Tillamook County Wellness
Fair Results are in
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Headlight Herald
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
VOL. 133, NO. 34 • $1.50
NKN celebrates graduation ceremonies, finally N
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
eah-Kah-Nie (NKN) High School held its Class of 2020 graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 14, at Abrahamson Field at NeahKah-Nie High School. Due to COVID-19 crowd restrictions, the celebration was limited to invite only and the event was livestreamed on the school district’s Facebook page. Salutatorian Jacob Waldron thanked the families present, as well as the NKB faculty and staff. “Ultimately, the graduating class of 2020 is very grateful for everyone here today,” Waldron said. “We’re looking forward to the fruitful years to come.” The graduating class listened to a recording of the NKN band, as well as the choir. Senior Class President Jacob Waldron and Class Representative Jett Johnston presented the gift of the Class of 2020. The senior gift, given to the janitors, was a new Keurig coffee maker and new janitorial cart. Principal Heidi Buckmaster said the class has prevailed against obstacles to be here today. Because of COVID-19, the Class of 2020 missed prom, band and state performances, sports, and other school activi-
(Top) Graduates line up prior to the ceremony. (Inset) Graduates celebrate by throwing their mortar boards in the air. Photos by Hilary Dorsey ties. “You’ve been honored and celebrated with reader board messages, road signs, banners, Facebook posts, tweets, Friday night lights, and whoo hoos and huzzahs every time one of
you met those requirements,” Buckmaster said. After receiving their diplomas, the graduates sang the Alumni song and ended with confetti for everyone to celebrate the Class of 2020.
Backing the Blue
County COVID-19 numbers increase by one T
Back the Blue rally supporters show up to support law enforcement at the second of such rallies in Tillamook over the weekend. Photo by Hilary Dorsey
Second Back the Blue rally draws support for police A
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
second Back the Blue rally was held Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Hoquarton In-
INDEX Classified Ads......................12-16 Crossword Puzzle..................... 14 Fenceposts..........................10-11 Letters......................................4-5 Obituaries................................7-8 Opinions..................................4-5
terpretive Trail to show support for law enforcement. Organizer Tiffany Jacob organized the first rally on July 11, and after positive feedback, organized a second rally. Attendees met at the parking lot of Hoquarton Park and dispersed along the sidewalks for the rally. “Police officers are being injured on a regular basis,” Jacob said of why the rally is important to bring awareness. Jacob said police officers have a challenging job and deal with loss of life on a regular basis. Jacob was paying attention to what people were posting on Facebook and saw people who were frustrated with riots and discussions of defunding the police. Jacob wanted to give people an outlet to express how they were feeling. The first rally was organized with help of volun-
teers who got the word out via social media and by handing out flyers to businesses. There were about 120 people who attended the first rally over the course of two and a half hours, Jacob said. At the second rally, Jacob wanted to not only show support for law enforcement, but also use it as an opportunity to give back to the community by hosting a canned food drive. “I wanted to do something more than just hold a sign,” Jacob said. “I wanted to give back to the community.” The canned food drive was at a table set up in the parking lot of Hoquarton Park. Jacob said the 55-gallon barrel she brought for the food drive overflowed by the end of the rally. The food will be donated to First Christian Church for their food pantry and soup kitchen.
Supporters honked and cheered while driving past the rally, while rally attendees held flags and signs and waved. The rally had American flags and “thin blue line” flags, free to anyone who wanted one. Some see the “thin blue line” flag as a tribute to police officers, while others view it a racist symbol, as it has also been associated with white supremacist groups. “The thin blue line flags to me represent unity with the men and women that have chosen to protect and serve,” Jacob said. “I chose to give them out at the rally as a symbol of solidarity and appreciation for law enforcement.” A third rally will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
illamook County Leadership discussed at a community update Friday, Aug. 14 , updates on testing and COVID-19 cases in the county, an opioid response plan grant and other updates. Adventist Health Tillamook President Eric Swanson said the hospital has plenty of personal protective equipment on hand. “We do have the thermal imaging camera in the main lobby,” Swanson said. “We’re watching how it goes.” The hospital had been working on a rural opioid response plan grant and was awarded a $1 million grant last week. This is truly a community award, Swanson said. They had been working on this for a year and a half. The grant provides a threeyear implementation strategy. Tillamook County Community Health Centers Marlene Putman said there had been one new positive case during the week of Aug. 14. This brings the county to a total of 35 cases, with 31 confirmed cases and four presumptive cases. The health department is conducting case investigation. There have been 2,236 total tests completed with seven documented recoveries. Oregon Health Authority determines a documented recovery. “We have had no hospitalizations this week and two hospitalizations during the course of our response to COVID-19,” Putman said. Tillamook Family Counseling is continuing to provide behavioral health services and is serving a number of individuals in person. They continue to provide a mobile crisis intervention and can be reached at 503-842-8201. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia. net