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Champions brings before- and after-school care to Tillamook

Parents of school-aged children in Tillamook have a new option for before- and after-school care through Champions Kinder Education, which opened a program at the Wilson River School campus on December 1. Available daily from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 3:15 to 6:30 p.m., with extended hours starting at 1:15 p.m. on Fridays, the program has 55 spots available and offers a curriculum designed to enhance kids’ learning according to Jeff Klein, area manager for Champions Kinder Education.

“We have an amazing schoolage curriculum that we leverage,” Klein said, “it’s based strongly in social emotional learning, but in recent years we have seen a strong need for support with literacy and reading.”

Champions Kinder Education LLC has a long history of operating child-care operations, with more than 600 active programs across 40 states that serve more than 186,000 kids.

Progress toward opening the program began last summer when Tillamook Superintendent Jennifer Guarcello reached out to her counterpart in Banks to inquire about their program and was put in touch with Klein.

Acquiring the proper permitting and finding staff pushed the opening date past the beginning of the school year, and the program opened on December 1, with just a handful of families taking advantage so far. Champions is open to any students between 60 months and 12 years of age and partners with Tillamook school district to bus students to and from each of the district’s three elementary schools.

Participation in the program is flexible, with families asked to set their schedule the Wednesday before the week they need care, and costs range from $20 for one or two days of before-school care to $80 for three to five days of after-school care, with care for Friday early releases costing $35.

“If you don’t need a full month’s worth of care and only need a couple of days here and there, it’s a great kind of program for you to be able to utilize,” Klein said.

Care is also available during school breaks and in-service days, though not on federal holidays, and registration costs $65 for one child or $100 for two or more. Parents who are interested can visit discoverchampions.com for more information and to apply.

Klein said that he is also working to expand the program to serve pre-k students by next fall.

Santa Land

Commissioners declare flood emergency

With flood waters receding on Wednesday morning, Tillamook County’s board of commissioners designated a state of emergency in response to the storm system that dumped upwards of six inches across the county.

The declaration will allow department heads to issue emergency contracts to respond to issues caused by the storm without going through normal public contracting processes and alerted the state that responding to the storm’s impacts might exceed the capabilities of the county.

Tillamook County Public Works

Director Chris Laity said that his crews had not yet found any major damage to roads, but with waters still high, there could be unseen impacts to roads’ foundations.

The emergency declaration will apply to any damage caused by storms between December 8 and 13, according to Tillamook County

Emergency Management Director Randy Thorpe, who also told commissioners that he had already been in contact with officials at the state’s office of emergency resiliency about the impending declaration. Thorpe said that county workers needed to be thorough in their

documentation of storm damage and that he expected storm response costs to meet thresholds to trigger state funding.

An atmospheric river arrived in the area on Monday, following a prolonged period of moderate rain, and dumped multiple inches across the county over the following 24 hours, with Tillamook receiving around three inches and Pacific City more than six inches by Tuesday morning.

The rainfall caused flooding, primarily in the Wilson River, where the high-water mark rose past 15 feet at the overnight high tide early Tuesday morning. This shut down Highway 101 through north Tillamook, and the Wilson River Loop Road was forced into one lane operations for most of the day Tuesday.

Other roads closed by flooding were Miami Foley Road, Alderbrook Road, Highway 6, Resort Drive, Moss Creek Road, North

At a busy meeting on December 10, Tillamook County commissioners approved a letter of intent with EF Johnson Technologies to construct a new emergency radio system for the county and gave the go-ahead to add a new library branch in Beaver.

John Hartsock of J. N. Hartsock Project Management, who is managing the radio project for the county, discussed the letter of intent for construction of the project that is being supported by a $24 million bond approved by voters last November.

Hartsock said that after the county issued the bond early in the year, they published a request for proposals in May, with four firms initially expressing interest.

Hartsock said that the request solicited a turnkey proposal from contractors, with system design, permitting, construction, testing and training all included, and that the county asked for two potential solutions, one using 150 megahertz, very-high frequency radios and one using 700-800 megahertz radios.

In early December, EF Johnson and Motorola each submitted proposals. Motorola proposing an 18-site system for the 150-megahertz solution, a 23-site system for the 700–800-megahertz system, or a 14-site hybrid system. EF Johnson proposed 17 sites, regardless the radio frequency used.

A steering committee made up of representatives from local emergency response agencies and several county staff reviewed the two proposals and recommended commissioners’ move ahead with the EF Johnson submission.

Hartsock explained that the proposal did not include a price because of uncertainty about the costs associated with siting the equipment. Hartsock said that EF Johnson’s proposal included both existing radio tower sites and new sites that the committee needs to confirm can be leased.

That confirmation process is expected to take around 70 days, per Hartsock, who said that the data would then be given to EF Johnson to update the cost of the project, allowing final negotiations for the contract to occur in March and April of next year. Hartsock said that design and permitting would take place through the summer and fall of 2026, with construction slated to begin in spring 2027 and conclude by the end of the year, allowing training to occur in early 2028 before the system goes live by that May.

Hartsock said that the team was aiming for the new system to cover 95% of the county and that a citizen advisory committee will be established to ensure accountability in the construction process.

The new library branch in Beaver is envisioned as part of a mixeduse development being developed by Schoolyard LLC, owned by

Photo by Joe Warren
Skye, 2, Sarah Clements, Jackson, 7, and Josh Clements sit with Santa during Tillamook Revitalization Association Santa Land celebration. See more Santa Land photos on page B2.
Photo by Will Chappell
Highway 101 remained closed in north Tillamook throughout Tuesday after the Wilson River flooded.
Photo by Will Chappell
Miami Foley Road was closed at milepost one on Tuesday.
Green light given for Beaver library

It was an honor to host a retirement luncheon to celebrate his diligent support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Judy Gollon, Marie Mills Foundation Board Chairperson, thanked Ron on behalf of everyone for his contributions to our programs with a fine, glass-etched plaque. She also thanked Ron’s wife, Marianne, for her commitment to him as he spent endless hours of his time with us over the years.

Tillamook Chamber Of Commerce

Downtown Tillamook was buzzing on Black Friday, and again on November 29, as small businesses welcomed a steady stream of shoppers for the Tillamook Chamber’s annual Small Business Saturday event. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the chamber hosted a hot cocoa bar and raffles for participants who shopped downtown. For the past several years, shoppers have enjoyed an ornament hunt at participating businesses, receiving an ornament with each purchase, and this year, 15 locations joined in. Here is what some of our participants had to say: At the Tillamook Coliseum Theatre, Sayde said they sold “enough gift cards for 117 movies,” a boost the owner described as especially meaningful during the final weeks of the year. “The cash-flow boost is helpful at the end of the year,” she said, noting that the event has remained “one of my favorite days of the year since I worked at the Chamber.” Madeline’s also saw ornaments fly off the counter almost immediately. With demand so high, staff quickly pivoted, offering a gift-withpurchase for the rest of their shoppers. The team said it was a “successful day with lots of locals that supported the store,” a reminder of the loyalty that keeps Tillamook’s small businesses thriving. Kimmels reported all ornaments were handed out as well, and staff proudly shared that “Packsaddle pellets are in” — another reason

customers had been eager to stop by. The Tillamook Feed Store summed up the sentiment felt by many participating shops: “The ornaments went quickly, and it was a fun day.” We would like to thank everyone who participated in the ornament hunt, including Country Squire, Janes Fabric, Jeannie’s Salon, Kit and Caboodle, Lucky Bear, Nappa, ReCurrent, Sugar + Air, Sunflower Flats, Sweet Begonia’s, and West Elliott As noted in a recent Headlight Herald article, downtown events have increasingly become Tillamook’s new “anchor”, drawing people

into the heart of town and strengthening the economic ecosystem around local businesses. This year’s Small Business Saturday proved that point once again, demonstrating how communitycentered gatherings create both meaningful experiences and real economic impact for the businesses that define Tillamook’s character. If you missed out this year, you can continue to shop local every day, but be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s Small Business Saturday, November 28th, 2026, for a dedicated day of local shopping.

TBCC recognizes fall term honor students

Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC) would like to proudly recognize the outstanding achievements of the following students during the Fall Term. To qualify for the Honor List at TBCC, a student must achieve a 3.5 GPA, complete 12 credit hours during the active term, and be a degree-seeking student.

Presenting the Tillamook Bay Community College Fall Term Honor List: Julieta Ochoa, Samantha Madrigal, Jamie Wilkinson, Brysen McDonald, Audrey Miller, Joanna Arreola, Hannah Obrist, Kyle Glueckert, Zoe Pigeot, Gabriala Gomez Diaz, Taylor Decker, Donovan Witthoft, Sydnee Abbott, Michael Garcia, Shaun

Parker, Sarah Vieten, Charlee Horton, Karyl Udtohan, James Baldwin, Evelyn Dix, Sam Clark, Tessa Padilla Rojas, Mason Frahm, Steven Sprague, Jessica Logsdon, Hailey Widmer, Courtney Mortenson, Kali May, Ashley Shultz, Dylan Cooper, Shane Derowitsch, Jonlin Shiomi, Kelsey Leonnig, Leslie Camba, Mikah Kooy, Marcella Heath, Emma Farr, Jessica Ferbrache, Anna Longfield, Abbygale Hill, Liz Gomez, Blake Oyala, Tyler Motsinger, Megan Lux, Blake Poblador, Stefany Moreno Gutierrez, Kewi Carver, Nick Sheridan, Makayla Moody, Joshua Baker Freeman, Kimberly Schwartz, Ana Ayala, Jennifer Reicheg, Loreen Gray, Roger Jesinghaus, Andrew Amerson, Holli McKinney,

Arianna Donowho, Daisy Camacho-Gutierrez, Eden Bizeau, MaKenna Mata, Mary May, Sonja KovachMunoz, Evan Prince, Tayvin Sexton, Shalynn Lane, Nicole Johnson, Kaden Wolfe, Kerrin Higdon, Aubree Fagen, Brenton Schiminesky, Dorian Romero Sanchez, and Crystal Peerson. Congratulations to these students for their hard work and determination.

If you want a career change, to skill up for advancement, or to transfer to a four-year university, TBCC has options for you. There are no immigration status or educational requirements to enroll at TBCC—everyone is welcome. Visit tillamookbaycc.edu to apply online and learn more.

Rockaway walking tour under development

Will CHAPPELL

Headlight Editor

A group of full- and parttime residents of Rockaway Beach have been working to bring a walking tour to the city to highlight its colorful history, a project which recently received a $4,700 grant.

That award will finance 12 interpretive signs across the city that will feature historical photos of the city accompanied by stories and serve as the backbone of the walking tour.

