NCC1211

Merry and bright

Spruce Point construction underway

Work is well underway at the new Spruce Point apartment complex in Manzanita and on pace to bring 60 new affordable apartments online by next fall. The project is being led by Home First Development Partners and supported by a $21.4 million grant from Oregon Housing and Community Services, as well as grants from the Tillamook County Affordable Housing Grant program.

Construction crews broke ground on August 12, after the property was cleared of trees and a new street, Legacy Place, which intersects with Necarney City Road between Clipper Court and Pine Ridge Lane, constructed to serve the development. The 60 apartments will be spread across three three-story buildings and two two-story buildings, and the complex will also feature a community center with a leasing

and community area, common courtyard with a nautically themed

ground and 96 parking spots.

WILL CHAPPELL

In a work session on December 3, Tillamook County commissioners prioritized a list of revenue-generating and cost-cutting measures to help bridge a $2-3 million annual shortfall in the county’s budget.

Part of a multiyear process started in summer 2024, the meeting gave staff direction on which ideas to research further, with commissioners stressing that public processes would take place before they pursued implantation of any of the ideas.

Conversations around the county’s tenuous budget situation kicked in to high gear last summer after the spring approval of a habitat conservation plan for western Oregon state forests cut the county’s timber revenues substantially. Along with statutorily limited increases to property taxes, that revenue cut created a projected deficit of to $2 million to $3.6 million in each of the five fiscal years starting in 2025, which began in July 2024.

In special meetings of the budget committee last summer and fall, suggestions for cutting expenses and generating new revenues were brainstormed, including raising the county’s TLT, instituting utility fees on electric bills and shortening employee work weeks. Consultants from Tiberius Solutions then generated a prioritized list of those suggestions based on feasibility and economic impact. Commissioners first discussed the list in October and returned to the subject to finalize their prioritization.

At the meeting, commissioners began their discussion by affirming that continuing to delay the filling of open staff positions was a high priority.

Commissioners then touched on the building on Third Street that previously housed the Bureau of Land Management, for which they signed a purchase agreement on September 24, at a price of $2.475 million. If the sale is consummated,

Weber raises alarm over family courts Commissioners discuss financial priorities

Following voluminous constituent feedback about poor outcomes in Washington County family court, Oregon State Senator Suzanne Weber is working to raise awareness about the issues in the system. Weber said that she believes family court judges are given too much authority and that the special courts may need to be abolished in favor of letting regular courtrooms handle the cases, though she acknowledged that somebody else will have to take up the cause after her time in the legislature concludes following 2026’s short session.

“It has to be something that someone will take up in the long session and carry through, but at least we’ve done the groundwork to be able to express the concern we have for our children,” Weber said. “Because It’s not only our children right now and what is happening to them, it’s how it’s affecting their futures.”

Family courts are administered by individual states but regulated by numerous federal laws that have

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footings and compacting base rock. Brad Dineen, the project foreman, said that the slabs

would be poured at some point in early December when weather allowed and that framing would begin shortly after.

Commissioners approve contracts for bridge, quarry, courthouse roof work

Tillamook’s board of county commissioners approved contracts for a variety of projects including bridge repair design, quarry exploration and architectural support for replacing the county courthouse’s roof at their meeting on December 3. Commissioners approved a contract for $47,189.50 with DOWL LLC, for design work for the replacement of four bridges on Slab Creek Road. Tillamook County

Director of Public Works Chris Laity said that the four bridges all needed new seal plates where the bridge’s wooden structures rested on their concrete supports, while one also needs a new timber deck. Laity said that his department would put the project out to bid once the plans were completed by DOWL. Laity also discussed the $96,765 contract with Shannon & Wilson Geotechnical Services for exploration of new areas in the county’s quarry on North Fork Road. Laity explained that the county

owns around 100 miles of gravel roads, as well as two quarries to provide material for their maintenance, one outside of Cloverdale and the other on North Fork Road. The county owns the quarries and contracts with outside companies to mine and crush rock at them, saving roughly half of the cost of purchasing gravel from an outside vendor.

The North Fork quarry has reached the end of its currently accessible stockpile of material, and a new mining target must now be found, leading to the

A Holiday Message from

Our hearts are full of gratitude for everyone that helps us put on our annual Manzanita Open Golf Tournament Fundraiser in May. Our volunteers, sponsors, donors, and players are the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. With their hard work and generosity, we were able to give over $80,000 to support kids and organizations in our communities in 2025.

