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STEADY RAIN 57 • 43 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020 | theworldlink.com

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Residents ask commissioners to fight restrictions DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

COQUILLE — Coos County commissioners received an earful during an emotional call to the public Tuesday as close to a dozen community members, most from Bandon, begged commissioners to do something to ease COVID-19 restrictions in the county.

During the meeting, a collective of business owners said enough is enough when it comes to COVID restrictions.

“I think one of the most frustrating things is watching everything happen and just feeling silenced,” Theresa Avery said. “Many people are very frustrated. Our leaders are telling us to trust them, trust the science, but we’ve been getting a lot of inconsistent information and a lot of unscientific information. There was the wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. When they were telling us don’t wear a mask, they were telling us it was dangerous to wear a mask. We don’t know who to trust.”

Avery said the government needs to start trusting the people, not the other way around.

“What we’d like is for you to trust us to make wise decisions,” Avery said. “A lot of the restaurants, we’ve seen the efforts they’ve made putting in dividers to create a safe environment, just to get knocked back down is very discouraging. Some of the decrees that have been made, like when they first shut down the parks, we were scratching our heads. You are usually never closer than 60 feet from anybody much less six feet, but they closed every one down.”

Daniel Wilson, pastor of RWCI Ministries in Bandon, said the restrictions are destroying the community.

“I’ve come in support of many that are here, just simply because being a pastor in the local community, a building contractor in the local community for 30 years, we’ve seen a lot happen in the community because of this,” he said.

“COVID-19 has definitely been terrible for all of us this year.

What’s more terrible than that is corruption in government, in science. There’s been conflicting information from all sides.

Some of the facts I’m concerned about is causing people to remain isolated, not to mention what it’s had on business. Less than 6 percent of COVID cases have appeared in children, yet children are remaining isolated.

America is facing a teen suicide pandemic. We heard recently that a 5th grader has committed suicide. This COVID and this isolation that is happening has begun to impact in terrible ways.”

Denise Vasquez, a business owner in Bandon, said another shutdown could destroy small businesses.

“I have a local business that is looking at another shutdown as of Friday. It’s not fair to the restaurants,” she said. “As far as I know, the restaurants aren’t spreading. We’re very diligent to our food handling, our sanitizing. We need to come together as Coos County and say it’s not working, the shut downs, the openings, the shut downs.

It’s not working, and we need to come up with another solution.”

Vasquez said the government

mandates needs to stop and stop now.

“I passionately oppose the shut downs, the mask mandates,” she said. “None of this is Constitutional and I request a round table, work shop, whatever where we can sit down, we can talk and come up with a better solution for Coos County.”

After Vasquez finished speaking, many in the audience began to clap. At that time, Chair Melissa Cribbins asked for the clapping to stop. That led to a further outburst, with one person calling out “You need to do something to help us.”

Tanya DePaolo, also of Bandon, said it is time for the people to stand up.

“I also vehemently oppose these shut downs, these mask mandates,” she said. “God is who I am loyal to first and foremost.

He gave me an immune system, he gave me holes in my face so I can breathe. These masks are dangerous. I have heart issues, and this causes me to have a lack of oxygen.”

DePaolo said the lockdowns are not only wrong but likely illegal.

“What’s going on is incredibly wrong, it’s incredibly unconstitutional,” she said. “We have a right to live. We are living, breathing, walking human beings. We don’t serve the government. The government is for the people. Somehow, someway that is being lost and the government is creating fear in the people. We need to take back our rights to live and move about freely and be happy and thrive. Government is trying to squash that and that’s not OK. We have one life. Are we going to live in fear, are we

going to live in shutdown? To when, to when? This is too big, too important to be limited to three minutes.”

Gloria Robinson told commissioners without help small businesses will disappear throughout the county.

“Our communities are suffering, especially ones that depend on restaurants and public stores,” Robinson said. “This is killing them. Many of them can’t survive it. They’re not big corporations that have ample resources to continue on without income coming in. We pay your income, so you’re guaranteed a paycheck.

They’re not. This has gone on way too long. This mask things in the biggest bull I’ve seen in my entire life. Are you going to continue to be ruled by people telling you want to do? I’m not.

This county needs opened up, and it needs opened up now.”

Rob Taylor added to the call, saying freedom is not debatable.

“This is an issue of freedom.

This is an issue of people being told to do things by bureaucrats that are taking statistics that are not accurate. We know they are not accurate,” he said. “We know that the numbers are incorrect, and we know that we can open up this county. We can’t run away from this illness and we have to ask ourselves what are we going to do. Are we going to destroy our economy and come out of our economy completely broke, and we’ll still die anyway because it’s not going anywhere.”

Taylor said commissioners need to do something to help the people.

“Even with the vaccine coming, many are not going to take

John Gunther, The World

A rainbow arcs over a hillside on the west end of Coquille on a recent fall day. South Coast residents can expect periods of rain throughout the next week.

Biden picks Buttigieg, Granholm for cabinet posts openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post. At 38, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would also add a youthful dynamic to an incoming administration that is so far dominated in large part by leaders with decades of Washington experience.

Biden said in a statement that Buttigieg was a “patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation.”

Granholm, 61, served as Michigan’s attorney general from 1999 to 2003 and two terms as Michigan’s first female governor, from 2003 to 2010. She was a supporter of Biden’s presidential bid and has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s

attempts to overturn the election results, accusing him of “poisoning democracy.”

