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North Coast
Citizen Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
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April 21, 2022
Volume 28, No. 8
Hoffman Center features Wheeler photography, ceramics for May show neighbors fight back against crime A
Don Beckman
Bryan Churchill, Don Backman, Loren Nelson, Gregg Goolsby and Ceramics by East Creek Friends of the Fire
Snap Into Spring Bryan Churchill Art and photography have been a life saver for many during these strange and challenging times. As we break through the clouds of a difficult winter and “snap into spring,” creativity continues to keep many of us sane and connected within ourselves and the world around us. As a photographer, I have found comfort behind the lens, exploring my surroundings and sharing my images with the world. As life emerges from the long wet winter mist, opportunities break through and into the light, offering each of us a new hope for the future. Don Backman Leaves appear, trees bloom, and flowers arise almost magically everywhere. Grass grows and it’s time to mow again. Spring has arrived on the Oregon Coast! The ocean still remembers winter with occasional and
Sam Newman diminishing storms rolling in and splashing across the jetties, the sea stacks, and sending waves running across the beaches. The low fog of summer has yet to appear and the clear freshly washed evening sky provides some of the most vivid sunsets of the year. The past two years have been trying times, and I have found that capturing images has helped bring the beauty of nature inside and given people a reason to smile. Loren Nelson Although autumn is my favorite season in which to photograph, spring is a close second. The graceful and sensual forms of flowers, leaves, and other visual treats in our natural world, have always fascinated me. Until recently, I made all my photographs with a 4X5 view camera and printed the resulting negatives in a traditional darkroom. I now include a Nikon 35mm digital camera and my iPhone in my photography. My prints represent the transition from colder months into spring. This quote resonates with my anticipation of the spring season: And the Day Came When the Risk to Remain Tight In a Bud
Brian Churchill Was More Painful Than the Risk It Took to Blossom. ~ Anais Nin Gregg Goolsby It’s Spring, and oh, how we have been longing for your return! The awakening of all lifeforms are cued by the warming days that chase away the dank darkness of winter. Monotone coastal fog diminishes ever earlier in the day, permitting the sun’s strengthening rays to tickle the canopy of trees that grow to the sky. Their cupolas display luminance with brilliant white halos. Flowers unfurl and display their vibrant beauty with tendrils coated in morning dew drops. Marine mammals ply the coastal waters in search of food that will nourish mothers and their newborn pups. Pollinators work their magic to propagate the seasonal regeneration of flowering beauty. Many pause frequently for rest, while others flutter away anxiously seizing the moment to harvest the fruit as they hover over brilliant bouquets. The most ambitious of the lot work overtime into the evening under moonlight, then magically navigate back to their colony with the nectar of life that sustains their society. East Creek Ceramics Group
Lori Allen, Sam Newman, Joe Robinson, and Aubrey Sloan Beautiful and earthy, the tradition of wood fired pottery thrives in Oregon through the Potters of East Creek Art; a group of artists dedicated in the ancient art of Japanese wood firing. Friends of the Fire is a curated selection of seven artists who have had significant engagement with the East Creek Art wood firing community in Willamina Oregon. These beautiful artworks are fired over 3 to 6 arduous days of constantly stoking the fire and flames in the wood-fired anagama kiln – eventually reaching and maintaining 2400 degrees. Flying ashes and volatile salts fill the atmosphere within the kiln and result in beautiful natural wood ash-glazed artworks of unpredictable colors and textures, only achievable by using this traditional technique. Hoffman Gallery May May 6–29 | 1:00-5:00pm Opening Reception May 7 | 3:00-5:00pm Fridays through Sundays Hoffman Center for the Arts | 594 Laneda Avenue | Manzanita
Childcare Crisis Lack of available options leave parents without options
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Ashley Tike Staff Writer
inding childcare in Tillamook County is difficult to say the least. The lack of childcare options in Tillamook County severe and it has been for a while; the pandemic hasn’t made the situation better. It’s directly impacting parents, especially mothers, ability to have the option to get out into the workforce. Across all of Tillamook County, which includes Bay City, Beaver, Cloverdale, Garibaldi, Hebo, Manzanita, Nehalem, Neskowin, Netarts, Oceanside, Pacific City, Rockaway Beach, Tillamook and Wheeler, there are currently zero childcare openings for a child aged 18 months and under right now, and most places have a waitlist regardless of age. In addition, childcare options for toddlers and school aged children are also slim-to-none with waitlists a mile long and schedules that don’t co-inside with normal working hours. If you are lucky enough to find a child-
