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Snow Day

cast listed temperatures into the low forties during the day night in Lincoln City, as of

Follow developments and

State of the City to review challenges, accomplishments

JEREMY C. RUARK County Media, Inc.

Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke is scheduled to deliver her State of the City address Feb. 28 at the Lincoln City Cultural Center.

The News Guard spoke with Wahlke prior to her State of the City address to gain insight into what the city has accomplished and what’s ahead.

The News Guard: What have been the top challenges the city has faced over the past year and how has the city navigated through those challenges? Susan Wahlke: Last year the City Council’s biggest challenge was hiring a city manager. After a long process working with department heads, we were able to find a candidate. I believe hiring Daphne Legarza was the City Council’s greatest accomplishment in 2022. We were also fortunate to have long time city employee Lila Bradley to act as city manager during the long search.

The News Guard: What do you see as the top challenges facing the city this year, and what do you see as solutions to those challenges?

Wahlke: Funding is always a challenge. Our city staff has been busy finding opportunities and obtaining grants from various sources.

I thank the voters of Lincoln City for passing the lodging tax increase. It would be

Oregon taxpayers to see $3.9B kicker

JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

Oregon’s key economic indicator, the quarterly revenue forecast for March, shows significant revenue growth.

The forecast, released Wednesday, Feb. 22, by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, states that the unexpected revenue growth in the current biennium has left Oregon with unprecedented balances, followed by a record kicker in 2023-’25.

I am an optimistic person and I try to see a bright future for our city.

Mayor Susan Wahlke

helpful if the State legislature allowed cities more flexibility in the way we can allocate those funds, but this increase should allow Lincoln City to provide services for our residents and our visitors. I also want to thank Rep Gomberg and Sen Anderson for bringing State funding to our city.

The News Guard: What have been the most rewarding events for the city over the past year?

Wahlke: In my opinion, housing under construction was the most rewarding event in 2022. Housing remains a concern throughout the State, but we are making progress here in Lincoln City. All types

See CITY, Page 11

The projected personal kicker is $3.9 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in 2024.

The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending.

“Once the 2023-25 biennium is behind us, Oregon’s major revenue sources are expected to bounce back quickly,” the Forecast Summary reads. “However, growth over the extended horizon will continue to be constrained by demographics, with the baby-boom population cohort earning and spending less.”

Executive summary

Either the economic storm clouds have parted, or we are in the eye of the hurricane. Any near-term recession fears are fading with each month of somewhat lower inflation and the continued economic boom.

However, the Federal Reserve must still navigate the choppy waters of a tight labor market, fast wage growth,

easing financial conditions, and strong household finances and consumer spending.

All of these are likely to keep the underlying trend in inflation above the Fed’s target for the foreseeable future.

Last quarter our office made a late 2023 mild recession the most likely outcome for the Oregon economy, primarily due to the fact there had been zero slowdown in inflation at that time. Today, there have been a few months of somewhat lower inflation. Even as the underlying trend in inflation remains twice as fast as the Federal Reserve’s target, this is a noticeable slowing from much of last year. The Fed is also starting to ease off the brakes and wait for the impact of past interest rate increases to cool the economy in the months ahead.

What this means for the forecast is that the potential recession dynamics, while still very real, are likely pushed further out. The current baseline forecast no longer calls for a recession this year, but for the economic soft landing and continued

expansion. While every month of slower inflation increases the probability of a true soft landing, it is likely that the Fed has more work to do. Additional interest rates increases and holding them higher for longer are likely need to cool demand and inflation. However, the clear near-term strength in the economy in terms of jobs, income and spending, along with the uncertainty of the exact timing of any potential recession makes forecasting one so far in advance challenging, if not impossible. As Oregon heads into the upcoming 2023-25 biennium, the inflationary economic boom continues.

Personal and corporate tax collections continue to outstrip expectations. When combined with an improved economic outlook, policymakers are expected to have additional General Fund revenues during the current legislative session as they craft the 2023-25 budget.