The idea for a walking tour arose during a 2023 series of workshops hosted by the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association in Rockaway Beach to gather community input on destination management, according to Annette Dhein, one of those spearheading the walking tour effort. Dhein, whose family has been vacationing in Rockaway Beach for five generations, said that she had only recently become aware of the community’s rich history and that she came into the workshops looking for ways to increase others’ awareness of it. While the workshops ended up focusing on larger projects like renovations to Lake Lytle and the city’s wayside, Dhein said that she met other people who were

also interested in promoting the area’s history. The group learned that neighboring communities had volunteer nonprofit groups that helped to manage cultural attractions like the Garibaldi Coast Guard Boathouse and historic Wheeler Hotel and decided to pursue that model for Rockaway Beach. The group found a home

with the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce, which has a nonprofit arm under which they formed a committee to work on projects, with a goal of honoring the city’s heritage. Dhein said that the group has been leveraging the chamber’s membership in the Oregon Main Street Alliance to help identify available grants and

optimize their communications.

In late November, grant writing efforts paid off when the Roundhouse Foundation awarded the group $4,700 to help fund interpretive signs that will serve as the basis for the planned walking tour.

Dhein said that numerous residents and visitors have already contributed photographs of the city throughout the years, memorabilia from past restaurants and businesses and stories, and that the committee has been working to decide the best way to organize and present them.

“It’s been really just like a big puzzle and each piece that somebody contributes adds to understanding the picture,” Dhein said. “So, my takeaway to date has really been that it’s enriching to share a place in history and it also builds pride in this collective future that we all have here together.”

The grant will fund 12 two-by-three-foot panels like one already at the caboose by the wayside, featuring blackand-white photos and text, and designed to withstand the coastal elements. Dhein said that the signs will mainly focus on Rockaway Beach’s resort heyday, starting with the arrival of train service from the Willamette Valley in 1912 and continuing through the roaring 20s when the

Manzanita’s Classic Street project underway

Will CHAPPELL Headlight Editor

After a complicated request for proposal process, the $3.5-million upgrade of Classic Street in Manzanita and the water infrastructure under it is underway.

Manzanita City Manager Leila Aman said that the project’s infrastructure elements should be completed by the end of the calendar year or soon thereafter, with paving to occur once weather allows.

The project along the course of Classic Street between Laneda Avenue and Necarney City Boulevard is adding a new water line

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Katie and Kevin Shluka who previously developed the Kingfisher Apartments in Pacific City. Planned for the old Beaver Middle School, Kevin

and storm water management for the street and will see the street repaved with a pedestrian pathway added. The new water main line will increase water flow rates in Manzanita Highlands and create a looped system, increasing resiliency by allowing parts of the system to be shut off without disrupting service for all users past them.

Made possible by a $2.7-million grant from the Oregon legislature, which aimed to facilitate the development of the 60-unit Spruce Point apartment complex off Necarney City Boulevard, the remainder of the proj-

ect’s funding is coming from systems development charges assessed by the city. Originally, plans called for a wider pedestrian path and roadway, which would have been made possible by adding a retaining wall on Classic Street’s west side. However, after receiving responses to an initial request for proposals for contractors for the project, Aman said that city staff found the cost of such a structure was higher than estimated by contracted engineers and that there were discrepancies among the documents in the request.

Given those factors, Aman

said that she decided to reissue the request for proposals, with corrected documentation and with an allowance that the retaining wall might need to be removed from the project’s scope. Aman explained that constructing the original wall would have been a complex process because of geotechnical challenges, leading to both higher

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town featured a natatorium, dance pavilions and card rooms. To guide those on the tour, the group is also developing a flyer that will be available at the caboose and online and feature a map of the different panels and additional stories to enhance the experience.

“The walking tour itself really brings this history to life,” Dhein said. “We have firsthand accounts from some of these founding families, band members who played at the dance pavilions and this day in the life of the prohibition style. So, that will be shared in stories that are really compelling and through the people we’ll draw people door to door listening, learning and seeing.

Dhein said that the committee hopes to secure funding for additional panels in the future and that they also hope to secure funding for a cultural center that would offer further opportunities to showcase the city’s history.

Dhein said that the committee is also still looking for more photos or stories from the city’s history from residents or visitors and that the project would be more impactful as more people participated.

“Its success and its joy will come from it being a cooperative and collaborative thing with anybody and everybody that wants to do it,” Dhein said.

been working to prepare for that expansion since.

Given recent savings from switching catalogue systems, Allgeier said that the library could move forward on the project without additional resources, noting that they would hopefully work with the Tillamook County Library Foundation and South County Library Club to purchase furnishings for the new branch. Emergency from

from From Page A1

Fork Road and McDonald

Dike Road. Highway 101 in south county near Cascade Head was closed by a landslide on Tuesday but reopened by midday and

said that the new development would offer around 30 apartments when it came online in a couple years and that he and his wife were in discussions with the Tillamook YMCA about using the school’s gymnasium. Tillamook County Library Director Donald Allgeier said that the library had identified the need for additional resources in south county in a 2022 strategic plan and

Bayocean Road saw three slides overnight on Tuesday, closing briefly before also reopening by midday. On Tuesday night, several more inches of rain fell across the river, with the Trask River most impacted causing a brief closure of Long Prairie Road and Tillamook River Road. In response to the flooding, both the Nestucca and Neah-Kah-Nie School

Districts canceled classes on Tuesday, while the Tillamook School District and county government opened two hours late.

By Friday morning, many of the roads had been reopened, including Highways 101 and 6, Miami Foley Road and McCormick Drive, while others including Resort Drive, Tillamook River Road and Alderbrook Road remained closed.

Remember

Sloughs north of Tillamook flooded adjoining fields on Tuesday.

After nearly two-year lapse, Congress renews Secure Rural Schools funding

After letting funding lapse for nearly two years, Congress voted to renew crucial federal funding that rural counties and schools have counted on for a quarter century.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday evening voted 399-5 to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act through September 2026, and to provide lapsed payments for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. The vote came after a year-long campaign led by bipartisan federal lawmakers from the West.

The U.S. Senate in June unanimously voted to reauthorize the act. It now goes to the president to be signed into law.

“The Secure Rural

Schools program has been a lifeline for rural communities across Oregon since I originally authored the program back in 2000,” Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I’m relieved the House has finally done its job with the longoverdue passage of my bill to return the safety net for critical services to communities that need it the most.”

Wyden co-authored the original law that provided tens of millions each year for rural schools and communities that previously benefited from revenue generated by natural resource industries on public lands. Since then, it has provided $7 billion in payments to more than 700 counties and 4,400 school districts across 40 states and Puerto Rico that have large swaths of federal land within their borders.

for American Progress found.

Twice since December 2024, the Senate has voted to renew the act in an effort led by Wyden and Idaho’s senior U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican.

But each time the Senate approved it, the House failed to take a vote. The bill lapsed in 2023, and counties haven’t gotten payments since early 2024. House Republicans most recently failed to reauthorize the act in the tax and spending cut megalaw they passed in July.

in D.C. have been blissfully ignorant about how disastrous the lapse of SRS has been for timber communities in Southwest Washington and across the West. Schools have closed up, teachers have been laid off, and our kids have been left footing the bill for Congress’s neglect.”

Since the funding lapsed, schools in Skamania County in her district have laid off staff and a middle school was forced to close.

In Alaska, the failure to reauthorize the program caused rural school districts to cut their budgets, particularly in southeast Alaska, home to the vast Tongass National Forest.

Rep. Nick Begich, RAlaska, voted for the bill on Friday, and both of the state’s senators — Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan — supported it as well.

Oregon, where more than half of the state consists of federal land, has experienced the biggest loss of any state since the funding lapsed in 2023: nearly $48.7 million in money for rural roads, public services and schools, according to a September report from the D.C.-based Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy and think tank. Idaho has missed out on $21.3 million, Alaska more than $12.6 million and Washington more than $14.7 million.

Overall, states have lost out on more than $207 million in the two years since the act expired, the Center

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With just weeks before the House is due to wrap its work for the year, Wyden, Crapo and 83 bipartisan lawmakers from the Senate and the House sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, urging them to take a vote on the act before they recessed.

Just 12 hours after receiving the letter, the House announced it would fast-track consideration and a vote on the bill.

Washington’s U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat representing southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, led the passage of the bill in the House.

“The Secure Rural Schools program is absolutely critical, and the passage of this legislation is beyond overdue,” she said in a statement. “Candidly, the only reason it took this long is because way too many folks

Reporter James Brooks of the Alaska Beacon contributed to this report.

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/09/ after-nearly-two-year-lapsecongress-renews-securerural-schools-funding/

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@ oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

allowing

“We

the project at the lowest risk and the lowest cost for the greatest public benefit,” Aman said. “And that was my philosophy from the start, that’s how good projects are built.”

ELLEN STEEN

ellensteen2@gmail.com

What wild weather we had last week. Wind, rain, floods, landslides, power outages…you name it, and Tillamook had it. Here in Cape Meares, part of the village lost power on Monday, December 8th—the first night of the three-day event—but Tillamook PUD had the electricity back on in just a few short hours. Tillamook Road Department was busy clearing three landslides on Bayocean Road, at one point. From Sunday at 9 p.m. to Monday at 9 p.m., the rain gauge at the Steen Weather Station filled with 4” of water. After that, we notched more modest amounts of 1.25” Tuesday evening and .5” Wednesday evening. We, like most of the village, just stayed home as various events/appointments were canceled. A couple of years ago, a woman leaving Cape Meares tried to brave the flooded intersection of Bayocean Road and Cape Meares Loop Road, and her car was swept into Cape Meares Lake. She was able to use her cell phone to call for help and was helped out through the window, but the vehicle was a total loss. A cautionary tale, for sure. The Cape Meares Emergency Volunteer Corps (CMEVC) stood at the ready as events unfolded. The head of CMEVC, Kathy Burke, kept in touch with all eight neighborhood captains. Pam Robenolt, communication central, stayed up pretty much all night during the initial power outage, updating us via the Cape Meares private group on social media site MeWe. Nixle peppered us with emergency texts and emails. The brief power outage knocked out the pump that keeps water flowing to those in the highest reaches of Cape Meares; Oceanside Water District quickly got that reset. Big thanks to all who helped our little village during this extreme weather event. Congratulations to

Robert “Olli” Ollikainen on receiving the Golden Axe award for 20 years of service with the Tillamook Fire District as a volunteer firefighter/emergency medical responder from Cape Meares. The award features an actual axe with a golden head, mounted on a wooden plaque alongside the firefighters’ insignia and a dedication with Olli’s name and thanks for his service. We are certain the Golden Axe will hang in a place of honor in the Ollikainens’ home. All of us here in Cape Meares extend our sincerest thanks to Olli for countless hours spent training, attending Wednesday fire meetings and responding to endless callouts (some in the middle of the night) to help and protect us in all sorts of emergencies, not just fires.

Speaking of volunteer firefighters, two new Cape Meares residents have joined the Tillamook Fire District in this capacity. Guy Kyle and Sean Kohles have stepped up to join our current firefighters/emergency medical responders, Mike Smith and Dave Audet, in rounding out the crew manning the fire district’s Station 73 based here in Cape Meares. Guy and Sean are undergoing training now to be full-fledged responders. Kudos to each of these dedicated volunteers.

