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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

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COVID cases easing, but risk is not over BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

COVID-19, and speciﬁcally the Omicron variant, continues to cause illnesses in Coos County, but there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Dr. Eric Gleason, assistant director of Coos Health & Wellness, said there is still a chance for a surge in the coming weeks, but the soon-to-be availability of a new vaccine booster along with a slow trending down of cases is a sign that the worst of the pan-

demic is likely behind us. “Our active cases are not representative of the actual situation, but we can get a gauge of the activity of this,” Gleason said. “Our numbers are starting to move in the right direction. Please see COVID, Page A9

Habitat preparing to build ﬁrst duplex in Coos County BY DAVID RUPKALVIS The World

Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World

Habitat for Humanity built these homes as part of a 16-home development on property in the Empire District of Coos Bay

Over the last 30 years, the local Habitat for Humanity chapter has built 29 homes for some of the most needy members of the community. But in the coming months, Habitat will do something it has never done before - build a duplex. Jesse Trosper, the executive director of Coos County Habitat for Humanity, said the organization worked with the city of Coos Bay to acquire a piece of property on Wall Street in the Empire District. The property held an abandoned and dilapidated structure, but Trosper said it was in such disarray it could not be salvaged. So this week, the two structures on the property will be torn down to give Habitat for Humanity the chance to begin working on building new decent,

affordable homes to for two Coos County families. “It’s been empty for five years,” Prosper said. “When we got it, we thought maybe we could rehab it.” But one look inside the home changed those plans, leading to the idea of the first duplex construction project. “It’s actually a lot and a half, so it’s big enough to put a duplex on,” Prosper said. “This will be our first duplex. We’re pretty excited. It will get rid of a nuisance for the neighbors, and we can help two families.” The property Habitat will be using was condemned by the city of Coos Bay due to its condition, and the city eventually took ownership. Prosper said Habitat paid Coos Bay enough to cover the city’s expenses to acquire the land. The next step will be demolishing the structures on it now, which is scheduled this Please see HABITAT Page A2

Oregon Revenue Forecast: $3.5 billion kicker

PHOTO Courtesy photo

The latest state revenue forecast delivered in Salem Aug. 31, states that the outlook is essentially a coin flip between the soft landing and a recession.

JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media

The latest Oregon Revenue Forecast shows the projected personal kicker is $3.5 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they ﬁle their returns in Spring 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.1 billion, which will be retained for educational spending. Overall, the forecast shows the state will see an estimated $600 million in additional surging tax revenues. The report by the Oregon Department of Administrative

Service issued Aug. 31 to Oregon ‘s legislators, also comes with a warning about a national recession. “The risks are real. The outlook is essentially a coin ﬂip between the soft landing and a recession,” the state revenue forecast’s economic outlook states. Governor Kate Brown issued the following statement about the state’s September revenue forecast: “Thanks to the ﬁscally responsible decisions the State of Oregon has made over the last several years, we are well

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positioned with significant reserves to weather any economic challenges that lie ahead. Now, we must continue to make investments to benefit Oregon’s working families, so that all Oregonians can feel the benefits of our strong economic recovery. “With rising costs of living continuing to impact Oregon families and businesses, the Legislature can, in the budget for the next biennium, build on the investments we made in the last session––particularly in housing, workforce development, behavioral health, and child care. “And, thanks to the work of

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Revenue Forecast Executive Summary

Economists are on recession watch. The combination of slower economic growth, high inﬂation, and rising interest rates has historically been problematic. That said, despite the crosscurrents

in the economic data so far this year, the U.S. economy is unlikely to have entered into a recession. Employment and industrial production continue to grow. Personal income and consumer spending are rising quickly but struggling to outpace the fastest inflation the U.S. has experienced since the early 1980s. While this may be reassuring today, the risks to the outlook are real. Inflation remains the key issue. Even as headline inflation slows in the months ahead, the underlying inflation trend is likely to remain above the Federal Please see REVENUE, Page A9

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Oregon’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris administration to pass the Inﬂation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can continue to invest federal dollars to lower costs and create jobs for working families.”

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