The intended selections of Granholm and McCarthy were confirmed by three people who were familiar with one or both of the picks. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly before the president-elect’s announcement.

Biden is steadily rolling out his choices for Cabinet secretaries, having already selected former Obama adviser Tony Blinken as his secretary of state, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his secretary of defense and former Fed Chair Janet Yellen as his treasury secretary. He’s also

Please see Restrictions, Page 3

Over-thecounter home test for COVID-19 gets green light

Coquille Rainbow

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden nominated his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation on Tuesday and intends to choose former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary.

Biden also plans to tap Gina McCarthy, a former Environmental Protection Agency chief, for the powerful new position of domestic climate chief to run his ambitious climate plans across the federal government.

All three will be central to Biden’s plan to remake the country’s automobiles and transportation systems to quickly cut climate-damaging petroleum emissions.

Buttigieg would be the first

the vaccine,” he said. “Yes, these masks are a burden. Whoever is saying to put on the mask and tell you live like that is cowards.

They will get on their knees and grovel just for a little safety.

John, you get a paycheck every month. Melissa you get one, Bob you get one. Some of us we went through a couple of months with no money, nothing. Nobody came to our rescue, all you did is give us orders. Then when we come to a meeting and somebody happens to clap, Melissa gets irate with us. It’s ridiculous.

Be a leader, stop being a coward and putting on your mask and following orders. We’re dying on the vine.”

Maria Merriam, who owns a dance studio in Bandon, said the government lockdowns have been devastating for local businesses.

“As a business, we have lost 70 percent of our income this year,” she said. “So that’s rough.

When our restaurants are shut down, the business owners tell me they might as well have shut down the whole town because it’s empty. They’re panicked. I implore you to do everything within your power. This is not a partisan issue. It’s not about politics anymore, it’s about survival.”

Rod Taylor made his argument against government mandates loud and clear.

“Our Constitution and Bill of Rights afford us the right to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness,” he said. “It affords us the right to freedom of commerce, freedom of association, freedom of religion. These rights have been impeded, they have been trespassed by the unconstitutional mandates of the governor.

picked former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in the Biden administration, and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to serve as housing secretary.

Meanwhile, New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland is considered a lead contender to become interior secretary despite Democratic worry that her departure would leave them with a perilously thin majority in the House. Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Pueblo of Laguna, would be the first Native American to lead the Interior Department if confirmed.

Buttigieg became a leading figure in national politics when he was among those who challenged Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination this year.

Please see Cabinet, Page 2

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn’t require a prescription will soon be on U.S. store shelves.

U.S. regulators Tuesday authorized the rapid coronavirus test, which can be done entirely at home. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration represents another important — though incremental — step in efforts to expand testing options.

Regulators granted emergency use for a similar home test last month, but that one needs a doctor’s prescription.

The agency’s action Tuesday allows sales in places like drugstores “where a patient can buy it, swab their nose, run the test and find out their results in as little as 20 minutes,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, in a statement.

Initial supplies of the over-thecounter test will be limited. Australian manufacturer Ellume said it expects to produce 3 million tests next month before ramping up production over the first half of 2021.

A company spokesperson said the test will be priced around $30 and be available at pharmacies and for purchase online.

The kit includes a nasal swab, a chemical solution and a testing strip. The test connects digitally to a smart phone app that displays the results and then helps interpret them. Users can also connect with a health professional via the app.

For months, health experts have stressed the need for fast, widespread home testing so that people can screen themselves and avoid contact with others if they have an infection.

Please see Home Test, Page 2

eEdition

Oregon sets new daily high with 54 reported COVID-19 deaths The World PORTLAND — Oregon smashed its daily record of reported COVID-19 deaths Tuesday when the Oregon Health Authority reported 54 deaths from around the state, raising the state’s death toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,214.

“Today’s record-high death toll tragically reminds us that the pandemic is far from over despite the arrival of vaccines in Oregon,” said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. “These Oregonians and the ones who passed before them were loved ones who will be dearly missed by

their families, for whom we express our sincerest condolences.”

In addition, 1,129 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 were reported as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 96,092.

The rising case count that surged in November is one factor attributed to Tuesday’s record-high total, Allen said. The counting of deaths from death certificates may take time to process because they are determined by physicians and then sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further review before the cause of death is ultimate-

ly determined. Once that information is confirmed, it is reported back with a final cause of death to the state, which accounts for lagging information.

The new cases reported Tuesday were in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (20), Clackamas (128), Clatsop (8), Columbia (15), Coos (9), Crook (10), Curry (10), Deschutes (31), Douglas (10), Grant (2), Hood River (19), Jackson (86), Jefferson (15), Josephine (15), Klamath (22), Lake (3), Lane (111), Lincoln (3), Linn (30), Malheur (18), Marion (140), Multnomah (215), Polk (22), Tillamook (4), Umatilla

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(44), Union (5), Wallowa (1), Wasco (6), Washington (89), Yamhill (31).

Allen said Oregonians can continue to work together to prevent more lives being lost to the virus by doing the following things: • Maintain 6 feet of physical distance;

• Wear a face covering when outside the house; • Practice good hand hygiene; • Avoid any gatherings with non-household members; • If you start to have symptoms — even mild ones — consult with a medical provider quickly

to get instructions on how to care for yourself and your household members and also whether to get tested; • And finally, if you get a call from public health, answer it, and take their advice on how to protect yourself and those around you.