Nine Cape Mearesians kicked off (well, maybe lightly floated) a new qigong class at the Barbara Bennett Community Center on December 10. Long-time practitioner and certified instructor Ann Quinn led the group for an hour’s practice, starting at 9 a.m. The class will be regularly held at this time on Wednesdays, skipping only December 24 for the holidays. Many thanks to Ann for sharing her expertise in this restorative form of exercise. A reminder that Doc Twang from Cape Meares will be performing with Blessing Bled Chimanga at the Bay City Arts Center on Sunday, December 21. This is sure to be an exhilarating evening of Afro-jazz Zimbabwean music, featuring traditional Zimbabwean instruments such as the marimba and mbira. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the music will start around 6:30 p.m.; check the events tab at baycityartscenter.com or blessingchimanga.com for more details.

FENCEPOSTS

Last Saturday I went to the Coastal Pantry Project, Swap and Learn Event that was held at the Garibaldi Grade School. It was a “bring what you can and take what you need” event. Advertised as a modern, community focused gathering, welcoming all families, workers, seniors, neighbors and anyone seeking support. And it carried out that mission. There was milk, white and chocolate, bread (loaves and loaves of bread), beans, lentils, butter curds (dehydrated tofu), jams, potatoes, cheese, frozen soup and frozen fish, among other things too numerous to mention. My friend brought jams and canned goods. I had cash. There were bags to use to collect products to take home. It was welcoming. I met the founder of this event, Lauren Mehnert and spent a pleasant half hour or so talking about the benefits of healthy food and how that is the basis of good medicine – both of us seem to lean toward natural remedies and we acknowledged that getting in those fruits and vegetables is essential to a healthy diet.

Lauren provided a learning table which had handouts related to each product that was offered, with information and recipes. I picked up butter curds and a fact

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Frank Perea, Publisher Joe Warren,

lindabade2023@gmail.com

sheet on tofu and how to use both. This will expand my protein options.

Lauren hopes to find a place to regularly hold this swap. She is looking at two other options within the county. It sounded like the Garibaldi Grade School was not an on-going option. If you want to help or add to the food supply, you can contact Lauren directly at 503.688.8138 or by email at yourmumonthecoast@ gmail.com.

Then I spent the rest of the day trying to create four mini-gingerbread houses with two four-year-olds. I found a kit at Fred Meyers that included gingerbread cookies, icing and decorations. They really are mini – about two inches square. But the children had a fun time decorating them; far from perfect, but incredibly fun.

With all this rain, I haven’t been out and about much. There are several things going on in Garib-

aldi that I can remind you of. First there is the great ornament hunt going on at the Port. Kinda hard to think about exploring for an ornament in the rain but remember they are hiding ornaments weekly down there.

The Beach Beagle has its Christmas tree up and there should be tags to pick up if you are interested in providing a toy or two for Garibaldi children for Christmas. This is a Garibaldi Business Association project. I plan to head out to the Beach Beagle this afternoon to pick up a couple of tags and then head for Fred Meyers to pick up gifts. It will give me something to wrap this year. There is something about buying toys that seems to bring out the Christmas spirit. Wrapping gifts, another Christmas event, instead of putting the gift in a bag, will bring another pleasurable moment. Wait, do I have tape? I am sure there is paper, wrapping paper around here. I am a boomer after all.

I had to take a drive around the city on Tuesday. I was amazed at the amount of water we had coming down. My hillside has broken out in a stream of water that has been running for the past three days, but I saw water rushing out of culverts on our city hillsides

that simply astounded me. I knew this city was built “on water” but – goodness. Friend Bud said his rain gauge registered eight inches of rain in one day. I had also heard that there were water and dirt running off lots on Fir that are under construction. However, it appears the city’s Public Works department did install water meters up there and they were working, but I did not see a landslide or mud flowing. There was a lot of bare dirt being rained upon. And siding being installed on that new house. Folks were working in the rain. There will be no Garibaldi Business Association meeting this month due to the holidays. They normally meet on the third Wednesday of the month. They always have news to share. If you have news to share, you can give me a call or drop me a text or email and I will be happy to share through this fencepost; use my cell 503.577.7403 or email lindabade2023@ gmail.com.

Drive safely, stay warm and dry. Enjoy the holiday lights, sights, and smells. Look for ways to bring pleasure into someone else’s life and yours will be all the richer and more wonderful.

CAPE MEARES
LINDA BADE
GARIBALDI

to

I

through flowing

(not just standing water which is scary too); there were eight such waterways to cross between Tillamook City limits and Cloverdale. I did get all my out-of-state holiday gifts wrapped, packaged and mailed. Some décor is up, but I don’t think I’ll get

In last week’s Fencepost, I mentioned one of the items for the December 10 City Council workshop and meeting: Resolution 202553, authorizing City Manager Luke Shepard to execute an option agreement to purchase the lower portion of the Jetty Creek Watershed.

The information packet for the December 10 meeting included a memo to Rockaway Beach City Council from Daniel Wear of Sustainable Northwest. Dated December 3, this memo outlined the option agreement.

A little history: in June 2024, the city signed a letter of intent with Nuveen Natural Capital, owners of 800 acres of forest land comprising the lower portion of the watershed.

One requirement established by the letter of intent was the creation of an option agreement, by December 31, 2025. It was this op-

We have certainly had some rain and wind this past week or so, but let’s hope soon we will have a few drier and less windy days, and flooding issues will subside. Only a week until Christmas Day is here; this seemed like an incredibly short month, but I guess Thanksgiving fell a little later this past November.

This coming Sunday, December 21st will mark the winter solstice, so we will say goodbye to the shortest day of the year,

a light-string hung. Floods in the forecast are distracting, for sure. Food insecurity (related to a federal government shutdown into last month) has resulted in substantial generosity in these parts. South County Food Pantry reports that 4,000 pounds (two tons!) of food were donated by individuals and another 1,000 pounds were donated through a food drive at Oregon Coast Bank. Heartwarming as well, is news from Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell via Facebook that the Rotary Club of Tillamook and Tillamook County Family Y.M.C.A. provided Thanksgiving dinner boxes

MELONIE FERGUSON SOUTHCOUNTY

503-812-4242

mossroses@yahoo.com

for 265 families. This was possible because Tillamook Grocery Outlet supplied everything needed for a traditional turkey dinner to feed six for $48 a box and an army of volunteers swarmed in to get everything loaded up and sent out. Hats off to

everyone involved.

Fencepost readers appreciate Pacific City Library Thrift Shop alerting us that they closed for a winter break after business last weekend. Watch this space to be in-the-know when volunteers announce that the Thrift Store will reopen. This week KCC serves senior lunches at 11:30 on Tuesday (December 16) and Wednesday (December 17) for $3 each. (Others may partake for $6.) Bingo there is paused until 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, January 8. The address is 34600 Cape Kiawanda Drive in Pacific City. For more information call 971-212-7131 or go to

kiwanda.com.

Poets and poetry lovers of all ages are invited to listen to and read a poem at the South Tillamook County Library in Pacific City at 5 p.m. on the Third Tuesday, monthly (Tuesday, December 16). Visit the South Tillamook County Library in Pacific City on Wednesday, December 17th (Third Wednesday, monthly) at 5 p.m. for an hour of coloring time. This program is for adults 19 and older.

Remember that Community Action Resource Enterprise (CARE) will host a drop-in legal clinic from 10 a.m. until noon and from 1-3 p.m. on a Friday, monthly.

For December, the date is this Friday, December 19. Oregon Law Center staff the event. Low-income households can receive advice on civil matters (domestic violence, employee’s rights, public benefits, and tenant’s rights). They don’t assist with criminal matters. CARE’s address is 2310 First Street in Tillamook. Happy birthday this week to-

tion agreement that the City Council discussed and voted on in the December 10 meeting.

Director of Public Works Mary Mertz characterized the option agreement in one simple sentence: “We’re going to buy this land if we want to, but we’re not obligated to.”

In the meeting, Mayor Charles McNeilly reiterated this, noting that the option agreement gives Rockaway Beach “exclusive rights but no obligations.”

and the longer daylight hours will gradually return. It seems that by midJanuary one can notice a difference in the length of daylight; Spring is around the corner. It’s important at this time of year to try and get outside, go for a walk at Kilchis point or the beach and just enjoy the fresh air, we get a bit cooped up at this time of year and nature can refresh our body and soul. This Sunday, to celebrate the solstice, Bay City Arts Center will be

Wear’s memo says: “The current priority for the city is to execute an option agreement before the end of December 2025. This agreement will establish a clear pathway to a property acquisition by December 31, 2026.”

The Option Agreement will “ensure all parties are comfortable proceeding to an acquisition by the December 31, 2026, deadline.”

In the October 9, 2025, trip to the watershed, Kevin Brown of Nuveen Natural Capital said, “Nuveen can make something happen in a day.”

Making this all possible is a $1.25 million grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). Additionally, the city awaits final terms of a Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

During the meeting, Mertz

hosting the fabulous Blessing Bled Chiminga, with the arts center being one of the stops on his gratitude tour. Blessing is a marimba

gave further details on those funds, for which the City has received approval for up to $5 million. Of that, up to $2 million (or 50%, whichever is less) will be forgivable.

Mertz described this as “a huge win for the city for this acquisition project.”

The city has further received $250,000 from the Oregon Health Authority’s Drinking Water Source Protection Program to cover timber valuation, property appraisal, and legal support, along with developing our forest stewardship plan.

Our Forest Stewardship Plan Advisory Committee’s next meeting is at 11 a.m., January 16, 2026, in the upstairs meeting room at the north end of city hall, 276 Highway 101 S.

The option agreement defines terms, timing, and conditions for making the purchase. The city “will have the right (but no obligation)

maestro and will be playing music, along with band members, from his native Zimbabwe. I was lucky enough to be at his previous concert, and it was truly amazing. He gives a massive amount of energy to his performances, and he will have the audience up on their feet, dancing and celebrating with him. Tickets are $20 and doors open at 6, with music starting at 6:30; they are available on the arts center’s web site. Don’t miss this event, it’ll be so much

to purchase the property.”

If the sale is not possible, the city can request a sixmonth extension (at a cost of $5,000).

The city will have sixty days prior to our preferred closing date to confirm an agreed purchase price. If no agreeable price can be reached, “or if the city decides against proceeding with the purchase,” the option agreement expires “with no additional commitment by Nuveen nor the city.” Conditions include due diligence on the part of the city regarding the property’s suitability, including an Environmental Site Assessment, property appraisal, title report, “and all other requirements to ensure the city’s comfort in acquiring the property.” If any of these conditions are not met, “the city can choose not to proceed with the purchase.”

