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Emergency assembly point drill held at Tillamook Airport

WILL CHAPPELL

Citizen Editor

O

fficials from Oregon’s Department of Human Services attended a two-day training event with local officials and volunteers at the Port of Tillamook Bay on August 22 and 23, deploying the emergency assembly point that was recently stationed at the port.

Local volunteers showed up in force and helped to assemble the evacuation point in just three hours on Tuesday, and the board of county commissioners held their regular weekly meeting in a tent at the assembly point on Wednesday before breakdown.

“It really shows you what public and private partnerships can do when they put

their mind together,” said Jeff Gilbert, northwest region emergency coordinator for the department’s Office of Resiliency and Emergency Management (OREM).

The evacuation point is the first of its kind in the state and was designed to coordinate medical care and transportation in the aftermath of natural disasters. The assembly point consists of 17 18-by-16-foot tents, capable of housing and supplying 80 survivors and 20 staff members for two weeks. When stored, the assembly point fits into two 20-foot Conex storage containers that sit near the port’s helipad.

When assembled, the facility consists of a command center, mess hall, medical tent, shower and toilet tents, and dormitory tents that can

sleep eight people on foldable cots.

A communications trailer for the assembly point will be stored at the sheriff’s department, which is located on a property near the containers. It is capable of operating using cell towers or satellites for data and creating its own cellular signal. It will allow the assembly point to communicate with state and federal authorities and reconnect survivors with loved ones in the wake of an emergency.

Medical services available at the assembly point will be limited, focusing on triaging patients and arranging transport to medical facilities. Similarly, visitors to the area will be able to arrange evacuation at the assembly point.

In the aftermath of a maximum Cascadia zone

Helping Hands receives grant to continue Tillamook services

WILL CHAPPELL

Citizen Editor

Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers recently received a $500,000 from the Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization that will allow them to continue operating offices in Tillamook and Clatsop Counties.

Now, Helping Hands needs to find further funding, with the group’s founder saying that either the state or county governments need to step up.

“We just realized that we can’t do this by ourselves anymore,” said Alan Evans, Founder and President of Helping Hands.

Helping Hands started in 2002 with an 8-bed shelter in Seaside, opened by Evans

who had previously been homeless for more than two decades. Today, the organization operates 11 shelter facilities across five Oregon counties and will have more than 600 beds available once currently underway renovations are complete.

In Tillamook, Helping Hands has run a low-barrier, long-term shelter at the Naval Command Center at the Port of Tillamook Bay since 2018. It is the only facility of its kind in the county.

However, earlier this year when Helping Hands staff started looking at the economic forecasts for the shelter, they realized there was a looming problem—the finances.

Helping Hands has historically relied on private donations to fund its operations, with 90% of the Tillamook shelter’s cost covered by fundraising. But with a dip in donations that started during the pandemic, Helping Hands realized that they would soon run out of money to continue their operations in Tillamook and Clatsop Counties. “We realized we’re gonna

run out of money faster than we’re ever going to be able to bring it in,” Evans said.

That led to the decision in the middle of August to stop accepting new clients at the Tillamook and Clatsop facilities to allow Helping Hands to continue operations for existing clients for as long as possible.

Shortly after that decision, the Columbia Pacific CCO, which helps coordinate services for those on the Oregon Health Plan in the region, stepped in with the grant to continue services.

The $500,000 grant will be split evenly between Helping Hands’ Tillamook and Clatsop County facilities and will allow the Tillamook shelter to begin accepting new clients again in the first week of September.

Now, the organization’s focus has shifted to identifying long-term funding sources to continue their operations in Tillamook and Clatsop Counties.

Evans said that the private donor model the organization has historically used has

subduction event, communities across Tillamook County will be isolated by damaged bridges and roads. Those in need of medical services or evacuation will be ferried from around Tillamook County to the airport in small helicopters, before larger helicopters transport groups onward to the Willamette Valley.

Tillamook received the first of its kind kit thanks to strong local partnerships that smoothed the process for the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).