We would like to shine some big, bright holiday lights on the groups we are giving to this year in addition to our scholarships for graduating Neah-Kah-Nie seniors and alumni:

Adventist Health: Faith in Action

Adventist Health: Hospice Care Bay City Arts Center HUGGS Meals for Seniors, Inc.

Nehalem Bay Community Services: Child Program, Senior Lunches, and Food Pantry Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy New Discoveries Preschool

Neah-Kah-Nie School District #56: Family Resource Centers for all four schools, Outdoor School, Robotics, FBLA, FNRL, Band and Choir, and all OSAA teams Nehalem Valley Care Center North County Recreation District School Swim Programs North Tillamook County Food Bank Rockaway Beach Interscholastic Baseball Sammy’s Place Smiley Brothers Salmon Harvest Tides of Change

We are famous for our golf tournament, but our mission and passion are to raise funds so we can help those in our communities meet basic needs and find opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach. In the spirit of giving this time of year, please keep ESF or the organizations above in mind. There is a lot of need in our area and every little bit helps. Have a safe and wonderful holiday season! See you in May! ~The Eugene Schmuck Foundation Board https://www.eugeneschmuckfoundation.org/ H26183

contract. Laity explained that geotechnical experts will visit the quarry and drill 100-150-foot-deep cores around the property to determine where operations should move next, a process last completed in 2018. Commissioners also approved a $38,100 contract with Certa Building Solutions to serve as the project manager for the replacement of the county courthouse’s roof.

Tillamook County Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Hagerty said that the building’s roof currently leaks and that a scan

had showed a good portion of the roof was wet underneath. Hagerty said that the preliminary plan is to remove the entire roof assembly, determine if there is damage to the structural deck and repair it, then install 14,500 square feet of new PVC roofing membrane and a new roof, plus 2,000 square feet of overclad on the building’s parapet. Hagerty said the project’s estimated budget is $650,000, with funding to come from the county’s building improvement fund, and that the project is planned for next summer.

Commissioners also accepted a $31,280 grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to support the construction of a secondary fee station at Barview Jetty County Park, as part of a larger project redesigning the park’s entrance for better traffic flow. The parks department will kick in $7,720 in matching funds, and Tillamook County Parks Director Dan Keyes said that the project has a deadline of December 2027, but that he expects the work to be completed long before.

Jetty repair to continue in 2026

WILL CHAPPELL CITIZEN EDITOR

With winter weather come to Tillamook County, crews from Trade West working on the repair of the south jetty at the entrance to Tillamook Bay have stopped placing stones on the jetty and will return to complete the work next summer.

While contractors hoped to complete the project in two years, the contract for the repair included the option of a third work season, which the contractors will now use to complete stone placement on the final 200 feet of the jetty’s head.

Work on the $52.7-million project, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act, began in 2024, with Trade West creating a staging area at Kincheloe Point and haul road to the root of the South Jetty and placing around 5,500 tons of stone in a 600-foot sec -

tion by September.

After completing that section, work shifted into lower gear over last winter, with crews transporting stones from their delivery point at the Port of Garibaldi to Kincheloe Point and onwards to a secondary staging area near the jetty’s base, creating a large stockpile for this year’s work.

The first order of business this summer was building a temporary road on top of the jetty to access the 800-foot section of the jetty 3,500 feet from the shore that needed repairs. A temporary pause on work at the quarry providing stones due to concerns around spotted owls slowed things slightly and stone placement didn’t begin until August 12.

Placement of the first 400 feet of stone took just three and a half days, but once that was complete and crews transitioned to placing stones in the head of

the jetty itself, work slowed considerably, as rock weights and the volume placed increased substantially. Procurement of the 23to 40-ton rocks needed for this section of the project put a strain on the quarry in eastern Oregon supplying stones to the project and as of early November, 30,000 tons of stone still await delivery, with another 20,000 tons onsite and awaiting placement.

By late October, wave action at the jetty had increased and begun to overtop the haul road, forcing work on the jetty itself to be suspended for the season. Transport and stockpiling of rocks will continue throughout the winter, before placement work resumes when weather allows in the spring. Representatives from the project team could not offer an estimate of how long it would take to complete placement.

Commissioners receive quarterly budget update

WILL CHAPPELL CITIZEN EDITOR

Tillamook County commissioners and budget committee members received a quarterly budget update from Debra Jacob of the Tillamook County treasurer’s office on November 24.

