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A2 FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 ObituariesPhillip Carl HeissSeptember 17, 1952 – May 18, 2021Phillip Carl Heiss, 68,passed away unexpectedly inPortland, Oregon on May 18,2021.He was born September17, 1952 in Downey, California to William and HelenHeiss, who would later retireto Brookings. Phil graduated from Downey High in1970, followed by graduatingchiropractic school with hisdoctorate in 1983.Phillip and Linda weremarried September 8, 1982and were married for morethan 13 years prior to Linda’spassing from Parkinson’sdisease. Together they hadthree sons - Blake, Corbinand Dane (all graduates ofBHHS) whom Phil did hisabsolute best in raising as asingle father.The family moved toBrookings in 1996, wherePhil quickly became a popular member of the community. He worked with multiplecharities, including Habitatfor Humanity, as well asserving as a volunteer firefighter, OSU Master Gardner,and frequent volunteer formany years at the BotanicalGarden.What’s more, he was anavid collector of hobbies including beekeeping, gardening, landscape design, winemaking and home brewingfor family and friends.He resided 20 years inBrookings before relocatingto Portland to be closer totwo of his sons. During thelast several years, he wouldfrequently return to theBrookings area to visit familyand friends, and CrescentCity to see his other son,daughter-in-law, Lacey, andspoil his granddaughters Nova and Sunday.He will be missed beyondwhat words have the capacity to capture, having beena beloved and selfless fatherwho set an enduring examplefor his sons; as well as beinga beloved husband, grandfather, brother and friend tomany.He is survived by his threesons and two granddaughters, as well as sisters, SisterDiane Heiss, SDSH andRosemary Heiss Bane, andbrother David Heiss. Philwas proceeded in death byhis brother, Raymond Heissof Brookings earlier this year,and wife, Linda Heiss, in1996.A small family ceremonyis tentatively planned for thissummer.Andréa Linette GillsonMay 15, 1956 – June 10, 2021Andréa Linette Gillson,65, of Brookings, Oregon,passed away peacefully inher sleep June 10, 2021, dueto complications from a longterm illness. A private scattering of ashes will be held ata later date.Andréa was born May15, 1956, in Eureka, California, to Albert and KismetWinslow, but spent mostof her life in Oregon. Afterworking as a legal secretary,she earned her nursing degreefrom Umpqua CommunityCollege in 1988. She raisedher two sons, Anthony andMichael Belisle, of whomshe was immensely proud, inCoos Bay.She later moved to theBrookings-area, where shecontinued to work in thenursing field until her retirement, enjoying numerousadventures with her husband,Jim Gillson.Andréa loved traveling,trying new things and reminiscing with those around herabout her experiences. Shealso enjoyed spoiling her petsand tending the flowers inher backyard. She consideredobtaining her degree to beone of her greatest accomplishments. Nursing was herlife’s passion.She is survived by herhusband; Anthony, hiswife, Kimberly, and theirdaughter, Morgan; Michael,and his daughter, Emily;her sisters, Monique Eskaand Kiby Mayo; as well as,many friends and co-workerswhose lives were touched byher generosity and fun lovingspirit. She was preceded indeath by her parents andbrother.CURRY COASTAL PILOTBarbara WienekeApril 10, 1921 – June 7, 2021Brookings resident Barbara Wieneke passed away June7, 2021 at the amazing ageof 100 years. She was bornApril 10, 1921 in Newark,New Jersey to Adolph andSophia (Ellinger) Hartung.Barbara married April 17,1941 in Michigan to John R.Wieneke who preceded her indeath. They had two children.Barbara was an ExecutiveSecretary during her workingyears, and after retirementfound many things to occupyher time.She volunteered at theHumane Society Thrift Store,The Garden Club and TheCapella. She was a memberof the Red Hat Society anda season ticketholder for theChetco Pelican Players. Shewas an avid reader, loved hercats, enjoyed writing letters,playing scrabble, and hostingtheme luncheons. Her tablesettings won ribbons at theCurry County Fair.Barbara was preceded indeath by her husband John,son Jeffrey, and son-in-lawSteve Rodke. She is survivedby her daughter Patricia. Nopublic services are planned.Donations in her memorymay be made to the organization of your choice.The