Ex-Houston officer accused of assault in bogus voter fraud claim HOUSTON (AP) — A former Houston police captain was charged with assault on Tuesday after running a man off the road and holding him at gunpoint in an effort to prove what authorities have called a bogus voter fraud scheme.

Mark Aguirre claimed that an air conditioner repairman was the mastermind of a giant voter fraud scheme. Aguirre said the man’s truck was filled with fraudulent ballots when he ran his SUV into it on Oct. 19, according to authorities.

“The defendant stated (the driver) has approximately seven hundred and fifty thousand fraudulent mail ballots and is using Hispanic children to sign the ballots because the children’s fingerprints would not appear in any databases,” according to an

arrest affidavit.

Aguirre told police he and some friends set up a “command post” at a Marriott hotel in suburban Houston and conducted 24-hour surveillance on the repairman for four days, according to the affidavit. He said he then ran the man’s truck off the road, pointed a gun at him, forced him onto the ground and put a knee on his back, the affidavit said.

Police who responded to the incident searched the truck and found only air conditioning parts and tools, authorities said.

Authorities did not name the truck driver, who was not hurt.

“A lengthy investigation ... determined allegations of election fraud were unfounded and no evidence of illegal ballots was found,” Houston police said.

Aguirre told a police officer at the scene, “I just hope you’re a patriot,” according to the affidavit.

Lt. Wayne Rubio with the Texas Attorney General’s Office later told police that Aguirre had asked his office to conduct a traffic stop for his investigation and when Rubio said he couldn’t do that, Aguirre said he would do it himself and “make a citizen’s arrest,” according to the affidavit.

Aguirre, 63, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court records did not list an attorney for Aguirre.

If convicted, Aguirre faces up to 20 years in prison. Police have not identified any other suspects.

Police say Aguirre was paid $266,400 by Houston-based Liberty Center

for God and Country, a nonprofit organization that is run by GOP party activist Dr. Steven Hotze.

A conservative power broker, Hotze unsuccessfully sued to stop the extension of early voting in Texas for this year’s election. He also sued officials in Harris County, where Houston is located, to limit in-person and absentee voting, making allegations without evidence that Democrats were engaged in “ballot harvesting” by gathering votes from individuals who are homeless or elderly.

Allegations by President Donald Trump and others of massive voter fraud have been refuted by several judges, state election officials, an arm of his own administration’s Homeland Security Department and Attorney General William Barr.

Hotze was also part of a group of individuals who unsuccessfully tried to challenge the legality of drive-thru voting in Harris County.

Jared Woodfill, an attorney for Hotze, said Liberty Center had employed Aguirre’s company and around 20 investigators who were looking into allegations of voter fraud during the election.

Woodfill said he doesn’t know if Aguirre was working on the investigation at the time of the alleged assault, but that Liberty Center doesn’t approve of such tactics.

“We would never endorse that, saying go pull someone over, put a gun up to their head and make them open up their truck,” he said.

Woodfill said he would be “surprised if the allegations were true. That seems

out of character for any of the people that would be working under Liberty Center.”

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Aguirre’s actions “crossed the line from dirty politics to commission of a violent crime.”

“We are lucky no one was killed,” Ogg said. “His alleged investigation was backward from the start — first alleging a crime had occurred and then trying to prove it happened.”

Aguirre was fired from the Houston Police Department in 2003 after a botched raid in which nearly 300 people were arrested in a crackdown on illegal street racing. Most who were arrested were not linked to street racing and charges were dropped.

Aguirre was tried and acquitted on five counts of official oppression.

Cabinet

party around its ultimate nominee.

Biden’s selection of Buttigieg for transportation secretary drew praise from LGBTQ rights groups, with one calling it “a new milestone in a decades-long effort” to have LGBTQ representation in the U.S. government.

“Its impact will reverberate well-beyond the department he will lead,” added Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

The South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter, however, denounced Buttigieg’s pending nomination.

The group had made their displeasure of Buttigieg known during his presidential campaign, following the 2019 South Bend

shooting of a Black man by a white police officer.

“We saw Black communities have their houses torn down by his administration,” BLM’s South Bend leader Jorden Giger said in a statement, referring to Buttigieg’s effort to tear down substandard housing. “We saw the machinery of his police turned against Black people.”

If confirmed as transportation secretary, Buttigieg will be charged with implementing Biden’s proposals to spend billions making major infrastructure improvements and on retrofitting initiatives that can help the U.S. battle climate change. He also wants to immediately mandate mask-wearing on airplanes and public

transportation systems to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, as energy secretary, Granholm will have a role in executing Biden’s promised $2 trillion climate plan, billed as the nation’s broadest and most ambitious effort to cut fossil fuel emissions that are dangerously warming Earth’s atmosphere.

Biden’s plan includes overhauling the nation’s transportation and power sectors and buildings to eliminate fossil fuel emissions by 2050.

As governor, when Granholm faced an economic downturn before the Great Recession struck, she sought to diversify the state that is home to the Detroit Three automakers by emphasizing the grow-

ing “green economy.” The state pushed incentives to manufacture wind turbines, solar panels, advanced batteries and electric vehicles, and she signed a law requiring that more of Michigan’s energy come from renewable sources.

After leaving office, she moved to California to teach at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a political contributor on CNN. As domestic climate chief, McCarthy will spearhead Biden’s ambitions for a massive, coordinated domestic campaign to slow climate change.

Her counterpart in climate efforts will be former Secretary of State John Kerry, earlier named by Biden as his climate envoy for national security issues.