Jacob told the group that the county had performed well in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026—July 1 to September 30—thanks to higher-than-average timber revenues, savings on personnel and transfers from the parks department and revenue stabilization funds to the county’s general fund.

Jacob began her presentation by giving a general overview of the county’s budgetary performance in the quarter, saying that the government had operated at a $2 million net loss, which compared favorably to an average $2.5 million net loss in past first quarters. Jacob explained that the county operated at a loss in quarter one as it awaited property tax payments, which arrive in quarter two and provide revenue for the county while slowly dwindling

Commissioners

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commissioners plan to relocate some county staff from the courthouse to provide adequate space for the circuit courts that share the building. Due diligence is ongoing on the property and county staff are investigating financing options for the purchase as well as the building’s renovation.

All three commissioners said that figuring out how to purchase and renovate the building should remain a high priority for staff, despite the high price tag associated with it. Commissioners similarly af -

W

eber

Family Courts

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created requirements for the courts’ dockets and processes.

Residents of Tillamook, Clatsop and Linn Counties all use family courts located in Washington County, and Weber said that over the past year she has heard numerous horror stories about the court’s decisions. While avoiding specifics, Weber discussed a case in which a custody decision from another state had been reversed and another in which child staying with a grandparent was removed and given to

throughout the year and into the next year’s first quarter.

The favorable performance compared to past years was due to several factors, largest among them timber revenues from state forests coming in $811,000 higher than in fiscal year 2025. Jacob said that the higher-than-expected revenue did not necessarily predict higher income over the course of the year and noted that second quarter revenues had come in nearly identical to last year’s figure, putting the county at $2.9 million in timber revenues so far, representing 75% of the amount budgeted. Jacob continued that quarter three usually saw uninspiring timber revenues and that quarter four harvests would determine whether revenues matched the figures budgeted. Another driver of the better-than-projected performance were transfers from the parks department and revenue stabilization fund. The parks department transfer of $250,000 was matched by a reciprocal transfer of $250,000 million in transient lodg -

firmed their commitment to completing a project to replace the courthouse roof next summer, which carries an estimated price tag of $650,000.

Turning back to costcutting measures, commissioners said that they wanted departments to continue looking into ways to leverage computer automation for increased efficiency.

Regarding revenue generation, commissioners instructed staff to continue investigations of a public service charge that would be added to the electric bills of residents in unincorporated areas of the county. The fee would generate around $2 million annually and could be instituted through a board order

a parent without a stable place to stay. Weber also criticized the practice of charging parents hundreds of dollars for visitation with their children.

Weber said that she believes the issues with the courts stem from a lack of jury trials and oversight or accountability for judges, who have little to fear outside of costly, time-consuming recall elections.

“I think that they have a little kingdom and no one can really challenge them or their decisions,” Weber said of family court judges.

To solve the issues, Weber believes that the best answer might be abolishing family courts and challenging the constitutionality of federal laws governing them. Weber traveled to

ing tax (TLT) revenues from the county to support park operations. A transfer of $250,000 from the revenue stabilization fund also improved the position relative to past years, Jacob explained, as in those years revenue stabilization transfers had occurred in subsequent quarters.

With the transfer, the revenue stabilization fund has a balance of around $2 million, which Jacob said would be reduced to $1.1 million by further planned transfers by the end of the fiscal year, its lowest balance in 17 years. Given that, Jacob said that she recommended continuing discussions on new policies regarding timber revenues and budget surpluses and deficits.

Personnel services, the largest expenditure category for the county at 71% of the budget, increased slightly from last year, but came in $283,000 lower than the amount budgeted for, Jacob said.

All in all, these factors combined to leave the county’s ending fund balance $1.1 million over projected levels by the end of quarter one, Jacob said, its best position since fis -

followed by approval from the Tillamook Peoples’ Utility District’s board of directors.

Commissioner Erin Skaar stressed that the direction to staff was to continue investigating the fee, which would match those levied by each of the cities in the county. A franchise fee for solid waste and recycling companies was also confirmed as a high priority for further investigation. Continuing work on a financial assessment and fee study for the county were also deemed high priorities, as was an inprocess evaluation of the county’s indirect cost allocation system.

Reevaluation of the county’s contract with the

a national conference in Washington D.C. on the subject family court reform in November and said that she learned several states on the east coast as well as Idaho and Arizona are moving to either abolish the courts or make serious reforms to them.