family wishes to thankthe staff of Coastal HomeHealth & Hospice, Barbara’scaregivers, and volunteers.Submitted by RedwoodMemorial ChapelGod’s grace enables progressand joy, say ChristianScientists at annual meetingBy Kevin NessIn a year often definedby uncertainty, ChristianScientists gathered at theironline annual meeting, including from Brookings and24 congregations throughoutOregon, to acknowledge theways in which God’s loveand mercy have opened pathsof progress and joy in individual lives and collec-tivechurch experience.The meeting was livestreamed to members aroundthe globe June 7 from TheFirst Church of Christ, Scientist, the church’s headquartersin Boston, Massachusetts.The theme of the meeting, “Grace to go forward,”is from a well-loved hymn,and was sung to one of H.Walford Davies’ “Hymns ofthe Kingdom.”Acknowledging the challenges of the past year, KeithWommack, a member of theChristian Sci-ence Board ofDirectors said, “Trials causeus to be transformed. As theNew Testament teaches, it isChrist that does the transforming, and we gain eachstep forward through Christlyself-surrender.”In video reports fromEurope, Asia, Africa, Northand South America, membersshared that for them the heartof church is about learning torespond more fully to God’slove — a living faith thatreaches beyond the wallsof any brick and mortarbuilding.A congregation in Washington D.C. shared how theyfound new ways to carryout their activities and carefor one another in the midstof lockdown restrictions.“I’ve appreciated that we’vemoved forward withoutoutlining where the destination is,” said an interviewedmember. “We know we’removing forward with Godand we can rest secure thatHe will take us where weneed to go . That sense ofgrace really filled each stepwith purpose.”A teen Sunday Schoolclass in Switzerland spokeabout the value they foundin continuing class onlineas they navigated changesto work and school life,and considered the role offaith as a prac-tical help.A member from São Paulo, Brazil shared how hisA SmarterWay to PowerYour Home.prayers for his church andthe world brought him fullhealing in the face of severeCOVID-19 symptoms.Christian Scientists typicallyendeavor to turn to God inprayer for healing, thoughthe decision is always madeby the individu-al, not thechurch.Meeting participants alsopreviewed a new exhibittitled “How do you see theworld?” that is set to open atthe church’s headquarters inBoston in late summer. Theexhibit will explore progressin the world and connect visitors with the vision and idealsof the church’s founder, MaryBaker Ed-dy. Project DirectorSarah Ingraham from LuciCreative said, “We were somoved by how [Mary BakerEddy] cares for people. Yousee that in her letters — howshe deeply cares for humanity. You see that she is lookingat a deeper sense of love,a deeper understanding oflove [the exhibit invites]visitors to take that journeyas far as they want.”The new president of thechurch, Mimi Oka from NewYork City, New York, wasintroduced, and new members were welcomed from 24countries, including Canada, Columbia, Italy, Japan,Democratic Republic of theCongo, and the United States.Golf ‘Fore’Health setREQUEST A FREE QUOTE!ACT NOW TO RECEIVEA 300 SPECIAL OFFER!*(844) 989-2328*Offer value when purchased at retail.Solar panels sold separately.Implant Surgery & Crownfor as low as 3,999New Patient Special:Exam & Teeth Cleaning 99541-412-5395www.BrookingsDentalArts.comMark your calendar forsome outdoor fun.Curry Health Network andCurry Health Foundation arepartnering to bring you theGolf ‘Fore’ Health tournament August 14 at SalmonRun in Brookings. Thisscramble includes breakfastand lunch, golf cart, prizesand a live auction of thingslike four nights at the GoldenNugget Casino in AtlanticCity and five nights at a resortcabin in Big Bear Lake, Calif.Look for details comingsoon on the Curry HealthFoundation Facebook. Registration forms will be out soonfor pick up at Barron’s inBrookings, Interiors in GoldBeach and at Gold BeachLumber in Brookings andPort Orford.For information, call Interiors at 247-6683 or Cam at(208) 761-7444. All proceedsgo to purchase a state-of-theart, 3D breast imaging systemfor early cancer detection.Barron’sStarting at899 We are very excited to introduce our new line of lift chairs;Barron’s LIFTAvailable in multiple body styles wtih a number of options, Barron’s lift hasthe customizability people are looking for when they need it most.Featuring Independent Leg Lift & Back Recline USB Charging Port 350lb Weight Limit High Density Foam Options Varying Widths Power Headrest* Power Lumbar* Lay Flat Mechanism Extended Footrest Quick Delivery on Suggested Floor Fabric. Options may vary by styleDown the Hwy from our Main Store97885 Shopping Center Ave.Harbor, OR 541-412-1226410 Oak Street Brookings, OR541-412-0250 800-667-9990Text anytime 541-230-9368