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care provider the cost is often pretty expensive for young families. Each county in the state of Oregon has a Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) program; which according to the website, “Exists to support child care and education providers in the region and make sure they have access to the trainings and opportunities that can help them meet the needs of children and families.” The resource and referral network process currently has a program that provides training and education opportunities for aspiring childcare professionals. While there are resources in place to help get childcare businesses up and running, Tillamook County is currently considered a “child care desert” because the child to provider ratio is so high. The lists of childcare options provided by the website ‘211.org/ parenting’ and ‘Find Childcare Oregon’ are oftentimes inaccurate or not updated for Tillamook County, sifting through the options can be difficult as a new parent or someone who recently relocated to Tillamook County. The website lists that Tillamook County hosts 8 home daycare
providers in the entire county; the providers for the area include; T’s Sitting Services, Candy’s Child Care, Irene’s Family Child Care, Rebecca Clifton Child Care, Jessica Child Care, Ocean Breeze Daycare, Mary’s Day Care and Isabel Orozco Child Care. After calling each of these places the total current openings is 2, both for a child aged 6 and up for “after school care”. Rebecca Clifton, a home childcare provider based in Tillamook said, “I’m full and I have been for a while, it’s really hard to turn people away, finding quality childcare is such a serious issue.” Clifton said she has heard stories of people having to place
their children in sub-par care situations to continue to pay their bills, “People are so desperate they are sending their children to chaotic places that aren’t licensed and overloaded with kids and their children are not receiving proper care but they don’t have another option.” According to a study done on Oregon’s Child Care Deserts in 2020 by Oregon State University for the Oregon Early Learning Division, Tillamook County had a total of 34 total childcare spots for kids ages 0-2 and 213 spots for
n See CRISIS, Page 2
Ashley Tike Staff Writer
network of criminals are victimizing a small neighborhood in Wheeler. According to neighbors and local shop owners, the problems are stemming from a specific house, an alleged regular location for drug-related activity, theft and public disturbances. Those who have lived in the area for a while said that it’s a problem that’s been going on for a long time. Most recently in this neighborhood, a truck and tools was stolen from a driveway while the owner was inside asleep. “It’s been crazy, we just want to live peacefully and these people have been wreaking havoc at all hours of the night and have been stealing from others for years,” said Peggy and Robert Schumann. The neighborhood is gathering all of the evidence they can to share it with law enforcement and in hopes that something changes. The exterior and interior of the house in question are in complete disarray; the exterior of the house is falling apart onto the ground, polluting the area and exposing the air to cancer-causing asbestos. An elderly woman, who carries the loan on this house said in an email, “My hands have been tied legally because they technically own the property, I was told since I’m only the lender, I have no recourse. They have kept up with payments through ‘GUARDIAN’ and this makes it out of my hands in court as far as foreclosure.” Neighbors in this part of town have spent small fortunes to prevent the thieves from stealing their belongings from their properties, to no avail. The Schumann’s said they have built fences, installed cameras and patrolled the area the best that they can and because of this, their apartment building has been sitting empty without tenants for 18 months. “We own an apartment complex right near this area and because of all the issues, four families cannot rent these apartments until we feel they are safe to rent. It just wouldn’t feel right putting a young family or really anyone in there just to be stolen from and woken up at all hours of the night,” said Robert and Peggy Schumann. According to security camera footage, put up in a desperate attempt to stop the illegal activity from happening, the video shows two men stealing a truck out of a driveway while the owner was in the apartment asleep. This incident was reported to the Tillamook County Sheriff’s department in early April. The neighbors of the house on Rector will continue to document suspicious, illegal and dangerous activity on video and hope that something is done to hold someone accountable. Law enforcement and city officials are doing all they legally can to get