Tillamook’s Board of County Commissioners partnered with the Port of Tillamook Bay and Nearspace Corporation, which is headquartered at the port, to bring the containers to the port.

Another important factor

in the decision was that Tillamook’s Airport is expected to be the only airport on the coast to survive a maximum Cascadia subduction zone event. This led to the airport’s designation as the emergency supply distribution point for the coast by the state earlier this year. Nearspace is currently developing drones that will facilitate that distribution.

The assembly drill was carried out to test the capabilities of the assembly point in real world conditions and train local volunteers and officials on how to deploy the kit, which will be their responsibility in emergent situations.

Officials from ODHS arrived on Tuesday for the event labeled Able Readiness 4. They were joined by

a large group of volunteers from emergency preparedness groups and fire departments across the county. With the large turnout, the group was able to put up the assembly point in three hours, less than half the expected time.

The group enjoyed a lunch of meals ready to eat before training exercises in the afternoon. In the evening, Rogue Food unites catered a hot dinner, before 38 people spent the night in the dormitory tents.

On Wednesday morning, the assembly point hosted a board of county commissioners meeting to test the communications capabilities of the facility. The meeting was interrupted several times by

SEE EMERGENCY PAGE A3

Weber and other Republican Senators petition to overturn disqualification under 113

WILL CHAPPELL Citizen Editor

State Senator Suzanne Weber and four of her republican colleagues filed a petition in Oregon’s Court of Appeals on August 25, challenging Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade’s exclusion of their candidacy in their next elections under Measure 113.

Passed by a more than two-thirds majority of Oregon voters last year, Measure 113 sought to disqualify legislators who accrued ten unexcused absences in a session from serving in subsequent terms. Weber, ten other Republican senators and two independents walked out of this year ’s legislative session in May, with Weber missing her tenth meeting on May 18.

“In my conversations with so many constituents during and after session this year, I’ve had numerous people tell me that had they known what Measure 113 really did, they never would have supported

it,” Weber wrote in a statement to the Herald. “The measure was poorly and unclearly written and presented to the public in simplistic and misleading terms. Should the courts find it unconstitutional, which I believe they likely will, Oregonians will be able to have an honest debate over clearly written legislation. I think we owe them at least that.”

Weber was joined in the petition to the court of appeals by four other Republican senators: Minority Leader Tim Knopp of Bend, Daniel Bonham of The Dalles, Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls and Lynn Findley, who represents a district in eastern Oregon.

In the filing, the group challenges their disqualification from running for reelection citing the verbiage of Measure 113 that states that legislators will be disqualified from serving in the “term following the election after the member ’s current term is complete.”

The group contends that the plain language of the law does not exclude them from serving in the next session, as the election for that session will occur before the conclusion of the current session. Weber’s current term does not end until January 15, 2027, while the election for her seat will be held in November 2026.

During the walkout, which was precipitated by concerns over legislation regulating abortion and gender affirming care and concerns over bill summary comprehensibility, Weber said that she was participating out of a sense of conviction despite the risk of future disqualification. “I put a lot of thought into it and I believe that what I’m doing is right, I believe that what I’m doing is constitutional and I guess I laid it all on the line,” Weber mused. The walkout ended on June 15, after Republican senators secured concessions from Democratic colleagues.

Inside the shower tent where survivors will be able to clean up following an emergency.

One of the dormitory tents outfitted with eight cots where volunteers spent the night on August 22.

Overdose awareness event held at Blue Heron

WILL CHAPPELL

Citizen Editor

The Tillamook County Community Health Centers hosted an event at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company on August 31, to recognize international overdose awareness day.

A large crowd of residents showed up despite the rainy conditions for free food and music and to learn about the risk of and ways to respond to drug overdoses.

“I’m excited for the work we’re doing in this community, I’m excited to be

leading the work in Oregon, but there’s still so much to do,” Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar said at the event.

Tillamook County is the first county in Oregon to recognize international awareness day, and the event at the Blue Heron was the second in what the community health centers plan to be an annual tradition.