A3In-home care workers demand recognitionCURRY COASTAL PILOT Knox KeranenThe PilotWhile the pandemicforced many industries to ascreeching halt, in-home careproviders like Joy Vegar andRenee Booker never stopped.“When they were tellingeverybody to stay home, wedidn’t have that option,” saidVegar. “I had shopping to dofor three different clients, soI was in stores several days aweek.”Vegar said in-home careworkers put their lives on theline to continue serving theirdisabled and elderly clients— administering medication,providing meals, facilitatingtransportation, even providing homemade face maskswhen there was a shortage ofpersonal protective equipment.Now, Vegar, Booker andtheir union — Service Employees International UnionFRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 Local 503 — are fightingto bring more attention, andbenefits, to in-home careworkers who often go unnoticed.“We want to lift them upand acknowledge them,” saidBooker.Vegar and Booker hosted two visibility events onSaturday in Gold Beachand Coos Bay to highlightSEIU’s current negotiationswith the state to raise wages,protect hours and changestate rules to make it easierfor personal care workers toserve their customers.They said in-home careworkers are especiallyimportant in rural areas,including much of the SouthCoast, where there is lessaccess to hospitals, doctorsand nursing homes, as theyare able to fill potential gapsin care.Although in-home careisn’t always a direct replace-ment for nursing homes,Vegar and Booker said thereare obvious benefits for someindividuals who may notneed around the clock care,especially for disabled andelderly couples.“Several times in my career I have had husband andwife clients, and they got tostay in their homes togetherbecause if they go into anursing home, a lot of timesthey are split up,” said Vegar.Despite the inherent risksassociated with being insomeone else’s home duringthe pandemic, Booker saidthe state has mostly ignoredSEIU’s calls for hazard pay.“They’re dragging theirfeet,” said Booker.However, there is movement in negotiations onother fronts, Booker said.Additionally, SEIU will hosta town hall with Senator RonWyden on June 28 to furthernegotiations.Photo by Knox Keranen/The PilotSEIU organizer Renee Booker and in-home care worker Joy Vegar hosted a visibility event infront of Gold Beach City Hall along Highway 101 on Saturday.Brookings man arrested for stabbing neighborA Brookings man is behindbars and his neighbor is inintensive care after a stabbingSunday.According to a pressrelease from Curry CountySheriff John Ward, JustinGraziano allegedly stabbedhis neighbor, ChristopherPhillips, 42. Graziano wasarrested Sunday and is beingheld on charges of assault inthe first degree, assault in thesecond degree, menacing andunlawful use of a weapon.Ward said the sheriff’sdepartment received a 9-1-1call at 7:15 p.m. Sundayreporting a stabbing. Thewoman who called said herboyfriend, Phillips, had beenstabbed in the neck by aneighbor.Deputies responded withinminutes along with Cal OreLight Flight ambulance.Phillips was rushed to theBrookings emergency room.With the little information released by the caller, deputiesPhoto by Knox Keranen/The Pilot determined Graziano was thesuspect in the stabbing. DepCommissioners John Herzog, Court Boice and Chris Paasch approved the county budgetat a June 9 meeting after rescinding a previous vote. The budget will take money out oftheroad fund to offset other losses.BudgetContinued From Page A1a month ago, and this couldhave and should have beendealt with in prior meetings,”said Paasch. “If you were indisagreement with the budgetcommittee, why weren’t allthese things brought up infront of the budget committee.”Paasch also disapproved ofraises for two elected officials— the assessor and the clerk— which were approvedduring the budget process.Additionally, he said the roadfund will likely receive additional revenue this year, andcould remain near its currentvalue, despite the funds beingtaken out.Brad Rueckert, directorof operations, aligned withPaasch.