these problems taken care of. The laws that the voters of Oregon have put into place have made policing and holding criminals accountable extremely difficult. “We are dealing with a well connected network of people running around stealing property to sell for money,” said a Wheeler local business owner who would like to remain anonymous. The uptick in crime in Tillamook County is raising eyebrows and has people hoping that property thieves will be stopped. In recent years, the crimes that were considered big offenses, have since been decriminalized by the voters of Oregon. As more of the ‘lenient approach to crime’ legislation continues, less and less people are being held responsible for their actions on the streets. The incidents that are taking place in the small neighborhood of Wheeler are a prime
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Local News
County health care organizations brace for COVID spike Ashley Tike Staff Writer
As the Northeast part of the United States is seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 case numbers the western part of the country is bracing themselves for what’s to come. Ed Colson from the Tillamook County Community Health Center said that he encourages everyone to get vaccinated and they
are closely monitoring numbers for our area. Eric Swanson from Adventist Health Tillamook said that he is tracking a new metric; “I’m watching the percentage of COVID-like illnesses showing up in the ER.” For the 3,786 emergency department visits in the past week, 1.76% of them were for COVID-like illnesses, previously this number hit 3%, “It’s
a good surveillance tool.” Tillamook County has been significantly impacted by COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic with a total of 64 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported. 32 of those deaths occurred in August and September of 2021 alone, 97% of those who died were not vaccinated. “We grieve for all of the lives lost and wish to extend our sincerest condolences at this difficult time,”
said Marlene Putman, Administrator, Tillamook County Health Department. There is ongoing discussion related to the high number of COVID related fatalities occurring in Tillamook County, which are showing to be twice as high in comparison to neighboring counties like Clatsop and Lincoln. How is Tillamook faring in comparison and why have more people died in this County than
in others? The answers are not clear, yet. Tillamook County Community Health Center updates it’s Facebook page regularly with current information regarding COVID, check it out for more information https://www. facebook.com/TillamookCHC Comments: headlightreporter@ countrymedia.net
LNCT organizes two activities for Earth Day weekend Lower Nehalem Community Trust invites the community to observe Earth Day by volunteering in one or both of two events. The first is a roadside cleanup on Earth Day, April 22, 2022. Check-in and refreshments will be at 8:30 AM at the intersection of Highway 101 and Hemlock Street at the north edge of Wheeler. Parking is available anywhere in Wheeler unless prohibited. Cleanup activity will begin by 9:00 AM and will encompass the roadsides between Paradise Cove Resort and Marina to the intersection of Highways 101 and 53. LNCT Executive Director Ben Pittenger tells us, “Trash along this stretch of highway often ends up in the wetlands along the Nehalem Estuary, including those
protected and stewarded by LNCT. Consequently, while volunteers are removing litter from the roadside, they are preventing trash from entering this critical wetland habitat.” Participants are asked to register through the Events page on the LNCT website, https://www.nehalemtrust. org/events. Click on the calendar link to access the page for event details and registration form. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is helpful for planning. In conjunction with Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) AdoptA-Highway program, safety vests, garbage bags and grabbers will be provided. Gloves will be available, but you are encouraged to
bring your own. Participants should wear sturdy shoes for walking on uneven surfaces and dress for a full range of coastal Oregon weather. Join in the next day, Saturday, April 23, 2022 to help remove Scotch broom from Elk Meadows Park, located in Bayside Gardens on Neptune Way. Orientation begins at 9:00 AM and the work begins by 9:30. Elk Meadows Park is owned by the City of Manzanita and stewarded by LNCT. Learn more about the event and how to get there on the calendar link at https://www.nehalemtrust. org/events. Pre-registration is not required. Gloves and tools will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. Again, wear those sturdy shoes and dress for
the weather. Lower Nehalem Community Trust, a non-profit organization, has been protecting and stewarding land in the
lower Nehalem watershed since 2002. Community donations support our work in land acquisition, restoration projects, and commu-
nity education programs. For more information about LNCT call 503-368-3203 or visit https://www.nehalemtrust.org.
