Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
COVID-style Pre
Mussel ban
Runners, volunteers uphold spirit of race, B1
Harvesting closed on South Coast, A3
MOSTLY CLOUDY 67 • 56 FORECAST A8 | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 | theworldlink.com | $2
Ginsburg death puts abortion on ballot (AP) - It’s been a throwaway line in presidential campaigns for years: Roe v. Wade is on the ballot. This time it is very real. The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg so close to a presidential election and the vacancy it creates on the Supreme Court, coupled with President Donald Trump’s political imperative to energize social conservatives in key states, urgently provided a new frame for Trump’s case for a second term. And it has animated supporters of abortion rights at least as much.
If Trump is able to install his nominee in that seat, both sides agree there’s a better chance than ever that Roe v. Wade — the 1973 decision established a nationwide right to abortion — could be overturned or gutted. “We have been apprehensive for years, but this is more worrisome — this is a seismic shift,” said Jennifer Dalven, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project. During his 2016 campaign, Trump, who had previously expressed unqualified support
for abortion rights, won over skeptical anti-abortion leaders with multiple pledges to combat abortion, including choosing Supreme Court justices open to dismantling Roe v. Wade. Now, with Trump hoping to fill a vacancy for the third time and give the nine-member court six conservative justices, that pledge has new import. “It is at least conceivable for the first time that we have a majority that would overturn Roe, and the battle would return to the states,” said Andrew Bath, executive vice president of the
Thomas More Society, a conservative public interest law firm. It remains uncertain if the Senate will hold a confirmation vote before the Nov. 3 election, and how it would respond if Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden before the vacancy is filled. But Trump has urged the Senate to move quickly, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said there will be a vote on Trump’s nominee. If a Trump nominee is confirmed and a reconfigured high court did eventually overturn Roe, the likely outcome would
be a patchwork of laws in various states. Some states would protect abortion access, others would enact near-total bans, and many would struggle over what new limits they might impose. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, says that if Roe were dismantled, sweeping bans could be imposed in 20 states that are home to an estimated 25 million women of reproductive age. The high court has plenty of options if it wants to reexamine Roe. Planned Parenthood’s
Please see Ginsburg, Page A7
10 new virus cases in Coos County since Sept. 15 The World
Amy Moss Strong, The World
Heather Fargason from Medford picks up trash along Bandon’s South Jetty. Fargason visited the area for the weekend to escape the smoke in the Rogue Valley.
Cleanup nets garbage, ‘nurdles’ AMY MOSS STRONG The World
BANDON — Volunteers in Bandon picked up approximately 300 pounds of trash along Bandon beaches from Seven Devils Wayside north to the China Creek Beach south of town Saturday morning. And that was just in the Bandon area. The SOLVE Beach & Riverside Cleanups is part of a statewide volunteer event that has occurred each fall and spring since 1984 that includes beach cleanups, inland cleanups and habitat restoration events, all in an effort to keep Oregon’s watershed clean and healthy. Other events Saturday were held at Sunset Bay Beach, Bastendorff Beach and Horsfall Beach. In Bandon, the event was organized by Shoreline Education for Awareness volunteers, with Mary Garrett as the SOLVE site captain. Garrett said notable items gathered by volunteers included seven large chunks of Styrofoam (that likely broke loose from docks along the Coquille River), four large pieces of plastic and a post from the snowy plover protected area near China Creek. “There were a lot of smaller items (including) plastic bottle caps, toys, micro plastics, beer
Contributed photo by Bruce Williams
From left, Jim Belt, Donna Belt and Nancy Bailey picked up trash on the beach at the west side of Bullards Bridge during Saturday’s SOLVE Beach Cleanup. Bailey said they found large styrofoam blocks, plastic and glass bottles and a lot of face masks, among other items. bottles and soda cans and plastic bottles,” Garrett said.
