Kotek unveils her budget recommendations
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Suspected rapist arrested in Lakeside BY DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
After a suspected rapist hid from law enforcement for three days, the man was quickly captured after the Coos County Sheriff's Office asked the public to help. Sgt. Adam Slater reported deputies arrested Sigmund “Ray” Cas-
well, 33, Monday as a suspect in an alleged sexual assault that occured Friday in Lakeside. After the assault, deputies were able to identify Caswell as a suspect, but despite searching through Lakeside, they were unable to locate him. Early Monday afternoon, the sheriff's office asked the public for
help. Several local news agencies, including The World, posted the story online with a photo, and in about three hours, Caswell was located and arrested. Slater said Deputy Hannah Francis was dispatched to the Presbyterian church around 6:30 p.m. January 27, where she met with a woman who reported the rape. As
Francis talked with the victim, she learned the woman was forcibly raped and help against her will in the 600 block of Airport Way in Lakeside. During the investigation, deputies learned Caswell was the suspect and that he fled from the area on a bicycle after the attack. Slater said probable cause has
been established to arrest Caswell on charges of rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree and extortion and coercion. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Coos County Sheriff’s Office at 541-3962106.
Chess tourney draws huge crowd to Coquille Plummer
named citizen of the year at chamber banquet BY DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
Photos by Dr. Nancy Keller
The Coquille Chess Club hosted a tournament last weekend that showed how popular chess is becoming in the area. More than 45 people took part, with winners from all over the county. See more on Page 2.
Finalists for House District 1 seat chosen BY DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World
Curry County Commissioner Court Boice is among the finalists nominated to represent House District 1 in the Oregon Legislature. Boice was joined by Jeremy Dumire, Karl Popoff and Denesa Rains as finalists after Republican precinct committee members met and discussed the vacancy. The list of the candidates was sent to county commissioners in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties, who met Thursday to choose the next state representative. Look at www.theworldlink.com to see who commissioners chose. The move to find a new state representative came after former Representative David Brock Smith was appointed in the same process to the state Senate. Brock Smith replaced Dallas Heard, who resigned at the end of the year. When Brock Smith was chosen to move to the Senate, it left the House seat vacant. House District 1 includes all of Curry County, the eastern portion of Coos County, including Bandon, Coquille and Myrtle Point, and a
smaller portion of Douglas County. Boice, who is serving his second term as county commissioner in Curry County, is the most well known of the candidates. He won both of his elections to the county commission easily, but has been involved in controversy with other commissioners in recent years. Boice told The World he was happy to see Brock Smith get the Senate seat, saying it was great for Southern Oregon and the region. He said he was not campaigning for the open House seat, but he feels things have improved a lot in Curry County and he would consider it. The decision, for him, came down to where he could have the greatest impact and offer the most help. Dumire is the current emergency manager in Curry County, where he works with the sheriff’s office to make sure the county is prepared for any emergency. Popoff was the mayor of Gold Beach for many years, and he has also run for Curry County commissioner. Popoff, who served 16 years in Gold Beach, also ran into some controversy before he left
the council. Rains is the only finalist not from Curry County as she has ties to Coquille and Myrtle Point. A marketing manager for DB Western, Rains has also been active in Boy Scouts of America. After the commissioners vote
on the replacement, the candidate with the most votes will be sent to the House to be sworn in. By state law, if commissioners cannot choose a replacement, Gov. Tina Kotek will be tasked with naming the next representative.
A longtime community volunteer was named the Citizen of the Year during the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet last weekend at The Mill Casino. The award, which is designed to honor a person who has routinely given back to the community, was awarded to Pam Plummer. During the presentation, Plummer was called someone who “is the definition of community service.” Plummer has served on the board of the United Way, South Coast Development Council and the Bay Area Health District Finance Committee. She has also volunteered for years with the chamber, including a year as chamber president. During her time with the chamber, Plummer was the chair of the Business Development Committee and chair of the Marketing and Communication Team. While leading the marketing team, the chamber developed a new website, expanded its social media presence and created new ways to communicate with members. Plummer later volunteered to serve as chamber treasurer, and helped revamp and simplify the financial systems. South Coast Family Dentistry was named Business of the Year at the banquet. The award is given to a business that has “exhibited excellence in products and customer service; contributed time, manpower and resources to community improvement projects; and excelled in employee relations and training.” During the ceremony, attendees heard that South Coast Family Dentistry has done just that “with an emphasis on the values of integrity, ambition, collaboration, kindness and positivity. Additionally, they strongly support their employees volunteer efforts in every aspect of community service.” Steve Nye was named the Chamber Member of the Year after stepping up in many ways. Nye was one of the team members that produced the successful Mother’s Day event in 2021. In 2022, he took over the challenge of bringing the chamber finances into its next form after the COVID financial challenges and staff changes, as chamber treasurer. “Our member of the year has been actively leading a marketing team revival which includes a tiered sponsorships program this year,” Chamber Executive Director Timm Slater said. “In his spare time, he is president of the North Bend Main Street program, which is working on the renaissance of downtown.” Frontline educators, namely teachers were given the 2022 Community Award to honor a group which has stood in the forefront of the area’s response to Please see PLUMMER, Page A2
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