The option agreement

fun. While there, check out all the creative works from our local arts community on display. There’s still to attend the Riverbend Players production of The Holiday Channel Christmas Wonderthon performance. This is a hilarious spoof of the classic holiday TV format (think Hallmark and Lifetime). The play is set in a cozy inn during Christmas and follows six predictable, intertwined love stories. The players comically embrace every cliche,

does not include the final purchase price or any official commitment to acquire the lower 800 acres of Jetty Creek. Note also this explicitly excludes the upper portion owned by Stimson, which will require separate negotiations and funding. City council voted unanimously to approve resolution 2025-53. This authorized Shepard to execute the option agreement for Jetty Creek. In comments after the vote, Councilor Mary McGinniss added, “and it’s an exclusive, meaning that no other people can step in and buy it.” At press time, the option agreement had not yet been posted on the city’s website, https://corb.us. You can follow up by visiting their site and selecting the Jetty Creek Watershed Management and Acquisition Effort link at the bottom of the left-hand column of links.

trope and heartwarming twist, all set in absurd reality. The play continues its run through December 21st with a 2 p.m. matinee. Check out their website for more dates and times. There has been a sign at the center market about joining in with some folks to do Carol singing around town. If you are interested, you can call Guy at 503-277-3286 or Rick at 503-812-7210 and maybe spread some Christmas joy for our neighbors.

County officials initiate investigation into DA’s office

TILLAMOOK COUNTY RELEASE

The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners has received concerns from community members and partner agencies about

services provided by the District Attorney’s Office. In response, the County has convened an independent, external investigation. Based on the investigation’s findings, the County will take appropriate action,

in coordination with the elected District Attorney, to protect victims of crime in Tillamook County. The County is firmly committed to ensuring the protection of crime victims’ rights. For information

regarding crime victims’ rights, please visit: https:// www.doj.state.or.us/crimevictims/victims-rights/ victims-rights-guides/

Library launches Winter Reading Fest for kids and teens

The Tillamook County Library is pleased to offer a new winter reading challenge! Winter Reading Fest 2025, is designed for children and teens ages 18 and under and runs from Monday, December 22nd to Monday, January 5th . This fun, family-friendly program encourages winter break reading while offering goodie bag prizes, activities, and a chance to win one of two (2) grand prizes from the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Participation is simple. Beginning December 22nd, young readers can enroll in the program online or at their local library and pick up a Snowflake Tracker Bookmark at any Tillamook County Library branch. Each day they read for at least 20 minutes (or are read to) they

mark off a snowflake on their bookmark. After marking off all 10 snowflakes, participants can return their completed bookmark to the library by January 6th to receive a Winter Reading Fest goodie bag, while supplies last. Library staff will record their completion in their account, so readers should bring their library card when turning in their bookmark. If a child does not have their own library card it is ok to use a parent or guardian’s, with their permission. For those looking to extend the fun, the library is also offering Extra Credit Challenges on the Tillabook website. Each challenge completed earns one entry into the Grand Prize Drawing, held January 6. This year’s grand

prize features two sets of four (4) day passes to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. “We’re thrilled to offer a winter break program that keeps kids engaged, excited, and reading during the holiday season,” said the Tillamook County Library staff. “Winter Reading Fest is designed to encourage reading and exploring our library catalog.”

Families can find full details, enroll, and explore Extra Credit Challenges at the Winter Reading Fest website: https://catalog. tillabook.org/WinterReadingFest.

For more information, visit the website or contact any Tillamook County Library branch.

Walker Adkins, Kimberly Baumgartner, Sue Baumgartner, Archer Boehler, John Fagan, Ed Flinter, Lucas Jones, Manna King, Donna Lane, Landon Lemmon, Tami Owens, Corrine Paratore, Josh Shiels, Chase Thomas and Emma Wickham.

OBITUARIES/NEWS

Death Notice

Harry Drennen Douglas, Jr. passed away on November 28, 2025, at 3:02 p.m., after an 18-year battle with Myasthenia gravis. He was surrounded by family and friends in Tillamook, Oregon, during his last moments of

life. His last wishes were to be cremated. His ashes will be scattered on Salamander Island in Silverton, Oregon. A formal goodbye will take place in Silverton in the Spring of 2026.

Sammy’s Place progressing with Thompson Springs community

Sammy’s Place continues to make forward progress toward the Thompson Springs affordable, accessible homeownership community.

Sammy’s Place is pleased to share that we have been making steady progress toward breaking ground on the Thompson Springs affordable, accessible homeownership community in Nehalem, OR. Working with our architects at Jones Architecture and our developer, Owen Gabbert, LLC, we have finalized all designs for this community, which will be nestled in a beautiful natural setting. We are also pleased to announce that we will be working with Cove Built of Manzanita, OR, as our general contractor.

Thompson Springs will provide a model for affordable, accessible homeownership in our coastal communities. Using the principles of Universal Design, each unit will be universally accessible and visitable by incorporating design features such as single-story living; barrierfree, no-step entries/exits; and wider doors and corridors for greater maneuverability. Using the principles of permanent affordability, this model includes a Community Land Trust to ensure these units remain affordable in perpetuity. We are grateful to our partners at Proud Ground for being our Community Land Trust partner and for bringing this model of permanent affordability to our community.

Sammy’s Place and the team at Owen Gabbert, LLC have been working diligently to cultivate investment in this community. To date, our funding partners include Oregon Housing and Community Services (through its Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Housing Program), The Collins Foundation, the Kuni Foundation, the Fairview Trust, Tillamook County, Business Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

We are grateful for their

support, and there is still an opportunity for our local community to make an impact. The housing crisis can feel overwhelming, but you can change that! When you give locally, you make an immediate and observable impact in your community. By investing in Thompson Springs, local investors are increasing the affordability of these units for our friends and neighbors in the very communities where they live and work. The investments made in these homes today will remain with the units, ensuring each unit is affordable to future homebuyers upon resale. This local investment has a lasting impact: the dollars invested in Thompson Springs don’t disappear after helping one family. They generate impact for generations of buyers through the mechanism of permanent affordability. This year, as we enter giving season, we encourage you to make an impact, see the change, and give locally. Invest in Sammy’s Place. Sammy’s Place is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization based in Nehalem, OR, serving the residents of Clatsop, Tillamook, and Lincoln Counties. To learn more, visit our website at https://sammysplace.info/our-focus/thompson-springs/

To make a donation, go to https://sammysplace.info/ donate/

Upcoming Activities & Events: Holiday Karaoke Party, Free for community members: December 20, 2025, from 1 PM - 4 PM at the BunkerGrill Restaurant in Idaville (Tillamook): Please RSVP here. Home Readiness Program: Follow our website for homeownership readiness education opportunities. Get ready, now.

William Ralph Fisher

July 23, 1940 - Nov. 28, 2025

William (Bill) Ralph Fisher, 85, of Tillamook, Oregon, passed away peacefully at Legacy-Emmanuel Hospital on November 28, 2025. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, and his presence will be deeply missed. Bill was born in Astoria, Oregon on July 23, 1940, to Ralph and Helen Fisher. He was a lifelong logger in Oregon/Alaska and retired from the Air Force Reserve. He dedicated his life to his family and his passion for

outdoor activities. He hunted in the outdoors up until his final days with his best friend. His infectious stories and comical spirit brightened the lives of all who knew him. Bill is survived by his wife Kathryn of 63 years, uncle Joe Fisher of Seaside, sister Karen Marten of Ilwaco, WA; three sons, Theron of Florida, Timothy of Alaska, and Tracy of Scappoose; his granddaughter Shelbe of Tillamook; grandsons, Shayne of Anchorage and Kade of Scappoose.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at his family church at Tillamook United Methodist Church, 3808 12th Street, Tillamook, Oregon 97141 (Marolf Loop) on Saturday, December 20th, 2025, at 2 p.m. The family invites all who knew him to attend and share their favorite memories.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bill’s memory to the Camp 18 Loggers Memorial Fund PO Box 515 Rockaway Beach, Oregon 97136. Bill was instrumental in organizing the Camp 18 Loggers Memorial and served on the Board of Directors.

Janice

Janice Ruef, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on November 10, 2025, at the age of 80. Born on August 24, 1945, Janice lived a life defined by kindness, quiet strength, and an unwavering devotion to the people she loved.

Janice grew up in Bremerton, Washington, where she met her late husband, Bill. Janice and Bill fell quickly in love, and in the early 70s, adopted two children, Jennifer and Tim. After Bill’s retirement, they moved to the Oregon Coast for a slower life, but life didn’t stay slow for long because after a few

years, they purchased and operated the local liquor store, the then North Coast Novelty. While running a business with her husband, Janice was a deeply involved wife, mother, grandparent, community member, and state infrastructure contributor by way of video poker and scratch-offs.

Janice was a steady presence to those fortunate enough to know her; a source of wisdom, encouragement, and unconditional love. Her legacy lives on not only through her family but also in the many lives she enriched by simply being herself.

Janice is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Ruef, and grandson, Casey Graziano, who will forever hold her memory close in their hearts. She is also survived by her community, whom she loved deeply. Although she is no longer with us, her boisterous personality, resilience, and love will continue to shape the lives she leaves behind.

Any information on a Celebration of Life will be shared at a later date.

Janice will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

SNAP food benefit work rules now apply statewide

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ended Oregon’s SNAP workrule waivers in November 2025. Because of this, Oregon began applying the work rules statewide starting Dec. 1, 2025, expanding from six counties to all counties. This change affects approximately 37,000 people in Oregon today, and the number of people impacted is expected to increase over time.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is here to help, if you have questions about these new work rules or think they may apply to you, contact ODHS right away.

The change is required by a new federal law passed on July 4, 2025, along with new guidance from the USDA. This means that work rules for some adults who get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits are now in effect across Oregon. These rules apply to people who have Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) status. ODHS has notified everyone who is affected by this change.

What changed

Oregon had previously waived ABAWD work requirements in 30 of 36 counties and all Tribal lands because of limited job opportunities. These waivers were scheduled to last until Dec. 31, 2025. USDA ended them earlier.

A recent federal law also changed who must follow ABAWD work rules. These rules now apply to:

• Adults ages 18–64

• Adults who do not have children under age 14 in their SNAP household

This is a change from the previous rules, which applied only to adults up to age 54 and households without children under age 18.

Some groups who were previously exempt now must meet work rules. This includes:

• Veterans

• People who were in foster care

• People experiencing homelessness

New exemption added: People who are enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe, or who have a parent or grandparent who is, are exempt from ABAWD work rules.

People who live on the following waived Tribal Lands are also exempt from

work rules, even if they are not an enrolled tribal member or descendant:

• Burns Paiute Tribe Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land

• Coquille Indian Tribe Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land

• Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Reservation

• Klamath Tribes Reservation

• Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Reservation and off-Reservation Trust Land

A full list of exemptions is on the ODHS SNAP Work Rules website.

What people with ABAWD status must do

People with ABAWD status who do not qualify for an exemption must:

• Work or take part in approved work or training activities for at least 80 hours each month. The work can be paid or unpaid, including trading work for shelter.

If they do not meet the 80-hour requirement:

• They may only get SNAP benefits for three months in a three-year period (36 months).

For example: If someone does not meet SNAP work requirements in January,

February and March, they will lose food benefits beginning in April. In Oregon, the current three-year period ends December 31, 2027. If their situation changes before then, like moving to a waived area or qualifying for an exemption, they may be able to get SNAP again.