Tillamook County Community Health Centers’ Harm Reduction and Syringe Service Coordinator Nicole Koljesky organized the event and told the crowd that her

number one priority was cutting down on juvenile overdose deaths. Since 2019, nationally, teenage overdoses have doubled each year, while in Oregon, they have been tripling.

“We are not doing enough for our kids,” said Koljesky, who stressed the importance of educating youth on the widespread prevalence of fentanyl in street drugs.

Koljesky also talked the crowd through the steps of administering Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, to someone who is overdosing. Narcan is available at

locations across the county, including the health department and courthouse, and will not harm someone who is not suffering from an overdose.

Jennifer Barksdale, one of the county’s four PRIME+ peers, also addressed the crowd and shared about the PRIME+ peer program and her experience in it. PRIME+ peers are people in recovery from substance use disorders who are trained to professionally help support those seeking to get clean by offering transportation, help with life tasks and knowledge of

recovery.

The peers are available at any hour and can be reached at their phone numbers listed at the end of this article for immediate help.

The event also featured representatives from many community organizations, including, Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, Tides of Change, Tillamook Family Counseling Center, Nehalem Bay Health District, Columbia Pacific CCO, Opioid Use Response (OUR) Tillamook, Equus Workforce Solutions and Headstart.

Eric Sappington and Mer-

cury Coast played music for event attendees, while they enjoyed free food from the Blue Heron food truck. Tillamook’s PRIME+ peers are: Melinda Scott, melindas@tfcc.org, (971) 341-1709, Jennifer Barksdale, jenniferb@tfcc.org, (971) 341-1750, Sara Pulver, sarap@tfcc.org, (971) 3411750, and Mike Shaffer, mikes@tfcc.org, (971) 3411961.

Community organizations providing educational resources to overdose awareness event attendees at Blue

drone tests being conducted by Nearspace and generator noise, but the commissioners were able to complete their business and broadcast the meeting.

ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht attended the commissioners meeting and gave a presentation on the

assembly point and ODHS’s emergency management functions.

Pakseresht said that after the 2020 wildfires in the state had caught the department “flatfooted,” they had rededicated themselves to their emergency response and recovery missions. Til-

lamook’s assembly point is just the first that ODHS plans to deploy in communities across the state, with the next slated for Lincoln County to be stationed at the Siletz Bay State Airport.

Pakseresht thanked the Tillamook County Commissioners for their dedication to

Wednesday morning shortly before volunteers began disassembly efforts.

emergency preparedness and said that other communities in the state needed a similar sense of urgency.

“Today’s environment requires a different level of awareness and preparation than 20 years ago,” said Pakseresht.

After the commissioners’

meeting and a hot lunch, the volunteers disassembled the point, packed it into its storage crates and redeposited those in the Conex containers. OREM staff will check on the contents of the containers each month to ensure that supplies are replaced upon expiration.

Tillamook County Director of Emergency Management Randy Thorpe said that the event had been a success and that he wanted to repeat the drill in the future, hopefully during more inclement weather.

Commissioners approve preliminary site plan for homeless shelter in downtown Tillamook

WILL CHAPPELL

Citizen Editor

Tillamook County Commissioners gave approval for Community Action Resource Enterprises to remove trees and make site alterations on the property that will house new no- and low-barrier shelter facilities on First Street in Tillamook at their August 30 meeting.

Commissioners also approved a partnership with Waterlab Corporation to offer free water testing for 100 wells across the county in September, appointed Christy Biggs County Clerk and leased the Lake Lytle boat ramp to the City of Rockaway Beach.

Dusti Linell, Chair of the Community Action Resource Enterprises’s (CARE) Board of Directors, and Nicole Vertner, another board member, appeared at the meeting to present an update to the commissioners and ask for the approval.

The new facilities in downtown Tillamook will consist of a 400-square-foot, no-barrier shelter, six smaller units and two bathrooms. The no-barrier shelter will be open 365 nights a year to anybody experiencing homelessness in the county.

