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Schools stay nimble JILLIAN WARD The World
COOS COUNTY — Reopening school in the fall has been a “moving target,” North Bend School District Superintendent Kevin Bogatin said. He, along with other school districts in the county, are in the process of reviewing the new metrics sent out by the state that will determine how school is reopened
in September. As of now, it looks like most schools will start the new year off with distance learning, with some exceptions. “This is a moving target, but I think we’re becoming used to it,” Bogatin said. “People recognize we need to be nimble.” “Right now we’re digesting the message and determining how it applies to our county and individual school districts,” said Tenneal Wetherell, superintendent at South
Coast Education Service District. “We’re trying to clarify the wording and reasoning and how it applies to us.” These metrics include not being able to open if the state’s positivity rate is 5% or higher, a number Oregon has been at recently. But Wetherell pointed out that if a county meets four requirements, then kindergarten through third grade can return to school. Those four requirements are: COVID-19
is not actively spreading in the school community, if the case rate in the county is less than 30 cases per 100,000 in the population for three weeks, if the test positivity in the county is less than 5% for three weeks, and if schools comply with the Ready School Safe Learner Guidance. But for grades 4 through 12, Wetherell said they will have to start the new school year with
Please see Schools, Page A8
Protest continues in Bandon AMY MOSS STRONG The World
BANDON — A peaceful protest to bring awareness of the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement has been happening daily for the past 57 days in Bandon. Every afternoon from 3:305:30 p.m., a group of Bandon residents and others have been gathering alongside the intersection of Highway 42S and U.S. Highway 101, alternating corners to hold signs and flags and wave at cars as they pass by. Amy Turner, a 2016 graduate of Bandon High School who now works at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, started the protest on June 2 and has been there every day since. On the 50th day, Turner was joined by some friends from Coos Bay in support of the cause she is promoting, along with the regular crowd, more than 30 people. “But mostly there are Bandon people here today,” Turner said. Turner felt moved to protest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Black individuals who died at the hands of police. “I think it shows the community that we’re actually serious about this and we’re not going to leave until something gets done,” Turner said. “I think it’s important Black people aren’t afraid to go out and do normal things like going shopping,” she added. “It’s important to recognize the people who are extremely intolerant and call them out because we want to protect People of Color.” Standing there, Turner and the others have gotten a “surprising” amount of positive reactions, but she said it’s about 50 percent
Amy Moss Strong Photos, The World
A group has been peacefully protesting alongside the intersection of Highway 42S and U.S. Highway 101 every day from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for the past 55 days, in an effort to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. Anyone is welcome to join them. positive and 50 percent negative, including people yelling and flipping them off. The group smiles and waves at everyone, regardless of their reaction. They have no intention of doing anything destructive. The idea is to peacefully bring about change. “People need to educate themselves and others and support Black businesses on the Internet,” Turner said. “Donate if you can to equal justice initiatives.” She believes there is not really a blatent race issue problem in Bandon and she feels the local police are doing a good job and she supports them. But Turner also admits that since she’s not a Person of Please see BLM, Page A8
Bandon resident Amy Turner has been standing alongside the intersection of Highway 42S and U.S. Highway 101 since June 3, peacefully protesting to bring awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. She has since been regularly joined by others.
Protests relatively calm after withdraw PORTLAND (AP) — The first nightly protest in downtown Portland after a deal was struck for the withdrawal of federal agents guarding a courthouse was largely peaceful and ended Friday without any major confrontations between state police and demonstrators. The scene outside the federal courthouse that started with yet another demonstration Thursday night stood in sharp contrast to the two weeks of violent clashes between the protesters and the agents sent by President Donald Trump to quell the unrest in Oregon’s largest city. State and local officers stepped up their presence as part of the deal between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration to draw down the number of U.S. agents at the demonstrations that have taken place in the city for more than 60 days following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Portland’s federal courthouse became a target of protesters, with the demonstrators trying to tear down a fence that was erected to protect it, lighting fires at the courthouse’s entryway and hurling objects at the agents holed up inside. The agents most nights fired tear gas in return. But at Thursday night’s protest, there was little violence and few signs of confrontation as several thousand people gathered near the courthouse, the Oregonian newspaper reported. A handful of protesters pointed lights and lasers at the building at about 10 p.m. Thursday, but state troopers remained inside and did not respond. About 30 minutes later, hundreds of demonstrators gathered about a block from the courthouse to listen to speeches. There was little sign of a law enforcement presence. The mood remained calm at 1 a.m. Friday as the crowd dwindled to about
Please see Portland, Page A8
Local advocates protest Jordan Cove LNG JILLIAN WARD and AMY MOSS STRONG The World
COOS BAY — Every Wednesday at 4 p.m., the Citizens for Renewables stand on U.S. Highway 101 with signs protesting Jordan Cove. One protester, Linda Hicks, said she joined the group in 2008 after her husband passed away, who had been a “huge proponent for not letting (Jordan Cove) happen.” The group used to be known as the Citizens Against LNG, but changed its name as it took on more issues. The organization’s president, Natalie Ranker, explained that the group has had
success in its fight against Jordan Cove so far. “We are now suing (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), along with 10 other groups, most of which are in Oregon … to not allow (Jordan Cove) to happen and it’s looking better and better,” she said. Ranker said that the liquid natural gas project will not be able to move forward until it has every state permit required, which so far it has none. “Right now people are jumping up and down because FERC approved (the project), but they are now being sued,” Ranker said. On July 6, the Trump Administration approved the Jordan Cove liquid natural gas terminal,
but that does not mean the project has the green light to move forward, at least not until it gets permits from the state of Oregon. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette signed an order for the project, which would send its LNG exports to Asia from Coos Bay, and stated that the Jordan Cove Energy Project “encapsulates what the Trump administration has been working hard on for the past three years — providing reliable, affordable, and cleaner-burning natural gas to our allies around the world.” However, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s office clapped back, stating in an email to The World Please see LNG, Page A7
Jillian Ward, The World
Every Wednesday at 4 p.m. near the Coos Bay Boardwalk, a group protests Jordan Cove.
Photo gallery: Message to 2020 graduates Photo gallery: Black Lives Matter demonstration Pellet
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