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SPRING CELEBRATION MARCH 19
END OF AN ERA IN LINCOLN CITY
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Lincoln County, Oregon
Another patch on the road Report shows ODOT once again smooths out Highway 101 at Beverly Beach STEVE CARD Lincoln County Leader
Road crews were busy last week grinding up damaged asphalt and laying new pavement along a stretch of Highway 101 at Beverly Beach. (Photo by Steve Card)
For years, the Oregon Department of Transportation has been battling ongoing road issues along Highway 101 in
the Beverly Beach area north of Newport. The most recent patching project was underway last week when one lane of the highway was closed so that road crews could grind up and remove damaged asphalt and install a new layer. “As people are aware, that stretch of highway has been See REPAIR, page A9
Spots of color on the beach
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benefits of Lincoln City’s recycling efforts JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
North Lincoln Sanitary Service (NLSS) has released its 2023 Opportunity to Recycle Report. The document is complied on the city’s behalf, showing how the company is continuing to promote waste reduction, educate the community, and launch waste reduction pilot programs. The NLSS report shows 2,832 tons of mixed recycling had been diverted from the landfill from January to November 2023. The report states that 2,841 tons were diverted in 2022. “We are proud to announce that our residential participation rate is at 82 percent and our commercial participation rate is at 38 percent,” North Lincoln Sanitary Service Sustainability Coordinator Lexi Howell said during the Feb. 26 Lincoln City City Council meeting. “One of our bigger changes this year is the acceptance of all batteries free of charge at our recycling center in the effort to keep lithium-ion batteries out of the waste stream due to fire hazard.”
MIXED COMPOST
Explore Lincoln City’s 2024 Finders Keepers promotion is underway, offering a treasure hunt with specially designed glass floats as the prize. More than 3,000 glass treasures are hidden along Lincoln City’s seven miles of sandy beaches, each made by local artisans. If you find a float, it’s all yours. (Courtesy photos)
Finders Keepers 2024 offers hidden glass floats JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Even during the rainy, cloudy days, there are bright spots waiting for visitors to Lincoln City beaches. Explore Lincoln City’s 2024 Finders Keepers promotion is underway, offering a treasure hunt with specially designed glass floats as the prize. More than 3,000 glass treasures are hidden along Lincoln City’s
seven miles of sandy beaches, each made by local artisans. If you find a float, it’s all yours. The Lincoln County Leader reached out to Explore Lincoln City Event and Outreach Coordinator Stephanie Hull for insight into this years-long popular event. Lincoln County Leader: When and why did Finders Keepers begin? See FLOATS, page A8
Colorful glass floats are hidden along Lincoln City’s beaches as part of a program called Finders Keepers. For spring break, March 16-April 14, 200 floats will be tucked away along the sand.
NLSS launched a mixed compost program for all residential customers in March 2021. Since the program’s start date, NLSS has collected 5,724 tons of mixed compostables from the curb. “We collected 1,945 of those tons from January to November 2023,” Howell said. “The residential participation rate is at 74 percent, just 8 percent behind recycling” To build on the success of the residential program, Howell said NLSS launched a Commercial Compost Pilot Program in October 2022 with Pelican Brewery and spent grains from the restaurant’s brewing process. “Because of their success, Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (SNLH) was added in March 2023 and Salishan See RECYCLING, page A9
Preparing for impact of student enrollment decrease JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Declining enrollment is expected to lead to financial challenges for the Lincoln County School District (LCSD), according to the latest information available. The current student population at 4,945, has been declining since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the initial year of the pandemic, district enrollment declined about 400 students and until this year has remained relatively flat, according
to district officials, who added that they anticipate an enrollment decline of another 220 students for the 2024-25 school year. The Lincoln County Leader reached out to LCSD Superintendent Majalise Tolan, LCSD Director of Business Kim Cusick, and LCSD Human Resources Director Tiana DeVries for insight into the funding challenges. Lincoln County Leader: What has led to
the student enrollment decline? Tolan, Cusick, DeVries: The anticipated losses in total enrollment for 2024-25 are primarily due to graduating classes that are larger than the incoming kindergarten classes. Kindergarten enrollment was down 25 percent for 2023-24 as a result of the lower birth rates and slowed in-migration seen in a statewide trend.
Linoln County Leader: Due to the enrollment decrease, what is the dollars and cents impact on the district’s
See STUDENTS, page A9
The student enrollment decline began during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Metro Creative Connection)
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