It’s a Food Can Tsunami! Join EVCNB to Inundate the North County Food Bank
The Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay (EVCNB) and North County Food Bank have organized a unique exercise for Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10:00 AM to Noon. The exercise is designed to practice GoBag preparation, emergency evacuation routes, and radio communications while collecting food donations for the Food Bank. Everyone in the Nehalem Bay area is encouraged to participate. Organizer and volunteer John Beaston describes the event like
n Crisis Continued from Page 1 kids aged 3-5 making a total of 247 childcare spots in the entire County. A county is considered a childcare desert by the state of Oregon if fewer than 33% of the county’s children have access to a slot. The study shows that the entire state or Oregon is currently a childcare desert. This is pre-pandemic data, after talking with childcare providers in the area, the
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this, “There are several ways to participate. Practice your evacuation route by putting your donation in your GoBag and walking or driving to your Neighborhood Gathering Site or Assembly Area for donation drop-off. Or put your donation by your front door and let us know by sending an email to info@evcnb.org before 10:00 AM on April 30, or communicate through your Yellow Radio during the event, and our fleet of mobile Ham radio operators will come by to pick it up. EVCNB’s Yellow
pandemic did not help the dire situation. There are 10 childcare centers / preschools in Tillamook County providing certified care for children. If these centers have an opening, most accept children ages 3 and up. The list of centers includes; Tillamook Early Learning Center, Imagination Education Creation DayCare, Tillamook YMCA, Tillamook Head Start, Tillamook School District #9, Nestucca Valley ELC, Tilly Tots Preschool (closing 2022), New Discoveries Preschool, ABC preschool kindergarten and example of crime trends taking place in all of Tillamook County. In the state of Oregon, no one goes to jail for stealing
Radio and mobile Ham operators will coordinate donation pick-up and delivery to the Food Bank throughout the event.” Please consider packing your GoBag with these items recommended by the Food Bank: commercially canned products (fruits, vegetables, chili, SpaghettiOs, ravioli, refried beans, pork and beans, beef stew, soup, spaghetti sauce and tuna), boxed macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, fruit jams, boxes of cold cereal, and 64-ounce bottles of apple or orange
juice. Or you can lighten your load and simply carry a check made out to the North County Food Bank for which they will mail back a donation acknowledgment. Learn more at the EVCNB website https://evcnb.org/eventsand-training/food-drive-04302022. Neighborhood Clusters that are planning to participate (Highlanders, Lower Neahkahnie, Mid-Neahkahnie, Manzanita Beach, Ridge Rats, Sunset Meadow, North Fork and Wheeler) will follow the directions provided
Columbia Pacific Headstart. The Headlight Herald reached out to the Northwest Regional CCRR director Eva Manderson to find out why the lack of childcare is so complicated to solve. “Childcare providers are often not given the professional respect and are not paid for the hard work that they do; they are paid what parents can afford, until we figure out how to fix those fundamental problems it’s hard to find change.” Manderson added that funding can come from employers or from the state
and she said that different ideas are currently being wrestled-with in legislative meetings. With greater access to reliable and affordable childcare, Tillamook parents would have the potential to increase their household income and parents would have the choice to seek career opportunities. Not to mention, the mothers or fathers that are currently at home taking care of their children could fill some of the many open jobs in Tillamook County. When forced to make the decision to spend a very
significant portion of their income on childcare, find cheaper but lower-quality childcare, or leave their job and become a stay at home caregiver to their child, there is really only one option that makes sense. Jaimie Rhodes from the Tillamook Early Learning Center (TELC) said that there is a serious childcare crisis in Tillamook County and in rural America as a whole, “Many people are interested in improving the childcare situation but Oregon is very bureaucratic and it’s easy to get lost in the layers.”
a car anymore, there is no ‘grand theft auto’ these days, it’s now called ‘unauthorized use of a vehicle. Doug Honeycut the mayor of Wheeler said they have started discussions in regards to starting a neighborhood watch group and they are working closely with Manzanita Police and Tillamook County Sheriff’s Department to do everything they can
in the fight against property crimes in Wheeler. Honeycut said, “We are frustrated with the petty theft and we are telling people to get security cameras and proper lighting in your homes to keep it secure.”
Call for Budget Committee Members
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by their Cluster Leaders. For those not in these Clusters, the Assembly Area drop-off sites are Underhill Plaza in Manzanita, Nehalem City Park, and Wheeler City Park. If you are unable to travel to a drop-off location, our mobile Ham Radio operators can come to your door. Are you confused or curious about some of the jargon you see here? No worries…EVCNB is here to help! Learn how to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for emergencies.