Weber, who is ineligible to run for reelection after participating in a walkout in 2023, said that she wants to address the issue but recognizes that it is too complicated to solve in next year’s short session. Weber said that she has talked with Senate President Rob Wagner about the possibility of forming a study group on the issue and that he promised to circle back to the discussion before the session.

cal year 2022. Jacob said that she expected the balance to decrease slightly in quarter two as updated bargaining agreements increase personnel costs but that she still expected the balance to remain positive through the end of fiscal year 2027 (July 2027).

Jacob concluded by saying that the treasurer’s office was still projecting a $2-3 million funding gap annually in coming years and that she expected that figure to stay the same with updated personnel costs.

Following Jacob’s presentation, Tillamook County Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Hagerty discussed next steps in the commissioners ongoing work to address those shortfalls.

Hagerty said that she had developed a document outlining the financial strategies and recommendations commissioners have discussed in past meetings to serve as guidance for department heads when crafting their budgets. Hagerty explained that ideally the board would vote on a similar document before each budget season to inform

Tillamook Coast Visitors’ Association (TCVA), which receives $2 million annually in transient lodging tax (TLT) revenue for destination management services and administers a facilities grant program for the county, was also deemed a high priority. TCVA’s current contract with the county is set to expire at the end of 2027, but with commissioners looking at different ways to leverage TLT revenues, they agreed in October to form a working group to discuss the organization’s role.

Commissioners agreed those discussions should continue but said that a more general revisiting of

department heads’ budgeting approach. The initial document prepared by Hagerty said that commissioners expected county leaders to take a comprehensive and proactive approach to ensuring the overall health of the county budget and operations, maintain a fiscally conservative approach to budgeting, pursue technological advancements to enhance efficiency, prioritize retaining employee positions in any cuts, and evaluate how to fill vacant positions in a strategic and timed manner. Hagerty also suggested that the transfer from parks to the general fund in return for TLT dollars be included in the document. Commissioners approved a finalized version of the document on December 3.

Hagerty then pivoted to a discussion of prioritizing a list of revenue-generating and cost-cutting measures developed by commissioners and the budget committee over the past year-plus. Those suggestions included instituting a utility fee on electric bills, a systems development

the county’s use of TLT dollars should wait until next year’s legislative session concludes to see if legislation to change the permissible uses of those dollars passes.

Medium priorities included an ongoing effort led by Commissioner Paul Fournier to enhance the county’s code enforcement efforts by hiring a dedicated code enforcement officer, improving budget processes, implementing new contingency, revenue stabilization and beginning fund policies, and instituting a fund watch to dedicate extra attention to special revenue funds that face issues.

charge, vacant housing fee or vehicle registration fee, and seeking a local option levy in support of the sheriff’s office.

Once the board prioritizes the list of suggestions, Hagerty said that staff will work to develop timelines for the strategies and financial projections incorporating their impacts. Hagerty said that her aim is to complete that work for all the suggestions by next spring, allowing commissioners to incorporate that data and an ongoing financial assessment scheduled for concurrent completion in a financial plan for the county ahead of next year’s budget cycle.

Commissioner Erin Skaar said that she appreciated all of Jacob and Hagerty’s hard work and thorough presentations and that she would like more time to digest the different options before a further discussion of prioritization at a later meeting. Commissioners Mary Faith Bell and Paul Fournier agreed, and the group agreed to discuss the priorities at a later work session, which occurred on December 3.

Further investigation of a vacant house fee was also set to be a medium priority, as Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Hagerty explained she expected it to require lots of public process and political considerations, but Fournier and Commissioner Mary Faith Bell both requested that it be a high priority. Finally, low-priority options included an audit of state-mandated services to ensure the county isn’t offering excess services, a seasonal prepared food tax, systems development charges and a review of the options for how the county provides benefits to its employees.

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TBCC prepares for belt tightening

WILL CHAPPELL

CITIZEN EDITOR

A variety of factors, chief among them a budget crunch at the state government, have converged to create a challenging financial situation for Tillamook Bay Community College, leading President Paul Jarrell to begin weighing cost-cutting measures for the institution.

Other factors include an increase in the college’s contributions to employees’ pensions and preexisting underfunding, and with state funding accounting for approximately 60% of Tillamook Bay Community College’s (TBCC) operating budget, Jarrell said that any cuts to state funding would have a major impact.

