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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024

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Coquille School bond measure on the ballot BY DEAN BRICKEY For The World

COQUILLE — The Coquille School District will ask voters at the May Primary Election to approve a $14.555 million bond measure to improve the safety and accessibility of three district schools. Ballots for the May 21 Primary Election will be mailed to voters by May 2, according to the Elections Department of the Coos County Clerk’s Ofﬁce. Superintendent Wayne Gallagher said in an interview this will be the district’s third attempt to ask for construction

funds, but the school staff and the public have reviewed and reﬁned the remodeling plans in the past three years. “We’ve got some infrastructure things and some safety issues that we’ve got to deal with,” he said, noting that in 2020 the district hired BRIC Engineering of Portland to assess all buildings. The ﬁrm issued a report describing the needed repairs. BRIC staff estimated it would take more than $61 million to bring all school buildings up to code. “Nobody can afford that,” Gallagher said. “We tried to pass

a bond in May and November of 2021, but both failed, he said, so the school board “took a good, hard, honest look,” he said, and narrowed the scope of the work to the three buildings. In 2022-23, Gallagher said, the board conducted meetings at all schools. A Facilities Committee prioritized improvements, then reported to the school board, which conducted work sessions during board meetings in the fall of 2023 to gather community opinions. During the work sessions, the board

Please see BOND Page 5

A conversation with Congresswoman Val Hoyle BY NATE SCHWARTZ The World

We were able to catch up with Congresswoman Val Hoyle of Oregon’s 4th District. In town to announce a workforce housing project, we spoke with Hoyle at length about the Coast’s housing crisis, her message to voters, and her track record on Capitol Hill

Q – It’s shaping up to be a contentious election cycle. How has the campaign trail treated you so far? Hoyle – “I’m really focused on delivering for the district and developing relationships with people throughout the district. The fact of the matter is, this district goes from Curry County up to Lincoln County, and it’s a microcosm

of the country. There’s very red areas, and there’s very blue areas, but this district was redrawn in redistricting to be predominantly a coastal district. So, I focus on coastal issues: housing, ports, commercial ﬁshing. Making sure that people have broadband. These are really critical issues, and I think if you focus on

Hoyle – “I think you’ve got to look at who shows up and delivers. The fact of the matter is, I focus on jobs, the economy, certainly the port of Coos Bay. There is not a person in DC who has talked to me that hasn’t heard about the Q – On that note, what would opportunity for 8000 jobs in this private public partnership your message be to voters who may be defaulting to the in the deep-water container other side of the ticket? delivering for people, bringing their taxpayer dollars back without thinking about what party they’re in, makes a big difference. So come election time they’re like, ‘We know her. She’s worked really hard for us.’”

Please see HOYLE Page 12

Coos History Museum: Coast Comedy Festival First Tuesday Talk – May 7 Bringing laughs to Coos County The Coos History Museum will host the May First Tuesday Talk program, “PNW Underwater Photography”, on May 7, 2024, from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Local marine biology student and underwater photographer, Isabella Zandona (@ divingwithbella), shares her stories of diving the PNW coast, once-in-a-lifetime encounters with marine life, and inspiring women in the SCUBA industry. This program will be

hosted in-person at the Coos History Museum, as well as on zoom, with an admission price of $7 for non-member adults, $3 for youth, $5 for zoom regardless of membership, or FREE for CHM members in person. Doors open at 5:30 pm with time to explore the museum. Pre-registration is encouraged. Reservations can be made online https:// cooshistory.org/eventregistration/, by phone at 541-756-6320 or register in person at the museum’s front desk. Walk-ins are

welcome for all Tuesday Talk programs! First Tuesday Talks are sponsored by the Mill Casino.

BY DEAN BRICKEY Country Media Inc.

Established in 1891, The Coos County Historical Society is an Oregon 501(c)3 not for profit organization and the 2nd oldest historical society in the State. For more information about the Society and the Coos History Museum, visit cooshistory.org or email info@cooshistory.org.

COQUILLE — The second annual Coast Comedy Festival begins April 25 in three coastal cities and will include 10 shows on four nights in five venues, culminating with one headliner on the Sawdust Theatre stage Sunday, April 28. Soul of Wit Productions, founded by Ty Boice of Salem, is organizing the comedy series with shows in Newport, North Bend, Bandon, Gold Beach and Coquille. Boice grew up in Curry County. He said the Comedy Festival is “drawing national headliners, seen and heard on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” “Bob and Tom Radio,” “Comedy Central,” “Stand UP Records,” “Don’t Tell Comedy” and the recent winner of the Seattle International comedy competition. “It is a privilege to return home to a place I love and return with laughter,” he added. “We could not be more excited to pair these hand-picked venues with some of the funniest comics in the country. These comics are truly a match made in heaven because of their love and appreciation for small town life and coastal communities.” Comedian Sam Miller of Olympia Wash will headline a show in Bandon on Thursday, April 25, and will be in North Bend on Friday night, Bandon again on Saturday night and Sunday night in

Please see COMEDY Page 4

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