What people should do now

People who think they may be affected should contact the ODHS ABAWD Unit as soon as possible:

• Phone: 1-833-947-1694

• Email: SNAP. ABAWDTeam@odhsoha. oregon.gov

The ABAWD unit can help people learn:

• If they qualify for an exemption

• If they are already meeting the work rules

• If they should connect with the Oregon Employment Department (OED) to create a work or training plan to meet the work rules ODHS and OED are working together to help SNAP recipients meet ABAWD work rules through job search, training and education services. A referral from ODHS is required to participate in OED ABAWD services.

Scott Barbur

on the Oregon Coast. A map of volunteerstaffed sites is available online at the official event webpage: https:// oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=thingstodo. dsp_whaleWatching

This is a great time to see one of the world’s longest migrations, as the gray whales are traveling by our coastline,” said Park Ranger Peter McBride. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

announced an end to an Unusual Mortality Event impacting gray whales in 2023 when it looked like the population was rebounding. But since then, the population has declined to its lowest level since the 1970s. NOAA now estimates about 13,000 gray whales along the West Coast.

Winter Whale Watch Week provides an opportunity to see not only the gray whales but other coastal wildlife including birds and other marine mammals with help from trained volunteers and park rangers.

The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 27-31. Visitors to the center can enjoy interactive whale exhibits and take in the panoramic ocean views. Binoculars are provided. Park rangers from Oregon State Parks will also be on hand to answer questions about the whales.

All Whale Watch Week visitors are encouraged to dress for the weather, to bring binoculars and

Mens Golf Club meeting slated

Pirates down Cats in county hoops matchup

Neah-Kah-Nie High School’s boys’ basketball team emerged from a December 10 road matchup with the Nestucca Bobcats with a 66-46 victory.

Dylan Sigman led the Pirates with 20 points and Clayton Dante chipped in 15 as they pulled away with a second quarter run and maintained a doubledigit lead for the rest of the night over the Bobcats, who were led by Vince Lewis with 11.

The game started with both teams struggling from the field but Dante score five straight for the pirates to turn a two-point deficit to a 7-4 lead. That loosened the offense for both teams as Nestucca responded with four straight to retake the lead with four

minutes left in the quarter.

Neah Kah Nie retook the lead moments later as Dante’s strong play continued and Sigman chipped in six points in the waning moments of the quarter to help the Pirates lead 19-15 after one.

Neah Kah Nie kept the pressure up as the second quarter began and reeled off a seven-point run to push the lead to double digits, with Sigman contributing five. As Nestucca struggled with turnovers, the run continued and the lead grew to 33-17 with five minutes left in the half.

The Pirates cooled down for the rest of the half and Nestucca’s offensive woes continued, sending the game to the half with Neah Kah Nie ahead 37-21.

The Pirates scored four

straight to start the second half but both teams remained tepid from the field and the Pirates led 43-25 halfway through the quarter. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter with Neah Kah Nie taking a 50-34 lead into the fourth. The Pirates started the fourth with a 13-2 run en route to a final score of 66-46.

Neah-Kah-Nie improved to 2-2 on the season with the win ahead of a Friday matchup with Oregon Episcopal (result unavailable) while the Bobcats dropped to 1-2 and looked to bounce back against Santiam on Friday (result unavailable).

Nestucca girls score comeback win over Neah-Kah-Nie

Will CHAPPELL

Headlight Editor

Nestucca High School’s girls’ basketball team beat the county rival Neah-KahNie High Pirates 58-54 in a come-from-behind victory at home on December 10.

Neah-Kah-Nie built a double-digit lead in the first half behind strong play from Jasmine Jones, who finished the night with 23 points, before Nestucca came storming back in the fourth quarter led by Taylor Knight, who scored 13 in the second half and 18 on the night, and two timely threes from Autumn Rist.

Neah Kah Nie jumped out to a 6-2 lead with threes from Avery Spellman and Bianca Smith before Autumn Rist responded with a three to stop the run. jones scored four straight for the pirates as their defense continued to stifle the Bobcat attack, putting them ahead 10-5 halfway through the first quarter.

A free throw and field goal from Nestucca trimmed the lead to two before both teams went cold, with no scoring for two minutes of game time. The teams traded baskets in the paint with around a minute left and a three from Carly Wisehart with 20 seconds left gave the Bobcats the 13-12 lead at the end of one.

Jones came out hot for Neah Kah Nie in the second, scoring six straight, but the Bobcats stuck with the Pirates courtesy of a post basket from Piper Armstrong and three from Natalie Blackburn. The Pirates continued their strong offensive play and reeled off

a seven-point run before a Bobcat three cut the lead to 25-21 with four minutes left in the half.

The teams traded baskets through the rest of the half before a Marilyn Dante three with under a minute left pushed the Pirates’ advantage to 33-25 at the break.

Jones scored three straight to push the Pirate lead to double digits shortly into the second and they maintained the advantage as the Bobcats struggled with turnovers. Knight and Blackburn combined for seven straight to trim the lead to 38-32 with four minutes left in the quarter and Knight cut it to five at 42-37 with a minute and a half to go. Dante drained a long two with just under a minute left and the game entered the final quarter with the Pirates ahead 44-37. Both teams were cold to start the fourth and were scoreless until a Knight layup with five and a half to go in the game cut the lead to five. The slow offensive play continued for both teams with an Armstrong lay-in making the score 44-41 with four minutes to go in the game.

Jones finally ended the Pirates drought with a midrange jump shot moments later and the teams scored a flurry of baskets, with a Knight layup cutting the

Bobcats deficit to 50-48 with two minutes left. Jones responded to push the lead back to four before a Rist three cut it to one with a minute and a half to go.

Another three from Rist gave the Bobcats the lead with 45 seconds remaining and Knight sunk a free throw to stretch the advantage to three. Acacia Christiansen responded with a two for the Pirates and Knight again knocked home one of two free throws, giving the Pirates a last chance with 15 seconds remaining, down two, but a double dribble returned the ball to the Bobcats and Carly Wisehart sunk two free throws to seal the 58-54 victory for Nestucca. The Bobcats improved to 3-0 with the victory, heading into home matchups against Santiam and Toledo (results unavailable), while the Pirates dropped to 2-2 and looked to bounce back against Oregon Episcopal on December 12 (results unavailable).

Nestucca girls continue success, off to hot start

The No. 2-ranked Nestucca High Bobcats (3-0) are off to a hot start to girls’ basketball season and look poised to content at the top of the Northwest League again this year.

The Bobcats opened their 24-game 2025-26 schedule December 3 with a 55-24 nonleague road win over the Perrydale High Pirates (1-1). Senior Taylor Knight (2025 NWL First Team Award) led seven Nestucca players who scored with 14 points. Junior Piper Armstrong had 12 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. The freshman duo of Carly Wisehart (10 pts.) and Natalie Blackburn (eight pts.) also helped contribute to Nestucca’s offense, along with Autumn Rist (five pts.) and McKennah McDonald (four pts.).

The Bobcats followed with a 50-27 nonleague victory over the Willamina High Bulldogs (1-2) in their December 8 home opener. Wisehart had a great game with a career-high 19 points and six steals to help lead Nestucca to the victory. Knight had another strong performance too with 11 points, seven steals and seven assists.

The Bobcats, guided by sixth-year Coach Tevin Gianella, extended their win streak to three following a come-from-behind nonleague

home win December 10 over the Neah-Kah-Nie High Pirates (2-2) in a Tillamook County area rivalry game. Knight (18 pts.) led three players in double figures, followed by Wisehart (12 pts.) and Rist (12 pts.). Junior Jasmine Jones led the Pirates in scoring with 21 points. The Bobcats trailed 44-37 after three quarters and then they outscored the Pirates 19-10 in the fourth quarter to the win.

“We’re doing okay, we bring back a lot of players from last year and we only lost three seniors, and we have a couple of good freshmen who will really help us out,” said Gianella. “Our three best players (Knight, Rist, Armstrong) from a year ago are back this after helping us reach the state playoffs last year.”

Rist and Armstrong earned 2025 NWL AllLeague Second Team Awards last season.

With an experienced squad (four seniors), the Bobcats have eight players who returned from a group that reached the state playoffs for a third consecutive season last year. The Bobcats lost a first round road matchup 80-38 to the No. 4-ranked Salem Academy High Crusaders (26-4 last year) on February 28, to conclude the season. The Bobcats are hoping to reach the playoffs

for a fourth straight year and hope to advance to the state tournament quarterfinals in Pendleton in March for the first time since 2024.

“We’re hoping to get back to Pendleton like we did two years ago,” said Gianella. “We’ve done pretty good in the last three years and we’re hoping to make it to state a fourth straight year.”

The Bobcats (10-4 NWL, 16-11 overall) took third place in the eight-team NWL standings last year behind the defending champion Knappa High Loggers (13-1 NWL, 21-8 overall) and the Clatskanie High Tigers (12-2 NWL, 19-7 overall).

The Bobcats will be seeking to extend their win streak in their next nonleague road contest Wednesday at 6 p.m. versus the Waldport High Irish (2-1). That contest marks the first of three games in four days. The Bobcats will compete in the Monroe High Invitational Tournament December 1920. They’ll face the Monroe High Dragons (0-4) Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a 10 a.m. Saturday morning contest versus the Lowell High Devils (0-1).

Nestucca has a two-week Christmas break and will resume the schedule with a January 2 road game versus the St. Paul High Buckaroos (1-2). Nestucca begins its 14-game NWL schedule

January 6 on the road versus Knappa.

Nestucca boys seek first state berth since 1974

It seems like it’s been a lifetime since the last time the Nestucca High Bobcats reached the OSAA state playoffs, and in fact, it has. The last time the Bobcats qualified for the state playoffs was in 1974. The Bobcats are hoping to snap that streak this season and reach the state playoffs for the first time in over 50 years.

The Bobcats (1-2), guided by fourth-year Coach Justin Hartford, got off to a good start in their December 3 nonleague season opener on the road with a 59-23 win over the Class 1A Perrydale High Pirates (0-1). Nestucca lost its December 8 home opener 44-41 to the Willamina High Bulldogs (1-2). The Bobcats trailed 36-26 after three quarters. They rallied and outscored the Bulldogs 15-8 in the fourth, but their comeback effort just fell a little short.

“So far, the season is going pretty good, but we’re just experiencing some growing pains right now,”

said Hartford. “We have a lot of returning players (seven) from last year who will help our team be much improved. We’re really starting to click as a team right now and everyone is healthy.”

The Bobcats faced the Class 3A Neah-Kah-Nie High Pirates (2-2) in a Tillamook County area rivalry home contest December 10 and lost 66-46. An experienced Bobcat squad with six seniors is hoping to turn things around and be a playoff contender this year in the eight-team Northwest League standings. The Bobcats finished in fourth place last year with a 10-4 NWL mark (14-12 overall). They just missed qualifying for the state playoffs following a 53-51 overtime loss to the Faith Bible High Falcons (8-6 NWL, 11-15 overall last year) on February 22, in the NWL district playoffs at Vernonia High School. The Falcons advanced to the state playoffs, while the Bobcats season ended in a heartbreaking defeat.