The selection of McCarthy is in line with Biden’s pattern of picking tested, familiar figures from his time as vice president. McCarthy, 66, served as EPA administrator from 2013 to 2017 during President Barack Obama’s second term and was assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation in Obama’s first term.

She led initiatives that cut air and water pollution and signed the Clean Power Plan, Obama’s signature effort to address climate change by setting the first national standards for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants.

Trump later scrapped the plan, and moved to support climate-damaging coal, oil and gas.

Home Test But the vast majority of tests still require a nasal swab performed by a health worker that must be processed at high-tech laboratories. That typically means waiting days for the results. About 25 tests allow people to collect their own sample at home— a nasal swab or saliva — but then that’s shipped to a lab.

Ellume’s test looks for viral proteins shed

by COVID-19, which is

different from the gold standard tests that look for the genetic material of the virus.

Like other tests that scan for proteins, FDA officials noted that Ellume’s test can deliver a small percentage of false positive and false negative results. People who get a negative result but have coronavirus symptoms should follow up with a health professional, the agency said.

Currently the U.S. is testing nearly 2 million people daily. Most health experts agree the country

needs to be testing many times more and researchers at Harvard have pushed for cheap, paper home tests.

Still, Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard called the new test “a great addition,” to existing options, though he cautioned that its price could limit access.

“This is a milestone, with reservations,” Mina said in an email. “I just hope it doesn’t drive more of a wedge between haves and have nots.”

For people with insurance, federal law requires that plans cover the cost of COVID-19 testing.

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From Page 1

Initially written off as the leader of a relatively small town competing against far more established figures, Buttigieg zeroed in on a message of generational change to finish the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses in a virtual tie with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

His campaign stumbled, however, in appealing to Black voters who play a critical role in Democratic politics. As the primary moved into more diverse states such as South Carolina, Buttigieg faltered and quickly withdrew from the race. His backing of Biden ushered in a remarkably swift unification of the

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Negotiators near agreement on relief bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional leaders are nearing agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal a deal as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a coauthor of a $908 billion bipartisan package, said leadership negotiators are close to agreement on legislation that would extend direct payments of perhaps $600 to most Americans. No. 2 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota confirmed the likely addition of direct payments in that range, as well as a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit to partially replace a $600-per-week benefit that expired this summer.

“We made major headway toward hammering out a bipartisan relief package,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The bill would include

a new round of stimulus checks, enhanced federal unemployment insurance benefits, and other avenues for delivering aid to states, localities, territories and tribes, according to two people familiar with the talks and authorized to characterize them. Their statement said that a GOP-sought provision shielding businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits would be dropped.

“I think they’re basically now putting it all together,” Manchin told CNN. “We were able to break the gridlock.”

Other aides following the talks offered more cautious assessments.

The emerging package is serving as a magnet for add-ons and the two sides continue to swap offers.

It is also apparent that another temporary spending bill will be needed to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. That is likely to easily pass.

House lawmakers were returning to Washington

Wednesday in hopes of a vote soon on the emerging package, which would combine the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion governmentwide funding bill and a host of other remaining congressional business.

Negotiations intensified on Tuesday after months of futility. The top Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress met twice in hopes of finally cementing a leadership agreement that would revive subsidies for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, help distribute new coronavirus vaccines, fund schools and renew soon-to-expire jobless benefits.

Republicans labored to keep the price tag for the long-delayed rescue package in check, seeking to prevail in a battle over help for state and local governments, while capping the cost of bonus jobless benefits and direct payments sought by Democrats.

After two meetings in House Speaker Nancy

Pelosi’s Capitol suite, where Democrats pressed for more generous steps such as direct payments of to help individuals struggling in the COVID-19 economy, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., gave an upbeat assessment.

“I think we’ve built a lot of trust,” McCarthy said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think there’s a possibility of getting it done.”

Pressure for a deal is intense. Unemployment benefits run out Dec. 26 for more than 10 million people. Many businesses are barely hanging on after nine months of the pandemic. And money is needed to distribute new vaccines that are finally offering hope for returning the country to normal.

McConnell is playing a strong hand in the lameduck session and pushed hard to get Democrats to drop a much-sought $160 billion state and local government aid package.

Several senior Democrats, including close allies of

President-elect Joe Biden — who is eager for an agreement — have said they would go along now and fight for the aid next year. Democrats cited other gains for states and localities in the emerging deal such as help for transit systems and vaccine distribution.

Pelosi has insisted for months that state and local aid would be in any final bill, but as time is running out, Democrats appear unwilling to hold the rest of the package hostage over the demand.

Manchin is an architect of a bipartisan $748 billion aid package that is aimed at serving as a template for the leadership talks. President Donald Trump’s chief negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, supports a package with many similar elements. There is also bipartisan support for transportation and transit assistance, funding for rural internet service and help for the Postal Service, among other provisions.

There’s a hoped-for deadline of midnight Friday to deliver the completed package to Trump.

That is when a partial government shutdown would arrive with the expiration of last week’s temporary funding bill.

But there’s no guarantee that the massive yearend measure will be completed in time. If the talks drag, further temporary bills could be needed.

Negotiations on a $1.4 trillion catchall spending bill are virtually completed, lawmakers say, One hard-fought compromise would deliver another $1.4 billion or so for a final installment to continue construction of his long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The post-election lame-duck session is the last chance to wrap up the unfinished work this year, a goal of all involved, though they have been slow until now to forge the often-tricky compromises required to pull the measure together.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved a genetically modified pig for food and medical products, making it the second such animal to get the green light for human consumption. But the company behind it says there are no imminent plans to sell it for meat.