Four of the six smaller units will house one to two people at a time, while the other two will house groups of four to six. These shelters will require applications and that residents are not a danger to themselves or others and seek long-term housing while residing there. Vertner said that there would be a no-substanceuse policy at the new facility, but that residents would not be required to be sober, although it would be encouraged.

The shelters and bathrooms at the site will come from Pallet Shelter, which produces temporary shelters that can be assembled within an hour to an hour and a half.

Vertner said that the shelters will include a self-leveling feature, allowing for their deployment at other sites in the county, if needed, and

that the Bay City Arts Center has already volunteered to paint the shelter’s white exteriors.

CARE entered into a lease agreement with the county in late April to site the facility on a piece of county-owned property between CARE’s headquarters and the post office on First Street in downtown Tillamook. That lease runs through 2065 and requires a $1-dollar annual payment to the county.

Approval for the preliminary site plan and property modifications was needed before CARE could put out a request for bids for that work. The shelter will be located at the rear the county parking lot on the property behind an eight-foot-tall privacy fence.

Vertner said that the plan would require levelling ground to accommodate the structures and the installation of ADA-accessible pathways. Vertner said that there are also several trees that will need to be removed, including some that are dead, but that CARE would prioritize leaving as many on the property as possible.

The commissioners unanimously approved the plan, allowing CARE to list the project for bid on September 1, with a twoweek submission period.

Vertner said that CARE plans to break ground at the site on September 18 and that the work will take about two weeks.

Funding for the facility is coming from the behavioral health and resource networks created by Measure 110 to help provide shelter for those suffering substance use disorders. CARE plans to expand the facility in the future, with 14 more shelters, additional bathrooms, laundry facilities, a full kitchen and office workstations slated for fall 2024.

A memorandum of understanding with Waterlab Corporation of Salem will allow 100 county residents to have their well water’s quality tested during the month of September at the county’s expense.

Tillamook County’s

Health and Human Services

Director Marlene Putman said that the testing results would be shared with well owners for educational purposes and used in aggregate by the county to get a better idea of the county’s groundwater situation. Interested residents should contact the health department to participate.

Commissioners unanimously appointed Christy Biggs to serve as county clerk following Tassi O’Neil’s retirement on August 31. Biggs is a Tillamook native who graduated from Tillamook High School in 1998 and has worked for the county for 15 years.

Most recently, Biggs has worked as O’Neil’s deputy clerk, and she is certified to conduct and certify elections. Biggs’s appointment will run through the end of 2024 and she plans to run for the clerk’s position in the November 2024 election.

Biggs thanked O’Neil for her mentorship in the clerk’s office and said that she plans to continue efforts to modernize the office’s operations and increase public awareness of its role.

Rockaway Beach will be in control of the Lake Lytle boat launch for the next 25 years, after the county commissioners unanimously approved a no-cost lease.

Rockaway Beach City

Planner Mary Johnson told the commissioners that Rockaway Beach plans to upgrade the boat ramp and restroom facilities at the location and add an ADAaccessible kayak ramp.

Johnson said that the city plans to use transient lodging tax dollars and grants to fund the upgrades and addition, with an eye towards increasing recreation options for residents and tourists alike.

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The deployed assembly point on

The command center at the assembly point will allow officials to communicate and coordinate response efforts.

Neah-Kah-Nie opens football season with road loss

By MIKE WEBER For The North Coast Citizen

Serving North Tillamook County since 1996

Deadline Noon Mondays for Advertising, News, Classifieds, Legals, Obituaries

Editor Will Chappell, email headlighteditor@countrymedia.net

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EMAIL editor@northcoastcitizen.com

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1906 Second Street, P.O. Box 444, Tillamook, OR 97141

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Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association (ONPA) © 2023 by the North Coast Citizen. All rights reserved.