“Any changes that occur at the state level impact community colleges hard, and especially small, rural community colleges like

us,” Jarrell said. “We have a smaller tax base, so we tend to get more of our revenue from the state.” Funding challenges first came onto the radar at TBCC when the state’s August revenue forecast projected a $372.7 million state deficit for the current biennium given the current budget. This prompted the state legislature asked every agency across the state to present a list of proposals to cut 2.5% or 5% of their budgets. The latter percentage would represent a $276.6 million cut to the overall state budget. At TBCC, around 60% of the $10-million annual operating budget comes courtesy of the Community College Support Fund, while property taxes, and tuition and fees contribute around 20% each. On the expenditure side, 76% of the budget is dedicated to paying for staff salaries and

benefits, with the balance going towards materials and services.

TBCC has 65 full-time employees, 60 of whom are paid out of the operating budget, and the annual cost per employee is around $100,000, according to Jarrell, who said that benefits are a large driver of those costs, adding 60 cents to every dollar spent on salary.

Jarrell said that as part of the cost-reduction exercise, TBCC leaders decided to implement a hiring freeze in anticipation of the projected need for cuts, removing one job listing earlier this month, and that they have also put a hiatus on nonessential travel. While Jarrell estimated those changes will save several hundred thousand dollars, any further reductions would likely mean cutting staff positions.

“We think we might be able to come up with a

couple hundred thousand out of that materials and services that could be savings,” Jarrell said, “but we are looking at the likelihood of having to do some kind of staffing reductions as well.”

Further complicating matters is the recent news that TBCC’s required contribution to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), which manages its pensions, increased by 5% on November 1. Previously, TBCC had been participating in a statemanaged program whereby the proceeds of bonds purchased years ago were used to help defray the cost of PERS participation, but in October, the college was informed that the bond funds had run out before their expected expiration in June 2027.

That meant an increase in the college’s PERS rate from 26.5% to 31.5%, or

an increase of $200,000 to $250,000 over the rest of this fiscal year and $350,000 in fiscal year 2027, a deficit that will remain regardless state funding. On a positive note, the state’s December revenue forecast adjusted the projected deficit for the current biennium downward from $372.7 million to $63.1 million, signaling the potential for a smaller reduction to that funding.

But Jarrell pointed out that even at the current funding level, community colleges had been set to receive 7% less than they had requested based on their projected need.

Jarrell was quick to stress that even as TBCC faces a straitened budget, he and its board of directors are committed to prioritizing affordability for students and that there is no plan to deviate from the

prior practice of increasing tuition and fees at a level related to inflation.

“We are the most affordable community college in the state,” Jarrell said. “We really want to keep it that way.”

As TBCC’s administration wades into the discussion about staffing cuts, Jarrell said that they hope to achieve some savings through attrition as faculty resign or retire and are not replaced. To the extent that trend does not meet budgetary needs, Jarrell said he and other administrators will look at ways to combine and streamline positions to continue delivering the most important programs and services for students.

“I think we’re really looking at how do we meet the mission critical needs of the college in the face of some staffing reductions,” Jarrell said.

Fournier gathers Highway 6 economic data

WILL CHAPPELL

CITIZEN EDITOR

As part of his ongoing effort to improve conditions on Oregon Highway 6, Tillamook County Commissioner Paul Fournier is asking residents and local businesses to share information about the road’s economic importance.

Fournier said that he hopes to arm Tillamook’s representatives in Salem with data to support a legislative push to fund a long-term solution to a massive slide between mileposts 33 and 36 that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) spends upwards

of $100,000 annually to maintain.

As ODOT officials estimate a long-term fix to cost tens of millions or upwards of $100 million, Fournier is concerned about the disastrous impacts any prolonged closure would have on local businesses but said that the road is not on the radar of most people outside the county.

“I think what it does is inform on the importance of the road,” Fournier said of his in-progress economic impacts study, “because we’re not even on any of the lists, like it’s a maintenance only road at this point.”

Fournier’s quest to ad -

dress the issues on Highway 6, which date to the road’s construction in the 1930s, began as soon as he took office as a Tillamook County commissioner early this year. He reached out to officials at ODOT, Representative Cyrus Javadi, Senator Suzanne Weber and his counterparts in Washington County about the issue.

Fournier learned that a road upgrade or replacement was not on the list of future projects for ODOT and that funding for the issue would have to be allocated by the legislature. Weber, who sponsored legislation funding a safety

study of the highway in 2022, and Javadi were supportive but said that the issue lacked awareness outside the county, a point reinforced by Washington County commissioners’ lukewarm response.