“Our goal is to make the state playoffs this year, because we just missed it by one game a year ago,” said Hartford. “If we would’ve won the playoff game versus Faith Bible, we would’ve made it to state. The kids are eager to continue improving and they want to go even fur-

ther than we went last year. I believe we have a really good chance of qualifying for state this year. This group of guys plays very well together, they play as a team, and I have a good feeling about this team.”

The quartet of junior guard Mason Vu (2025 NWL All-League Award), senior guard Henry Ozuna (2025 NWL All League Award), junior forward Owen Love and senior forward Vince Lewis will be counted on to help lead the Bobcats offense.

The Bobcats will be looking for a win in their next game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. versus the Waldport High Irish (1-2). That’s the first of three nonleague road games in four days for the Bobcats. They’ll compete in the Monroe High Invitational tournament December 19-20. The Bobcats meet the Monroe High Dragons (2-2) Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. Saturday matchup versus the No. 6-ranked Lowel High Devils (2-0).

Following a two-week Christmas break, the Bobcats resume their schedule with a January 2 Road game versus the Class 1A St. Paul High Buckaroos (0-2). The Bobcats begin their 14-game NWL schedule January 6 on the road versus the Knappa High Loggers (3-1).

Photo by Will Chappell Sigman goes up for a rebound in the first half.
Photo by Will Chappell Knight puts up a long-range shot in the first half against the Pirates.

Cheesemakers start swim season strong

season in Astoria at the Nygaard Invitational. The boys’ team took home the first-place trophy while the girls almost completed the double taking second to Newport by just four (4) points. Tillamook’s boys put up 233 points to Taft’s 216 and Astoria’s 197. The girls team scores saw Newport with 228 to the Cheesemakers 224. I kept looking over to assistant coach, Todd Bush throughout the meet and saying how impressed I was with our swimmers. The performances up and down

the line-up were strong. We have been saying for the last nine months, this was the “most anticipated” swim season of all time and if not all time, certainly in the last 40 years. This team has the potential to be one of the most exciting seasons ever. Period. The last time the boy’s and girl’s teams were both title contenders was 1987. I was 8 years old. Todd was swimming for the 1987 team. He lived that season and speaks fondly of their feats and memories. This season also has the makings of one of the ages. The boys’ and girls’ teams are talented with a strong mix of experience, talent and youth. There is a strong desire to ensure it

lives up to the hype. Leading the way for the boys were Wyatt Swart, Johnny Sappington and Soren Johnson. Swart won the 100 breast with a four-second personal record and placed third in the 100 butterfly in the 9-team invitational. His butterfly relay split was the fastest I had coached over 21 years which is saying something. Sappington swam to a 14-second personal best in his 200 individual medley and had personal best relay splits by wide margins. Johnson, who is also the team captain for the boys this season, put up several of his own personal bests, with new standards in the 200 individual medley,

50 free and relay splits. The trio teamed up with Cyrus Werner in the 400 Free Relay where they put the field away by more than five seconds. We have enough depth this year to be strong in all three relays. Tristan Valencia gives us speed in the medley and 200 relay and Easton Vance is ready to take the reins in the breaststroke leg of the medley relay. He’s a sophomore so we are really strong in that leg for the next three years.

They have a host of help namely with returners Mason Barajas and Weston Wilks as well as newcomers North Mulder, Drew Boomer, Luis Guttierez, Joshua Perez, Emanuelle Fatone, Reed

Santa Land

Ryan, and Daniel HererraPerez. On the girl’s side, the race of the day came from Indi Rhodes. She swam an incredibly gutsy race in the 200 individual medley. Her surge in the last 15 yards of the backstroke to bring her even with a Valley Catholic swimmer and exertion of energy in the breaststroke put her in a commanding position where she hung on down the stretch in the freestyle to pull out the victory by two tenths of a second. Her effort was also an impressive five-second personal best.

Joining her as a key teammate this year is Violette Gomes who has burst onto the high school scene as

a freshman after years of anticipation. She lived up to the hype in meet number one winning the 100 free by almost 3 seconds and placing third with a great time in the 200 free. Add Emmy Mulder to the mix who placed third in the 50 free and was a key leg in two relay wins and there is an incredible one, two, three punch at the top of the lineup. Hanna Amirkhanian, Sandra Hall, Emerie Munly and Abby Blades return this season and are strong contributors to a team ready to win now. There is a host of exciting new faces including Rachel and Lauren Phillips, Sanni Venailanen, Brooklyn Rea, Zoe Barajas and Faith Aufdermauer.

Photos by Joe Warren
Cindy Wilson, nicole Baldwin and Jaylin Krumwiede, Grandmother, mom, daughter and granddaughter built some beautiful wreaths and swags during the Tillamook Revitalization Association Santa Land celebration at the Pacific Restaurant Saturday. The annual event drew a few hundred who did crafts, decorated sugar cookies and of course visited Santa.
Tillamook Revitalization Association board treasurer Rachene Randolph took time out to pose with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Santa Land at the Pacific Restaurant.
Theo Hilby, 4, of Tillamook decorates a sugar cookie in the shape of a snowman during Santa Land.
Tillamook High School Choir entertained the crowd at Santa Land singing several Christmas songs.

‘Record high’ pertussis cases in Oregon

OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Pertussis cases in Oregon have reached an all-time high, prompting state officials to urge people to make sure they and their families are up to date on vaccinations—especially those who are pregnant or spend time with babies—and take steps to reduce spread.

In 2025, as of Dec. 10, Oregon Health Authority has received a record-high 1,475 reported cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, breaking the state’s all-time annual record of 1,420, set in 1950. The current outbreak began in spring 2024, when Oregon recorded 1,252 pertussis cases by year’s end.

Other U.S. states have reported similar caseload spikes.

Pertussis can cause severe disease in people of all ages, but babies are most at risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death from infection. To reduce that risk, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends every pregnant person

receive a single dose of Tdap vaccine during their third trimester (weeks 27-36) to protect their newborn from pertussis. That’s because babies’ immune systems are too week to protect against infection until they get vaccinated at 2 months old.

Spouses, partners, grandparents and any adult routinely in the baby’s life should also consider receiving a Tdap dose at least two weeks before the baby is born.

However, vaccination is important for people of all ages, and it’s the best way to prevent severe disease and hospitalization. In addition to pregnant people, pertussis vaccination is recommended for infants and children starting at 2 months through 4 to 6 years old, adolescents at age 11 or 12, and any adult who has not previously been vaccinated.

“I worry people may not fully appreciate the risk pertussis poses as case counts are rising, especially for babies and older adults,” OHA’s Public Health

Division Medical Director for Communicable Diseases and Immunizations Howard Chiou said. “One of the most important things someone can do to protect their newborn is to get the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a statewide decline in maternal Tdap vaccination rates in Oregon, which is a dangerous trend.”

The numbers In 2025, 87 cases of infant pertussis (children younger than 12 months) --22 of whom were hospitalized—have been reported in Oregon so far. One infant died in Oregon earlier this year. It is the only death from pertussis reported in Oregon during 2025

OHA’s new Pregnancy Immunization Data dashboard shows only 69% of pregnant people received Tdap vaccination in 2024, down from 72% in 2020

Maternal Tdap vaccination rates also vary widely from county to county, with rates as

low as 17% and as high as 82%.

The lowest rates are largely in rural counties, where it’s often harder to find vaccinations, and where vaccine hesitancy rates are also higher.

Pertussis outbreaks occur regionally about every three to five years and do not necessarily follow seasonal patterns. Because of widespread masking and social distancing during the pandemic, Oregon saw only three reported cases of pertussis in 2021, followed by 17 in 2022 and 40 in 2023. Health officials attribute the skyrocketing cases since then to a return to prepandemic norms that coincides with waning immunity and decreased vaccination rates.

Why the vaccine matters Studies show Tdap vaccination during pregnancy is highly effective in preventing pertussis infection and hospitalization. Long-term protection from the pertussis vaccine wanes over time, however, which can create confusion about the vaccine.

“I hear the confusion in my community about pertussis vaccination,” Benton County Health Officer Carolina Amador said. “When we use the word ‘booster,’ people may think the vaccine isn’t very effective because protection fades, so they may not want to bother. At the same time, we strongly recommend it for certain people, such as children and pregnant people, because in the short term it does a great job protecting the most vulnerable among us.”

The disease

The only way a baby will become infected with pertussis is if they are exposed to someone with pertussis, a bacterial infection that spreads easily through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.

But pertussis often goes undiagnosed. The illness is tricky to diagnose because not everyone with pertussis will have the trademark “whooping” sound when coughing. For some, pertussis can be severe and result in

a trip to the hospital, while others may experience mild symptoms and may not necessarily seek medical care while they still spread disease

Jennifer Gibbons, N.D., is a naturopathic pediatrician in Portland whose practice attracts many parents who are vaccine hesitant.

“When parents of my little patients also happen to be pregnant, they often tell me their own OBGYN has recommended the Tdap vaccine, and they will ask me, ‘But do you think it’s right for me?’ The answer is always yes,” she said.

“I can say, ‘I’ve seen whooping cough, and its truly awful for infants,’” Gibbons added.

“Then I’ll explain how the vaccine merely adds to the suite of protective antibodies that the mother is already providing the baby through the placenta. I’m always exploring ways to change my language with patients to see if I can get them to look at it differently.”

Oregon lawmakers to grapple with economic confusion

In coming weeks, Oregon legislators will begin to consider what adjustments should be made to the state’s two-year budget and revenue picture.

Much of the attention has gone to transportation funding, and the likely ballot issue which may alter it. But the economic and funding issues lurking in the coming year are broader.

Legislators will not find coping with the full range of what comes next an easy task.

The condition of Oregon’s economy right now isn’t easy even to describe, much less predict. Some of the usual sources of information aren’t as reliably available as usual. Much federal economic data was halted earlier this year due to some agency cutbacks and the recent government shutdown. (Some resumptions of data flow are expected soon.)

The Oregon Economic Forecast released Nov. 19 offers a heavily nuanced but partially optimistic take, suggesting the state of the economy isn’t as bad as it might have been.

“Despite a stall in net job creation in the first half of the year, aggregate income generation has proven resilient, which is reflected in both personal and corporate income tax collections,” the report reads. “This is an important real-time signal suggesting the economy is not in recession at present. It is also a reflection of persistent and elevated inflation, which lifts nominal activity and in turn tax revenues.”

The report specifically says that the general fund has registered an increase in projected revenue of $309 5 million, the bulk of which ($266 9 million) is projected to come from corporate income taxes.

Despite that, the report also said, “The projected ending balance as of June 30, 2027 is a negative $63 1 million.” Many areas are stable or “softening,” including the cannabis sales which had expanded rapidly for several years after legalization but more recently has weakened.

That lopsided corporate contribution also means income for almost everyone

else has been stagnant or down.

The most recent unemployment statistics, from August (another example of the data gap at work), put the Oregon jobless rate at 5%, eighth-highest among the states and District of Columbia.

The D.C. jobless rate was the highest in the nation, accounted for in large part by federal government job cuts. In Oregon too, federal job cuts were among the largest areas of job reductions, even while state government job additions roughly offset that.