The Nehalem Bay Health District seeks qualified voters for the Fiscal Year 2022- 2023 Budget Committee. The meeting will be held via Zoom on April 26th @ 7:00 PM via Zoom. If a second meeting, if required, it will be held May 3 @ 7:00 PM. Applicants should reside in the district which is the same boundaries as Nehalem Bay
Rules and regulations placed on childcare centers/ providers are strong with a lack of financial support to uphold the weight. Rhodes said that she hopes future legislation will follow through with changes. May 6th is childcare provider appreciation day, join Child Care Aware of America and other organizations nationwide in recognizing the important role childcare providers have on this day. Comments: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
Fire & Rescue except for the Riverside Estates Annexation. Statements of interest with contact information should be received prior to April 12, 2022. Send emails to: nbhdistrict@gmail.com, letters to P.O. Box 6, Wheeler, OR 97147 or deliver to the district office at 278 Rowe Street, Room 218, Wheeler, OR.
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Hall of Fame Jazz singer to perform at NCRD in May “She preaches every time she sings…” Marty Jones, MJ Arts
ok aMarilyn Keller, inducted ut into the 2016 Jazz Society of Oregon Hall of Fame, is a 38-year veteran of music and stage performance in @ Jazz, Gospel, R&B, Pop and Theater. Her voice can be heard on multiple recordings, movie soundtracks and documentaries. She appears frequently at clubs, festivals and holiday events throughout the Pacific Northwest and performs at the annual “Gospel Christ-
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mas with the Oregon Symphony” in Portland. In 1997, Marilyn joined the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band, establishing a loyal following in the Dixieland and Ragtime scene. She has been the vocalist for the Augustana Jazz Quartet, performing weekly for 28 years, along with Ron Steen, Kevin Deitz and George Mitchell. Marilyn’s career has taken her to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Russia and the UK. Since 2004, she has performed with the band, New Orleans Delight, based
in Copenhagen, touring Denmark and Sweden every summer. In 2017, Marilyn performed Darrell Grant’s Suite: “Step by Step - The Ruby Bridges Story”, for the Unitarian Universalist National Assembly in New Orleans and in 2019, at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, DC. Marilyn is currently an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University, teaching Vocal Jazz Improvisation. She’s also on the board
of the Portland Symphonic Choir and Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble and is currently working with Darrel Grant on his “Sanctuaries” Jazz Opera. She is dedicated to music education and conducts clinics and master classes for arts councils, as well as high school, middle school and grade school choirs and bands. Marilyn will appear as part of the NCRD Spring Music Series on May 7 at 7:00 pm at the NCRD Performing Arts Center in Nehalem.
Terry Robb at Wild Manzanita Grocery and Cafe May 19 “One of the finest acoustic guitarists on the international scene.” – Living Blues Some musicians win awards. Then there are the very few who have awards named after them. Terry Robb – hailed as a blues guitar virtuoso and one of the finest acoustic guitarists on the international scene – is one of those musicians. The Vancouver-born, Portland-based bluesman took home the Muddy Award for Best Acoustic Guitar so many times that the Cascade Blues Association finally broke down and attached his name to the trophy permanently. Recognition for his artistry doesn’t stop there. The Oregon Music Hall of Famer has been praised by Rolling Stone, Acoustic Guitar, Down Beat, Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, Living Blues and Oprah’s O Magazine, extolling his talents as a finger-picker, singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. He’s toured the country with Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, Robin Trower, and John Fahey, appeared on Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, dazzled the crowd at Portland Trail Blazers games, and collaborated with the Oregon Symphony. During his multi-decade run in the spotlight – one in which he’s released fifteen acclaimed albums – he’s shown himself to be a master of nearly every blues style and technique imaginable. And there’s no better representation of his mastery than Confessin’ My Dues. The 13-track collection of Robb’s original tunes draws on influences as varied as country blues to Coltrane, ragtime to Hendrix, and Americana to American Primitivism. Released in 2019 to worldwide acclaim, the album soared to the Billboard Blues Album Chart, Living Blues Radio Report, Roots Music Report Blues Album Chart and the UK’s International Blues Broadcasters Album Chart, earning him another Muddy Award for Northwest Recording of the Year and a Blues Music Award nomination from The Blues Foundation. ABOUT TERRY ROBB Terry Robb is an acclaimed
fingerstyle guitarist, singer, composer, arranger and record producer. His work is featured in Hollywood films, documentaries and biographies, such as Game of Thrones, The Horse Whisperer, and Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey, American Guitarist. He is associated with the American Primitive Guitar genre through his collaborations with Fahey, and is regarded as a virtuoso of acoustic blues guitar. In his multi-decade career, Robb has released 15 acclaimed albums as a solo artist, and performed at festivals and concert halls across the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information, visit www.terryrobb. com.. The Local Show Terry Robb Solo Live at Wild Grocery and Cafe 298 Laneda Ave. Manzanita Ore 97130 May 19th, 7:00 PM Tickets re $20 Tickets: wildmanzanita@ yahoo.com 503-368-5316 Or wildmanzanita.com