Although the recent news has been good, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty as the biennium

winds down. The 2023 tax filing season has yet to truly begin. Much more will be known when the May 2023 forecast is produced, which will determine the Close of Session forecast and be used to set the thresholds for the balanced budget and any potential kicker calculations.

Along with uncertainty surrounding the tax season, there is also the heightened risk of recession next biennium. Given the currently elevated levels of taxable business and investment forms of income, an economic downturn would result in large losses of General Fund revenues. While Oregon’s General Fund is volatile over the business cycle, the state’s overall revenue system has become less so in recent years. The increases in consumption- based taxes should help reduce overall volatility in Oregon’s tax system as consumer spending is more stable during downturns than is taxable income.

Read the full forecast with this story at thenewsguard.com.

Governor response

Governor Tina Kotek made the following statement in response to the first state revenue forecast of 2023.

“As inflation continues to slow, this revenue forecast shows that we can anticipate having more predictability and stability for the coming budget cycle. While this is encouraging news, the legislature still has some tough choices to make. We will

See MONEY, Page 11

in 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending.

JEREMY C. RUARK County Media, Inc.

the surrounding coast, and in land into the Portland metro

the weekend.

forced closure of the Lincoln and Tillamook School Dis tricts and community colleges in both counties Thursday and

Gas line leak triggers fire

JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

Details are emerging following a natural gas line leak that led to a fire in east Lincoln City.

North Lincoln Fire & Rescue (NLFR) crews rushed to the 5500 block of East Devils Lake Road at approximately 7 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, to a call of strong smell of natural gas and flames coming from a pipe alongside the roadway.

“As we arrived, we spotted flames 10 to 15 feet in the air,” NLFR Chief Rob Dahlman said. “The snow caused an overhead power line to fall. It landed on a one-inch service line pipe on a culvert above the gas line, igniting the leak on the east side of the road.”

Dahlman said his crew blocked the road and had dispatch call Northwest Natural Gas to report the incident and

Astoria Police warn of phone fraud

Astoria Police have received reports today that people posing as a law enforcement officer from the Astoria Police are calling asking for personal information and for money. The callers will “spoof” or fake the Astoria Police Department phone number so the call appears to be coming from the Astoria Police De-

The police blotter relates to the public record of incidents as reported by law enforcement agencies.

Lincoln City Police

Feb. 8

6:14 a.m.

Caller reports shoplift from business inn the 800 block of SW Highway 101. Unknown male suspect stole butane bottle. Report taken.

9:36 a.m.

Caller reporting graffiti on green power box in the parking lot in the 1000 block of SE Highway 101. Report taken.

9:31 a.m.

Caller reported theft of a bong from location in the 33o0 block of NW Highway 101. Juvenile suspect seen on surveillance video. Report taken.

10:08 a.m.

volved the caller claiming a person failed to appear regarding a legal issue and the caller asks for personal information,” the Astoria Police warning states. “Other common tactics in these types of Government Impersonation Fraud involve scammers attempting to get the call recipient to send money. These calls are fraudulent; any legitimate law enforcement of-

Caller reports juvenile missing in the 3700 block of SE Spyglass Ridge Drive. Report taken and entered into LEDS/NCIC. Update. Juvenile returned to Taft High and removed from LEDS/NCIC.

12:05 p.m.

Report taken following criminal mischief reported in the 3200 block of NW 14th Street. Caller reported mailbox unit damaged. Broken off post.

1:45 p.m.

Reports of graffiti on the D River Bridge in the 95 block of SW Highway 101. Report taken.

4:55 p.m. Caller reported her vehicle was broken into and a .38 firearm with two clips taken along with black leather purse with wallet, SSN information for caller and kids. Suspect attempted to use her card at Coach store. Officer took report.

ficer will not demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public.”

What to do if you receive such a fraud call

To protect yourself from falling victim to this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Do not send money or gift cards to anybody you do not personally know and trust.