“All six members of thebudget committee approvedthe budget to go before thecommissioners today.thattime has kind of come andgone for any kind of changes,”Rueckert also said the budget committee had alreadycut 600,000, and he did notthink any other significantcuts could be made withoutreducing county services. Additionally, he was concernedabout the county being ableto meet the June 30 deadlineto approve the budget, shouldthey postpone the process.Before a vote could bemade, Summer Matteson— economic developmentcoordinator — said the fightover the budget has pittedcounty departments againsteach other, and claimed someemployees are having healthissues as a result of stress.“These departments fear,”said Matteson. “We can’t getpeople to work here becauseevery year, they’re afraidthey’re going to lose theirjobs.”Then an initial 2-1 voteblocked the adoption of thecounty budget, with the loneapproval vote from Paasch,and “no” votes from Boiceand Herzog.However, when tryingto schedule another publicbudget meeting, the boarddetermined they wouldunlikely be able to meet thestate required deadline toapprove the budget, due toa law which requires governments to publish publicmeetings in local newspapers15 days before a meeting.Following this discovery,Christensen returned to themicrophone and recommended the commissioners backtrack and pass the budget.However, he said the commissioners should continue tohunt for additional revenuesto pay back the road fund.With the deadline loomingand an OK from Christensen,the board voted on the budgetagain — after rescindingtheir previous vote. The secondary vote resulted in a 2-1vote to approve the budgetafter all, with “yes” votesfrom Herzog and Paasch, anda “no” vote from Boice.“Today, I am embarrassed to be a Curry Countycommissioner,” said Paaschduring closing statements,and in an interview with thePilot after the meeting, “Ifthis continues, I’m going toresign.”ATTORNEY ATLAWATTORNEYATLAWCriminal LawCriminalLawFamily tice,97829Shopping Center Ave.,541-247-1332Ste. G, Harbor, Or97829 Shopping Center Ave.www.nathangarcialaw.comSte. G, Harbor, ORwww.nathangarcialaw.comFOSTER FAMILIES ARE NEEDED IN CURRYJOIN US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FOSTER CAREWHEN: Ongoing (Attend the next event that works foryou! It doesn't matter which county is hosting theevent- all core information will be the same)WHERE: ONLINE- Zoom CallWHAT: Opportunity to learn from foster parents andask questions.REGISTER: https://everychildoregon.org/eventsQuestions? ContactEveryChildCurry@gmail.comuties learned prior to becoming unresponsive, Phillipstold his girlfriend Grazianostabbed him with a largeknife. Deputies found a lot ofblood inside Phillips’ home,but determined the actualstabbing occurred elsewhere.Brookings police responded to the emergency roomto watch over Phillips whiledeputies continued the investigation at the scene. While inthe emergency room, Phillipsslipped into critical condition. Doctors and staff wereable to stabilize Phillips, andthey made plans to fly him toa hospital in Medford.A request was made tothe Oregon State Police fora crime scene analyst, and astate trooper responded andassisted by mapping out thecrime scene. A sheriff’s detective arrived and took overthe investigation and the Curry County District Attorneywas notified and responded tothe scene.At 8 p.m., deputies located Justin Graziano at hisresidence and detained him.Sheriff’s detectives gatheredevidence at the residence ofPhillips and applied for asearch warrant for Graziano’s residence. During thistime, deputies learned thatwhile Cal Ore Life FlightAmbulance was transporting Phillips to the CrescentCity Airport to fly him toMedford, they had to detourto Sutter Coast Hospital dueto the deteriorating medicalcondition of Phillips. Whileat Sutter Coast, Phillips underwent emergency surgeryand as of Monday, he was inICU and in stable condition.A detective interviewedGraziano while waiting forapproval of a search warrantof his residence. The searchwarrant was granted by aCurry County Circuit Courtjudge, the residence wassearched, and the weaponallegedly used was locatedand seized.Graziano was transported to the Curry County Jailwhere he is being held.