The pig is genetically engineered to eliminate the presence of alpha-gal, a type of sugar found in many mammals. The sugar makes its way into many products — including medications, cosmetics and food — and can cause allergic reactions in some people.

The main goal of the company behind the pig, United Therapeutics Corp., is to develop medical products, such as blood thinners, that won’t set

off such reactions, said its spokesman Dewey Steadman. Eventually, the Silver Spring, Maryland-based firm hopes to develop a way for the pig’s organs to be transplanted into people.

The pig, called GalSafe, also has commercial potential as food, but Steadman said the company doesn’t know when it might be able to secure an agreement with a meat producer to process and sell it. He noted the meat allergy the pig addresses, called alpha-gal syndrome, isn’t yet considered a major issue.

“It’s known, but it’s not well known,” Steadman said.

Health researchers don’t fully understand how the allergy develops, but it has been tied to bites from certain ticks. In 2009, there

were 24 reported cases, but more recent estimates exceed 5,000 cases, according to a report by a working group for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Symptoms can include hives, itching, cramping and vomiting. Unlike other food allergies, alpha-gal reactions typically happen several hours after eating beef, pork or lamb, making it difficult to diagnose.

Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the Center for Food Safety, noted that meat from the genetically modified pigs wasn’t tested in people with the allergies.

“You’re offering it up as something they can eat, without knowing whether it addresses their allergy,” Hanson said.

The FDA said it didn’t

evaluate allergy-specific food safety, since the company’s application didn’t include data on the preventing such reactions.

The Center for Food Safety has sued the FDA over the first genetically modified animal the agency approved for human food — salmon engineered to grow faster. The group said it’s reviewing the agency’s decision on the GalSafe pig posted Monday.

Greg Jaffe of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said the FDA’s approval of the GalSafe pig announced Monday is also concerning because it came without a chance for public comment.

“Nobody was given notice, and all of a sudden there’s an approved animal,” he said.

The company didn’t disclose exactly how it altered the animal’s DNA. Jaffe said the pig was produced by knocking out a gene responsible for producing the sugar and adding another that serves as a marker for the silenced gene.

Jaffe said he’s not aware of any rules on how pork from genetically modified pigs would need to be labeled to be sold in supermarkets. A representative for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees meat labeling, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Steadman said the United Therapeutics pigs would be more difficult to produce than conventional pigs for meat because of requirements governing how they must be kept and

slaughtered. He said there are about 25 GalSafe pigs at an Iowa farm.

Long term, he said the goal is to combine the genetic modification with multiple other changes to make their organs acceptable for transplants in people. For years, researchers have been looking into the idea of transplanting pig organs as a way of eliminating shortages of donated organs.

Though there aren’t any plans yet to sell meat from GalSafe pigs, the genetically modified salmon could become available in the U.S. soon.

AquaBounty, the company that produces the fish, says it is determining the best time to harvest the salmon, which have been growing in indoor tanks at a plant in Indiana.

PORTLAND (AP) — A high school in Southwest Portland will be renamed after one of five history-making Black women chosen as finalists by a committee of students, educators and community members.

The renaming effort began in September after intense pressure from students and alumni amid a mass movement against racial injustice spurred by the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis.

Activists have long called for the renaming of Woodrow Wilson High, in

particular, because its namesake instituted segregation in federal government agencies and was an ally of the Ku Klux Klan.

The school’s renaming committee reached its list of finalists after reviewing nearly 700 surveys.

Wilson is the first of at least two Portland Public Schools to be renamed in the next year. Madison High Principal Adam Skyles in October announced the Northeast Portland school will divorce itself from its namesake by next fall.

The Black women Wilson may be named after

include: Harriet Wilson, known as the first Black person to publish a novel in the U.S.; Ida B. Wells, a co-founder of the NAACP and widely recognized for her work as an investigative journalist; Sojourner Truth, who recruited soldiers for the Union during the Civil War and fought for abolition and civil rights; Mercedes Deiz, an Oregonian who was the first Black woman to practice law in the state; and, Beatrice Morrow Cannady, a co-founder and the first vice president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP.

Restrictions

I can’t breathe with these things on. I have to take it off as soon as I leave the room. It really irritates me, this whole thing.

Several hundred thousand people need to descend on the capital on any one day in the near future and say we’ve had enough of this baloney. Why is that South Dakota, Florida or anyone else is open and they don’t have any more cases than anyone else?

That’s my rant. There needs to be a movement statewide, saying we have had enough. Every single Oregon County needs to do that.”

Cribbins also responded, saying the county is fighting for its residents and businesses.

“I know you guys don’t see this because you have your own jobs and own lives and you’re working to keep your business open, but your commissioners have spent the last nine months trying to do everything we can to keep businesses open and protect the public health in this county,” she said.

“It may not seem like it to you and you may not hear it all the time, but we’ve worked tirelessly trying to do everything we can to maintain that balance. We have asked for rational regulations.

We have pushed back on the governor’s office and frankly it’s the governor’s office making the decisions and letting us know what those decision are.

You can say that’s not fair, we have said many times it’s not fair. You may not agree with working in the system but that’s really the option we have as elected officials. We have repeated the same things you’ve said, that we are not seeing transmission in the restaurants.”