Never give out your personal information, including banking information, social security number or other personally identifiable information, over the phone to individuals you do not know. Call your local police of sheriff’s department if you believe you have received such a fraud call.

Read a series of stories about telephone scams at thenewsguard.com.

POLICE BLOTTER

7:44 p.m. Call reported a burglary in the 1500 block of SW Coast Avenue. Home broken into. Damage to garage door and front door. Report taken.

8:08 p.m. Caller in the 1500 block of SE East Devils Lake reports her firearm is missing. Possibly left at hotel in Lincoln City in June 2022. Disposition: Gun entered into Lost/Missing into LEDS/NCIC. Report taken.

10:27 p.m. Theft reported in the 1700 block of NW 44th Street. Victim reported that her ticket was taken out of a machine. Value $177.44. Officer took report.

Feb. 9

11:04 a.m.

Restraining Order Violation reported in the 3300 block of NE Highway 101. Male taken into custody and transported to jail. Report taken.

SHERIFF’S TIP OF THE WEEK

Emergency notifications and community information

LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Be informed about emergencies and important community alerts by signing up for Lincoln Alerts, an emergency notification system sponsored by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, via the State of Oregon’s OR-Alert system. These alert messages can be sent from Public Safety, City, Tribal, and County Officials.

Have you thought about how your family, friends, or employees will be informed during a local emergency?

Take the time today to create or update your Lincoln Alerts profile to ensure you get local notifications.

Lincoln Alerts sends time-sensitive messages. Topics may include:

• Severe weather

• Distant tsunamis

• Road closures

• Municipal water disruptions

• Missing persons

• Evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods due to emergency events

• Resources available during and after a disaster

Lincoln Alerts subscribers can also choose the ways they would like to receive these alerts. In addition to common notifications such as call or email, users can receive text messages or mobile app notification. Mobile numbers can also receive community information via text from City, Tribal, and County Officials by texting the zip code and/or any of the listed keywords at co.lincoln.or.us/alerts to 888777. It is recommended that each household member create their own account with their personal contact information, so they get the information directly in the event of

an emergency. Emergencies and disasters can happen anytime and anywhere. Keeping yourself and your loved ones connected to emergency alerts is one step you can take to keep you safer and better prepared.

Sign up for or update an existing account

Visit co.lincoln.or.us/ alerts or see this story at thenewsguard.com to access the links.

For more information and tips, visit our web site at www. lincolncountysheriff.net and

9:42 a.m. Senior Services requested officer contact about possible elderly abuse ion the 4800 block of SE Inlet Avenue. Report taken.

to dispatch a crew to the scene to shut off the gas. The line was beneath thick asphalt, so as the Northwest Natural Gas crew arrived, they had to use a jackhammer to get to the shut off valve to stop the leak.

“That gas line has been there for about 50 years,” he said.

Natural gas service to about 50 to 60 natural gas customers along Highland Road and the Cherry Hill Trailer Park was disrupted until late in the day while the line was being repaired, According to Dahlman.

“A lot of us had never seen a gas line ignition,” he said. “We train for it and fortunately, it was in an area where there are no structures. Northwest Natural did a great job in shutting off the surrounding utilities during the incident.” Pacific Power also assisted

Metro Creative Connection

The callers will “spoof” or fake the Astoria Police Department phone number so the call appears to be coming from the Astoria Police Department.

Feb. 10

11:11 a.m.

Report taken in the 4000 block of SE High School Drive of a Minor in Possession.

2:55 p.m.

Caller advised damage to vehicle by two juveniles. One of the juveniles trespassed from location in the 1700 block of NW 38th Street. The other juvenile was listed as a runaway in LEDS.

Courtesy photos from NLFR

Above: As they arrived, NLFR crews reported the flames from the gas line leak were 10 to 15 feet in the air. See more photos with this story at thenewsguard.com.

Left: As they arrived, NLFR crews reported the flames from the gas line leak were 10 to 15 feet in the air. See more photos with this story at thenewsguard.com.

Are you blue?