As part of his initial research into the subject, Fournier had spoken with officials from the Tillamook County Creamery Association, who estimated that a closure of Highway 6 would cost the company $66,000 a week in additional transportation costs. Fournier reasoned that if the impacts to the creamery were so large, it could be a successful tactic to determine the overall

impacts on the community to demonstrate the road’s importance to the local economy. To that end, Fournier is asking local businesses and individuals to reach out to him or respond when asked, to tell him about how they would be affected should the road close. “I’m basically looking for why Highway 6 is important to their business, for their personal life and what are the impacts when it closes and if it closes for one day versus one week versus one year,” Fournier said.

So far, Fournier has heard from local automotive shops that rely on

consistent deliveries of parts from the Willamette Valley and made note of the recent Tillamook County Housing Needs Assessment’s finding that some 2,000 people commute more than 100 miles daily to work in the county. Fournier is also working to determine what the impacts would be on Tillamook’s tourism industry, saying that he believed overnight visitors would still make the trip on Highway 26 or 22, but that day trippers would be discouraged, with grave consequences for both tourist-focused businesses and the county’s transient lodging tax revenues.

Pirates shoot for fourth consecutive playoff trip

BY MIKE WEBER For The Headlight Herald

Neah-Kah-Nie High

School’s boys’ basketball program is enjoying a successful multiyear run with three consecutive trips to the state playoffs, a streak which the Pirates hope to extend to four years this season.

The Pirates, guided by sixth-year Coach Erick White, took second place in the Coastal Range League last year with a 9-3 record (15-10 overall). The Banks High Braves (20-7 last year) won the 2025 league title but lost eight graduated seniors compared to just two for the Pirates, who have 12 players returning, putting them in a strong position to contend for the league title.

“I think that we’ll have a very competitive team again this year, especially since we have quite a few people returning,” said White. “We lost our best player from last year (2025 graduate Ethan Hanson), but we have four of our five starters coming back, so that’s a good situation to be in. As long as everyone does their job, then we should be able to reach the state playoffs again this year.”

A year ago, the No. 18-ranked Pirates concluded the season with a 68-56 first round playoff road loss to the Douglas High Trojans (15-11) on Feb. 26, 2025. The Pirates will be hoping to avoid a playoff road trip this year by securing a league title, as they did in 2024, and earning a first-round home playoff game.

“I think our ceiling for success is pretty high and if we can put all the pieces together and if everyone jells properly, then this could be one of the best teams that we’ve had in quite a while,” said White. “We’re going to play six games in nine days to start the season, so we’ll have to really come out and be ready to play almost every night.”

The Pirates started practice on November 17 in preparation for a 25-game schedule. The Pirates got off to a good start to with 58-29 seasonopening victory Dec. 4 over the Kennedy High Trojans (10-15 last year). That was their first game in the Westside Winter Jam Tournament Dec. 4-6 at Westside Christian

High School in Tigard. The Pirates compete again on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in a Tillamook County rivalry game versus the Nestucca High Bobcats (14-12 last year) at Nestucca High School. They’ll follow with a 7:30 p.m. home contest Friday versus the Oregon Episcopal High Aardvarks (19-9 last year).

An experienced Pirate squad (six seniors, four juniors) has exceptional height with seven players six feet or taller, including 6-foot-4 junior post Tyson Huntley and 6-3 sophomore post Dylan Sigman, a CRL second team all-league selection last year. The seniors who will provide leadership include two team captains in Brady Douma and Clayton Dante. The quartet of seniors Greyson Lott, Noah Scovel, Kason Fletcher and Jordan Lewis will also be counted on to make significant contributions too. Douma was a CRL all league honorable mention award winner last year and Dante earned a second team all-league award a year ago. Fletcher will provide toughness on the inside and Lewis is the Pirates top three-point shooter who will provide a boost to the Pirates offense.

The Pirates start a 12-game CRL schedule Jan. 7 on the road versus the YamhillCarlton High Tigers (6-18 last year).

Lady Pirates look to build on success MIKE WEBER

The Neah-Kah-Nie High Pirates girls’ basketball team improved tremendously last year, finishing 12-12 and qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since 2016, an accomplishment they hope to repeat this season. The Pirates finished in fifth place in the seven-team Coastal Range League standings with a 4-8 record and they qualified for a first round playoff road game, a February 25, 52-31 loss to Lakeview. The Pirates, guided by longtime Coach Corey Douma (21-years), started practice November 17 with a solid group of players who are hoping to move up in the league standings this year and earn a second consecutive

state playoff berth.

