BANDON — Neither rain nor wind could stop hundreds of bicyclists from gathering and participating in the first Whiskey Run Mountain Bike Festival held Saturday in Bandon. The event, which celebrated the recently-developed Whiskey Run Bike Trails, offered visitors the chance to ride the trails and familiarize themselves with its route and new signage. Volunteers from the Wild Rivers Coast Mountain Bicycling Association and local riders from Coos County presented festival goers with three different guided rides. The rides ranged from beginner to advanced and lasted up to two hours, depending on the trail mileage covered. Erin Kessler, a WRCMBA board member, said the organization had been volun

COOS COUNTY — Oregon’s Bay Area is now home of the first and only medical assistant apprenticeship program. Coos County has had the program for two months, but can already boast of six apprentices and Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board is behind it. “Of course there are other apprenticeship programs in the state, but they are for construction or manufacturing,” said Jake McClelland, executive director of SOWIB. “When our board looked at areas for potential action, our board decided to go with healthcare first because it’s our biggest employer here, it’s growing, and has decent paying jobs.” According to McClelland, SOWIB uses federal and state resources to help keep local workfor