Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
Marshfield's honors
Moving into Phase 2
Delzotti, Prince take OSAA excellence awards, A10
County expects to hear from state today, Page A2
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Fire agencies plan for safety CHERYL UPSHAW The World
COOS COUNTY — Coos County fire crews are making adjustments to protect personnel as they fight fires during a pandemic. For Coos Forest Protective Association and the Bureau of Land Management, finding ways to protect their crews has been an on-
going discussion for the past few months. Both organizations made changes to training and crews in an attempt to ensure firefighters will not contract the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. CFPA has yet to declare the beginning of the fire season, according to District Specialist Jef Chase. The season usually begins around mid-June. “A lot of folks don’t think the
southern Oregon coast burns that well,” Chase said. However, that perception is mostly due to the aggressive response of fire crews, which quickly put out small fires before they are able to grow. This aggressive approach is part of the planned response for COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, it was common for fire crews to travel out of the area and even out of the state to assist on large
fires. As much as possible, local crews plan to contain fires before they can become large enough for locals to need outside assistance. That won’t always be possible, according to Megan Harper, Public Information Officer at the BLM. “There’s still always going to be a need for firefighters to respond,” she said. Still, she said increased cooperation between lo-
cal fire agencies could be the key to keeping crews from travelling as frequently as previous years. There are concerns over whether creating fire camps could be a potential vector for spreading COVID-19. At last year’s Highway 97 fire, Chase said some 1,500 crew members were located in the same camp.
Please see Fire, Page A9
Candidates file for Coos Bay positions Mayor and three council members already have signed up for balllot CHERYL UPSHAW The World
Amanda Linares Photos, The World
Floral arrangements from the Chang Family Farm were displayed Wednesday, June 3 at the Downtown Coos Bay Farmers Market opening day.
Farmers Market opens in Coos Bay Downtown market has new format as 20th season begins AMANDA LINARES The World
COOS BAY — After a month delay, the Downtown Coos Bay Farmers Market is back. A summertime tradition for many area residents and visitors alike, the farmers market kicked off its 20th season Wednesday, June 3 in downtown Coos Bay. “It’s exciting,” said Melissa Hasart, manager of the CBDA Farmers Market. “I almost didn’t
The 2020 Downtown Coos Bay Farmers Market reopened Wednesday, June 3 with new safety rules and guidelines to combat the COVID-19 virus, including having the vendors farther apart. get any sleep last night because I was so excited.” A lot different than years
before, the farmers market reopened this this week with a new set of safety guidelines and rules
for its volunteers, vendors and customers to follow to help stop and slow down the spread of the new coronavirus. Following precautions set by the CDC and the Oregon Farmers Market Association, booths were spread out at least 8-feet apart and extra tables were placed in front of booths to allow for social distancing between vendors and customers. Hand washing stations, which were sponsored by Banner Bank, were placed throughout the market and volunteers and vendors were equipped with face masks and other protective gear. Please see Market, Page A9
Pentagon-Trump clash breaks open over military and protests WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief shot down his idea of using troops to quell protests across the United States, then reversed course on pulling part of the 82nd Airborne Division off standby in an extraordinary clash between the U.S. military and its
commander in chief. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper also drew stinging, rare public criticism from Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, in the most public pushback of Trump’s presidency from the men he put at the helm of the world’s most
powerful military. Mattis’ rebuke Wednesday followed Trump’s threats to use the military to “dominate” the streets where Americans are demonstrating following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white police officer pressed his knee into his
neck for several minutes. Trump had urged governors to call out the National Guard to contain protests that turned violent and warned that he could send in active duty military forces if they did not. Esper angered Trump when he
Photo gallery: Sheep Ranch has joyful opening day. AT THEWORLDLINK.COM D • Serving Oregon’s South Coast since 1878 • A Country Media Newspaper • Copyright 2015 Follow us online:
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COOS BAY — Election season began Wednesday for Coos Bay City Council hopefuls who gathered at City Hall to register for candidacy on this fall’s ballots. This year, three council seats will open up, along with that held by Mayor Joe Benetti. The other three seats are currently held by Lucinda DiNovo, Drew Farmer and Stephanie Kilmer. By noon Wednesday, all four had filed to run for their positions again. As of this writing, no other candidates have filed to run for these public offices, according to City Manager Rodger Craddock. November 3 is Election Day. Coos Bay councilmembers are at-large, meaning they do not run for or represent specific districts. Those who receive the largest percentage of votes of all those who run for office will win the three open seats. Newly-elected members will be sworn into office at the first council meeting following the election. City council terms last four years. The mayor’s term lasts two years. All council positions, including that of the mayor, are unpaid. City Council currently consists of six councilmembers and the mayor, who leads meetings and has equal voting power with other councilmembers. Current members of the council include Farmer, DiNovo, Kilmer, Phil Marler, Carmen Matthews and Rob Miles. Craddock suggested that those interested in running for public office look into the time commitment involved to serve on the council or as mayor. He stated that while some councilmembers put in between 4-5 hours of work per week, while others worked an hour or two each day for the city. Please see Election, Page A9
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