Cribbins said she will reach out to city councils and other government agencies in the county to try to set up a work session where people can express their concerns.

For now, the best thing one can do, she said, is reach out to your state legislators and email the governor’s office.

U.S. regulators OK genetically modified pig for food, drugs

Two Portland high schools will be renamed

From Page 1

The governor does not have the constitutional authority to issue the dictates she has. Yet we as a society comply willingly like lemmings. We are here as citizens of Coos County because we are stating the Constitution assumes absolute individual liberty.

What the Constitution limits is the government. It is high time we as a society take back that territory that has been lost.”

After listening to the speakers, Commissioner Bob Main said he mostly agrees.

“I don’t agree with the governor at all. We have a 99.6 percent survival rate on COVID. That is better than the average flu,” Main said. “Closed, not closed, it’s crazy. Why is the liquor store or the marijuana store open, and the restaurants are not? The state has revenue from those specific businesses and not the other. Masks,

DEAR ABBYBy Abigail Van Buren LIVING WITH EX-HUSBAND GOES FROM BAD TO WORSE DEAR ABBY: Although I have been divorced from my ex for eight years, we still live together. There is not -- nor will there ever be -- more than a platonic relationship between us, and I have made that abundantly clear to him.

It wasn’t always a bad situation, but now it’s worse than I could have ever imagined it would be. He drinks heavily on a daily basis and becomes verbally abusive. He has a woman over a lot, and I can’t sleep when she’s here.

She’s a drunk, too, and she also abuses her prescription medications. At least half the time when she’s here, I have to lift her passed-out body off the floor and drag her off to his bedroom. She steals money, cigarettes, food and booze all the time.

He dismisses me when I bring up her behavior. He tells me to shut up or get out. I pay for everything except the rent and homeowner’s insurance. Cable, electric, oil, propane and groceries are my responsibility. I also do all the inside and outside chores. I earn less than he does, but I pay more than he does.

He tells me what to eat and who I can talk to. I can’t have company. Yet he wants to know why I’m not dating. I can’t save any money so I can get out.

I’m stuck, and he knows it. What do I do? -- HORRIBLE SITUATION IN MAINE DEAR HORRIBLE SITUATION: You owe this man nothing. You are being treated like a serf, and it has been going on far too long. If you have family or friends you can stay with until you save enough for a place of your own, start asking now. That should enable you to save more money because you won’t be paying for cable, electricity, propane, etc. for your ex.

P.S. When the girlfriend passes out, do not lift or drag her anywhere. That is your ex’s privilege and not your responsibility. With the load you’re already carrying, the last thing you need is a strained back.

DEAR ABBY: I am at high risk for COVID. My oldest son and his family live an hour and a half away. They have two children at home. Their daughter is also at high risk.

During this pandemic, they have continually posted photos of themselves and the kids maskless with friends, hugging each other and acting as if life is normal. My daughter-in-law has told me she’s “scared” and does the “wear a mask” thing and shares routine online posts, etc., yet she continues having people over.

In normal circumstances, it’s difficult for me to visit. I want to visit them, but every time I consider it, I see them on social media with someone else, sans mask and no social distancing. I’m sure they would say their friends are all healthy, but none of us can know for certain who their friends have been around. It’s like dominoes, and it’s scary.

I don’t know how to explain this to them because I know they will feel I’m being ridiculous. Also, my DIL is super sensitive and would be hurt and insulted.

I love them. I don’t want to alienate them. I’m ready to just take my chances, although my other daughter is against it. What should I do? -- CAUTIOUS IN NEW YORK DEAR CAUTIOUS: Many people have grown complacent about mask wearing and social distancing. That’s unfortunate because, as I write this, “mask fatigue” has led to an increase in the number of people testing positive for the virus. Your concerns are valid, and I hope you will stick to your guns. As a member of a high-risk group, your life could depend on it.

------------------------------Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.

DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

e

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VanDerveer becomes winningest coach STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Tara VanDerveer made history, and then took a moment to tell her Stanford players what they mean to her.

“The most important thing I can do as a coach is love you,” VanDerveer said. “I love the game of basketball and I want to help you be the best you can be. You’re the people that I care about. Thank you.”

Typical Tara, wanting to share the joy on a night when the spotlight shined brightly on her — and her alone.

VanDerveer became the winningest women’s college basketball coach Tuesday night, passing the late Pat Summitt with her 1,099th victory as No. 1 Stanford romped to a 104-61 victory over Pacific.

Dressed casually in all black, VanDerveer received the game

ball after the final buzzer. Her dancing players chanted “Tara!

Tara!” and gave her a new oversized pullover reading “T-DAWG” to celebrate the latest milestone for the Hall of Fame coach in her 35th season on The Farm and 42nd overall as a college head coach. The wearable blanket was forward Francesca Belibi’s idea.

“It’s really sweet,” VanDerveer said.

The 67-year-old VanDerveer improved her career record to 1,099-253. The road to this historic night began with her first head coaching job at the University of Idaho from 1978-80, and then moved to Ohio State (198085) and Stanford, where she is 947-202. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma is right behind at 1,093 wins.

“This is special because of the

magnitude of that many wins,” VanDerveer said. “You never go into coaching, I never thought, ‘Well, I’m going to try to win 1,000 games’ or anything like that. This is special, currently having the No. 1 team, being undefeated, playing in a pandemic, I will never forget this, for sure.”