LETTER POLICY

The Citizen welcomes letters that express readers’ opinions on current topics. Letters may be submitted by email only, no longer than 300 words, and must be signed and include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number for verification of the writer’s identity. We will print the writer’s name and town of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received and may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, punctuation or clarity. We do not publish group emails, open letters, form letters, third-party letters, letters attacking private individuals or businesses, or letters containing advertising.

Deadline for letters is noon Thursdays.

The date of publication will depend on space.

Obituaries

The North Coast Citizen has several options for submitting obituaries.

• Basic Obituary: Includes the person’s name, age, town of residency, and information about any funeral services. No cost.

• Custom Obituary: You choose the length and wording of the announcement. The cost is $75 for the first 200 words, $50 for each additional 200 words. Includes a small photo at no additional cost.

• Premium Obituary: Often used by families who wish to include multiple photos with a longer announcement, or who wish to run a thank-you. Cost varies based on the length of the announcement. All obituary announcements are placed on the North Coast Citizen website at no cost.

P

laying their first game in two years, the Neah-Kah-Nie High Pirates traveled four and a half hours to Eastern Oregon for their OSAA Class 2A football nonleague season opener September 2 against the Irrigon High Knights.

The Pirates (0-1), guided by first-year Coach Alejandro Quintana-Rios, played pretty well for three quarters while outscoring the Knights (10) 38-30. The Pirates had several early costly mistakes first quarter fumbles and they fell behind 36-6 after the first 12 minutes. The Pirates had the momentum going in their favor for the remainder of the contest though, but they were unable to overcome the deficit and lost 66-44 at Irrigon High School.

“With the exception of the first quarter, we did play a very competitive game,” said Quintana-Rios. “We just played awful early in the game, we had a slow start and we just weren’t ready to execute our plays very well. We fumbled on the third play of the game and they (Knights) scooped up the ball and scored a touchdown right away.”

The Pirates settled down and regained their composure in the second quarter and they stepped up their defensive intensity level, while holding the Knights to their lowest scoring quarter (six points) of the contest. Both teams scored a touchdown in the second, with Irrigon on top 42-12 at halftime.

“We had trouble snapping the ball and so we made a change at the center position and then we started getting a little more consistent so that

was good,” said QuintanaRios. “Once we actually started getting the snaps down, we got running back Anthony Allen (11 carries, 83 yards rushing, touchdown) more involved with the offense and the first time he touched the ball he ran for five yards and then he followed that with a 15-yard run.”

Allen (nine catches, 200 yards receiving, three touchdowns) had a big role in the comeback, including scoring on a 62-yard reception on a pass from senior quarterback Michael Prior (12-for-21 passing, 283 yards, five touchdowns).

“We were kind of picking them (Knights) apart with our passing,” said QuintanaRios. “Whenever Anthony got into the open field towards the outside, we started having success with our passing game. After Michael settled in after having first game jitters, he started throwing really well and he didn’t throw any interceptions. The only bad part was when we had the bad snaps early in the game and then he was sacked a couple times in the backfield.

Other than that, he was pretty mobile in the pocket and he was doing a good job of finding our open receivers.”

The Knights, of Special District 4 near Boardman, outscored Neah-Kah-Nie 8-6 in the third to extend their advantage to 50-18 after three quarters. The Pirates displayed a resilient neversay-die attitude though and came back strong in the fourth. The Pirates outscored the Knights 26-16, trimming the final margin to 22 points and making it a much more respectable score.

The Pirates had 369 yards of total offense, includind 333 yards passing. Sophomore receiver Dylan Donaldson had one catch for 44 yards and senior receiver John Burch had three receptions for 38 yards.

The Pirates will play a nonleague contest in their home opener September 8 versus the Willamina High Bulldogs. Neah-Kah-Nie plays its Special District 1 opening contest September 15 against the Vernonia High Loggers at 7 p.m. at Vernonia High School.

Rental Housing Fund 2023 Applications Now Open

Licensed Practical Nurse [LPN]

Part time position (24 hours weekly) w/excellent benefits.

