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The Curry Coastal Pilot
Letter: We need to support the Beach Act
I’m grateful for the coverage of the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (“OHA kicks off 2024 Oregon beach monitoring season”). With recent levels of contamination, it’s important to keep an eye on what beaches are safe to swim at. Data from past years verifies the alarming rates of bacteria at local beaches that can make our swimmers sick. In 2022, 86% of Oregon beaches tested had potentially unsafe levels of fecal indicator bacteria on at least one day. Fortunately, Representative Suzanne Bonamici is on the committee...
OHA issues heat wave safety advisory
Summer kicked off officially June 20, and Oregon Health Authority recommends people in Oregon take steps to keep this season from becoming a “bummer” with tips for staying healthy and safe. The Oregon ESSENCE Summer Hazard Report dashboard allows people to monitor trends in the most common summer-related hazards. The dashboard contains interactive graphs showing total daily counts of emergency department and urgent care center visits in Oregon associated with four injury and illness categories: heat-related illness, water submersion events, wildfire-related smoke inhalation, and air...
Hot weather safety for pets
With the temperatures rising this week, Greenhill Humane Society administrators are encouraging pet owners of the importance of keeping pets safe this summer. Leave pets at home when running errands. Leaving your animal in a parked car, even for just a few minutes, can easily cause heat stroke or brain damage. A car's interior temperature can increase in minutes, even with the windows slightly open. Dogs are especially vulnerable to...
Sheriff's Tip of the Week: Encountering Bears in Your Community
Spring is here, and before we know it, summer will arrive. In the coming weeks, people throughout the state will start pulling out their boats after a winter in storage. Time on the water can be a great activity for your mental health and can build positive relationships with others. As with all activities, a little planning and caution go a long way in increasing your safety during your boating fun. ...
Brookings home destroyed, captured mid-blaze
A Brookings family was dealt a crushing blow after a blaze claimed their home at 14929 Ocean View in Brookings Harbor. Harbor Fire District Chief Steve McClintock was first on the scene, after the call came in at around 4:38 p.m. on Monday, May 11. A combined force of 15 firefighters and 3 engines from the Brookings and Harbor departments arrived to try and stop the damage. Unfortunately, the house...
OSU to receive $5.5M for Marine Energy Research
Oregon State University will receive $5.5 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support its Pacific Marine Energy Center operations in Corvallis. The $5.5 million award will be issued through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. The funding will assist the Pacific Marine Energy Center, a university consortium with Oregon State University, University of Washington, and University of Alaska Fairbanks, establish marine energy strategy, development and implementation. The award that’s part of the $14.7 million overall to the consortium will also support...
Oregon adds 4,000 jobs
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 4,000 jobs in May, following a revised gain of 2,400 jobs in April, according to the Oregon Employment Department. Health care and social assistance gained 1,900 jobs in May, while leisure and hospitality added 1,000. Monthly declines were largest in retail trade ( -800) and construction ( -400). Private-sector job growth has been very slow over the year, gaining 3,500 jobs (+0.2%). ...
Pacific coast gray whales have gotten shorter, OSU study finds
Gray whales that spend their summers feeding in the shallow waters off the Pacific Northwest coast have undergone a significant decline in body length since around the year 2000, a new Oregon State University study found. The smaller size could have major consequences for the health and reproductive success of the affected whales, and also raises alarm bells about the state of the food web in which they coexist, researchers say. ...
It’s calf and fawn season – keep your distance from elk and deer
Oregon’s deer and elk give birth from May through July. It’s natural for mother animals to leave their young alone and hidden for extended periods of time while they go off to feed, so never assume a young animal is orphaned when you see it alone. The mother will return when it’s safe to do so—when people, pets or predators aren’t around. Removing an animal from the wild is also a violation of Oregon wildlife laws. (ORS 497.308 – No person shall remove from its...
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. ...
