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What’s Wrong Coos Bay man jailed on federal charges So, With Healthcare, sexually abused. Sgt. S. Moore conducted an initial investigation into the report and the forwarded the case to Det. David Ritz. The two deputies identified Cowan as the suspect in the case and spent an enormous amount of time investigating the allegation. After more than a month of investigation, Ritz applied for and was granted a search warrant for Cowan’s home. During the search, Ritz was looking for evidence relat-
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A Coos Bay man is behind bars facing federal charges related to encouraging child sexual abuse. According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Willard V. Cowan was arrested by the FBI last week after an investigation that began in July 2022. Sgt. Adam Slater with the Sheriff’s Office said his department received a report on July 31, 2022, that a 14-year-old girl has been
ed to the sexual assault allegation as well as possible evidence of other crimes. On August 17, 2022, the search was conducted at the home east of Coos Bay, and evidence was seized. Among the items seized was electronic equipment. Ritz then contacted the FBI, and the federal agency agreed to assist with the electronic equipment. Through that process, it was determined Cowan was allegedly
involved with encouraging child abuse in the first degree. Recently, the FRB obtained an arrest warrant for Cowan on federal charges, and agents came to Coos Bay on March 9. Working with Ritz and Clayburn, they were able to locate and arrest Cowan on the federal warrant. Slater said reports have been completed by the sheriff’s office and local charges against Cowan, are expected in the near future.
Part 4
BY DR. CHARLES HURBIS For The World
Friends of Coos County Animals need cat foster homes The organization provides foster homes with food and litter and other supplies needed to take care of the animals. If someone is unable to provide a foster home they can still give monetary and other donations. Lyddon the organization currently has a need for cat carriers. “We are lacking cat carriers, so anyone wanting to donate that would be great,” she said. When it comes to fostering cats, Lyddon said, “If you like wild and crazy, you could go for the kittens, but if you want more laid back, go for the adults.” The executive director reports most people want to foster kittens, but fostering adult cats can be rewarding as well. “They are really sweet and already have developed their personality,” Lyddon said. The cats have been to Contributed photos the vet. Some of the cats The adoptable cats live in foster homes, but can be visited on Saturdays at have already been spayed and the Pony Village Mall in North Bend from Noon to 3pm. neutered and others are scheduled to be fixed next week, Lyddon said. Pictures of the cats can be found on Facebook and foster applications can be found on the Friends of Coos County Animals website. It includes an Amazon and Chewy wish list. Some of the cats will also be at the weekly showing at the mall from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Friends of Coos County Animals website can be found at friendsofcooscountyanimals.org
BY BREE LAUGHLIN The World
The Friends of Coos County Animals is in need of help after receiving an influx of cats and kittens. The organization recently took in almost two dozen furry felines. Many of the cats have been placed in foster homes, but many others still need help, said Diane Lyddon, executive director of Friends of Coos County Animals. Lyddon said a local law enforcement officer was working with a woman who was living in an RV with more than 20 cats. The woman eventually agreed to surrender all but three of the animals (which she was able to keep) to the Friends of Coos County Animals, knowing that they would be given foster homes and adopted into caring homes. The 18 cats quickly multiplied because a few of them were pregnant. “One of them gave birth on Sunday at my house to three babies,” Lyddon said. The executive director said she and her team were expecting the animals to be feral, but most all of them are sweet and friendly. “But they are pretty traumatized so we are working through that,” she said.
have that could be applicable. North Bend does not have a prohibition on public camping, or time, place, and manner regulations setting limits and conditions on camping. So, by June 1, The city council must adopt an ordinance to regulate time (when), manner (how), and place (where) to take effect July 1. In other words, the city must be able to implement an ordinance that outlines where the homeless can sit, lie, sleep, or keep warm and dry outside on public property before June 1, or all public property that is unrestricted may be used for camping. City Planner Derek Payne gave definitions of camping and reviewed the time, manner, and place outlined in the draft ordinance.
There’s a difference between meaningful innovation and just change: Each passing year seems to bring the latest or greatest new medication or surgical advancement. Some will withstand the test of time; some will fall by the wayside. Predictably all will be hugely expensive and inflate the cost of healthcare in the near term. Regardless of added value, the company selling the newer product will advertise, and make claims to promote it. For new surgical devices the usual claims tend to be that they will, “shorten the hospital stay, decreases pain, decreases bleeding or cause less complications”. Often these claims are marginal at best, yet are used as justification of the hugely inflated prices for the new technology. In the past, medical devices with proper maintenance were designed to last for decades. Even then, prices for this equipment was relatively high, but you were getting lasting value and quality. Now most new devices are single use items. We live in a disposable society and medicine has become one of the worst examples, landfills be damned. Dispo medicine generously lines the pockets of medical products companies. There is zero incentive to produce a lasting product. It’s true many of these technologies will improve patient care, and used judiciously, add significant value. Others though just escalate costs and are essentially expensive options not really improving anything. The question should always be, was there a problem that actually needed solving, and if so, does the new device actually correct the issue? We see this all the time where a new device offers a slightly modified technique and backs up its use with the usual claims. Then through marketing, advertising and “scientific studies” it will evolve to become the new standard of care, justifying its inflated expense. Tonsillectomy is a great example here where it seems something new and expensive is constantly being offered for a “safer” removal of tonsils always claiming less pain. Over time, none have ever proven better or safer than just using a ten-cent blade and a 5-cent wire for removal of tonsils and have just been expensive experiments. Could newer devices be designed differently? Could obsolescence of larger ticket items be slowed. I’m sure multiuse instruments could easily be engineered which would reduce costs greatly. The issue is, there is no profit incentive to do this. So many decisions are motivated entirely by profit. Because of this, as technology advances, costs will continue to spiral. Our last topic is electronic medical records or EMR’s. I could write an entire series on these alone. I’ll start by saying these were not introduced for patient or doctor convenience, safety or to improve healthcare. Rather they are designed to allow for easier surveillance of the health care system, for controling
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City Council hosts second North Bend homelessness town hall acts of sitting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm and dry outside on public property must be "objectively reasonable" based on the totality of the circumstances as applied to all stakeholders, including persons experiencing homelessness. • HB 3124 Changes and adds to existing guidance and rules for how a city is to provide notice to homeless persons that an established campsite on public property is being closed (ORS 195.500). Gives instructions on how a city is to oversee and manage property it removes from an established campsite located on public property. HB 3124 does not specify, with any true certainty, what constitutes public property. With these house bills in mind, the focus of the town hall meeting was to find solutions with local
BY WILL LOHRE Country Media Inc
On March 6, the City of North Bend hosted its second town hall meeting on homelessness in North Bend. City councilors and city staff worked with more than 300 residents to discuss potential solutions for homelessness in North Bend and the impacts of House Bills 3115 and 3124. The night began with an address from Mayor Jessica Engelke and some review from the first town hall on February 6 from City Administrator David Milliron. Definitions of the House Bills: • HB 3115 HB 3115 was enacted by the Oregon Legislature during its 2021 session. The bill requires that any city or county law regulating the
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ordinances. Milliron and the city council outlined important factors to keep in mind with the direction of the implementation of new ordinances. The ordinances: • Must be objectively reasonable; • Must comply with all federal and state laws previously discussed; • Must be in place by July 1, 2023; and, • Be cognizant of State Created Danger Principle. Ordinances that must be reviewed: • Camping ordinances; • Parking ordinances; • Park ordinances; • Nuisance ordinances; and, • Right-of-way management ordinances. • Also, review any applicable administrative rules or policies you Obituaries
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