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The Curry Coastal Pilot
Drowning on the Rogue on 4th of July
On July 4 th , 2024 at about 3:30pm, the Curry County Sheriff’s Dispatch started receiving several 911 calls from the Lobster Creek area on the Rogue River, regarding a drowning in the Rogue River at that location. The Lobster Creek area is about nine miles east of Gold Beach, off of the Jerry’s Flat Road. Sheriff’s Deputies responded by vehicle and by boat to the location and Dispatch had...
Democrats, homeless advocates disappointed in U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homelessness
Democratic lawmakers, homeless advocates and legal experts in Oregon expressed disappointment Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Grants Pass homeless case, while conservatives welcomed the decision. In a 6-3 decision split along partisan lines, the court sided with the southern Oregon city in its prohibitions against homeless people using blankets, pillows or cardboard to protect themselves in severe weather while sleeping in public places. The court said that the city’s ordinances against homeless camping did not violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition...
Despite mild fire season forecast, agencies tell Oregon leaders they need to invest in workforce
Oregon is likely to face fewer big wildfires this summer than in previous years, but a lack of rural housing, coupled with unstable and often low pay, continues to create firefighter workforce challenges across the state and region. That was a big part of the message from state and federal fire and emergency response officials, who discussed this year’s fire outlook and what they need at a meeting Monday at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The Portland-based center is part of a larger wildfire prevention...
Oregon Health Authority issues measles advisory
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and county public health officials are investigating two cases of measles in a single Clackamas County household. One household member, an unvaccinated adult, was confirmed to have measles Friday, June 14. The individual developed a rash June 11. While the time range of the exposure is believed to be between May 19 and June 4, the specific location of the exposure, which occurred in Marion County, is unknown, suggesting there may be other, unreported measles cases in Oregon, according to...
Letter: We Must Protect Veterans’ Access to Mental Health Treatments
As a nation, we have a sacred duty to support the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms. That responsibility doesn’t end when their service does. Once military members return home, we must ensure they have the health care they need to live their best lives -- including treatments for mental health conditions. Bipartisan majorities in Congress have made a priority of this issue, notably with their overwhelming support for the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health...
Study: Pacific cod can’t rely on coastal safe havens for protection during marine heat waves
During recent periods of unusually warm water in the Gulf of Alaska, young Pacific cod in near shore safe havens where they typically spend their adolescence did not experience the protective effects those areas typically provide, a new Oregon State University study found. Instead, during marine heat waves in 2014-16 and 2019, young cod in these near shore “nurseries” around Kodiak Island in Alaska experienced significant changes in their abundance, growth rates and diet, with researchers estimating that only the largest 15-25% of the island’s...
Local business flips script on business model, providing access for all
The last time we talked with Dallas Ott, veteran and new Brookings business owner, she was about to open her doors. AccessAble Adventures, a provider of rental equipment for individuals with impaired mobility, planned to offer beach wheelchairs and beach walkers to Gold Star families, free of charge, over the Memorial Day Weekend. After this opening promotion, beginning May 30, Ott planned to offer her equipment for rent moving forward. Or at least, that was the initial plan. We followed up with Ott after the...
Grant program funded by federal gas tax makes more than $300,000 investment in Southwest Oregon Trail Projects
Oregon State Parks’ Recreational Trails Program is investing over $300,000 in southwest Oregon’s trail networks via three nonprofit trail organizations, the Siskiyou Uplands Trails Association, Rogue Valley Mountain Biking Association, and Siskiyou Mountain Club. SUTA will be completing a five-mile section of new trail on their Jack-Ash trail project. The funding will also cover costs of signs, including an interpretive sign with information on local indigenous cultures. The multi-phase project will ultimately connect the Ashland watershed trail system to Jacksonville’s Forest Park. The group was...
Bay clamming reopens statewide, mussels reopen on south coast
Bay clamming is now open statewide and mussel harvest reopens from Coos Bay north jetty to the California border the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today. Two consecutive tests showed biotoxin levels below the closure limit in these areas. People should always call the Shellfish Safety Hotline (1-800-448-2474) before heading out to harvest shellfish or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures Webpage. ...
Ocean Suites Celebrate its Silver Anniversary
A favorite of many Brookings visitors celebrated its silver anniversary this month. The Ocean Suites Motel at 16045 Lower Harbor Road has been renowned for its customer service and cleanliness for 25 years. To celebrate their two and a half decades of award-winning service the Griffith’s, the long-time family owners, hosted a celebration. The anniversary brought together long-time regulars, former employees, and architects that worked on the original building. In...