“We have a great group, they’re a bunch of hard-working kids who enjoy playing the game and our goal is to qualify for state and then go as far as we can in the playoffs,” said Douma. “We’re going to work hard and have fun, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Neah-Kah-Nie lost just three seniors from last year’s squad and have an experienced team with leadership provided by a group of six seniors including Acacia Christensen, Bianca Smith, Avery Spellman, Payton White, Lorelai Keefauver and Ashley Perez Juniors Jasmine Jones (2025 CRL honorable mention award) Ruby HucekMarteeny and Marilyn Dante are also expected to make significant contributions for the Pirates. Christensen, Smith and Jones will be counted on to contribute most of the offense for the Pirates.

“We have seven players returning from last year’s state playoff team, so that’s a pretty good group,” said Douma. “I expect the seniors to provide good leadership. The players worked hard in the offseason, and we had a really good summer league program. This is just a great group of players to be around.”

The Pirates opened their 25-game schedule in a December 4 nonleague seasonopener versus the Class 2A Kennedy High Trojans and they won 46-27. That was the first of three games in the Westside Winter Jam Tournament December 4-6 at Westside Christian High School in Tigard.

The Pirates will play their next contest in a Tillamook County rivalry nonleague matchup Wednesday versus the Nestucca High Bobcats (16-11 last year) at 6 p.m. at Nestucca High School.

The Pirates will begin their 12-game CRL schedule January 7 on the road against the Yamhill-Carlton High Tigers (8-4 CRL, 19-8 overall last year), a 2025 state playoff squad. The CRL has been one of the toughest leagues in the state recently with five of the seven teams qualifying for the state playoffs a year ago. Riverdale (5-7 CRL, 13-12 overall) and Corbett (10-2, 16-7 overall) also reached the 2025 state playoffs.

The defending champion

Banks High Braves (12-0 CRL, 26-4 overall last year) are considered one of the top

contenders again with nine of their 13 players returning from a squad that reached the state

Tillamook County criminal convictions

On October 2, Patricia Marie Mendez, 35, pled no contest to one count of assault in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about January 23. Mendez was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

On October 3, Emmanuel Hernandez-Soto, 40, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about April 13. Hernandez-Soto was sentenced to two years’ probation, and his driver’s license was suspended for one year.

On October 3, Eric Douglas Alm, 41, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, one count of assault in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor, and four counts of recklessly endangering another person, class A misdemeanors, all committed on or about November 11, 2023. Alm was sentenced to 270 days in jail and his driver’s license was revoked for life.

On October 3, Michael Ashley Homan, 40, was sentenced pursuant to an October 30, 2023, no contest plea to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about May 5, 2023. Homan was sentenced to two days in jail and two years’ probation, his driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to pay $1,255 in fines and fees.

On October 6, Emi Dorothy Fujimoto, 52, was sentenced after pleading no contest to one count of driving under the influence

of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about October 30, 2023, on June 24, 2024. Fujimoto was sentenced to two days in jail and two years’ probation, and her driver’s license was suspended for one year.

On October 6, Fey Ruelas Tuttle, 25, was sentenced pursuant to a January 9, 2023 guilty plea to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about July 23, 2022. Tuttle was sentenced to two years’ probation, and her license was suspended for one year.

On October 6, Matthew A. Blair admitted to being in contempt of court and was sentenced to one year on probation.

On October 7, Draven Louis Hughes, 21, pled guilty to one count of criminal trespass in the second degree, a class C misdemeanor, committed on or about September 20. Hughes was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

On October 9, Charles Daniel Downie, 34, pled no contest to one count of attempt to commit the class A felony of assault in the first degree, a class B felony, committed on or about May 8. Downie was sentenced to four years on probation.

On October 10, Nicholas Alexander Brys, 20, pled guilty to one count of sodomy in the third degree, a class C felony, committed on or about September 23, 2023. Brys was sentenced to ten days in jail and three years’ probation.

On October 10, Shelby Dee White Bear, 43, pled guilty to one on count of assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or

about September 26. White Bear was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years’ probation.

On October 13, Robert Jeffrey Biglin, 42, pled guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about August 7. Biglin was sentenced to time served in jail and ordered to pay a $175 fine.

