South Coast were a concern, Wetherell said “anytime we see cases, we should be concerned and evaluate practices as commu-
nity members and how we can support maintaining our numbers as low as possible.” For schools to operate during the worsening pandemic, Wetherell pointed to the Ready Schools Safe Learners Guidance document that outlines three major sections of health and safety practices that have to be implemented into schools. “As each district designs their implementation plan for the
Please see Schools, Page A8
John Gunther Photos, The World
Members of the Hauser Fire Department Ray Daniels, second from left, Nick Borgens, Nathan Fish, Capt. Lawrence Van Hoof and Chief Jerry Wharton pose with Coast Guard Master Chief Karl Keyes, left, and Capt. Olav Saboe, right, after the Coast Guard presented the department with the Meritorious Public Service Award on Thursday.
Coast Guard honors firefighters JOHN GUNTHER The World
HAUSER — It’s not often that the United States Coast Guard presents a Meritorious Public Service Award. In his nearly two decades with the service, Capt. Olva Saboe had never seen the award given until Thursday, when he had a chance to help present it to firefighters from both the Hauser and North Bay fire departments. That was fitting because Saboe had a front-row seat to the heroic actions that led to the honors — saving three men from the capsized fishing vessel Pacific Miner early this year. “It was neat to be a part of that and recognize the rescuers,” Saboe said after the ceremony at the Hauser Fire Department. Several of the firefighters involved recalled the rescue after both fire departments were presented the Meritorious Public
John Gunther, The World
Coast Guard Master Chief Karl Keyes, left, and Capt. Olav Saboe, right, show North Bay firefighters Daniel Cook, second from left, and Michael Swanson the citation and medal presented to the department during a ceremony Thursday at Hauser Fire Department when the North Bay and Hauser departments were presented the Meritorious Public Service Award. Service Award signed by Rear Admiral A.J. Vogt, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District.
Saboe was in the air in one of the helicopters from the North Bend Air Station when he and
his fellow crew members saw the Pacific Miner in trouble near the mouth of the Coos River about 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 14. When they saw the boat capsized they sent out a message and both the Hauser and North Bay fire departments were paged out — something that is not unusual given the proximity of the two districts to each other and the sand dunes. The firefighters didn’t have particularly high hopes of a rescue, with various members of the departments and the Coos County Sheriff’s Office searching the beach north of the river for any sign of the vessel or its passengers. Daniel Cook of the North Bay Fires Department said he thought they were on a recovery mission. “We thought we were looking for bodies to recover,” he said. But when he and fellow North Bay firefighter Michael Swanson Please see Honors, Page A8
Spike continues in virus cases JILLIAN WARD The World
COOS COUNTY — Local COVID-19 numbers have jumped to 48 confirmed and 13 presumptive positive cases. According to Eric Gleason, Coos Health and Wellness’ incident commander, there have been 28 cases in the past 28 days. “We’ve hit the one-for-one mark,” he said. In regards to the spike of the new coronavirus, Gleason said “it was bound to happen, especially with the holiday weekends and people becoming lackadaisical in the use of their personal protective equipment.” As of Friday morning, only two areas in the county remain categorized as an “outbreak.” Those spots include the business Rye Tree Service and healthcare center Avamere Rehabilitation of Coos Bay. Gleason said the new COVID-19 cases are unassociated with these two outbreak spots, having come from different areas around the county. When asked about the two hospitalizations reported earlier this week, Gleason said the second case was “in and out” of Bay Area Hospital the same day. “Our hospitalizations are back down to one,” he said, adding that there was no official update on the initial hospitalized patient’s status. As school districts plan to reopen in the fall, either in classroom, online or a mix of the two, Gleason said he is optimistic by the creativity he has seen in some of the plans. “I’ve seen some school plans as a parent and know we will meet with the school district in a few weeks,” he said. “I’m optimistic by the creativity in the school plans so far. (They) lend to a variety of options for students and families to feel safe and to still get an education.” But as local cases continue to rise, Gleason hopes people will take the proper precautions. “It’s easy for us to start off well, get comfortable and let these things slack,” he said. “If we’re not being real mindful of the use of our masks and handwashing, this happens. Until we can find a way to be on top of it all the time, I don’t think we’ll see these cases slow down.”
Budget writers recommend closing Shutter Creek JOHN GUNTHER and JILLIAN WARD The World
HAUSER — Shutter Creek Correctional Institute near Hauser was one of two prisons recommended for closure by state budget writers. The cut was recommended to try saving school funding and other programs amid a huge budget shortfall created by the
ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has left many people out of work and businesses closed. “There’s no definite plan yet,” said Betty Bernt, communication’s manager for Oregon Department of Corrections, about the proposal. According to Bernt, the State Legislature has to vote on the proposal during the next special session. If it is approved, Shutter Creek would close by June 2021.
“(But) we’re waiting for the vote in the special session,” she said. “We don’t have a plan to know for sure and are still talking to the legislature and governor’s office.” The Legislature’s budget writing committee recommended closing both Shutter Creek and the Warner Creek Correctional Facility near Lakeview. Combined, the two house nearly 800 inmates.
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If the proposal is approved, Warner Creek would close during the 2021-23 biennium under the budget framework, released Thursday and first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. When asked what might happen to the inmates at Shutter Creek if it is shut down, Bernt said the governor may look at early release potential. Otherwise, the inmates would “be distributed to our other minimum
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custody facilities.” Lawmakers have made a priority of protecting the $9 billion state school fund, which pays for K-12 education in the state. Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, a co-chair of the Legislature’s budget writing committee, said lawmakers also want to keep intact money for early learning and statewide initiatives slated to be funded by a new sales tax Please see Shutter, Page A8
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