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TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024

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Drew Farmer rally draws crowd in Coos Bay BY NATE SCHWARTZ The World

A crowd of sign-wielding Coos County residents took up station at the Coos Bay Boardwalk on Saturday, April 27th, 2024, to rally for Coos County Commissioner candidate Drew Farmer. The 38-year-old Navy veteran drew a crowd of roughly 50 despite blustery conditions. “It’s awesome to see this much support. I’ve had people now from both parties reach out to me, and I’ve worked across the aisles on items. So it’s good to see support across the board, and very good to see this much support is willing to be out in this weather,” said Farmer about the support for his campaign so far. If you were driving Northbound through Coos Bay on the 101, you couldn’t miss the contingent of blue and yellow signs lining the road. Through supporting honks from passing cars, I was able to speak with Farmer right there on the side of the thoroughfare. Please see CAMPAIGN Page 4

Coos County represented well at Chess Federation State Championships For the World

Thirty-one Southwest Oregon chess players took the long drive to Seaside to participate in the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation State Championships. They made up ten percent of the attendance at this annual event and despite beautiful weather at the beach, they were inside battling on chess boards. Coquille has been attending this event since it started and thirteen made

the qualification of competing in fifteen nationally rated games, a requirement change in the last year. Coach Nancy Keller became a USCF Tournament Director this year and has been offering nationally rated tournaments in Southwest Oregon so scholastic players in Coos and surrounding counties so southwest players could qualify for the OSCF state championships without having to travel to Eugene and Portland. The Southwest was represented by 13

Vandal poisons thousands of young salmon at Oregon hatchery

Coquille, 3 Bandon, 3 Port Orford, 3 Coos Bay, 1 North Bend, 1 Myrtle Point, 6 Myrtle Creek, 1 Sutherlin chess players Friday night before the main event, scholastic players had the fun of friendly Blitz (speed chess) and Bughouse (a fun variant of chess with two player teams) chess competitions. Crazy hats were encouraged with Noah Ish-Shalom winning with his

Nearly 18,000 young salmon died after a vandal poured bleach into a Douglas County fish hatchery tank on Monday, according to law enforcement authorities. What may have started as vandalism evolved into poaching with the illegal killing of fish in one of four tanks at the Gardiner, Reedsport, and Winchester Bay (GRWB) Salmon Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) hatchery in Reedsport. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Deputies arrested Joshua Heckathorn, 20, of Gardiner, and lodged him at the Douglas County Jail on charges of Burglary II, Criminal Trespass and Criminal Mischief. According to an agency news release, on Apr. 23, a DCSO patrol deputy saw Heckathorn walking south along Highway 101, then encountered him again that evening behind a locked gate in the hatchery facility. Heckathorn admitted to trespassing on the property, entering a storage location, and handling the chemical bottle on Monday. In a cooperative law enforcement effort, DCSO and Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division will collaborate efforts to address both vandalism on the property and a significant poaching incident, according to OSP F&W Sergeant Levi Harris. “The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has been a great partner for the OSP F&W Division,” Harris said, “Their enthusiasm and professionalism is very much appreciated. Their coastal deputies have helped solve cases and/or held wildlife violators for us a number of times here in Western Douglas County.” Poaching charges will include Unlawful Taking Chinook Salmon for 17,890 fish, which raised the charge to a Class C felony. In addition, Heckathorn faces charges of Making a Toxic Substance Available to Wildlife, which is a Class A Misdemeanor; and Criminal Mischief 1st Degree

Please see CHESS Page 10

Please see VANDAL Page 4

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