But the Oregon Employment Department also said that construction and manufacturing saw job losses in the last year even larger than those for the federal government — this at a time of relatively large construction in tech industry and residential projects.

The American economy has been described often this year as split between the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, and businesses servicing it, and everything else. Nearly all of the increase this year in the national stock market, and most of the national economic growth, has resulted from the massive trilliondollar-level investment and spending related to AI. The “magnificent seven” megacorporations — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and

NVIDIA — which account for the bulk of stock market advances are heavily involved in AI.

Oregon, through its strong position in housing the data centers on which AI development relies, logically would be a beneficiary of some of this economic growth. To a limited degree it seems to be.

A data center industry report from May noted that “eastern Oregon has emerged as a strategic haven for hyperscale development. From its abundant green power and favorable climate to political support and low costs, this under-the-radar region is shaping up to be the next great hyperscale frontier.”

But the story is mixed. Massive data center growth in places such as Boardman and Hillsboro so far mainly has resulted in one-andout construction work, with eventual employment likely to be small-scale. (Construction, remember, has been shedding jobs in Oregon despite all the data center construction.) Tax dollars (in line with the new state economics report) are likely to see some gains, but the centers are unlikely to transform local economies. And the data centers also have generated some problems — boosts in electric power costs and water quality issues among them — which have negative economic effects. Some of those negative effects could

create state issues which may lead to calls for state program work and state spending. And, of course, all this doesn’t even factor in the already-hot issue of transportation funding, which seems likely to be upended by a new proposed ballot issue. Unpredictability isn’t something often measured by economists. But economics watcher John Tapogna recently had this to say about the coming environment: “Many of Oregon’s systems—our schools, regulations, land use rules and permitting processes — were built for a different time, to solve yesterday’s problems,” he said. “But the future has never looked less

like the past than it does right now.”

Managing these many new and conflicting economic pieces will represent a huge challenge for the short legislative session upcoming. https://oregoncapitalchronicle. com/2025/12/04/oregonlawmakers-to-grapple-witheconomic-confusion/ Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@ oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

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Furnished

House for Rent, 3 bd, 2 ba. In Rockaway Beach. $2500 per mo + $250 deposit(refundable). 503875-1527.

HH25-522 TS No.

OR07000148-25-1 APN 103952 |

1S0929CA06600 TO No

CTT25036806 TRUSTEE’S NOTICE OF SALE Reference is

made to that certain Trust Deed made by, JOE FINDLEY as Grantor to FIRST AMERICAN TITLE INSURANCE as Trustee, in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. (“MERS”), as designated nominee for AMERICAN ADVISORS GROUP, Beneficiary of the security instrument, its successors and assigns, dated as of April 29, 2022 and recorded on May 18, 2022 as Instrument No. 2022-03255 and the beneficial interest was assigned to FINANCE OF AMERICA REVERSE LLC, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS and recorded May 30, 2025 as Instrument Number 2025-02173 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Tillamook County, Oregon to-wit: APN: 103952 | 1S0929CA06600 LOT 5, BLOCK 2, EASTGATE, IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY, OREGON. Commonly known as: 4005 ELMWOOD STREET, TILLAMOOK, OR 97141 Both the Beneficiary, Finance of America Reverse LLC, and the Trustee, Nathan F. Smith, OSB #120112, have elected to sell the said real property to satisfy the obligations secured by said Trust Deed and notice has been recorded pursuant to Section 86.752(3) of Oregon Revised Statutes. The default for which the foreclosure is made is the Grantor’s failure to pay: Failed to pay the principal balance which became all due and payable based upon the death of all mortgagors, pursuant to paragraph 7 under the Note, and pursuant to paragraph 10 of the Deed of Trust. By this reason of said default the Beneficiary has declared all obligations secured by said Trust Deed immediately due and payable, said sums being the following, to-wit: The sum of $196,840.41 together with interest thereon from February 27, 2025 until paid; and all Trustee’s fees, foreclosure costs and any sums advanced by the Beneficiary pursuant to

Early Deadlines

The Headlight Herald has early advertising deadlines because of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The office will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1

Deadlines for Classifieds, Legals and Display Advertising:

Tuesday, Dec. 23rd at 10 a.m. for Dec. 30th Edition

Tuesday, Dec. 30th at 10 a.m. for Jan. 6th Edition

Trustee will on March 5, 2026 at the hour of 01:00 PM, Standard of Time, as established by Section 187.110, Oregon Revised Statues, at the southern front entrance to the Tillamook County Courthouse, 201 Laurel Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141 County of Tillamook, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash the interest in the said described real property which the Grantor had or had power to convey at the time of the execution by him of the said Trust Deed, together with any interest which the Grantor or his successors in interest acquired after the execution of said Trust Deed, to satisfy the foregoing obligations thereby secured and the costs and expenses of sale,

given that any person named in Section 86.778 of Oregon Revised Statutes has the right to have the foreclosure proceeding dismissed and the Trust Deed reinstated by payment to the Beneficiary of the entire amount then due (other than such portion of said principal as would not then be due had no default occurred), together with the costs, Trustee’s or attorney’s fees and curing any other default complained of in the Notice of Default by tendering the performance required under the obligation or Trust Deed, at any time prior to five days before the date last set for sale. Without limiting the Trustee’s disclaimer of representations or warranties, Oregon law requires the Trustee to state in this notice that some residential property sold at a

Trustee’s sale may have been used in manufacturing methamphetamines, the chemical components of which are known to be toxic. Prospective purchasers of residential property should be aware of this potential danger before deciding to place a bid for this property at the Trustee’s sale. In construing this notice, the masculine gender includes the feminine and the neuter, the singular includes plural, the word “Grantor” includes any successor in interest to the Grantor as well as any other persons owing an obligation, the performance of which is secured by said Trust Deed, the words “Trustee” and “Beneficiary” includes their respective successors in interest, if any.

Cisneros, A Law Corporation

Attention: Nathan F. Smith, OSB

#120112 c/o TRUSTEE CORPS

17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA

92614 949-252-8300

NPP0480484 To: HEADLIGHT HERALD

11/25/2025, 12/02/2025, 12/09/2025, 12/16/2025

HH25-537 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR TILLAMOOK COUNTY Juvenile Department. In the Matter of ZEPPELIN CELSO PADILLA, A Child. Case No.

25JU05160 PUBLISHED SUM-

MONS. TO: Leroy Richard Padilla II. IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF OREGON: A petition has been filed asking the court terminate your parental rights to the above-named child under ORS 419B.500, 419B.502, 419B.504, 419B.506 and/or 419B.508 for the purpose of placing the child for adoption. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PERSONALLY APPEAR before the Tillamook County Circuit Court, 201 Laurel Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141, on January 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM for a hearing on the allegations of the petition and to personally appear at any subsequent court-ordered hearing. YOU MUST APPEAR PERSONALLY in the courtroom on the date and at the time listed above. AN ATTORNEY MAY NOT ATTEND THE HEARING IN YOUR PLACE. THEREFORE, YOU MUST APPEAR EVEN IF YOUR ATTORNEY ALSO APPEARS. This summons is published pursuant to the order of the circuit court judge of the aboveentitled court, dated November 24, 2025. The order directs that this summons be published once each week for three consecutive weeks, making three publications in all, in a published newspaper of general circulation in Tillamook County. Date of first publication: December 9, 2025. Date of last publication: December 23, 2025. NOTICE READ THESE PAPERS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT APPEAR PERSONALLY BEFORE THE COURT OR DO NOT APPEAR AT ANY SUBSEQUENT

COURT-ORDERED HEARING, the court may proceed in your absence without further notice and TERMINATE YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS to the above-named child either on the date specified in this summons or on a future date and may make such orders and take such action as authorized by law. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS (1) YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE REPRESENTED BY AN ATTORNEY IN THIS MATTER. If you are currently represented by an attorney, CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIVING THIS NOTICE. Your previous attorney may not be representing you in this matter. IF YOU WISH TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY, please retain one as soon as possible

to represent you in this proceeding. If you need help finding an attorney, you may call the Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (503) 684-3763 or toll free in Oregon at (800) 452-7636. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY and you meet the state’s financial guidelines, you are entitled to have an attorney appointed for you at state expense. TO REQUEST APPOINTMENT OF AN ATTORNEY TO REPRESENT YOU AT STATE EXPENSE, YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY CONTACT the Tillamook County Circuit Court, 201 Laurel Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141 and (503) 842-2596, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM for further information. IF YOU ARE REPRESENTED BY AN ATTORNEY, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH YOUR ATTORNEY AND TO KEEP YOUR ATTORNEY ADVISED OF YOUR WHEREABOUTS. (2) If you contest the petition, the court will schedule a hearing on the allegations of the petition and order you to appear personally and may schedule other hearings related to the petition and order you to appear personally. IF YOU ARE ORDERED TO APPEAR, YOU MUST APPEAR PERSONALLY IN THE COURTROOM, UNLESS THE COURT HAS GRANTED YOU AN EXCEPTION IN ADVANCE under ORS 419B.918 to appear by other means including, but not limited to, telephonic or other electronic means. An attorney may not attend the hearing(s) in your place. PETITIONER’S ATTORNEY, Dana M. Forman, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, 100 SW Market St, Portland, OR 97201, 971673-1880. ISSUED this 25th day of November, 2025. Issued by: Dana M. Forman, OSB# 972622, Assistant Attorney General 12/9/25 12/16/25 12/23/25

Amount due on lien $6282.20. Reputed owner(s) > ROBERT M. III & R. M. JR SULLIVAN FIFTH THIRD BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATI

12/9/25 12/16/25

HH25-543 PURSUANT TO ORS

CHAPTER 819 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 12/26/2025. The sale will be held at 10:00am by

MENEFEE WELDING REPAIR & TOWING 31665 HWY 101

S CLOVERDALE, OR. 2019

SUBA WRX 4D VIN = JFIVA2Y66K9807778 Amount due on lien $9370.24. Reputed owner(s) > YITSAK NATSAL OSTROM OREGON COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

12/9/25 12/16/25

HH25-544 PURSUANT TO ORS

CHAPTER 819 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 12/26/2025. The sale will be held at 10:00am by

MENEFEE WELDING REPAIR & TOWING 31665 HWY 101

S CLOVERDALE, OR. 2024

TOYT TAC PK VIN = 3TYLB5JN9RT022849 Amount due on lien $9150.68. Reputed owner(s)

> DOLLAR RENT A CAR

BANK OF AMERICA

12/9/25 12/16/25

HH25-545 SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case No.: 25CV50028 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF TILLAMOOK

Complaint filed against you in the above entitled cause within thirty (30) days from the date of service of this summons upon you, and in case of your failure to do so, for want thereof, Plaintiff will apply to the court for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: READ THESE PAPERS CAREFULLY! You must “appear” in this case or the other side will win automatically. To “appear” you must file with the court a legal paper called a “motion” or “answer.” The “motion” or “answer” must be given to the court clerk or administrator within 30 days along with the required filing fee. It must be in proper form and have proof of service on the plaintiff’s attorney or, if the plaintiff does not have an attorney, proof of service on the plaintiff. If you have questions, you should see an attorney immediately. If you need help in finding an attorney, you may call the Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (503) 684-3763 or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-7636. If you are a veteran of the armed forces, assistance may be available from a county veterans’ service officer or community action agency. Contact information for a local county veterans’ service officer and community action agency may be obtained by calling the 2-1-1 information service. Additionally, contact information for a service officer appointed under ORS 408.410 for the county in which you live and contact information for a community action agency that serves your area can be found by visiting the fol-

lowing link: https://www.oregon. gov/odva/services/pages/countyservices.aspx and selecting your county. You can also access a list of Veterans Services for all Oregon counties by visiting the following link: https://www.oregon.gov/odva/Services/Pages/ All-Services-Statewide.aspx.