What is the Warning System for a Nehalem Bay Region Tsunami? Marcia Silver
Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay
The eruption in mid-January of an underwater volcano near the Pacific nation of Tonga triggered tsunami advisories for the U.S. West Coast. Siren alarms in a nearby coastal community sent people scrambling into cars in an effort to reach safety. Was there a danger that warranted this fear and confusion? In Nehalem Bay communities there were questions: Why weren’t we alerted to the danger? Why didn’t we hear sirens? Tillamook County disconnected its siren system ten years ago, though a few towns have opted to keep sirens in place. The decision to discontinue the use of sirens as tsunami warnings was
based on several factors. According to Manzanita Emergency Manager, Dan Weitzel, “outdated technology, aging equipment, lack of replacement parts all led to unreliability. In addition, the sirens also sounded for fire and to mark the noon hour.” Thirty-one sirens in Tillamook County were decommissioned at the end of 2012. What warning system is now in place for tsunamis? The size and destructive energy of the waves that reach us depends on the severity of the disturbance and where that disruption occurs. The Tonga event, 5,500 miles from our coast, is an example of a “distant” event. The warning to get off the beach comes by radio, television, phone, and county alert systems. We have hours to clear the beach.
A closer disturbance in the ocean floor, primarily in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of Oregon, means a “local” tsunami is on the way and will arrive on the North Coast in as little as 15 minutes with significant destructive force. When the ground shakes for 30 seconds or more that’s the warning to move to higher ground. Tillamook County alerts residents via emergency notifications—whether it be text, email or voice message. Go to www.evcnb.org home page for links to Nixle alerts and for alerts from Tillamook Reverse 911. You will also find evacuation route maps published by DOGAMI. Remember… shaking ground will be hard to miss and remains the best warning for a potentially destructive tsunami!
Opinion / Letters
I’m supporting the Library Levy
I write asking my neighbors in Tillamook County to vote YES on Measure ict 29-164, the Library Levy Renewal in May 2022. In inflationary times, this 5-year levy is an amazing bargain. The cost if renewed is 65¢ per $1000 assessed value of a home, the same as it’s been since 2017! Our wide-ranging Library system costs only $110 per year for homes assessed at $170,000, which is $9.25 a month—less than most of us spend on beer and wine in a weekend. Personally, I rely on the North Tillamook Library in Manzanita for email and internet. All branches of the Tillamook County Library beam a wifi signal into their parking lots so anyone can connect day or night, for free. When I moved here, a friend told me about this,
so I drove with a laptop to the Library one rainy night. I had to laugh—there we all were in our pickup trucks and SUVs, blue light shining on our faces as we sat behind the wheel accessing the wider world. I have no internet at home, so I need Library computers for weather and news, ordering online, filling out forms. I also get DVDs and audio books from the Library. I have recommended movies and TV shows to friends who can’t find them on Netflix or Hulu. Then they use a Library card—it’s free! Working at Library computers, I run into friends and overhear local news. Librarians help enthusiastic kids and sophisticated adults. When Manzanita lost its “business center” at Salt and Paper gift shop, we were able to manage because Tillamook County had purchased modern printer-copier-scanners for all branch
libraries. Good value for the money, right? Please vote YES on Measure 29-164! Phyllis Thompson Manzanita
I support Mary Faith Bell
I have only known Mary Faith Bell since 2018, but her high moral character immediately impressed me. She has proven herself to be a person of high integrity and of sound moral judgement, passionate about our community and all her constituents. I became acquainted with her through service projects and I saw someone who is clearly guided by her heart and a true desire to help others. She radiates kindness and love towards all she encounters. In times like these, post
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Letters and Columns n Letters Continued from Page 3 pandemic and volatile divisiveness, when emotions run high and incendiary language is heard out of community leaders, Mary Faith has focused on what matters: our community. She has demonstrated clarity on the issues facing our community (supporting businesses, nonprofits and institutions such as the Tillamook County Fair in their financial recovery, working on getting broadband to every home, making sure the County receives all its federal funding to improve infrastructure, strengthening emergency preparedness