Dog days of Winter? Maybe your internal clock is off

WILL LOHRE

Country Media, Inc.

When it’s grey, rainy, and cold for months on end, it can be easy to feel a little down. This is not uncommon and is often referred to as the “Winter Blues.”

In severe cases where one feels depression seasonally, the official medical classification is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). To better understand the Winter Blues, SAD, and why people may

feel down during the colder months (and what they can do to help prevent it), Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) School of Medicine

Associate Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Jonathan Emens provides background on SAD and how it may differ from a more ordinary sense of melancholy during the winter months.

What is SAD?

“In terms of what causes

the Winter Blues, it technical-

ly would be a major depressive episode with a seasonal pattern. And so, what that means is, in our definitions of psychiatric disorders, would mean that you would have to have it occur only during a particular time of the year. Typically, it’s the fall or the winter, although, less commonly, you do have folks who only have their depression episodes in the summer,” Dr. Emens said. “It means that it also has to go away

during certain times of the year as well, and you have to have it, by definition, have occurred over at least a twoyear period for us to say you have a seasonal depression.”

Knowing what SAD is, is one thing; however, tacking down the causes is something less known. There are a variety of hypotheses on the subject.

“The biggest clue, of course, is light, right? So, the nights get longer in the winter; they get a lot longer if you go farther north, in the northern hemisphere,” Emens said. “In the winter, the winters get even longer; what’s interesting is that you find as you go further north, you have more Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter, so that makes you suspicious. Could it be the light?”

Though it may be a component, there are some holes in the theory, according to Emens, as some native populations who live in the far north, like the Lapps in Finland, do not have high rates of SAD. One of the other theories on causes of SAD and the general worsening of mood during winter months goes back to the idea of longer nights.

Tuning your internal body clock

“We don’t necessarily know, but we do think that as the nights get longer, one theory; these long nights, that our 24-hour body clock, that regulates the timing of not just when we’re awake and sleepy, but blood pressure, many other parts of our biology, our physiology are regulated by this 24-hour body clock and the hypothalamus of our brain, but it also controls the timing of mood,” Emens said. “We actually have an intrinsic 24-hour rhythm to our mood even. So one theory of why these long nights make us feel worse, even if we don’t have SAD, there’s plenty of evidence showing that people of sub-syndromal levels of SAD, or even without meeting the criteria for SAD, that you do tend to see worse mood, worse energy level, increases in appetite, that sort of thing, even in the normal population that tend to be worse in the winter months.”

Essentially, what is happening, According to Emens, is the lack of light during long nights is throwing off the internal body clock, moving it later, as we don’t have the morning light.

“So your clock might get set too late. And we have evidence from a bunch of research studies at OHSU that in both seasonal and the non-seasonal depression, if your body clock is set later, your mood is worse,” Emens

Regardless of when a blue mood might strike, we know physical activity is good for mood.

Dr. Jonathan Emens, OSHU School of Medicine

Resources

www.newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/01/beat-winter-blues www.everydayhealth.com/depression/your-best-weapons-against-the-winter-blues.aspx

said.

In some cases, people’s body clocks can be set too early, which is a result of the dusk arriving earlier in the day. This theory is based on the idea that the availability of light changes how people’s body clock schedule looks.

“And, of course, when I’m saying the timing of your clock is moving earlier or later, it’s not necessarily relative to what time it is on the wall clock, as much as the timing of your clock is moving earlier or later relative to many other things, the timing of sleep and other activities,” Emens said. “That, in most people, your body clock moving too late, and in, perhaps, the minority, your body clock moving too early in the winter, might be the reason why we have the Winter Blues.”

An interesting parallel may be the idea of jet lag. These more significant time transitions that accompany daylight savings and the different seasons throw our body’s internal clocks out of wack.

As far as the Pacific Northwest is concerned, Emens is not aware of any higher rates of SAD in the largely overcast region. However, data is relatively split on national rates of SAD.

