Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
Strong in the classroom
Ballot measure passes
North Bend, MHS squads recognized, B1
911 radio system to be upgraded, A2
CLOUDY, SHOWERS LATE 58 • 50 FORECAST A9 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | theworldlink.com | $2
North Bend measures approved JILLIAN WARD The World
NORTH BEND — In the final unofficial election results, both North Bend measures have passed. These decisions will reduce the public safety fee from $30 to $15, as well as restrain the power of the North Bend City Council
by requiring any future fees to first be approved by voters. As of 12 a.m. on Wednesday, after the Coos County Elections website experienced a brief technical issue, “Yes” votes on Measure 6-177 tallied at 58% or 2,057 ballots. Meanwhile, 41.9% have voted “No” on the measure with a total of 1,484 ballots.
This vote follows years of strife between some members of the public and the City Council as the fee was steadily increased on resident’s water bills, having begun at $5. Voters in 2018 said “No” to any further increases, which was ignored after the council increased it again, stating it was done to provide quality public safety services while keep-
ing up with the cost of inflation. “There aren’t any winners,” said Jim Rose, treasurer to the grassroots North Bend Citizens for Good Faith Government. The organization is responsible for bringing both measure 6-177 and 6-176 to the May election in an effort to limit the power of the City Council and roll back the $30 safety fee.
“… Citizens won’t have to pay $30 a month, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t cuts coming to the city budget from COVID-19,” Rose said. “People will get laid off in the city government, which is why there are no winners if it passed or failed.” North Bend City Councilwoman Jessica Engelke said she
Please see Measures, Page A9
Biden wins presidential primary
Zach Silva, The World
Scott Huffman drops his ballot off on Tuesday night. Voter turnout was nearly 50% in Coos County, with more than 22,000 ballots returned. See results on Page A8.
High turnout for election JILLIAN WARD The World
COOS COUNTY — More ballots were cast in the May primaries than in recent years, though County Clerk Debbie Heller still hoped for more voter turnout. As of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Heller said 22,042 ballots were returned of the 46,000 sent out. Compared to the last presidential primary in 2016, which saw a total of 19,564 ballots returned, “We definitely got more ballots,” she said.
Though the final unofficial numbers are out, the election won’t be certified for 20 days as the Coos County Elections Office receives ballots accidentally mailed to other counties and sorts out challenged ballots. These challenged ballots include envelopes that had no signature or a signature that didn’t match what is on record. “Anyone who didn’t sign their envelopes or if their signature has been questioned, we immediately notify them,” Heller said. “Some have already been notified if they mailed their ballot in
early ….” As for Heller and her staff, Election Day moved slower than normal. “We had a little more downtime,” she said. When asked why, Heller wasn’t sure but suggested it could be from the high percentage of early mail-in ballots her office received. “That might be due to (the new) pre-paid postage or COVID-19, with people not wanting to go out,” she said. Though most of Election Day went smoothly, if a little slow,
it hit a snag when Heller tried to post the final unofficial tallies to the county website. She had trouble posting the information, leaving the public unable to see election results. The glitch only lasted for a few minutes. Otherwise, Heller said she and her staff will be back in the office this morning at 8 a.m. to start processing the challenged ballots. To view election results, visit www.theworldlink.com or http:// www.co.coos.or.us/Departments/ CountyClerk/Elections.aspx.
4th of July fireworks canceled
way to comply with state social distancing restrictions during the event.
Coos Bay City Council looks for alternative options to celebrate CHERYL UPSHAW The World
COOS BAY — The City of Coos Bay’s annual Fireworks over the Bay event has been canceled. It is the latest of dozens of events that have been postponed or canceled entirely over concerns about spreading the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. “It’s going to ruffle some folks’ feathers, it’s going to upset people that we’re not doing the fireworks for the Fourth of July — it is the nation’s holiday. But there are times throughout history when our nation does what is in the best interest of the whole,” Councilman Drew Farmer said of the decision.
Ed Glazar The World
Fireworks explode over Coos Bay as hundreds of people gather to celebrate Friday along the boardwalk downtown. Though Coos Bay will not have fireworks this year, the city will look into ways to celebrate Independence Day in a safe way. “We’re not sure what it’s going to be, but we will do something,” Mayor Joe Benetti said.
Coos Bay City Council met virtually Tuesday night, broadcasting the regular meeting on Facebook. The group decided unanimously to cancel the Fourth of July fireworks display as staff had determined there was no
Photo gallery: Bandon Dunes reopens Photo gallery: The Face of Coronavirus
Money considerations Another factor in the discussion was that the fireworks were already ordered prior to Tuesday night’s meeting, though the city did not yet have possession of the fireworks. The supplies for the fireworks show each year usually arrive a few days prior to the show. The contract was for $15,000 worth of fireworks. By canceling the event entirely, and canceling the order, the city would be responsible for a 25% cancellation fee, per their contract with Western Display Fireworks. The company offered the city the opportunity to apply the cancellation fee as a down payment for a 2021 fireworks show, rather than losing the money entirely, as a concession to the circumstances surrounding the pandemic. The council voted
AT THEWORLDLINK.COM
D • Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878 • A Country Media Newspaper • Copyright 2020 Follow us online:
Please see Fireworks, Page A9 SOUTH COAST A2 OPINION A4 OBITUARIES A5
facebook.com/theworldnewspaper
SALEM (AP) — Republican voters in Oregon’s vast 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday elected a former state senator to be their candidate to replace Rep. Greg Walden, who didn’t run for a 12th term in the conservative region covering the rural eastern and central part of the state. Cliff Bentz bested former state legislators Jason Atkinson and Knute Buehler. Buehler also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 as the GOP nominee. Bentz will have the advantage in the November election in the predominantly Republican part of the state. His opponent is unclear with a victor not yet declared on the Democratic side. The 2nd is the only Oregon U.S. House District represented by a Republican. Oregon’s four Democratic U.S. House members all won their primaries. The mail-in primary was complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, as election workers kept social distancing in county offices while staffing levels were down. Election workers received instructions on handling ballots along with protective equipment from the Oregon National Guard and others. Former Vice President Joe Biden won Oregon’s Democratic presidential primary, outpacing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Please see Biden, Page A9
Thousands evacuated in Michigan MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck communities along rain-swollen waterways and the governor said one downtown could be “under approximately 9 feet of water” by Wednesday. For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots. The river rose Wednesday morning to 34.4 feet (10.5 meters) in Midland, topping a previous record reading of 33.9 feet (10.3 meters) set during flooding in 1986, the National Weather Service said. Its flood stage is 24 feet (7.3 meters), and it was expected to crest by day’s end at about 38 feet (11.6 meters). The Weather Service urged Please see Evacuation, Page A9
COMICS A6 WEATHER A9 SPORTS A10
twitter.com/TheWorldLink
instagram.com/theworldlink