efforts in the coastal communities, dredging beneath the Memaloose boat launch to provide for safe launching in salmon season, celebrating the completion of the new Cape Meares Loop Road),and respect for all our community members. She has maintained balanced and focused when others have not. Her principled leadership gained my support early on, and she hasn’t disappointed me throughout her first tenure. I firmly believe she is the right person for a second term as Tillamook County Commissioner Position #3. Isa de Quesada Netarts Bay
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Citizen North Coast
Serving North Tillamook County since 1996 Publisher Joe Warren Reporter Hilary Dorsey, email headlightreporter@countrymedia.net Sales Katherine Mace, email headlightads@countrymedia.net Ad Production Stephania Baumgart PHONE 503-842-7535 • FAX 503-842-8842 EMAIL editor@northcoastcitizen.com WEBSITE northcoastcitizen.com The North Coast Citizen (15503909) is published biweekly by Country Media, Inc. 1906 Second Street, P.O. Box 444, Tillamook, OR 97141
I strongly urge you to support the Tillimook County Library System by voting for Measure 29- 64, the operating levy tax that funds our county library system. If this Measure doesn’t pass in May 2022, we will loose our libraries and all the resources they offer. As it is, Tillamook County can not afford to do this. We are a rural, poor county and this is one our most important resources that is available to all. It doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor, young, old, handicapped, tech savvy or not etc, the library offers free service to all. The mobile book vans reach the entire county, especially helpful for those with out resources to drive and get around. I can’t tell you how many times I have driven by the library when it’s closed, and cars with seniors, families and kids are in the parking lot using the wifi. We don’t have to drive to Portland to get resources not available in our county, the library will get them for us or as in my case help me figure out how to do it myself. Its been great to use the library programs when the grand kids visit what a nice way to get them off their electronic screens and they enjoy it! Please support our county by voting YES for Measure 29-64. Dianne Bloom Nehalem
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Nehalem
the library
Keep our libraries open to keep our communities thriving Here in Tillamook county many businesses and services cater to visitors. While t-shirt and boogie board rentals shops dominate our main streets, locals often must travel great distances to find services to meet their everyday needs. The dominance of tourist economy makes it all the more important that our towns include places for locals to gather, to get information, and to support the day-to-day needs of all. A library fulfills some of this need. It is a cultural hub and trusted resource for those who call a small town, “home.” Our Tillamook County Library system is a vital service to North Coast rural communities. The main and its branch libraries provide books, videos, magazines and other services to all our citizens. Libraries are great equalizers; meeting places for people from every walk of life: • Programs for children, including support for parents home-schooling their children during Pandemic school closures. • Bookmobile service for those unable to get out; isolated seniors especially benefit from the connection a bookmobile can provide to the wider world. • Book kits for book clubs
provide a no-cost way for friends to discover and discuss new authors and ideas. • Those without internet access can access library Wifi and use branch computers to do essential on-line tasks, such as job applications. • Many towns lack businesses that provide copy services; libraries provide copy machines for public use. Our libraries are central to community life. Please vote in support of Measure 29-164 to keep our library system operating for all of us. Mary Ruhl Manzanita
Let’s continue to support the library “All politics is local.” I am reminded of that phrase, spoken by Tip O’Neill, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, whenever we have an opportunity to vote on issues that have the greatest impact on our daily lives. We will have that chance on May 17th this year. We will be asked to continue, the operating levy which has funded the Tillamook County library system since 1983. Most of us have grown up with the expectation that library services are always available, as much as the daily mail or public schools. We do not pay much attention unless such amenities are threatened or removed. On May 17, we can keep our expectations safe by keeping the funding secure. When we vote for ballot measure 29-164, we will recognize the many valuable services the Tillamook library system provides. In Manzanita we admire the beautiful building and grounds maintained by North Tillamook Library Friends. The Tillamook Library system partners with NTLF to provide the books and services funded by the tax levy. Funds for book clubs, bookmobile, preschool and summer reading programs, and more. The list goes on, beyond books to the modern age, with technology to meet current needs. As a college freshman, I interned at the Boston Public Library. The most challenging task was learning the Dewey Decimal system. I have watched in admiration as libraries have grown with the times and have gone from Dewy to Digital, providing new services and education to meet peoples’ needs. This growth deserves our support. We can do it by voting YES to the levy. The county library will need a new director to replace Geri Godber, who has served our library well. Let us be sure that the new director has the necessary tools for continued good work by voting “yes” for the ballot measure.
