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Wednesday, January 21, 2026
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Lincoln County, Oregon
Samaritan hospitals welcome first babies born in 2026
Siletz residents Sierra Williams and Jason Hart Jr., with their newborn son Mansa and daughter Svntaaye. SAMARITAN HEALTH SERVICES
Each New Year’s Eve, the maternity staff at the five Samaritan Health Services hospitals in Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties await the arrival
of the first baby to be born in the new year. This year, Samaritan’s first baby of the new year was born early on New Year’s Day at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center
in Corvallis, followed soon by the first babies to be born at the hospitals in Albany on Jan. 1, Newport on Jan. 2, Lebanon on Jan. 3 and Lincoln City on Jan. 7. The new parents
Newport residents Corey and Alexis Shrewsbury with their newborn son Tate. (Courtesy photos) enjoyed a celebratory meal and received a gift basket filled with adorable and useful items for the new baby, prepared by birthing center staff, auxiliary members or hospital foundation at
location. Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital’s New Year Baby A tiny baby boy with a big name — Mansa Jah’son Abubakhir Hart — holds the honor of
being the first baby born in 2026 at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City. Mansa arrived at 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, See BABIES, page A7
Celebration of Life scheduled for Claire Hall
NLF&R battled the structure fire from the ground and the air. (Courtesy photo from NLF&R)
Local family displaced by structure fire JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
An intense structure fire has displaced a local family, damaged their home, and impacted their business, Lincoln City’s Game Over. North Lincoln Fire
& Rescue (NLFR) responded to the fire at approximately 3:55 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, in the 2800 block of North Highway 101 in Lincoln City. SURPRESS CHALLENGES First-arriving crews
were on scene in less than two minutes from the time of dispatch and encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the structure, according to NLF&R Deputy Chief Cody Heidt. “Firefighters
immediately initiated an aggressive fire attack, working to stop the spread of the fire and protect the front portion of the building,” he said. “Firefighting efforts were challenged by limited See FIRE, page A7
A Celebration of Life has been set for Commissioner Claire Hall at 1 p.m. Jan. 31. (Courtesy photo)
Applications open for Commission post JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Applications are now being accepted to fill the position held by Lincoln County Commissioner
Claire Hall and a Celebration of Life has been scheduled for Hall as well. Hall passed away earlier this month. See HALL, page A7
Trask River Apartments fire kills one in Tillamook WILL CHAPPELL Country Media, Inc.
A midday fire on Sunday, January 11, at Trask River Apartments on Fifth Street in Tillamook left one dead and twelve displaced after three apartments were completely consumed. Firefighters from the Tillamook Fire District and Bay City Fire
Department, as well as local law enforcement agencies, responded to the conflagration, the causes of which are still under investigation, according to Tillamook Fire District Operations Chief Alan Christensen. Tillamook 911 received calls about the fire and a trapped individual just after noon on Sunday, and when fire crews arrived, they found multiple units on fire and heavy smoke engulfing the scene. While officers from the Tillamook City Police and deputies from the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office evacuated
The aftermath of the January 11 fire at Trask River Apartments in Tillamook. (Courtesy photo)
residents from nearby apartments, crews battled the blaze, containing it within a few minutes of arrival and removed a victim from outside the apartment, who was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Despite the quick response, another victim was found deceased in the apartment where the fire is believed to have begun. The identity of the deceased has not been released. In total, 22 firefighters responded to the scene, in addition to personnel from the Tillamook Ambulance, Tillamook Police, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office,
Tillamook Public Works and the Tillamook People’s Utility District. “This incident underscores the resilience of our emergency response network and demonstrates our commitment to the communities we serve,” Christensen said. “The dedication and professionalism demonstrated by all responding agencies, both paid staff and volunteers, was instrumental. Our thoughts are with those impacted by this tragedy.” In addition to the three units impacted by the fire, neighboring units See FATAL, page A7