Moonlight Madness returns to Tillamook Page A3
Music is ‘live’ at Kittys Food and Spirits Page A2
Headlight Herald
Tuesday, August 13 | Vol. 136, Issue 33
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Nestucca High welcomes new principal WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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WILL CHAPPELL / COUNTRY MEDIA, INC.
Fairgoers queue for and enjoy Tillamook ice cream and peruse the flower display in the fair’s main building on Thursday.
WILL CHAPPELL / COUNTRY MEDIA, INC.
FFA competitors show their turkeys to a judge in a Wednesday competition.
Tillamook County Fair a rousing success STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
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or four days last week, the Tillamook County Fairgrounds became a hive of activity as people from across the county, state and region descended for the Tillamook County Fair. Held from August 7-10, the fair featured longtime traditions like the Pig N’ Ford races and demolition derby as well as ongoing entertainment from carnival rides, vendors and livestock displays.
The fair kicked off on Wednesday morning with an opening ceremony that officially got the activity underway. Much of the action on Wednesday took place in the 4H/ FFA pavilion, as youth showed their animals in preparation for Friday night’s livestock auction. Pari-mutuel horse racing kicked off in the afternoon before the ten, longstanding Pig N’ Ford franchises took to the track in the evening to delight a packed grandstand. Bobby Wassmer and Ben Salo won the night’s races, punching their ticket
in the world championship. On Thursday night, Eagles’ cover band Eagle Eyes finished the evening’s entertainment and on Friday country singer Kameron Marlowe concluded the fair’s concert series. The world championship race for the Pig N’ Fords took place on Saturday night with Dillon Walker emerging victorious and the week ended to the demolition derby’s symphony of crunching metal.
to Saturday night’s world championship before A Boy Named Tom performed to cap the night off. Thursday and Friday saw crowds swell and the carnival featuring rides from Rainier Amusements become increasingly crowded. In Pig N’ Ford races on Thursday, Mckenzi Wassmer won in the first heat after Ethen Haertel was disqualified and Dillon Walker won the second heat. On Friday, Drew Prince and Chris Hurliman prevailed, claiming the last two spots
See page A9 for more photos.
ith a new school year approaching, Emily Chadwick took over the principal position at Nestucca High School earlier this month. Chadwick brings more than 20 years’ experience to the position and said that in her first year she plans to prioritize getting to know the community and establishing relationships. “Really, I’m coming into this position this year looking to listen and learn and lean into the opportunities that are going to allow me to build the relationships that are needed to do the important work of becoming the very best educational community that we can be,” Chadwick said. Born and raised in Oregon, Chadwick graduated from Gresham High School before attending Linfield University for her undergraduate studies. After graduating, Chadwick began teaching high school English, where she became interested in how students learn foundational skills. She decided to enroll at Portland State University, where she earned a master’s degree and elementary certification. From there, Chadwick taught in elementary school before spending time at both the middle and high school levels, applying See NESTUCCA, Page A10
Man pleads no contest in Nehalem homicide WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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n July 10, William Evro Stetzel, 59, of Nehalem entered a no contest plea to one count of manslaughter in the first degree for the July 9, 2022, killing of Richard Ford in Nehalem. For the class A felony, Stetzel was sentenced to 16 years in prison, the first ten of which he will serve with no reduction. He will be eligible for release in April 2037. Events began to unfold on the afternoon of July 8, 2022, when Stetzel and a friend visited Ford’s family cabin in Nehalem to install a new freezer. Stetzel had worked as a handyman for the Ford family for more than two decades, developing a friendship with Richard, so after completing the work, the three shared a beer. At some point in the evening, Stetzel took his friend home before returning with his dog and continuing to drink with Ford. As the drinks flowed, Stetzel’s memory became fuzzy, and he later told investigators that he remembered getting into an argument with Ford but that the next thing he remembered was waking up in his bed covered in blood. Stetzel also had a voicemail from Ford,
William Evro Stetzel
COURTESY PHOTO
received at 1:13 a.m., in which Ford said that Stetzel had hit him in the head before leaving without his dog and asked him to come back to pick up the pet. Upon hearing the voicemail, Stetzel, his son and a friend went to Ford’s cabin, where they found Stetzel’s dog in a breezeway and Ford’s body lying in the house, bludgeoned to death. The trio withdrew to a boat landing down the road, where Stetzel’s son convinced him to
call 911, after which they returned to Stetzel’s house to wait for law enforcement officers. When sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they collected Stetzel’s blood-stained clothing for DNA testing, which revealed the stains to be a mixture of Stetzel and Ford’s blood. Deputies also saw a cut on Stetzel’s hand, scratches on the top of his head and bruising in several areas on his body and arrested him. At Ford’s cabin, the officers found Ford’s body, as well as a fire poker, which they identified as the murder weapon. The fire poker was also covered in a mixture of Ford and Stetzel’s blood. Under initial questioning, Stetzel claimed ignorance regarding the killing and theorized that a third party had come into Ford’s house and attacked the pair, killing Ford. However, as deputies continued to interrogate Stetzel, he admitted that he vaguely recalled that he and Ford had gotten into a fight about “attitude and alcohol,” though he did not elaborate. Stetzel further admitted that in the middle of a physical altercation, the pair had sat down on Ford’s couch to rest, at which point Stetzel
COURTESY PHOTO FROM OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
Nehalem Bay State Park to close for upgrades starting October WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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See STETZEL, Page A9
ore than $11 million in upgrades are scheduled to take place at Nehalem Bay State Park between this October and June of next year, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department officials told Manzanita City Council on August 7. The upgrades will focus on restoring and upgrading existing facilities at the park and will necessitate its closure for the duration of the work. The council also moved forward on selecting the design for a new city logo at the meeting.
Funding for the work at Nehalem Bay State Park is coming from a pot of $50 million in general obligation bonds approved by the Oregon legislature in 2021 to revitalize parks and campgrounds across the state. Work will include upgrading the park’s water main, replacing water and electrical services in the park’s campgrounds, adding a new restroom, renovating nine campsites for improved accessibility, repaving the park’s entry road, connecting a day use restroom to the sewer system and improving equine facilities at the south of the park. See NEHALEM, Page A9
COME DISCOVER THE BEST MAKERS AND ARTISTS IN THE PNW AT COASTAL CRAFT UPRISING! The Coastal Craft Uprising will be free to attend, and a great way to support small businesses while finding unique gifts for wedding presents, housewarming gifts, birthdays, decor for your home, treats for others, and fun goodies for yourself!
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IN THIS ISSUE News Opinion Obituaries Classifieds
A2-4 A5-6 A7 A11-16
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