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Neah-kah-nie wrestling update
Wheeler mayor wins cooking competition
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Pirates headed to state Page B1
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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | Vol. 138, Issue 7
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
73rd Charity Drive a rousing success WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
T
illamook High School students were busy raising funds across the community in the ten days that ended on President’s Day, as part of the 73rd annual Charity Drive. Events ranged from daddydaughter dance and restaurant takeovers to donkey basketball and scrap metal collections, all in support of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, local charities and scholarships for graduates. The senior class was looking for its fourth straight win in the friendly competition to raise the most funds, and the result of that competition along with the fundraising total will be announced at the annual alumni basketball game this Wednesday.
Charity Drive kicked off on February 6, and the first weekend saw events such as a skate party at the fairgrounds hosted by the freshmen and a cookie decorating class at the high school hosted by sophomores, as well as numerous restaurant takeovers and car washes, despite wet weather. On February 9, Donkey Basketball took over the Tillamook High School gymnasium as all four grades faced off in a tournament, while other students sold concessions in the concourse. The freshman class beat the sophomores in the first matchup and faced the juniors, who downed the senior class, in the finals. In that game, neither team See CHARITY, Page A3
A senior holds the follow through while watching a close range shot from the back of his donkey.
Boys from all four grades danced to Paparazzi by Lady Gaga at the beginning of Sunday night’s Mr. THS competition.
Members of the freshman class assisted with a game of plant bingo at Pacific Restaurant. Photo by Natalia Santos
Guilty jury verdict set aside WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
A
guilty jury verdict on a charge of interfering with a peace office or parole and probation officer against a local man was set aside on January 29, following the discovery of incorrect language in instructions given to the jury. The conviction had been in relation to a September 13, 2024, incident when Jeffery Lee Hall had a confrontation with a Tillamook Sheriff’s Deputy during an ongoing bank robbery at the Wells Fargo in downtown Tillamook. Hall, who runs a media company called Unsocial Media, said in response to a request for comment that the district attorney’s office had done the right thing, while alluding to potential misconduct among jurors. “What we are working on… jury pools that lie to get on juries…I think that’s the big takeaway from the trial portion,” Hall, who operates on social media under a lewd pseudonym, wrote, before declining to offer further
details to substantiate the allegation. Tillamook County District Attorney Aubrey Olson, meanwhile, said that the decision to request the verdict be set aside had been caused by a paperwork issue after a 2021 change to statute that wasn’t reflected in standard forms her office uses to write jury instructions. Olson said that she believed probable cause existed to prosecute Hall under the current statute, but that with double jeopardy attached, the mistake had left her office no choice but to dismiss the case with prejudice, precluding another prosecution. “At the end of the day, it was a mistake, just human error, if you will, that was completely inadvertent,” Olson said. Charges against Hall stemmed from the September 2024 incident when officers from several law enforcement agencies were responding to an active bank robbery at the Wells Fargo by an unarmed suspect, though officers did not know that the suspect was
Photo credit: Trav Williams, Broken Banjo Photography
Pie Day attendees peruse the pies available for auction before the bidding begins.
Pie Day raises $11,000 for White Clover Grange WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
W
hite Clover Grange celebrated its 16th annual
See VERDICT, Page A4
Headlight Herald
& BEE DAYS 2026 Tillamook Beekeeper Assoc.
Cosponsored by Tillamook County Solid Waste
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itizen Sat. & Sun. April 25-26,C2026 North Coast
Saturday, April 30
Pie Day on February 7, with a theme of Happy 250th Birthday, America, and a 26-pie auction and feast raising around $11,000 to support the grange.
Chip MacGregor auctioned the tasty treats, which were donated by 40 residents and restaurants See PIE, Page A2
Nowng i Book ors! Vend
FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING
FREE ADMISSION 9 am to 4 pm Saturday 9 am to 4 Sunday 11 am to 4 pm atpm Tillamook• County Sunday, May 1 Bee Day 2022 11 am to 4 pm at the TillamookFairgrounds County Fairgrounds Tillamook Beekeepers Association is Presenting
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IN THIS ISSUE Send us a news tip at tillamookheadlightherald.com | Your message could be the first thing our readers see! News A2-4, 8, B2 Opinion A5-6 Obituaries A7 Sports B1 Classifieds B3-7
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