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Inside • Keeping Kids Safe and Healthy, A Shared Responsibility by Police Chief Troxel, pg 2 • Truth about Vaping, pg 2, 5 • Supporting Youth and Bridging Gaps to Connection by Sarah Ermer, Tillamook Family Counseling Center, pg 4 • Family Friendly Food Practices, pg 5 • Getting Kids back into Free Play, pg 5 • The Danger at Home, pg 6 • Keeping Kids Healthy and Safe in a Changing World, by Adventist Health, pg 7
Nestucca wrestlers take 4th at Duals
Keeping Kids Healthy and Safe Special Section Inside
Port board requests vacation of Hangar B Page A3
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Headlight Herald
Headlight Herald
Citizen North Coast
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | Vol. 138, Issue 4
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Final touches being put on TBCC Administration and Health Sciences Building WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
W
ith a temporary permit of occupancy issued, workers were busy at work installing furnishings and finishing the installation of information technology equipment at Tillamook Bay Community College’s new Administration and Health Sciences Building in mid-January. That put the 28,400-square-foot, $14.4-million facility on track to begin welcoming staff in early February, ahead of a grand opening ceremony and the commencement of normal operations in April. Tillamook Bay Community College (TBCC) Director of Facilities and Safety Jason Lawrence recently led a tour for the Headlight Herald, along with TBCC President Paul Jarrell and TBCC Foundation Executive Director Britta Lawrence. Jason said that in addition to the IT systems, See TBCC, Page A4
(Photo courtesy of Gov. Tina Kotek’s Office)
Kacey KC.
Gov. Tina Kotek picks Nevada state forester as first woman to lead Oregon Forestry Department Kacey KC would be the first permanent, female leader of the Oregon Department of Forestry in its 115-year history
The building’s exterior is finished, and landscaping will be completed in the new courtyard in the spring.
ALEX BAUMHARDT
Oregon Capital Chronicle
Tillamook receives $4 million for water main project, council approves $12.7-million contract
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WILL CHAPPELL
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Headlight Editor
long-awaited project to replace the city of Tillamook’s main water transmission line received a major boost with a $4 million federal award in a funding bill signed by President Donald Trump on January 16. That paved the way for Tillamook’s city council to give City Manager Sean Lewis authorization to execute a $12.7-million contract with Tapani Inc. to complete the first phase of the project at their meeting on January 20. Prior to that meeting, the city hosted a workshop for concerned citizens and business owners to discuss a proposed ordinance regulating camping in the city, which will come before council soon. Tillamook’s water main line was See WATER PROJECT, Page A8
Senator Ron Wyden at the January 22 Tillamook town hall.
Wyden focuses on Trump in Tillamook town hall WILL CHAPPELL
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Headlight Editor
n his 1,144th town hall at the Port of Tillamook Bay’s officer’s mess hall on January 22, Senator Ron Wyden focused on his opposition to the policies and actions of the administration of President Donald Trump in response to concerned constituents. Wyden touted a recent suc-
Headlight Herald
cess in securing mental healthcare funding against proposed cuts the week before the meeting and argued that by forcefully pushing back, he and other Democrats could make a difference. “I know that a lot of people are furious about what’s going on in Washington D.C.,” Wyden said. “At the same time, I want people to know that when we do fight, when we do push back, we’re able
to get things done.” After being introduced by State Representative Cyrus Javadi, Wyden started the town hall by discussing a fight the previous week over $2 billion in funding for mental health care, which Republicans were trying to rescind. Wyden said that he had made a See WYDEN, Page A6
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Sat. & Sun. April 25-26,C2026 itizen
fter a year-long search, Gov. Tina Kotek has chosen Nevada’s state forester to take the helm of the Oregon Department of Forestry. Kacey KC would be the first woman to permanently hold the director’s position in the 115-year-old agency’s history. The Oregon State Senate would need to confirm her appointment during the upcoming legislative session before she could take office on March 1. KC, from Nevada, most recently spent eight years as Nevada’s State Forester Firewarden and three years as president of the National Association of State Foresters. “Kacey KC brings tenacity and a get-it-done style to her management approach and knows how to build strong partnerships across all levels of government to tackle complex challenges,” Kotek said in a statement. It’s also the first time Kotek has had the authority to choose the state forester, rather than leaving the decision to the governor-appointed Board of Forestry, following the passage of Senate Bill 1051 during the summer. Leading up to the change in hiring authority in 2025, See FORESTER, Page A3
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Saturday 11 amBeekeepers to 4 pmis Presenting Saturday, April930am to 4 • Sunday Tillamook Association FREEpm ADMISSION 9 am to 4 pm at Tillamook County Sunday, May 1 TillamookFairgrounds at the County Fairgrounds Bee Day 2022 11 am to 4 pm •
IN THIS ISSUE Send us a news tip at tillamookheadlightherald.com | Your message could be the first thing our readers see! News A2-4, 8, B1-3 Opinion A5-6 Obituaries A7 Sports B1 Classifieds B4-8
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