On October 13, Lisa Parris Allen, 46, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about April 10. Allen was sentenced to two days in jail and two years’ probation, her driver’s license was suspended for one year and she was ordered to pay $2,255 in fines and fees.

On October 13, Hunter J Wilson, 26, pled no contest to one count of harassment, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about July 4. Wilson was sentenced to five days in jail.

On October 13, Curtis Allen Veazie, 62, was found convicted on one count of unlawful use of a weapon, a class C felony, committed on or about July 14. Veazie was sentenced to 18 months’ probation.

On October 13, Charles Benjamin Moser, 40, pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about August 31. Moser was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years’ probation, his driver’s license was suspended for three years, and he was ordered to pay $1,755 in fines and fees.

On October 13, Dantea Cheveal Frazier, 41, pled guilty to one count of criminal driving while suspended or revoked, a class B felony, committed

on or about April 1, 2024. Frazier was sentenced to nine months in prison and two years’ post-prison supervision.

On October 14, Joshua F. Gingerich, 50, pled no contest to one count of theft in the second degree, a class A violation, committed on or about July 14. Gingerich was fined $440.

On October 17, Alexander Daniel Arellano, 22, pled no contest to one count of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree, a class B felony, committed on or about February 15, 2022, one count of sodomy in the third degree, a class C felony, committed on or between July 1, and August 31, 2021, and two counts of rape in the third degree, class C felonies, one committed on or between June 1, and June 30, 2021, and the other between March 1, and March 31, 2021. Arellano was sentenced to 45 months in prison and three years of post-prison supervision.

On October 17, Danny Lee Blair, 36, pled no contest to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about April 12, and one count of criminal driving while suspended or revoked, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about August 9. Blair was sentenced to two days in jail, two years’ probation and his driver’s license was suspended for 24 months.

On October 17, Arron Michael Compton, 34, pled guilty to two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree, class C felonies, committed on or between January 20 and January 30. Compton was sentenced to 25 months in prison and five years of post-prison supervision.

On October 24, Andre Tito Pascua, 43, pled no contest to one count of disorderly conduct in the

second degree, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about October 20. Pascua was sentenced to 120 days in jail.

On October 24, Justin Ray Davidson, 44, pled no contest to two counts of criminal mischief in the third degree, class C misdemeanors, committed on or about September 23. Davidson was sentenced to 20 days in jail.

On October 24, Joe Dusty Little, 68, lodged an admit plea to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about March 4, 2024. Little was sentenced to two years’ probation, his driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to pay $2,492 in fines and fees.

On October 24, Brock Gabriel Graff, 25, pled no contest to one count of attempting to commit a class B felony-assault in the second degree, a class C felony, committed on or about September 27. Graff was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years’ post-prison supervision.

On October 27, LJ Edward House, 34, pled no contest to one count of theft in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or between June 28, and August 5. House was sentenced to five days in jail and two years’ probation and ordered to pay $2,611 in restitution to Fred Meyer.

On October 27, Michael J Douglas, 41, pled no contest to one count of criminal driving while suspended or revoked, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about May 23. Douglas was sentenced to two days in jail and assessed a $100 fine.

On October 28, Gina Marie Wilson, 47, pled guilty to two counts of burglary in the second degree, a class C felony, committed on or about October 16. Wilson was sentenced to 18 months’ probation.

On November 3, Eric Leonard Silva, 59, pled guilty to one count of encouraging sexual assault of an animal, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about January 17, and one count of failure to report as a sex offender, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about December 17, 2024. Silva was sentenced to 10 days in jail and three years’ probation, and ordered to pay a $100 fine.

On November 3, Joshua Andrew Salazar Jr., 30, pled no contest to one count of criminal mischief in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about September 29, and admitted to being in contempt of court. Salazar was sentenced to 135 days in jail.

On November 3, Taylor Zane Stoll, 27, pled no contest to one count of harassment, a class B misdemeanor, committed on or about May 7. Stoll was sentenced to 15 days in jail.

On November 3, Angelo Michael Thomas, 27, pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about April 27. Thomas was sentenced to two days in jail and three years’ probation, and his driver’s license was suspended for one year.

On November 5, Raymond Dale Burt Jr., 45, pled guilty to one count of criminal mischief in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor, committed on or about October 5. Burt was sentenced to two years’ probation.

On October 28, Jeffrey Steven Heidenreich, 30, pled guilty to one count of criminal mischief in the third degree, a class C misdemeanor, committed on or about July 9. Heidenreich was sentenced to 30 days in jail.