CLASSIFIEDS

DATED 12/09/2025 McCarthy & Holthus, LLP Grace Chu OSB# 220848 920 SW 3rd Ave, 1st Floor Portland, OR 97204 Phone: (971) 201-3200 gchu@mccarthyholthus.com Attorneys for Plaintiff Attorneys for Plaintiff IDSPub #0271800

12/9/2025 12/16/2025 12/23/2025 12/30/2025

HH25-551 PUBLIC NOTICE hereby is given that the extended two-year period for the redemption of real properties included in the 2022 delinquent tax lien foreclosure proceedings instituted by Tillamook County, Oregon, on August 23, 2022, in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Tillamook County, Suit No. 22CV28278, and included in the judgment entered therein on February 10, 2023, with the original expiration date of February 10, 2025. Due to HB 4056, Tyler vs. Hennepin, the redemption period has been extended to December 31, 2025. All properties ordered sold under the judgment, unless redeemed on or before December 31, 2025, will be deeded to Tillamook County, Oregon, immediately upon expiration of the period of redemption, and every

HH25-542 PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 819 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 12/26/2025. The sale will be held at 10:00am by

MENEFEE WELDING REPAIR & TOWING 31665 HWY 101 S CLOVERDALE, OR. 2019 HYUN LL VIN = KM8K6CAA4KU322339

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff, vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF KATHRYN L KROO AKA KATHRYN LOUISE KROO AKA KATHY KROO; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF JOHN THOMAS LLOYD; U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION; BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.; OCCUPANTS OF THE PROPERTY, Defendants . TO:Unknown Heirs and Devisees of John Thomas Lloyd IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF OREGON: You are hereby required to appear and defend the

date of first publication specified herein along with the required filing fee. It must be in proper form and have proof of service on the plaintiff’s attorney or, if the plaintiff does not have an attorney, proof of service on the plaintiff. If you have questions, you should see an attorney immediately. If you need help in finding an attorney, you may call the Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (503) 684-3763 or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-7636. If you are a veteran of the armed forces, assistance may be available from a county veterans’ service officer or community action agency. Contact information for a local county veterans’ service officer and community action agency may be obtained by calling the 2-1-1 information service. Additionally, contact information for a service officer appointed under ORS 408.410 for the county in which you live and contact information for a community action agency that serves your area can be found by visiting the following link: https://www.oregon. gov/odva/services/pages/countyservices.aspx and selecting your county. You can also access a list of Veterans Services for all Oregon counties by visiting the following link: https://www.oregon.gov/odva/Services/Pages/ All-Services-Statewide.aspx. The relief sought in the Complaint is the foreclosure of the property located at 344 Hemlock Rd, Wheeler, OR 97147. Date of First Publication: McCarthy & Holthus, LLP s/Grace Chu Grace Chu OSB No. 220848 920 SW 3rd Ave, 1st Floor Portland, OR 97204 Phone: (971) 201-3200 gchu@mccarthyholthus.com Of Attorneys for Plaintiff IDSPub #0271854

12/9/2025 12/16/2025 12/23/2025

12/30/2025

HH25-554 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF TILLAMOOK PROBATE DEPARTMENT. In the Matter of the Estate of: KATHRYN L. KROO, Deceased. No. 25PB10386. NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the party stated below has been appointed and has qualified as the personal representative of the estate. All persons having claims against the estate are hereby required to present the same, with proper vouchers, within four months after the date of first publication

of this notice, as stated below, to the personal representative at 2308 Third Street, P.O. Box 939, Tillamook, Oregon 97141, or they may be barred. All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings in this estate may obtain additional information from the records of the court, the personal representative or the attorney for the personal representative. Dated and first published: December 16, 2025. Zachary Nicoli, Personal Representative, P.O. Box 939, Tillamook, Oregon 97141. CHRISTOPHER M. KITTELL, ALBRIGHT KITTELL PC, Attorneys at Law, 2308 Third Street, P.O. Box 939, Tillamook, Oregon 97141

12/16/25

HH25-555 The Port of Nehalem Board of Commissioners will hold their regular public meeting on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 6:30pm, NCRD School House Room, 36155 9th St., Nehalem. Agenda is available at https://portofnehalem.gov.

12/16/25

HH25-556 PUBLIC NOTICE: The following listed individuals have left items in storage at Tillamook Mini Storage, 3510 3rd St. Tillamook, OR 97141. 503-8426388. Jessica Johnson # 504, Cassandra Haggard # 192, Erin Cawley #403 and Marcela Vanstone # 226. If any of the above wish to settle their accounts, and

collect their belongings they need to do so by 5:00pm on January 12th 2025. All items which remain after that time will be listed for sale at auction to the highest bidder online at www.storageauctions.com. The auction is to start on December 31st 2025 at 9:00am and end on January 12th 2026 at 5:00pm.

12/16/25 12/23/25

HH25-557 Tillamook People’s Utility District REGULAR MEETING NOTICE December 16, 2025. The meeting will be held at the Carl Rawe Meeting Room at Tillamook PUD, 1115 Pacific Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141. The Tillamook People’s Utility District Board of Directors will conduct the following meetings. 4:00 p.m. - Executive Session will be held according to ORS 192.660 (2) (i) to review and evaluate the employment-related performance of the chief executive officer. 6:00 p.m.Regular Board Meeting. Action items include: Approve 2026 Budget . Approve Policy Bulletin 1-8 Amendment. Approve 2026 Property and Liability Insurance. Approve Resolution No. 25-1202, A Resolution Amending Benefits Policy, Compensation and Salary Program, and Approval of Retention Pay for Full-Time Employees. **Those who require special accommodation should contact the PUD at 800-422-2535 or 503-842-2535.

12/16/25

Tillamook County Church Services

Nehalem

NEHALEM BAY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

36050 10th Street, Nehalem, OR (503) 368-5612

Pastor Celeste Deveney + Sunday service 11 a.m.

Food Pantry

Open Friday, Saturday & Monday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday March - October 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. November - February noon to 4 p.m.

Nehalem Senior Lunches Tuesday & Thursday served at noon email: nbumcnsl2020@gmail.com

Netarts

NETARTS FRIENDS CHURCH

4685 Alder Cove Rd. West, (503) 842-8375

Email: friendschurchnetarts@gmail.com

Website: www.netartsfriends.org

Pastor Aaron Carlson, Adult & Youth

Worship Service: 9:30 a.m.

Children’s Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Nursery available Handicap Accessible Small Groups All are welcome!

Pacific City

NESTUCCA VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

35305 Brooten Road, (503) 965-6229

Rev. Ken Hood

www.nestuccavalleypc.org

Weekly Bible study group Fridays at 10 a.m.

Rockaway Beach

ST. MARY BY THE SEA CATHOLIC CHURCH

275 S. Pacific St. (mailing: P. O. Box 390)

Rockaway, OR 97136 (503-355-2661)

e-mail: stmarys1927@gmail.com

Administrator: Fr. MacDonald Akuti

Mass Schedule: Saturday (5 p.m.)

Sunday (8:30 a.m.) (10:30 a.m.)

Weekdays: Monday (9:30 a.m.)

Wednesday thru Friday (9:30 a.m.)

Confessions: Saturday (4 p.m.)

Tillamook

BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH (CBA)

5640 U.S. 101 South 2 miles south of Tillamook (503) 842-5598

https://bbc-tillamook.faithlifesites.com

9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages

11a.m. Morning Worship

6 p.m. Evening Service Nursery provided for all services Everyone Welcome

TILLAMOOK NAZARENE

2611 3rd, (503) 842-2549

Pastor Josh Myers

Sunday: Growth Groups: 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Tuesdays: Celebrate Recovery 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays: Youth Group 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. A place for the whole family to Connect, Grow and Serve.

REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH (LCMS)

ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) 401 Madrona at 4th Street (503) 842-4753

111 Driftwood Ave, Garibaldi, OR 97118

www.hisgathering.net

Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Open communion the first Sunday of each month Regular services Sunday 10 a.m.

Everyone is welcome

PACIFIC COAST BIBLE CHURCH

35220 Brooten Road

(Adjacent Post Office)

Pastor Dan Mason (503) 926-8234

Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School 11:15 a.m.

Website: pacificcoastbiblechurch.com

All are welcome!

302 Grove Ave. (503) 842-4823 Sunday Services: 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class and Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Divine Worship Where love transforms hearts and lives.

Pastor K.W. Oster

LIFECHANGE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

3500 Alder Lane, Tillamook, OR 97141 (503) 842-9300 www.lifechangefellowship.com Pastor Brad Smith Bible Study 9:30 a.m.

Pastor Mary Peterson 10 a.m. Worship

Every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Holden Evening Service 30 min. Everyone is Welcome

EMMANUEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Sunday: 10 a.m. Sunday School 11 a.m. Church Service Wednesday: 7 p.m. Midweek Service 1906-A 3rd Street, Tillamook, OR 97141

Pastor Sterling Hanakahi (503) 842-7864

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

2203 4th St., (503) 842-6213

Senior Pastor: Dean Crist Sunday Prayer at 8:45 a.m.

Worship Celebration at 9:15 a.m.

Classes for all ages at 11 a.m. Casual attire. Nursery facilities and handicapped accessible. Programs available for youth of all ages. Travelers and newcomers welcome.

OCEAN BREEZE BAPTIST CHURCH

2500 Nielsen Road, (503) 842-1446

Pastor Kevin Birdsong

Sunday School 10 a.m.

Sunday Morning Service 11 a.m.

Sunday Evening Service 6 p.m.

Wednesdays: Prayer Meeting, King’s Kids and Teen Power Hour 6 p.m. “The end of your search for a friendly church.”

www.oceanbreezebaptist.com

ST. ALBAN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Rev Lia Shimada, Priest-in-Charge 2102 6th St, Tillamook, OR 97141 (503) 842-6192

email: stalbanstillamook@gmail.com

Sunday (Eucharist): 10 a.m. Wednesday (Midday Prayer): 12.15 p.m., with coffee available from 11 a.m. All are welcome -- wherever you are on your faith journey. www.stalbanstillamook.org

TILLAMOOK CHRISTIAN CENTER 701 Marolf Loop Rd, Tillamook, OR 97141 (503)

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