Merkley holds town halls on the South Coast
Senator Jeff Merkley made his annual stop for Town Halls along the South Coast this month. On Friday, June 7th, the Senator help events in North Bend and Gold Beach to hear questions from the media and public, and address local concerns. Mayor Jessica Engelke took up emcee duties in North Bend, with State Rep. Court Boice doing the honors in Gold Beach. Along with his counterpart, Senator Wyden, the Oregon senatorial team are the only in the nation to hold a Town Hall in...
Four social media money scams and how to spot them
Did you know that social media scams have been picking more pockets than any other scam today — including phone calls and text fraud? Fraudsters exploit the trust people have in their online communities and use various tactics to trick their victims. Here are the four common social media money scams and how to identify them. 1. The Giveaway Gimmick You’ve been selected to win a free gift card for...
Shore Climate Change
A 15-year period ending in 2020 that included a marine heat wave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic saw major changes in the groups of organisms that live along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest. The study by Oregon State University scientists, involving four capes in Oregon and California, suggests these communities of species may have low resilience to climate change. Findings were published Monday in Nature Ecology & Evolution. ...
West Coast universities launch new Pacific offshore wind collaborative
Three West Coast universities located near future offshore wind energy sites are joining forces to undertake research and to help inform the public about the benefits and potential impacts of the new industry. An auction expected to take place later this year for two wind energy sites off the Oregon Coast has stirred both excitement about the potential for clean energy development and concern from nearby residents, tribes and the seafood industry amid a push by the Biden administration for the development of offshore wind...
Oregon’s psilocybin industry, a year old, seeks customers
A year in, Oregon’s experiment with the first regulated psilocybin mushroom market in the world is short on customers. To attract them, advocates say the industry needs to get the word out about its benefits. “We think everybody knows that psychedelics can help them because we’re in this little bubble. But 99 percent of people have no idea what they could get out of a journey,” said Heidi Venture, founder of a Hood River mushroom center, Vital Reset, where customers undergo supervised “trips” on psilocybin,...
Federal funding needed for prescribed burns to prevent wildfires
Oregon and Washington leaders are using the start of the region’s wildfire season to once again ask Congress for more money for prescribed burns. The practice of strategically starting low-intensity fires across forests to improve soil and ecosystem health and prevent catastrophic wildfires has been common among tribes in the West for millenia. In recent years, it has gained more traction among the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land...
Azalea Quilters Guild honors veterans at Festival
During Brookings’ Azalea Festival this year, Quilts of Valor were presented at the 39th annual Azalea Quilt Show, held by the Azalea Quilters Guild. The Quilt of Valor Foundation is a national nonprofit organization, whose mission is to cover service members and veterans touched by war. The quilts are meant to convey thanks to veterans for their sacrifice. The foundation was started in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, through word of...
Public confidence varies in climate change impact
Oregon State University researchers found that U.S. adults are fairly confident in linking wildfires and heat to climate change, but less confident when it comes to other extreme weather events like hurricanes, flooding or tornadoes. The study found that politics and personal experience played significant roles in people’s responses: Self-identified Republicans were less likely than Democrats to attribute extreme weather events to climate change, though Republicans who had personally experienced negative impacts from extreme weather events were more likely to link them to climate change...
Guest Column: Hope is a Four-Letter Word
“At the end of the day, all you need is hope and strength. Hope that it will get better, and strength to hold on until it does.” ~ Anonymous As I lay here writing this article, I am battling yet another acute infection. I’ve been sick most of the winter and early spring catching every viral and bacterial infection that comes through town. My immune system seems to function enough...
Statewide outdoor recreation comp plan draft available online for public review
The public is invited to comment on the draft 2025-29 Oregon Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) titled Balance and Engagement: Sustaining the Benefits for All Oregonians. A copy of the draft SCORP document and support documents are posted online for public review at www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PLA-scorp.aspx. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will accept comments until June 28. The five-year plan is a comprehensive look at Oregon’s outdoor recreation needs and priorities based on a representative population survey of more than 3,000 residents and recreation...
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