support TBCC to get conditional funding Please vote yes on Measure 29-165 to build a stateof-the-art healthcare education facility at Tillamook Bay Community College. A yes vote will take advantage of $8 million dollars in conditional funding from the state for this project. The new facility will provide TBCC with the capacity to create a nursing program, expand other healthcare occupations programs, and better meet our county’s growing workforce training needs. This new facility will increase job opportunities for residents of Tillamook County – highly skilled and well paid jobs. It will better prepare and equip our local healthcare workforce to meet our primary, urgent, and long-term health care needs. Like in rural counties elsewhere around the country, our local healthcare delivery system faces many challenges, none greater than the recruitment and retention of quality care providers. Our county’s population is older and less affluent than the state’s population. We need to invest now in good paying local jobs and improved local healthcare. Vote yes on 29-165. Thank you. Jerry Spegman President, Board of Directors Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy
Yes for Tillamook Bay Community College! The healthcare staffing crisis is explained in my industry as a supply issue: In other words, there are simply not enough qualified staff available for all of the hospitals and clinics that need them. As everyone knows, finding qualified employees in Tillamook County is a big problem and Adventist Health Tillamook is no exception. Tillamook Bay Community College is the single largest resource for highly trained workers, including Registered Nurses, EMTs, Phlebotomists and Medical Assistants. These important and sought-after roles are ideal for people who want to serve their family and friends in the area they grew up in and love. Supporting this bond measure is critical to have high quality care in our community. Our local healthcare providers including Adventist Health but also Tillamook County Community Health Centers, The Rinehart Clinic, local fire departments and fire districts all need highly trained staffing. The Oregon Legislature has allocated 8 million dollars to TBCC with a requirement that TBCC matches these funds. If that happens, TBCC will build a health care education building on land they already own, creating a facility that will provide students with the best education
opportunities that will supply local healthcare with staffing to provide the best care to our coworkers, neighbors, family and friends. A Yes for TBCC vote is a vote for the future of healthcare in our community. Personally, I am not a fan of big government or unreasonable government spending. I have found TBCC to be an excellent steward of funds. Their leadership has made excellent decisions over the course of the last two decades to ensure that we have excellent college education opportunities. It is my opinion that our future depends on a strong community college. Please join me in voting Yes for TBCC! Eric Swanson, President Adventist Health Tillamook
Vote Yes for TBCC In a few weeks, we will all have an opportunity to improve the delivery of health care in Tillamook County. The Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC) Board of Education will ask voters to approve a $14.4M bond Measure to provide additional funds for constructing a new building that will be used to expand education for nurses, first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs). There are thousands of students whether past, present, or future who benefit from TBCC. It’s time to take it to the next level with an expanded health education program. Currently, students who graduate with an interest in pursuing a nursing degree are required to commute out of town to complete their education and training. Keeping talent local will provide the needed resources directly to our community partners (Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy, Tillamook County Community Health Centers, and Adventist). The nursing shortage is real and will only intensify as baby boomers continue to retire. It will take time to fill the many upcoming nursing vacancies. Oregon will need over 15,000 additional trained medical professionals in the next few years. Approving the bond measure will help to keep local talent that is so desperately needed when it comes to nurses. Let’s not turn a blind eye or think that the nursing shortage will not affect us! It already has (think about what happened recently to the long-term care facilities). Let’s act now to positively change the course of the future. Let’s support Tillamook County on its journey to become a leader on the east coast in educating nurses. Approving the bond measure means that we have more nurses who will work locally to provide what we need in the future. Vote Yes for TBCC.
Church Services by the Sea Leila Salmon Manzanita
We need to
Gerald Winziger Manzanita
Cannon Beach to Nehalem
Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church 36050 10th Street • PO Box 156 Nehalem 97131-0156
Nehalem Senior Lunches: Noon Tuesday & Thursday Nursery Available ADA Accessible
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Manzanita, Oregon n North Coast Citizen n April 21, 2022 n 5
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