Fifty people attended the event, with approximately 80%
— they belong to her four kids. They’re all students in the North Bend School District, three with Individual Education Plans and all with a need to keep learning into the new school year. “We have to have that all mapped out so we know where our holes are,” Huit said. Huit’s whiteboard shows a clear picture of the challenges that the family is up against this fall, wrapping the roles of parent
and teacher into one and bringing the classroom into the home. It’s a process that’s even more complex for families like Huit’s, which is one of the about 15% of North Bend School District families who have students with disabilities, according to the Oregon Department of Education. For now, both the North Bend and Coos Bay School Districts are largely limited to using distance or online instruction, with
locals and 20% visitors to Bandon, Garrett estimated. Garrett is past-president of SEA, a nonprofit organization that works to improve stewardship of the coastal areas by increasing awareness of the shoreline habitat and wildlife along the Oregon Coast. Her husband Steve is current president. Several other SEA volunteers also helped with the event. More information about SEA can be found at www.sea-edu. org and volunteers are always welcome. “I really believe in keeping our planet clean for our children and grandchildren,” SEA volunteer Dorothy Thrashing said. “Plus I need to work out some angst and sadness with the passing of RGB (Ruth Bader Ginsburg).” Arlene Esqueda was helping with sign-ups, then headed out to pick up trash. Esqueda said she takes a sieve with her to strain the sand, where she finds various small plastic items, cigarette butts and, most notably, “nurdles,” which are not much bigger than the head of a pin and come in all colors. Despite their novelty, nurdles can be dangerous to birds and fish and humans who consume those animals. Nurdle is the colloquial name for pre-production plastic pellets. Please see Cleanup, Page A8
Online learning brings challenges for parents ZACK DEMARS The World
SOUTH COAST — Anna Huit’s whiteboard is full: “Monday” through “Friday” listed down the side, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. listed hour by hour across the top. In each box, four different, color-coded schedules are meticulously laid out in 45-minute chunks. The schedules aren’t Huit’s
only kindergarten through third graders allowed in in-person cohorts. North Bend started school on Sept. 14, and Coos Bay’s younger grades started Monday. The junction between “11-12” and “12-1” on the whiteboard shows one of Huit’s simplest conundrums. She’s got to be home, supporting three of her kids who are learning online at the same time as she has to walk
Photo gallery: Bikes & Bugs event honors troop Photo gallery: North Bank Lane fire threatens homes AT THEWORLDLINK.COM D • Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878 • A Country Media Newspaper • Copyright 2020 Follow us online:
Please see Learning, Page A8 OPINION A4 OBITUARIES A5 WEATHER A8
facebook.com/theworldnewspaper
COOS COUNTY — Since Sept. 18, there have been six additional COVID-19 cases reported in Coos County, according to Coos Health & Wellness. Coos County now has 104 confirmed and 38 presumptive* cases, for a total of 142 total cases. Since Sept. 15, there have been 10 new confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases in Coos County. There have been 43 cases in the last 28 days and no one is currently hospitalized from complications due to the virus, though there have been nine past hospitalizations. Coos County still reports no deaths from COVID-19. The county also reports a total of 6,702 people who have tested negative. Curry County also reported two additional positive COVID-19 cases over the weekend. Curry County reports a total of 28 cases with no deaths. The number of new cases in Coos County since the last update on Sept. 18 include six (five presumptive, one confirmed). Case-specific: 1. Adult 70-80, female, presumptive, linked to known case, high exposure to others, isolating at home. 2. Adult 70-80, male, presumptive, linked to known case, high exposure to others, isolating at home. 3. Adult 50-60, female, presumptive, linked to known case, high exposure to others, isolating at home. Under investigation. 4. Adult 50-60, female, presumptive, linked to known case, high exposure to others, isolating at home. Under investigation. 5. Adult 40-60, female, confirmed, linked to known case, high exposure to others, isolating at home. Underlying health conditions. 6. Adult over 60, male, presumptive, linked to known case, moderate exposure to others, isolating at home. No underlying conditions * Presumptive cases are a close contact of a confirmed case and have experienced specific symptoms consistent with COVID-19 but have not tested positive with a laboratory-confirmed test. This could mean they have not been tested, or they have tested negative. Due to the fact that a negative test does not rule out COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority and the Coos County Public Health Division treats these persons as if they have been infected.
SPORTS B1 CLASSIFIEDS C1 COMICS C2
twitter.com/TheWorldLink
instagram.com/theworldlink