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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

Harvest Festival a success

Convicted killer dies

Bandon names Cranberry Queen, B1

Jeffrey Williams dies in Oregon prison, A2

MOSTLY SUNNY  66 • 52  FORECAST, A8  |  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020  |  theworldlink.com  | $2

Family sees support after fire ZACK DEMARS The World

COOS BAY — Mary and Jim Barnes had to hide in their chicken pen to stay safe last week. By 11:15 p.m. on Friday, the pair, both 70, had gone to bed for the night. But minutes later, Mary heard a loud noise downstairs. When she went down to investigate, she arrived at a terrifying scene, unlike anything she’d experienced before: The living

room was on fire. By then end of the night, after a struggle with fire crews from around the region, the house would be gone. The couple, two of their pets and their friends would be all that remained the next day. “We lost everything. I mean everything,” Mary Barnes said. After seeing the flames that dark night, Mary went outside to try and use a hose on the flames, but it was no use. Back upstairs, she woke up her husband, help-

ing him into his wheelchair and out of the house. Once outside, the couple, married 53 years, discovered the wheelchair ramp had already been taken by fire, and they had to walk Jim down the stairs before finding their way to the chicken pen. The area, in the Libby neighborhood just south of Coos Bay, is steep — which means the struggle was only beginning once out of the house. Fire engines arrived at the

house just eight minutes after Mary called 911, fire officials say. But the trouble was, they couldn’t get up the steep driveway. Without fire hydrants in the area, firefighters had to stretch a hose about 250 feet up the driveway, and call in water support from other agencies. All told, seven different fire departments from North Bay to Sumner sent crews to the fire. Eventually, they’d find Mary and Jim, and help them escape

the property — getting Mary to a nearby pickup and sliding Jim down the hill. “We got out with our lives, our dogs and a kitty cat,” Mary said. She’d never been through something like that before, she said, but remained calm throughout the night — until she arrived at the hospital, where she’d stay for two days because of how much smoke she’d breathed in. Since then, the Barnes’ friends have stepped in to help. Mark Please see Fire, Page A8

Coos COVID-19 cases on the rise

Bottom fishing with Prowler Charters

5-year-old boy among new cases AMY MOSS STRONG The World

TOP: Wes Nodine, a well-known face in Bandon’s Old Town, cuts fillets from bottom fish caught Sunday by guests on a fishing trip with Prowler Charters out of Bandon. Prowler owner Wayne Butler said Nodine gets $1 per fish he fillets for customers. Prowler Charters went out twice Sunday, taking advantage of the calm seas and each of the seven passengers aboard caught their limits of seven fish each. RIGHT: Rockfish caught Sunday morning from a Prowler Charters fishing trip out of Bandon. Amy Moss Strong, The World

Powers police chief to resign Oct. 15 ZACK DEMARS The World

POWERS — The City of Powers is losing another police chief, who is also its only fulltime officer. On Saturday, Kevin Macho announced his intent to resign effective Oct. 15, which will be just seven months into his tenure as chief. “It has become clear to me that the council and I have a vastly different vision regarding the administration of the police department going forward,”

Macho wrote in an email to city council members. Both Macho and Mayor Robert Kohn say the departure is on good terms, and that the departure is a matter of differing goals for the future of the department. “He did a lot of good for the city,” Kohn said. “We wish him luck.” Macho, who joined the department in March, is the second police chief to leave the department in less than a year. Former Chief Robert Baker was terminated by the City Council in December,

a move that received criticism from many in the community. Much of Macho’s work involved expanding the police department in the city of around 700 residents. Before his arrival, the chief was typically the department’s only staff person. Now, Macho says his department has several volunteer administrators, as well as the part time work of former chief Rhett Davis and another volunteer reserve officer. Goals for more expansion were part of the difference in

Photo gallery: Bikes & Bugs event honors troops Photo gallery: SOLVE Beach Cleanup nets garbage, ‘nurdles’

vision, according to Kohn. The city doesn’t have the funding to keep expanding and would have a hard time increasing its tax revenue to meet those demands, Kohn said. Macho wouldn’t say more about his reason to leave beyond what he told members of the City Council. He likened his time with the department to a “relationship between two people” that sometimes just doesn’t fit. The department’s small size creates challenges for meet-

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OPINION A4 OBITUARIES A5 WEATHER A8

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COOS COUNTY — COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Coos County, with 10 confirmed or presumptive cases reported in the past eight days. There are currently 16 active cases and Coos Health & Wellness is monitoring 130 connected cases. A 5-year-old child was one of the confirmed cases this past week. All of the active cases are connected to an outbreak at Bandon Pacific Seafood processing plant in Charleston, according to Coos Health & Wellness Assistant Director and Public Information Officer Dr. Eric Gleason. The other two recent outbreaks, one of them involving an church in Coos County that was not identified, and the other outbreak also not identified, have been resolved, Gleason said. As of Sept. 25, there are 109 confirmed cases and 43 presumptive* cases in Coos County for a total of 152 cases. Non-cases that tested negative total 6,883. There have been 28 cases in the last 30 days. There have been nine hospitalizations due to COVID-19 complications, but there are no current hospitalizations. There have been no deaths in Coos County due to COVID-19. Specifics of the newest cases in the county include: 1. Adult 50-60, female, presumptive, linked to known cases, low exposure to others, isolating at home. Unknown underlying health conditions. 2. Adult over 60, female, presumptive, linked to known cases, low exposure to others, isolating at home. Underlying health conditions. 3. Adult under 40, female, presumptive, linked to known cases, moderate exposure to others, isolating at home. No underlying health conditions. 4. Adult over 60-70, male, confirmed, linked to known case, moderate exposure to others, isolating at home. No underlying Please see COVID, Page A8

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