Compensation: $29 - $39 Hourly, DOE

Tillamook Family Counseling Center (TFCC) seeks a Licensed Practical Nurse [Part Time 24 Hours per Week] as a health provider for its Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACT). The LPN provides health care coordination, client support, and triage in home and community settings to adults presenting with severe and persistent mental illness.

Tillamook Family Counseling Center is a drug free workplace and equal opportunity employer.

If you are interested in this position, please apply online at http://tfcc.bamboohr.com/jobs. Be sure to submit an online application and upload your resume. Any questions, please visit us online at http://tfcc.org.

CLASSIFIEDS

2023

CORN SILAGE AVAILABLE THIS FALL. WE CAN DELIVER. SCIO, OR 503-930-2738

Oregon Department of Forestry Tillamook District Firewood cutting areas will open Friday, Sept. 1, 2023

You may come into the office or call to purchase your permit over the phone.

Woodcutters are advised to be familiar with the areas as there is no guarantee wood will be available at any location.

For more information on permit areas and requirements, please call the Tillamook District Office at 503.842.2545, Monday through Friday. H22545

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Log Yard Operator Northwest Hardwoods, Inc.

Northwest Hardwoods Overview:

Northwest Hardwoods is the leading manufacturer of hardwood lumber in North America, as well as a leading supplier of panel products from around the world.  A fully integrated, global supplier of wood products, NWH serves the furniture, flooring, cabinet, molding, and millwork industries.

Position Summary:

Our facility in Garibaldi,OR has an immediate opening for a Log Yard Operator. A successful candidate will have a proven track record operating log yard machinery in a safe and efficient manner.

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pounds or more

• Ability to competently and safely operate a chainsaw

• Knowledge and experience in identifying and recognizing tree species of the Eastern US

Ability to work outdoors year-round in all weather conditions

Ability and desire to wear personal protective equipment at all times and follow established safety procedures

• Cognitive ability to interpret and follow establish administrative procedures

Additional Information:

Northwest Hardwoods provides competitive wages, comprehensive benefits package with medical dental, and vision health care coverage, paid vacation/holidays, and company matching 401( k) retirement plan.

Candidates who meet these qualifications will be considered further.

Northwest Hardwoods, Inc is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status

Please apply in person at: Northwest Hardwoods 202 S. 7th Street Garibaldi, OR 97118

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We are looking for the following positions: CNA – Full time & Part time

Certified Medication Aide – Full time & Part time Charge Nurse (LPN or RN) – Full time & Part time Nursing Assistant – Full time & Part time

For details, call 541-275-8593, email lbaertlein@nvcarecenter.org or apply online at https://nehalemcarecenter.com/careers/

H22313

North Fork 53 Communitea Wellness Announces Fall Events Schedule

Nehalem,8/21/23-North Fork

53 Communitea Wellness, a north coast center for wellness and the arts, is happy to announce a full calendar of fall events for September and October.

Where: All events will all be held onsite at 77282 Hwy 53 Nehalem OR 97131.

More information about each event is located on our website: https://northfork53. com/events?p

About: North Fork 53

Communitea Wellness hosts unique small workshops and events featuring local artists and healing practitioners on its idyllic riverfront tea and herb farm in Nehalem OR.

Owner Ginger Edwards opened her small farm/ community gathering spot in 2015. “Our events are special because we keep them small and everything we do is hands on and connected to our farm and the seasons on the north coast.”

The fall 2023 calendar is a fun lineup of workshops and day retreats including:

Harvesting the RainbowNatural Plant Dye Workshop with Britt Boles

Saturday September. 16th 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Celebrate the fall color harvest. Experienced natural dye artist and teacher Britt Boles of Gearhart will walk you through the natural dye process from fresh plants to finished product in this workshop. Create and take home a natural dye plant

rainbow banner you can enjoy all year long. Work with fresh picked color from the farm including indigo, marigolds, cosmos and more. Learn the best techniques for preparing and dyeing natural fiber. All supplies included.

