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SWOCC receives grant to develop a new instructional food production garden complex.

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Council inches forward on shopping cart answer By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

The Coos Bay City Council moved a step closer to creating an ordinance that will regulate the use of shopping carts off of store property. The move comes after more than a year of discussion as Coos Bay works to find an answer to the homeless and, sometimes, others taking shopping carts off store property. The two ideas the council seemed to agree on won’t stop all shopping carts from being taken, but councilors said it is a step in the right directions.

The ideas included signing on to a program with the Northwest Grocers Association where the association would return carts to stores at a cost of $6.75 per cart. Currently, it costs the city about $35 per cart to pick them up and return them to stores. If the agreement is part of an ordinance, the stores would be required to take back any returned carts. The second idea is to start a program much like the city’s Property Watch program, where businesses can sign up voluntarily. If a business signs up, police can seize any carts from their store and have the carts returned. The business must agree to press charges

and have someone willing to testify if a case goes to trial. Police Chief Chris Chapanar said one issue police run into today is being able to prove a cart is, in fact, stolen if one is found with a person. “The problem that we have is if we actually stop somebody, we have to have a legal reason to stop them,” Chapanar said. “We have to know that that cart is stolen property and they weren’t given permission to use that cart and that the store owner wants that cart returned and is willing to prosecute the person who has the stolen property. We have to make a lawful stop. If it is a

lawful stop and we know the property owner wants that back, we do take it back.” The city has discussed the shopping cart issue several times, and City Manager Nichole Rutherford brought back answers to some questions the council had previously raised. One was whether other cities have shopping cart laws and how much it would cost to put up electric fences that made wheels on carts lock if taken off a property. “Generally, most of the communities are sticking with the ORS that is already in place,” Rutherford said. “We also have some information that was given to us by one

of our local stores. They had investigated the cost of putting in the electric fencing that locks up those wheels. That’s potentially a $15,000 to $20,000 cost for them.” Rutherford said the city has no money in its budget to pay to assist businesses that might want to put in electric fences. Mayor Joe Benetti said the police are currently picking up about 30 shopping carts each week. When possible, the police return the carts to the business. “This is not going to go away,” Benetti said. “They’re still going to take off with Please see CART Page A2

Bandon charter crew and passengers receive lifesaving awards By BREE LAUGHLIN The World

A Bandon charter boat captain was recently presented with multiple lifesaving awards by members of the Oregon State Marine Board. Captain Wayne Butler, of Prowler Charters in Bandon, his crew members and passengers, acted swiftly to save capsized and stranded boaters on not one – but two separate incidents. The first incident occurred on Father’s Day of 2022. A North Bend resident’s boat was hit by a sneaker wave as he was exiting the mouth of the Bandon jetty, causing it to capsize. At the same time, Captain Butler was coming in to jetty and saw the incident as it happened. “He immediately turned around and went into rescue mode. The rescue was challenging with the cold water and the proximity to the jetties. So a skilled boat captain was instrumental in the rescue,” said Oregon State Marine Board cochair Val Early. Butler, his crew member Eric Weber and passengers John Anderson and Raimey Schaan, were able to pluck all four capsized boaters from the water – one of which reportedly had lost all of the feeling in his arms and legs. “Four people were rescued in what otherwise would’ve been a story with a tragic ending. So on behalf of your community, the families of those rescued, and the Oregon State Marine Board, I would like to present you all with a lifesaving award today,” Early said. Early and Oregon State Marine Board Director Larry Warren presented the rescuers with a

plaque, certificate and a challenge point – as well as many thanks for their lifesaving efforts. Butler was asked to come back up again for recognition of another lifesaving act, which happened on July 9, 2023. “Three men were crabbing when their boat lost power and they were blown by strong winds on the rocks near the Edgewater restaurant,” Early said. A local called Butler, who immediately went into rescue mode with his deckhand Dave Portscheller. “One of the stranded boaters had climbed out of the boat while the other two were desperately trying to bail water out. Captain Wayne navigated his boat to the boat in distress, and with the help Photo by Bill Smith of his deckhand, they were able to A bystander was able to catch a photo of one of the lifesaving events that Prowler Charter Captain Wayne Butler was involved with earlier this summer. use the boat’s life rings to rescue all three men,” Early reported. “It takes a high level of skill and without the immediate response, the three men were in real danger of becoming another boating fatality statistic. So thanks to the quick actions of Wayne and Dave, three people were rescued from what otherwise could have been a story of tragic ending,” she said. Oregon Marine Board Director Warren said one of his favorite parts of the job is to be able to come into communities to recognize people who jump in and save lives. “One of the things that I always point out is when things go wrong on the water, they go wrong really quickly. Things go from all okay to not so good to life threatening in the matter of seconds… and I really Courtesy photo want to say thank you to everyone Charter boat captain Wayne Butler and his fellow rescuers were presented with lifesaving awards from the Oregon State Marine Board at the Port of Bandon who was involved.” meeting on Thursday, Aug. 24.

Waterfall Health Center opens new dental clinic By BREE LAUGHLIN The World

Dr. Priyadarshini (Priya) Agrawal is the dental director at Waterfall Community Health Center.

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A new dental clinic is offering a full range of services from comprehensive exams for kids and adults to emergency dental procedures. Dr. Priyadarshini (Priya) Agrawal is leading the dental clinic at Waterfall Community Health Center as its founding dental director. She said her journey in dentistry has been marked by a longstanding commitment to delivering exceptional dental care to underserved communities. “Waterfall’s dental clinic is an embodiment of my vision—an inclusive space that welcomes and serves all patients without exception,”

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Agrawal said. The dental clinic operates as a Federally Qualified Health Center, reflecting a belief in providing accessible care to individuals of all income levels. Agrawal said this commitment is further solidified through a range of options, including sliding fee scales and accepting diverse private dental health insurance plans. “Our mission is to provide affordable care to the community so that everybody has access to oral healthcare,” the local dentist said. The dental clinic is accepting new patients without the long wait period that some other dental clinics are experiencing. Waterfall Community

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Health Center representatives said they are dedicated to providing high-quality dental care that is effective, affordable and integrated with medical and behavioral/ social health. “We strive to listen to each and every concern and create a very compassionate environment for our patients. We provide care through this compassionate approach and hope to empower our patients to achieve a lifetime of good dental health,” Agrawal said. The Waterfall dental clinic is located at 1885 Waite Street in North Bend. They can be reached 541-696-5006. More information about the clinic can be found at www.wfall. org/dental.

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