City evaluates emergency response effort MAX KIRKENDALL newsguardeditor@countrymedia.net
Lending A Helping Hand NEWS GUARD PHOTO/MAX KIRKENDALL
Reverend Kelli Westmark (middle) is joined by volunteers Sue Keith (left) and Judi Walton (right) at the Lincoln City Church of the Nazarene, which has converted into a distribution center for wildfire victims.
Local church organizes distribution center for fire victims MAX KIRKENDALL newsguardeditor@countrymedia.net
They say the more you give, the more you’ll gain. And for many in
Lincoln County, the calling to selflessly help others has shown through in light of the devastation of the Echo Mountain Complex fire. Among those compassionate individuals is Reverend Kelli Westmark of the Lincoln City Church of the Nazarene. During her nine years as the Pastor of the Lincoln City Church, Westmark said she has never seen anything like
the wildfire event that took place in north Lincoln County last month. “I got a call Monday (Sept. 7) at midnight, and people from the church were saying ‘my mountain’s on fire,’ so the church became an evacuation site for a few nights until we were evacuated ourselves,” Westmark recalled. “Wednesday morning, everyone was
Lincoln City Emergency Management Coordinator Ken Murphy says disaster preparedness is like an insurance policy. You may not need it now, but there’s nothing wrong with having it in case you do need it. The City of Lincoln City met virtually Monday, Oct. 5 for a work session to assess the City’s evacuation efforts following the September wildfire event that impacted North Lincoln County. The work session was led by Murphy and Lincoln City Police Department Chief Jerry Palmer, who opened the meeting applauding the efforts of City employees despite criticism from the community. “We should be very proud of the employees who were doing a lot of independent thinking during a crisis were communications were either non existent or limited,” Palmer said. The City had six employees lose their homes to the fires, according to Palmer. 30 employees were displace, 40 were evacuated. Palmer said several employees who lost everything were still at work, “doing their job
See GIVING, Page A3
See RESPONSE, Page B3
LCSD welcomes some students back to classroom Monday MAX KIRKENDALL newsguardeditor@countrymedia. net
After a few weeks of online classes in Lincoln County, the Lincoln County School District (LCSD) is already looking to get kids back in the classroom, starting as early as next week. LCSD Superintendent Dr. Karen Gray announced this week that Lincoln County has met the state metrics in regards to COVID-19 that are required to begin limited in-person
instruction. “Our county numbers now allow us to open some grades for in-person instruction for grades K-3, some special education structured learning center classrooms associated with those grades and some of our high school Career Technical Education or CTE classes,” Dr. Gray said in a letter to the community. “Grades K-3 can open under the Exception rule for a full day but only part week education (hybrid) and CTE for two hours per day under Limited
In-Person Instruction rules.” With that, LCSD announced that kindergarten students will be back in the classroom starting Monday Oct. 12-13. Students will be split into two cohorts for Monday/Thursday schooling or Tuesday/Friday schooling. Students will continue their off days with virtual classes, detailed in LCSD’s hybrid model. “If you are not comfortable sending your kinder at this time, you will need to contact your building principal to
let them know you prefer to continue in the solely Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) model,” Dr. Gray said. “This is the first step in bringing our next grade levels of 1-3 back into our schools as soon as we are able.” Structured Learning Center programs start for Kindergarten students Monday, Oct 12. Kindergarten students that access structured learning center classrooms (SLCs) will start on October 12th. They will be working with their teacher and
the instructional assistants that support the program. “SLC programs consist of multiple grade levels; the grades other than kindergarten will continue with online learning also with their teacher and instructional assistants,” Dr. Gray explained “As more grades are phased in, these grade levels will also be phased in for the SLC programs.” Additionally, Dr. Gray an-
See SCHOOL, Page A3
Coast Guard rescues man from water near Depoe Bay THE NEWS GUARD
The Coast Guard rescued a man from the water Friday off Rocky Creek State Park near Depoe Bay. Rescued was 40-yearold James White, who reportedly suffered minor lacerations and mild hypothermia. A nearby ranger from the U.S. Forrest Service saw the distressed man in the water and quickly
alerted watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Depoe Bay. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew immediately launched to rescue the man from danger. The MLB crew arrived on scene in less than ten minutes, threw a life line to White in the water and safely pulled him aboard the rescue boat. The MLB crew provided initial first aid and worked to warm the man while transiting back to the Coast Guard
station. “The quick notification by the park ranger to alert us to the person in distress helped ensure an extremely rapid response,” said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Clendenen, the officer-in-charge at Station Depoe Bay. “It was an incredibly fast and smooth rescue. Everyone here holds a strong bias for action and that teamwork is what help get this man out of danger in less
than twenty minutes.” When the Coast Guard MLB crew arrived back to shore, White’s care was handed over to awaiting Depoe Bay Fire Department and emergency medical personnel.
COURTESY PHOTO
Coast Guard crewmembers aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Depoe Bay assist an injured man.