Communitea Nonprofit Garden Tour & Party Friday, September 22nd 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Enjoy a fall garden tour along with wine, cheese and live music in our first annual Communitea Nonprofit Fall Garden Fundraiser. Join us on the Fall Equinox as we celebrate a wonderful year of communitea gardening and support of the arts and raise funds to expand our gardens in 2024.

100% of ticket sales go to Communitea Nonprofit and are fully tax deductible!

Apples of Avalon Autumn Retreat: Saturday, September 30th 10am-3pm Enter the realm of Avalon as we bring in the fall harvest of our heirloom apple trees on the farm. We will be picking fruit to press and make cider as well as baking apples into personal pies. This retreat also includes an hour in our wood fired sauna with cold plunge and an autumn seasonal celebration circle with local poet and artist Adria Badagnani.

Coastal Mushroom

Dye Workshop with Erica

Tillamook County Community Health Centers offers free well water testing in September

Clark Saturday October 7th

10am-2pm

Explore the fascinating world of fall coastal fungi and their use making natural dyes. During this workshop, you’ll learn about the different types of fungi found on the coast, how to identify them, and which ones are best for dyeing.

You’ll also get hands-on experience with the dyeing process, using locally sourced fungi to create beautiful and unique color on silk and wool.

Participants will dye two silk bandanas using shibori methods, as well as a small skein of wool yarn

Erica Clark is a fiber artist and fisher poet living in Astoria. Erica has practiced experiential environmental education for 15 years, sharing her love of fungi and forest floor ecology with folks from 4 to 84 years old.

All Hallows Tarot

Retreat:

Saturday, October 28th

10am-3pm

Come enjoy a Halloween day retreat on the farm including a wood fire sauna and cold plunge, a tarot divination reading workshop and seasonal circle celebration.

Leading this retreat are 2 inspirational weavers of art and magic; Suzy Olson of Chariot Home in Astoria and Adria Badagnani of Art & Channel in Manzanita.

TBCC Nursing Program Applications Are Now Open

Tillamook Bay

Community College

(TBCC) is now accepting applications for the new Nursing Program. Students who have completed their Nursing prerequisites can apply directly to the program, and the first cohort starts during the upcoming Winter Term. The application closes on October 2nd at 5 p.m. Visit tillamookbaycc.edu/ nursing to apply today.

Students who enroll in the Nursing Program can expect to take courses such as Nursing fundamentals, care in acute and non-acute settings, pharmacology, pathophysiology and much more. The coursework also prepares students to take the NCLEX-RN Exam upon completion of the program. Students who successfully pass the exam will then be eligible to apply for licensure

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Keep chocolatecovered beans away from my coffee

The travesty I am pontificating about today is the unnecessary and overindulgent practice of placing a chocolate covered coffee bean on my warm coffee cup. While the intentions are no doubt sweet and deceptively good natured, the actual practice of concealing

a tooth-shattering caffeine pellet inside of luscious chocolate shell is a clandestine attack on my dental fortitude. Could this conspiracy be born of one of our local dental practitioners? Are many of the baristas on the coast a part of this syndicate? I suggest further investigation is warranted. Upon additional inspection, I realize the precarious placement of the confection atop my warm, steamy cup begins to melt the chocolate into a pool of sugary future

in Oregon as Registered Nurses (RNs).

If you are interested in pursuing an education in Nursing but haven’t completed your prerequisites, you can take them all at TBCC within a year and apply to be in the next Nursing cohort. Visit tillamookbaycc/nursing for more information about how to become a Nursing student at TBCC.

tooth decay - Yet more evidence to suggest our “stewards” of oral hygiene are up to something nefarious! Where is their commitment to public health and adherence to the ADA Code of Ethics? I am flabbergasted, appalled, and utterly confused.

Good citizens of Tillamook County beware this attack on our well-being.

