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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025

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City of Coos Bay accepts $35,000 grant for wildfire staffing, proclaims Wildfire Awareness Month seasonal basis, gaining important experience for their careers. The second use of the funds is to pay At the Coos Bay City Council overtime for career firefighters who meeting on May 5, 2025, the are needed to fill vacancies or work City proclaimed May as Wildfire long hours while fighting a fire. Awareness Month. Coincidentally, May is a fitting choice for Wildfire during that same meeting they Awareness Month in Oregon, as it accepted a $35,000 grant from the signifies the transition from Spring to Oregon State Fire Marshal to assist Summer and the start of fire season. with staffing during fire season. The Coos Bay Fire Department Summer months can put a strain deployed personnel for 68 days of on staffing for a multitude of reasons. wildfire season in 2024, to assist with Student firefighters are away on a number of fires throughout the state. summer break, with career members A strike team was sent for 14 days to of fire department staff taking help combat the LA fires earlier this personal vacation time. This comes year. during the hottest and therefore most “This all highlights the year-round dangerous months of the year as far need for wildfire readiness,” said as fires are concerned. Coos Bay Fire Chief Jeff Adkins. 2024’s fire season set records for “A proclamation supports statewide its severity, therefore proper staffing efforts to promote defensible space, and training has become more emergency planning, and public important than ever. The funds are awareness, while recognizing the allocated through the Oregon State vital role of our firefighters.” Legislature as a specific measure for To help make the proclamation bolstering local fire departments and Adkins introduced Ashton Gallaway, districts during this critical time. The one of the department’s newest State has run the initiative since 2021. recruits, to read the City’s statement. $35,000 is the maximum possible “During this month, I encourage allocation and the funds are intended all residents to take proactive for two specific functions. The steps in protecting their homes, first is seasonal staffing for the neighborhoods, and natural aforementioned student firefighters. landscapes from wildfire threats,” Being able to hire firefighters on a declared Mayor Joe Benetti.

BY NATE SCHWARTZ Editor

In addition to their regular firefighting and inspection efforts, the Coos Bay Fire Department also partners with the American Red Cross to provide smoke alarms for any home within its service area. The department’s volunteer program is always accepting applications for those interested in training and serving in their free time. For more information on how to help, request a smoke alarm, or resources and information on how to make your space more resilient to fire, you can visit the CBFD’s official page on the City of Coos Bay website: https://www.coosbayor.gov/ government/city-departments/firedepartment

Coos County Ballot Snapshot Coos County man Special District Elections, May 20 sentenced STAFF REPORT Special District Elections are here, and those hoping to vote will have to get their ballots mailed in by May 20. Each city should have a drop box outside City Hall. This round of local elections sees a handful of ballot measures, and lots of local races for boards and commissions. If you have not received your ballot, reach out to the Coos County Elections Office. Those interested in observing the election process for themselves are able to. Additional information, as well as the required observation forms, are available on the County’s website: https://www.co.coos.or.us/clerk/page/ may-20-2025-special-district-election Early reports will be available as early as May 20, though mailed ballots sent before the 20th will be counted through the 27th with a final unofficial count releasing on May 28th. Everything will be fully certified

to 162 years in prison for child sex abuse

and ofﬁcial no later than June 16, 2025, when the Final Ofﬁcial Totals Report is released.

Local Races There are dozens of candidates running for local positions on school, health, transportation, and port boards. One of the more contentious races is the Bay Area Hospital Board, which has four positions up for grabs. The Board is in the midst of negotiations with Quorum Health over a corporate acquisition of the longtime independent hospital, with some candidates favoring a local solution. The North Bend School Board is another interesting race. The current board decided to shoot down a large workers housing proposal in downtown North Bend, after the city managed to secure $4 million in See BALLOTS Continued on Page 19

“Without the perseverance of ODOJ special agents, this man would have continued to harm children,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

State ﬁre marshal encourages Oregonians to create defensible space

Salem, OR – A Coos County man has been sentenced to more than 162 years in prison, after a jury found he was guilty of nine counts of sexual abuse of five children. The trial involving 53-year-old Dewayne Forrest comes after an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. ICAC received two cyber tips in 2021 about child sexual abuse materials being uploaded to an online storage account connected to a cellular telephone number registered under Forrest’s name. After executing a search warrant, Forrest admitted to ODOJ special agents that he had been previously investigated numerous times for child sex abuse since the 1990s in Coos County but had never been charged. The agents followed up on the abuse complaints spanning 20 years, and after a thorough investigation, Forrest was charged with Rape, Sodomy, Unlawful Sexual Penetration, Sexual Abuse and

BY JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

In 2024, Oregon had one of the most destructive wildfire seasons in its history—1.9 million acres burned, communities were tested, and lives were changed, according to the Oregon Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “But amid the devastation, there were also stories of resilience: homes that stood strong because they had defensible space,” RuizTemple states in a release. As May marks Wildfire Awareness Month, RuizTemple is urging Oregonians to act now. With the possibility of another challenging fire season ahead, preparing your home could make all the difference. “For the last several years, we’ve been proactively working to boost staffing at local fire agencies, modernizing response equipment, and investing in wildfire resiliency projects across the state,” Ruiz-Temple said. “But we can’t do it alone. We need every Oregonian to rise to this challenge. Creating defensible space around your home is one of the most effective ways to protect

your property and your community.” Ruiz-Temple recommends Oregonians start with small changes that have a big impact: Space and prune trees to prevent ﬁre from climbing into canopies.

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• Remove leaves, pine needles, bark mulch, and other debris within 100 feet of structures or up to your property line. • Clean roofs and gutters of ﬂammable debris. • Move combustible

a ﬁve-foot buffer.

materials—like mulch and ﬁrewood—away from your home.

For a detailed guide on how to create defensible space, visit www.

• Keep plants trimmed and clear of dead material, especially near the house. • Avoid planting directly under eaves; leave at least

See ABUSE Continued on Page 16

See ADVISORY Continued on Page 3

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