A4Opinion & Letters FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 Guest OpinionCURRY COASTAL PILOTGuest OpinionSB 582 would unjustly disadvantageWhat do we owewildland firefighters? Oregon’s vital newspaper industryBy Jonathon Golden“It’s like having gasoline outthere,” said Brian Stein-hardt, forest fire zone manager for Prescottand Coconino national forests inArizona, in a recent AP story aboutthe increasingly fire-prone West.Now something else is happening — and at the worst possibletime.Federal firefighters are leavingthe workforce and taking theirtraining and experience with them.The inability of federal agencies tooffer competitive pay and benefitsis creating hundreds of wildlandfire-fighting vacancies.Vacancies, of course, limit howmuch federal fire-fighters can do.If Western communities want to beprotected, they need to ensure thattheir firefighters receive better payand benefits.In my 11 years of work as awildland firefighter, I’ve managedaircraft, trained people and run firesmyself, but I also did outreach andrecruitment for the Forest Serviceand Bureau of Land Management.I know how hard it is for hiringmanagers to make 2,000 hours ofgrueling work, crammed into sixexhausting months, sound appealing when the pay is 13.45/hour. The pay doesn’t come closeto matching the true de-mands oreveryday dangers of the job.Federal wildland firefighters,by necessity, are transient workers. During the fire season — nownearly year-round — they must beavailable to travel anywhere in theUnited States at any time. And toad-vance in their career, they haveto move to other federal duty stations to gain more qualifications.Finding affordable housing hasalways been a problem for careerfirefighters on a federal salary.To make matters worse, federalagencies revoked the “Transfer ofStation” stipend for career employees, which helped offset the costof moving. Just recently, a nationalforest supervisor also revoked a“boot sti-pend.” It might sound minor, but it isn’t: When you’re in thefirefighting business, boots toughenough to save your life can easilycost you 500.Some states aren’t relying on thegovernment to act quickly. “Wearen’t just waiting for the next crisisto hit,” said California Gov. GavinNewsom, in establishing an 80.74million Emergency Fund that delivers an additional 1,256 seasonalfirefighters to boost CALFIRE’sranks. This Emergency Fund is inaddition to the governor’s 1 billionbudget request for Cali-fornia’sWildfire and Forest ResilienceAction Plan.In Washington, state legislatorsunanimously passed a 125 millionpackage that will enable the state’sNatural Resources Department tohire 100 more firefighters. The legislation furthers the state’s efforts torestore forest health and creates a 25 million fund to ensure community preparedness around the state.Utah’s House Bill 65, recentlysigned into law, appropriates moneyto help Utah’s communities offsetthe cost of wildfire suppression.Most importantly, it commissionsa study to evaluate the current payplan for firefighters within Utah’sNatural Resources Department.The bill’s sponsor, Rep. CaseySnider, was amazed to learn thatfrontline wildland firefightersmake more money at McDonald’s:“These positions are critical,” hesaid. “They are the first ones onfires.” This year, Utah has alreadyhad five times the number of wildfires it normally experiences in ayear.And firefighters are organizingand speaking up. The GrassrootsWildland Firefighters is working tohalt the exodus of firefighters fromfederal agencies by advo-cating forpay parity with state and local fireprotec-tion agencies. The groupalso supports initiatives to assistthe physical and mental health offirefighters and their families. Thestatistics they highlight are shocking: Wildland firefighters have asuicide rate 30 times higher thanthe average. They also experiencehigh incidences of cardiovasculardisease and lung cancer.There is talk on the federal levelof creating a permanent, year-roundfirefighting workforce. I think thisis a necessary step, but it won’t fixthe workforce capacity issue unlessincreased pay and benefits are usedto encourage the recruitment andretention of federal firefighters.We all know that today’s wildfires are longer, more damaging andmore frequent than ever before. Wealso know that men and women areputting their lives on the line forless than they’d earn at a McDonald’s.Our firefighters do all this toprotect our lives, our forests andour communities. We owe them atleast a living wage and a chance fora healthy life. I hope more statesand legislators will start payingatten-tion. This is a debt that needsto be paid.Newspapers and magazines go toevery corner of this state. Notwithstanding increased digital access,paper publications are deliveredto tens of thousands of homesthat lack broadband internet andhomes where readers simply aremore comfortable with the familiarformat of paper or want to savemagazines on travel, food, worldevents or hobbies.Oregon’s newspapers and magazines care deeply about environmental responsibility. Newsprintand magazine stock paper comefrom certified forests, are fullycompostable and biodegrade in amanner of months. Newsprint is sosafe that it

don't feel safe in my house." In conjunction with the peti-tion, a Brookings city staff report claimed St. Tim's has been oper-ating as a "mission," rather than a church, by offering their guests showers, clothing and hygiene kits three days a week, as well as hair-cuts during their free meal services. Photo by Knox Keranen/The Pilot