More areas reopen for shellfish harvest as bay clams open on north coast
Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce new shellfish openings after tests showed clams in these areas are safe to eat. Bay clamming has been reopened on the north coast and is now open from the Washington border to Cascade Head. Levels of the marine biotoxin paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) have tested below the closure limit on two consecutive rounds of testing. Also, razor...
Overturned Raft causes death on the Rogue
On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at about 12:41pm, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch 911 Center received a Text to the 911 line, from Agness resident Martin Gillette. Gillette reported the drowning of a woman at Two-Mile Rapids, upriver from Agness. Information was provided that the female victim was on a rafting excursion with three others and a dog that started at Foster Bar. Shortly after being on the water, the two females on the raft and a dog were flipped out at the Two-Mile...
Celebrate safely this Fourth of July: Rethink the Drink, drive sober
As Oregonians gear up to celebrate the busy months of summer – from Fourth of July and barbecues to weddings and river outings – the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) Excessive Alcohol Use Prevention Program and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Impaired Driving Program are partnering to remind everyone about the importance of driving sober and drinking less. Excessive drinking impairs a person’s judgment, slows reaction times and increases the likelihood of making fatal decisions. This Fourth of July, OHA and ODOT are encouraging people...
Police Blotter
The police blotter is an excerpt of a public record of incidents as reported by law-enforcement agencies. All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are innocent until proven guilty. The information printed is preliminary and subject to change. For a list of missing items found in the Brookings area, you can visit the police services page of the city of Brookings website at www.brookings.or.us/134/police-services and follow the link near the bottom of the page. ...
Curry Health Foundation Awards Grants to local Nonprofits
The Curry Health Foundation (CHF) announced the recipients of their Grant Awards for the 2024 Spring Cycle at an event on June 21, 2024. Hosted at the Curry Public Library. Representatives from 13 local nonprofits and 501 (c)(3) organizations, were on hand to receive a total of $26,087 dollars in grant money for local projects. The event began with remarks from CHF President, Jane Doroff, followed by the presentation of the awards by Steven Denney, Chair of the CHF Grant Commission. Refreshments were provided by...
CCSO's Search and Rescue team assists 2 missing hikers
Monday, July 1st, 2024 at about 9:54pm, the Curry County Sheriff’s Dispatch 911 center received a 911 call from Jason Gaudio, reporting that his friend, twenty-three-year-old Rayse Kawamoto, from Hawaii, was missing after walking down the trail to Natural Bridges, about twelve miles north of Brookings. Gaudio reported that there was another male subject they had met on the same trail and that he has not returned to the parking lot as well. That subject was later identified as twenty-seven-year-old Austin Dewart from Pasadena, California....
Fireworks issues beyond Independence Day
The use of fireworks, both legal and illegal goes beyond celebrations during Independence Day. The fireworks are dangerous and have led to injuries and fires. The law Oregon law prohibits the possession, use or sale of any firework that flies into the air, explodes, or travels more than 12 feet horizontally on the ground without...
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Oregon city, allows ban on homeless people sleeping outdoors
The U.S. Supreme Court Friday sided with a local ordinance in Oregon that effectively bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, and local governments will be allowed to enforce those laws. In a 6-3 decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion that the enforcement of those local laws that regulate camping on public property does not constitute the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. “Homelessness is complex. Its...
Governor Kotek urged to embrace the “Oregon Way” in offshore wind energy development
In a recent letter, Oregon’s state seafood commodity commissions have expressed concerns to Governor Kotek over offshore wind energy plans proposed for the southern Oregon coast, emphasizing its adverse effects on the ocean environment and Oregon’s sustainable seafood industry. Oregon Trawl, Oregon Dungeness Crab, Oregon Albacore and Oregon Salmon Commissions urged Governor Kotek to prioritize Oregon’s own planning process under the auspices of the state official “Roadmap” initiative, intended to guide responsible offshore wind energy development in Oregon. The alternative would be to follow the...
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The Curry Coastal Pilot is a general interest newspaper serving the Brookings-Harbor and Curry County areas at the southwestern corner of Oregon. We focus on local breaking news, general news, community news, sports, and opinions.
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