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Coos Bay looks to expand 9-1-1 dispatch center By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
The Coos Bay City Council agreed to move forward with a plan to expand and upgrade the 9-1-1 dispatch center in the police department. Police Chief Chris Chapanar asked the council to consider spending up to $300,000 to make the dispatch improvements, saying
the space is extremely tight and the furniture is outdated. Chapanar explained that before 2021, the dispatch center had 10 dispatchers and three console units to dispatch for the city of Coos Bay, Coquille, the Coquille Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. At the beginning of 2021, the dispatch center began servicing North Bend as well, adding three
dispatchers and one console unit. “This was done by utilizing the existing space but limited the additional console accessibility and configuration,” Chapanar said. “Though these additions assisted with the provision of emergency dispatching services, the center space continues to be a concern for staff. A dispatcher’s job is high energy and stress and involves constantly monitoring six monitors
with detailed data sets, all while conversing in a professional and calm manner with those experiencing trauma and needing assistance. The consoles provide for movement from a seated to a standing position, as well as telescoping further and closer to the dispatcher, creating a myriad of options to comfortably as possible accommodate the dispatcher’s 12-hour shift. The fourth dispatch space added in the center
did not include a fully functional console, as the space would not allow for that.” Chapanar also said there is a high probability the dispatch center will need to expand again in the future as more entities transition to Coos Bay. “Should that occur, the center would not have capacity to add Please see 911 Page A3
Murder, police shooting top story of 2022
Dr. Devin Brice
Ffile photos
In a frame from a body cam video, Matthew Michel is shown reaching for a knife on the bed in his hotel room seconds before he was shot by police.
The Marshfield volleyball team rushes the court to celebrate after defeating La Grande to earn a spot in the Class 4A volleyball tournament
By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
In June, a story gripped the community for weeks after a woman was found murdered, and the man police believe was responsible was shot and killed when he tried to attack officers. The ordeal started when police were called to Cape Arago Highway to a report of a woman down. Responding sheriff’s deputies found the body of 34-yearold Amber Townsend, who had been shot to death. Over a period of days, deputies collected and watched surveillance video that led them to believe a man driving an SUV was responsible. When officers 2 – Dr. Devin Brice dies at 40 Although there was never an indication of foul play, the community was shocked in May when local dentist, Dr. Devin Brice died unexpectedly. Brice grew up in Coquille and graduated from Marshfield High School before pursing a degree in dentistry. He then came home and opened Apple Dental, which later moved and expanded into Above Dental. His death was a shock to his patients and co-workers, who have kept Above Dental open.
The controversy that led to North Bend Councilor Susanna Noordhoff confronting a neighbor centered around this tree that sits between two properties.
3 – Thieves steal $300,000 coin collection George Landon made it a point to rarely leave his home near Coos Bay. But a trip out of town for a funeral was enough of an opening for thieves, who broke into his home and stole a coin collection worth more than $300,000. Landon shared his story with The World in hopes of getting leads on the thieves. He said he
found video of the SUV that showed a license plate, they were able to track it to Matthew Tyler Mikel. Coos Bay police located the SUV at a hotel, and police and sheriff’s deputies went to the hotel to look for Mikel. Officers approached the room he was staying in, knocked on the door and forced their way inside. At that point, Mikel ran to a bed, grabbed a knife and lunged at the officers, when he was shot two times. An investigation by the Oregon State Police cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, and Townsend’s murder case was closed. The top stories of 2022 were chosen primarily by analytics revealing which stories received the most views at www.theworldlink.com. believed a drug gang from Bandon was responsible, but proof was missing. 4 – Woman charged with manslaughter after infant dies In November, tragedy struck Coos County when a 10-month-old infant died after he lost consciousness while with a babysitter. After medical professionals determined the child died due to abusive head trauma, the child’s babysitter, Hayley Reanne Steele, 27, was arrested and charged with manslaughter. As the year comes to a close, Steele remains behind bars at the county jail. 5 – North Bend councilor arrested and then cleared North Bend City Councilor Susanna Noordhoff Please see TOP 10 Page A3
Council considers changing meeting time By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
The Coos Bay City Council could change the time it holds its regular meetings … or maybe not. After discussing whether to consider changing the meeting times from 7 p.m., the council decided to let the community have a say before making a decision. Mayor Joe Benetti brought up the issue during a work session last week, urging the council to keep the people of Coos Bay in
mind when deciding when to meet. “I think it’s important we keep the citizens in mind. That’s who we’re serving,” Benetti said. “I’m willing to go with what the majority of the council says.” The city charter mandates that the council meet at least once a month, but it does not say when or where the meetings must be. That is generally left to the council, and the day and time has changed over the years. In recent years, the council has held its regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and work sessions at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays when needed. Councilor Sara Stephens said she would be in favor of an earlier start time. “It came up because 7 o’clock, I feel like, is really late, especially if we’re going until 10,” Stephens said. “I also heard from many
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people who are unable to attend council meetings because of the time. I think even a 6 o’clock time frame is more reasonable.” Councilor Carmen Matthews agreed. “I believe we have a three-hour time limit on our meetings,” he said. “10 o’clock seems pretty late for families. I would lean more towards a 6 o’clock start time. I think 7 o’clock is a late time in general. I’m fine with 7, but I think there might be a more ideal solution.” While no one was directly opposed to changing the time, several councilors questioned whether it was right without asking the community for feedback. “I feel as if we’re going to make the change, I would like to give citizens a broad opportunity to weigh in,” Councilor Lucinda DiNovo said. “I really feel as councilors, we
kind of knew what we signed up for.” Councilor Stephanie Kilmer said, in her mind, the key was picking a time when the public can participate. “To me, the most important thing is the public having access to it, whether it’s 7 o’clock of some other time,” Kilmer said. Benetti asked the council members to fill out a form weighing their preferred start time, but that never came to fruition. “I know you’re asking us to choose, and I’m asking that we ask the citizens,” DiNovo said. In the end, the council agreed to ask the public to weigh in on whether they preferred a start time of 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. Feedback will be taken early in January, with the council scheduled to make a choice at its January 17 meeting.
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