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INSIDE

Local girl decides to donate her hair to help children fighting cancer PAGE B1

SPORTS

Tohl places fifth in 50- and 100-yard freestyle PAGE A9

Headlight Herald WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM

VOL. 125, NO. 9 • $1.00

“We’ve notified all customers and distributors that have purchased from us. We’re doing everything we can.” Jeanne Butterfield, media advisor for Tillamook Country Smoker

‘There’s a gun to our heads’

County now supports State of Oregon’s plan for coastal fish By Sayde Moser smoser@countrymedia.net

National recall hits Smoker By Sayde Moser smoser@countrymedia.net

Tillamook Country Smoker is one of several beef and food-product producers affected by the 8.7 million pounds of diseased meat that was processed and distributed from Rancho Feeding Corp. in California a few weeks ago. “We’ve notified all customers and distributors that have purchased from us,” emphasized Jeanne Butterfield,

INDEX Classified Ads.......................B5-8 Crossword Puzzle....................A8 Fenceposts.............................. B2 Letters......................................A4 Obituaries................................A6 Opinions..................................A4 Sports................................. A9-12

LONGEST-RUNNING BUSINESS IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY SINCE 1888

The recall was classified as a class I high-health risk, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Safety, which means there’s a high probability that consumption of the recalled product would result in serious health consequences. USDA officials said Rancho processed “diseased and unsound animals without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection.” Rancho reportedly sold the bad meat to companies in California,

Florida, Illinois, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Washington and Oregon. The Headlight Herald tried to reach the USDA for comment, but was told its Office of Inspection had launched an official probe into Rancho’s practices and until that was completed, the USDA would answer no questions about the recall or Rancho’s facilities. “Tillamook Country Smoker did See BEEF, Page A7

TOPS is y a d a r o f o r e h r Supe ‘more than

The three Tillamook County commissioners have gone on record in support of the state’s proposed multi-species coastal fish management plan. But their support is anything but enthusiastic. The draft plan proposed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife addresses the debate of hatchery fish versus native fish on the county’s rivers. In a nutshell, it involves increasing hatchery fish on the Trask and Nestucca rivers, while reducing – or eliminating – hatchery fish on the Kilchis and Wilson rivers The latter two rivers would be designated as conservation areas for native species. ODFW’s original plan has since been revised, Tillamook County Commissioner Mark Labhart reported, after nearly 100 fishing enthusiasts showed up last month to voice their concerns during a public meeting with the state agency’s representatives. ODFW fish division administrator Ed Bowles subseSee FISH, Page A7

media advisor for Tillamook Country Smoker, which is based in Bay City. “We’re doing everything we can.” Rancho issued its initial recall Feb. 8 for production of all meat in 2013, after learning it had processed meat that was “unsound, unwholesome or otherwise unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce.” On Feb. 17, that recall was extended to include Oregon and Washington.

“Charity Drive” ended on a high note last weekend, with plenty of sunshine for car washes and activities for the youngsters.

Tillamook HIgh School freshmen class hosted “Superhero for a Day” at East Elementary School, where children got to practice their super powers.

The “Charity Drive” coronation takes place Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at Tillamook High School. Log onto tillamookheadlightherald.com to see the final results of the drive later that night.

a student’s last resort’

Tillamook Options Program School adds new elements, reaches new levels of success By Sayde Moser smoser@countrymedia.net “I think that traditionally, alternative education has been thought of as a last resort.” That’s the opinion of Rachel Sip, principal at the Tillamook Options Program School, commonly referred to as TOPS. For more than a decade, TOPS has served Tillamook County students who have been unable to fit into the structured environment of their traditional public schools. The program enrolls new stuSee TOPS, Page A3

Everything Pets opens in Tillamook by Chelsea Yarnell sports@orcoastnews.com Although still busy unpacking and preparing his new storefront in downtown Tillamook, Don Shawcross is eager to show what his new pet store has to offer. After a quick trip to the storage room, he returns with a young blue bird macaw perched on his shoulder. The native South American bird, nicknamed Egg, squawks as Shawcross pets the macaw and offers it his finger as a chew toy. “This guy was hatched in Lincoln County,” Shawcross said. “I try to do everything local. I got him when he was about 10 days old and I hand-fed him.” With 30 years of experience in the pet business, Shawcross has brought his retail expertise to Tillamook, opening Everything Pets at 209 Main St. He said he had owned Coast Pet Center in Lincoln City for a few years, but decided to relocate after a large chain store came to town. “It was hard to survive,” said Shawcross. “I probably could have, but I don’t want to just survive, I want to do very well.” So now he’s in Tillamook. “I had so many customers that came to me from Tillamook that it was obvious that we needed to be up here,” he said. Although his Everything Pets store is officially open for business, Shawcross still is setting up tanks of live freshwater fish and putting together spaces for up to 10 species of birds he’ll have for sale. “In talking to people, they’re excited about having higher-

Photo by Chelsea Yarnell

Don Shawcross shows off his blue bird macaw nicknamed Egg. The bird was hatched in Lincoln City, where Shawcross had a pet store before relocating to Tillamook last month. quality pet foods available to them that they had been driving out of the area for,” Shawcross told the Headlight Herald.

“Aside from that, it’s always fun to have little furry critters available for the kids,” including guinea pigs, mice, hamsters and

maybe even rabbits. Everything Pets is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.


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