After the history-making win in a draped-off area upstairs that served as Stanford’s locker room, VanDerveer received a plaque containing a piece of the floor from Stanford’s home court at Maples Pavilion. A framed proclamation from Palo Alto Mayor Adrian Fine was another memento. White long-sleeved shirts commemorating the night were made for the players as well as hand-held confetti poppers and individual mini cakes with an attached sticker that read, “Tara at the top.” Silver balloons

with the numbers 1,099 adorned the room.

Just as the humble VanDerveer prefers, she broke Summitt’s mark going largely under the radar and with little fanfare given the game took place in California’s Central Valley — about 80 miles from the Bay Area. No fans were allowed into Spanos Center, either.

“I really hope Pat Summitt is looking down and saying, ‘Good job Tara, keep it going,’” VanDerveer said. “I loved coaching against Pat, and we miss her.”

Tennessee women’s basketball posted a photo of VanDerveer and Summitt on Twitter and a message that read: “1099. Pat would be proud. Congratulations, Coach VanDerveer!”

“We were friends and obviously competitors,” VanDerveer said. “She had great passion for

the game and I think she sees that with me. She loves unselfish basketball which I think she would see with our team. More than anything she helped me get better as a coach because you had to work really hard to prepare.

We lost more games than we won against Tennessee. She was a great mentor and a great friend. I think she would be proud of us.”

Stanford (5-0) couldn’t play a home game with the Tigers on Nov. 29 because of a positive coronavirus test in the Pacific program and then again Tuesday because of COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County that sent the Cardinal on the road for three weeks. It spent much of that stretch in Las Vegas before traveling to Berkeley to play California in a Sunday night game, when VanDerveer tied Summitt’s record.

Blazers add key parts for NBA title chase PORTLAND (AP) — Damian Lillard is going all-in on winning an NBA championship.

Portland’s five-time All-Star said he appealed in the offseason to Neil Olshey, the Trail Blazers’ president of basketball operations, for the tools to get there.

“Let’s put ourselves out there to do whatever we can do to give ourselves a real shot, let’s try to bring that glory back to Portland,” Lillard said he told Olshey.

“You know, it’s been like 50 years. How long has it been since ’77? It has been a long time and I want to be a part of that.”

Lillard is heading into his ninth NBA season, all with the Blazers. But Portland has always seemed to miss that final piece that could push the Blazers to a title.

The Blazers got closest in the 2018-19 season when they went to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Warriors in four games.

“I get up every morning and I train my ass off -- take care of my body. I don’t live a wild life. You know a lot of the steps that I take in my life were so I could come out here and be at my best and play at the highest level so that I could win a championship for this organization and for the city,” Lillard said.

“So I’ve communicated that to (Olshey), how much it means and what my desire to do that is. And I think he’s doing his best,” he added. “I think he’s really trying to do that, because it means something for him as well.”

And indeed, the Blazers made a flurry of moves in the offseason, bringing in Robert Covington, Derrick Jones Jr. and Enes Kanter. They re-signed Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood.

Covington was expected to start, along with Lillard, CJ McCollum, Jones and

Bucks star agrees to max contract MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed to a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks that takes the two-time reigning MVP off next summer’s free-agent market.

“I’m blessed to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years,” Antetokounmpo posted Tuesday on his social media platforms. The Bucks announced later in the day that Antetokounmpo had signed an extension without announcing the terms or length.

The 26-year-old Antetokounmpo had until Monday to sign the Bucks’ supermax extension offer. If he turned it down, Antetokounmpo could have become a free agent after the upcoming season.

The Athletic and Stadium reported that he agreed to a five-year extension worth $228 million that includes an opt-out clause in 2025.

“This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo said in his post on social media. “I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for Jusuf Nurkic.

A seven-year veteran who played for Minnesota and Houston last season, Covington had 115 steals, ranking third in the league, and 93 blocks while averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

His defense will be key to a team that finished 28th in the league in that category last season.

Conversely, the Blazers had the league’s third-best offense, thanks in great part to Lillard, who averaged 30 points

the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”

Bucks co-owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan said in a statement that “Giannis is a once in a generation player and we are beyond excited for him to remain with the Bucks.”

“This is a big moment for me and my family and I want to thank the Bucks organization for believing in us,” Antetokounmo said in a statement released by the team. “You took a chance on us eight years ago and now putting my signature on a contract like this is unreal – but it’s all because of hard work. This is my home and I’m going to continue working hard and do my best to make the Bucks, our fans and the city proud.”

His decision means the Bucks will hang on to their biggest star since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led Milwaukee to its lone NBA title in 1971, but demanded a trade and was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. and eight assists a game last year.

ROLE MELO: With Covington and Jones expected to start, at least to begin the season, 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony will be in a reserve role.

Anthony, who was out of the game for almost a year when Portland signed him in November 2019, said he and the Blazers came to a meeting of minds when he re-signed with the team heading into this season.

“It was very straight to the point from

Family ties lead USC defense up front LOS ANGELES (AP) — It didn’t take long for Southern California defensive coordinator Todd Orlando to realize his first season would be a family affair.

Cousins Talanoa Hufanga and Marlon Tuipulotu would anchor the defense as third-year starters at safety and nose tackle, respectively, and younger brother Tuli Tuipulotu was making enough plays in camp to show he could contribute as a freshman defensive tackle.

“I told Marlon, joking around the second Tuli started to take off, I said, ‘You got any more brothers, younger brothers, cousins, anybody that plays football?

