Check your ballots - Coos defense contractor under investigation - Dunes City Council candidate

Review both sides of your ballot…

Just over two-million ballots were mailed out late last week to Oregon registered voters. That means there already may have been some spoiled ballots. Lane County Clerk Cheryl Betschart says to be sure to check both sides of your ballot. Often, the reverse side is neglected and voters may miss several races or issues. Betschart says once a ballot has been returned, it can not be amended. She also adds that if you believe you are registered to vote in Oregon, but have not received a ballot for the current election, there may still be time. She says to call the Lane County Elections office at 541-682-4234. They can verify your status and possibly update it. Ballot drop boxes are open for returning ballots, including the one in front of the Florence Justice Center just off Ninth Street in Florence.

One Dunes City Council candidate was unable to make an appearance on KCST’s Our Town earlier this month. Duke Wells talks now about his reason for getting involved.
210 – “All of the folks on that current council work their butts off, they work hard. It’s just the direction that they’re working in that I don’t agree with and I’m entitled to that and that’s one of the reasons I’m running for a council seat.”

One key issue that keeps arising in this race: finances. Wells, like several others, is critical of the amount of resources that have been spent on one specific area.
211 – “We’re spending too much money on legal fees. You can open up a beer and talk about it if you want but it’s not going to change it one bit… we’re spending too much money on legal fees.”

He says it’s not fair to blame the people behind the legal action. They’re simply exercising their rights to correct what they feel is a wrong.
212 – “You hate using it, people don’t like to hear the word but there was an agenda out there and I think you ended up with some unfair land use decisions.”

For him, it’s an issue of fairness.
213 – “For me, I don’t care if you’re the first person after Dunes City to buy a lot and develops that. Or the last person, let’s say there’s one lot left in Dunes City to develop. I think that person should have the same privileges and rights.”

In all, there are seven candidates seeking four open positions on the Dunes City Council.

Federal investigators say they have evidence an Oregon defense contractor sold phony replacement parts to the military that could cause attack helicopters to crash. In affidavits filed in federal court in Eugene, Defense Department investigators say they have evidence Coos Bay based Kustom Products and related companies owned by Harold Bettencourt II sold fake replacement parts to the military. The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed. A man answering the phone at Kustom Products said the company had no comment on the investigation.

A popular stop for visitors and residents on the Central Oregon Coast will be switching to winter hours after the first weekend in November. The Cape Perpetua Visitor Center will switch to being open Wednesday through Sunday, ten AM to four PM on November 8th. Visitor Center director Lori Robertson says Cape Perpetua offers one of the few inside whale watching locations staffed by volunteers specifically trained to help spot the large mammals. The center also showcases interpretive exhibits about the Oregon Coast’s rocky shoreline and old growth forests.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Marine from Oregon has been killed in
Afghanistan.
The Defense Department said Monday that 25-year-old Sgt. Ian M.
Tawney of Dallas, Ore. was killed Saturday in combat in Helmand
province.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st
Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Pendleton,
Calif.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - The FBI is offering a $6,000 reward to catch
a Eugene bank robber agents are calling the Strolling Hat Bandit.
The young woman wearing a hat held up three banks in a
three-week period in August and September in Eugene.
In each case she approached a teller and demanded cash.


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Organizers hope to attract about 5,000
people to an indoor rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate
John Kitzhaber tomorrow that will feature President Barack Obama.
In 2008, some 60,000 people attended a Democratic rally with Obama
when he was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Another
15,000 people were turned away from the rally.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Attorneys for the family of a mentally ill
Portland man who died in police custody say officers withheld
important information from paramedics and jail medical staff about
his injuries and the use of force against him. Attorney Thomas
Schneiger tells The Oregonian that kept James Chasse from getting
to the hospital in time to save his life.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland Mayor Sam Adams says he's just
busy, not unreliable. The Oregonian reports that a number of city
officials say Adams sometimes misses important meetings and
speeches, limiting his ability to lead. Nearly all the people the
newspaper talked to who were critical of the mayor didn't want to
be identified.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland State University's bookstore has
acquired a machine that lets anyone publish a 300-page paperback
book in minutes for just $11.95. The school says the
print-on-demand machine can be used by professors to produce
textbooks tailored to their needs for much lower prices.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The brother of a man accused in the fatal
Woodburn, Oregon, bank bombing says they learned how to use
explosives while growing up on their family's farm. The Oregonian
reports that Pat Turnidge testified yesterday that he and his
brother Bruce blew up tree stumps and once blew up a bridge to
create a space for a new culvert.

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - Albany police say a 17-year-old Elmira boy
has died after his BMX bicycle crashed at Albany's Bryant Park. The
Register-Guard reports that police say Luke Esgate fell and hit his
head Sunday while jumping his bike on a makeshift track.

BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) - A Beaverton man has been indicted on
charges that he raped a 14-year-old girl. A Washington County grand
jury indicted Alonzo Odom on 21 charges, including nine counts of
rape. Investigators say the 38-year-old Odom had been abusing the
girl for two years.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An anonymous donor who in June pledged $5
million for a scholarship fund at Oregon Health & Science
University has decided to pledge another $5 million. The medical
school says that the $10 million will be used to help medical
students who have the greatest potential as health care providers,
mentors and community leaders.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
Athlete of the Week:
Siuslaw Volleyball standout Katie Catalfamo is Coast Radio
Sports Athlete of the Week. The junior outside hitter led the team in kills last week with 28 in two matches anchoring a team that is tied for the lead in the Far West League with one week remaining in the regular season. Honorable Mention goes to Viking sophomore wide receiver and defensive back Alex Snow who scooped up a fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown in Siuslaw’s victory last week over North Bend.

On the Schedule…
Viking Volleyball is in North Bend for a crucial match in the Far West League this evening. Reedsport will host Myrtle Point in Sunset play and in the Mountain West Mapleton will host Mohawk.