Will Macia Tillamook, OR

Tillamook County Community Health Centers (TCCHC) is offering free nitrate and total coliform bacteria testing during the month of September to Tillamook County residents who get their water from private wells. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recommends testing well water for these contaminants every year, because contaminants often have no taste, smell, or odor, and well conditions can change over time. But with no state-accredited water testing labs currently in the county and no legal requirements to test outside of real estate transactions, many well owners don’t test as often as recommended.

More than 1 in 6 people in Tillamook County get their water from a private well. Like public water systems, private wells need to be regularly tested and maintained to make sure the water is safe and clean. But unlike public water systems, where users pay a monthly bill to receive treated water to their homes, private wells aren’t regulated. This means that contamination often goes unnoticed, which can put people at risk for short- and long-term health problems. This is especially true during times of drought, which can lead to decreased quantity and quality of water.

A hot, dry summer and influx of visitors to the coast has led to multiple cities urging residents on public water systems to conserve water. While these restrictions don’t apply to private well users, all water sources are strained when there is less water available, increasing the risk of problems. By offering a free testing program, TCCHC hopes to better understand well water testing and contamination patterns in the county.

This program is part of TCCHC’s ongoing work to understand and address community health needs through public health modernization, a statewide effort to make public health more responsive, data-driven, and community-oriented.

Eligible participants who sign up will be able to pick up free test bottles and instructions for collecting samples from TCCHC’s Environmental Health staff within the Public Health office in Tillamook, which is also where they will drop off collected samples. To sign up for the program, or learn more about private wells, visit tillamookchc.org/wells.

Please note that TCCHC is not providing water treatment, bottled water services, well or septic system repair, or specific advice based on the results of water testing. These

tests are being provided for educational purposes only. Information collected in the sign-up form and results from the well water tests cannot be guaranteed to be confidential. If you choose to participate in this program, you assume responsibility for any and all risks associated with your participation. Many properties with wells also use a septic system, which can contribute to well water contamination in case of a failing or damaged septic system. If you have septic system issues (with or without a private well) and need financial help to repair or replace a failing septic tank or drain field, reach out to Tillamook County Onsite Wastewater for information on how to apply for a 0% interest 30-year deferred payment loan or even possibly a grant to repair or replace a failing system. For more information about this septic system program, please contact Chris Chiola at (503) 842-3409 or cchiola@ co.tillamook.or.us at the Tillamook County Onsite Wastewater Division.

The Cannon Beach Chorus invites singers to join for its Winter Season 2023

The Cannon Beach Chorus invites singers to join for its Winter Season 2023. Every Monday night at 6:30 in the Cannon Beach Community Church in Cannon Beach, the nonaudition community Chorus welcomes singers from Astoria to Tillamook, to share the joy and challenge of singing choral music.

The Winter repertoire reflects the theme, “Season of Light, Season of Joy”, with pieces such as “Sure on This Shining Night” by Marten Lauridsen, “There’s Still My Joy” by Melissa Manchester, as well as contemporary arrangements of traditional carols. The Chorus is directed by Roy Seiber of Cannon Beach and accompanied by pianist,

BE A CHAMPION FOR HEALTHCARE

Barbara Richmond of Bay City.

2023 marks thirty-five years of concerts shared with local communities from Oysterville, Washingon to Tillamook. This season’s concerts will be held December 1, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Cannon Beach Community Church in Cannon Beach and December 3, 2023 at the Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church in Nehalem.

In support of its mission to expand awareness and appreciation of the choral arts, the Cannon Beach Chorus awards an annual scholarship to local graduating high school vocalists who pursue choral music at the collegiate level.

The 2023 Carol Homme

Scholarship was awarded by the Cannon Beach Chorus to Gracie Klemp and Elizabeth Jesberger. Both are Seaside High School graduates. Gracie Klemp is majoring in Music Education at Oregon State University. Elizabeth Jesberger is majoring in Vocal Performance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Both students received $750. The scholarship was created in memory of a past member of the Cannon Beach Chorus who was a generous patron of the arts. For more information about the Cannon Beach Chorus and its scholarship, check the website at www. cannonbeachchorus.org, or call 503-338-2241.