Because considered them offered (scholarships) if they do,’” Orlando said.

Together, Hufanga and the Tuipulotu brothers have helped the No. 13 Trojans reach the Pac12 title game against Oregon on Friday.

The value of the trio for USC (5-0) was never more evident than in the thrilling 43-38 comeback win against UCLA on Saturday. Hufanga had a staggering 17 tackles with two tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. Tuli Tuipulotu made nine tackles, including 1 1/2 tackles for loss with a sack, and Marlon Tuipulotu helped clog up the middle in several critical short-yardage situations.

“The athlete is one thing, and all three of them are super talented guys,” Orlando said. “But to me, the internal … I mean, these guys are five-star, seven-star guys internally in terms of their want to, their work ethic, their character. And it doesn’t surprise me that all three guys are playing well.”

Hufanga’s performance over the past month has been exceptional.

He has an interception in four straight games, becoming the first USC player with such a streak since 1996. After failing to record a pick through his first 19 college games, Hufanga is tied for fifthmost interceptions in the FBS. While the interceptions have finally come, and in bunches, Hufanga’s overall production remains as solid as ever. He leads USC in tackles (50), solo tackles (30) and forced fumbles (2), and his 3 1/2 tackles for loss are tied with Marlon Tuipulotu for third on the team.

“During the offseason I just wanted to try to step up my game in total,” Hufanga said. “I definitely still have a lot to work on all-around, and a big emphasis this year just for our whole team is just to run and hit and create turnovers.

I gotta make the most of all my opportunities I get. At the end of the day, I just want to help our team win any way possible.”

Marlon Tuipulotu is still a force on the line, commanding

double teams and creating chances for others to make plays.

But it is the 6-foot-3 Tuli Tuipulotu who has emerged as the big surprise. He has 20 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks in the past four games.

“I did not expect him to be the tallest one out of all of us,” Hufanga said. “He’s the little brother, he’s taller than both of us.”

Getting another big performance from Hufanga and the Tuipulotu brothers would go a long way towards USC winning its second Pac-12 title in the 10 seasons since the conference adopted a title game. Issues with ball security and pass protection have hurt Oregon (3-2) in its past three games, as the Ducks committed six turnovers and allowed seven sacks of quarterback Tyler Shough, so there should be opportunities for the three Trojans to make their mark.

For Hufanga, playing the Ducks has special meaning. A native of Corvallis, he hasn’t played against Oregon or Oregon State in his college career. A broken collarbone denied him a homecoming game against the Beavers in 2018 and a sprained shoulder kept him out against the Ducks last season, so he has been “dreaming of this opportunity.” Playing at the Coliseum for a championship makes it even more special.

my side, and from their side. We were very honest with each other, both parties were very honest, lots of transparency,” Anthony said. “Again it was just coming to an agreement, coming to a mutual agreement about what the situation would be.”

In the end, it was about playing basketball, he said.

Anthony averaged 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 58 games with the Blazers last season.

“We’ve said this before: it’s not who starts, it’s who finishes. I think Melo is in a good place and he understands his role on the team,” coach Terry Stotts said.

DAME’S BACKUP: While McCollum will no doubt slide to the point at times when Lillard rests, Anfernee Simons appears poised to take over backup point guard duties.

Simons, just 21, was a first-round draft pick by the Blazers in 2018 out of the IMG Academy in Florida. Last season he averaged 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

He has Lillard’s endorsement: “Personally, I believe in Ant.” COVID CASES: The start of Portland’s preseason camp was delayed for two days after there were three positive COVID-19 cases within the organization, including one unidentified player. Portland had to shut down its practice facility for cleaning.

RECAPPING LAST SEASON: Among the teams invited to play in the bubble in Florida, the Trail Blazers made it to the NBA playoffs for the seventh straight season but they were knocked out in the first round by the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The Blazers finished the coronavirus-shortened regular season 35-39.

Top four college playoff teams remain unchanged RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press

Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State will enter championship weekend in position to make the College Football Playoff with very little drama.

In fact, where the semifinals will be played might be more in doubt than who will play in them.

The top five teams were locked into their places Tuesday night for the fourth straight week, with the Crimson Tide (10-0) leading the way as it prepares to play Florida for the Southeastern Conference championship.

The Fighting Irish (10-0) are second and Clemson is third going into their Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Ohio State (5-0) is fourth going into the Big Ten title game against Northwestern, and Texas A&M is on deck at No. 5. The Aggies play at Tennessee in their last regular-season game Saturday.

If all the favorites win — that includes Clemson (9-1) in the rematch with Notre Dame — the current top four likely would be reordered a bit and placed in the semifinals.

If the Irish beat the Tigers for the second time this season, the selection committee’s job becomes a little trickier.

After Texas A&M (7-1), Iowa State (8-2) is sixth heading into the Big 12 title game against No. 10 Oklahoma. No team with two losses has ever made the playoff.

Florida (8-2) dropped only one spot to seventh after losing as a big favorite to LSU. Georgia (7-2) is eighth and Cincinnati (8-0) is ninth after not playing for two weeks because of COVID-19 issues.

The unbeaten Bearcats host Tulsa, which is 23rd, in the American Athletic Conference title game.

The semifinals are scheduled to be played Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The current COVID-19 restrictions in California will prohibit the Rose Bowl from having any fans in attendance, including family members of the players.

That has become a point of discussion among the 10 FBS conference commissioners who make up the playoff management committee.