“In terms of how common it is, this is the other thing; some studies say it’s anywhere from roughly 1.5% to almost 10% prevalence of Seasonal Affective Disorder. That’s a pretty wide range,” Emens said.

Things to help alleviate the Winter blues

If someone is experiencing more severe cases of SAD, they should seek help from a primary care provider or a mental health expert. One potential treatment would be “bright light therapy.” This treatment revolves around having light in the morning to readjust your body clock to an earlier time. Something similar may help

those who find that winters affect their energy levels and mood.

“For those of us who don’t have SAD, but maybe our energy level is a little bit off, yeah, having a consistent timing of lights on that is stable across the days is important, and this includes weekends,” Emens said. “We tend to stay up later, get a little bit of evening light, tend to sleep in, and don’t get a lot of morning light on the weekends. And there’s some great studies to show that when we do that, when we shift the timing of light, our body clock moves later, which is the last thing we want in winter depression.” Emens said that data shows that a consistent schedule throughout the week is better for your mood. Changing your schedule on the weekend can be “very bad” for your mood. This ties back to also maintaining a steady sleep schedule.

“Consistency is really going to be key, both in terms of not just sleeping and waking, but lights out and lights on,” Emens said.

On top of the change in light, winter times bring changes in physical activities and eating habits. Maintaining a pattern of physical activity, good eating habits, and social connection is essential.

“Regardless of when a blue mood might strike, we know physical activity is good for mood,” Emens said.

“Which, of course, can be hard; it’s hard to go for that run or go for that walk when it’s dark outside, compared to when it’s still light at 8 o’clock or 9 o’clock at night.

But that’s really key, to make sure we’re still getting that same level of physical activity. And that we’re still eating right. And then I would say the last piece would be social contacts; we know that’s so important for our mood. It’s much easier when it’s warm and light outside to do things with other people, and so really maintaining your social contacts in the winter months is really key.”

Metro Creative Connection

Experts recommend walking, hiking and other physical activities to help overcome the seasonal affective disorder.

Lincoln County to see $456,027 for housing

STAFF REPORT

Country Media, Inc

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be awarding Lincoln County and eleven other communities across Oregon $10,559,201 from the Public Housing Capital Fund.

The federal funding is to support the development, financing, and modernization of public housing properties and for management improvements.

“Oregonians in every corner of our state are struggling under the crushing weight of our affordable housing crisis,” Merkley said. “Everyone should have a safe, affordable place to call home, and these HUD investments in public

housing across the state will help ensure Oregonians have access to reliable housing.”

“Housing that Oregonians can afford in communities of all sizes is a must for quality of life statewide,” Wyden said. “These federal resources will help to accelerate the quantity and improve the quality of affordable options needed so urgently to combat the housing crisis in every nook and cranny of our state.”

The award amounts and information

• Housing Authority of Portland: $2,660,355

• Housing Authority & Community Services of Lane County: $1,682,519

• Housing Authori-

ty of Clackamas County: $1,547,675

• Housing Authority of Washington County: $990,710

• Housing and Urban Renewal Agency of Polk County: $935,145

• Housing Authority of the City of Salem: $583,611

• Housing Authority of Douglas County: $582,886

Housing Authority of Lincoln County: $456,027

• Housing Authority of the County of Umatilla: $380,442

• North Bend Housing Authority: $369,839

• Coos-Curry Housing Authority: $203,810

• Housing Authority of Malheur County: $166,182

Jobs attracting nonresident workers to Oregon

ERIK KNODER

News Guard Guest Column

Oregon’s open beaches, rugged mountains, and grapefilled hillsides make it a popular destination for visitors. But there’s something else about Oregon that attracted nearly 125,000 people from out of state in 2019 – jobs.

By the numbers

Roughly 7% of people who make their living in Oregon make their home in some other state. Not surprising to anyone driving the bridges over the Columbia River during rush hour, almost four out of every five of these nonresident workers come from Washington.

Traveling in the other direction are Oregonians who migrate to work for employers in other states. There were almost 66,000 people who lived in Oregon and worked out of state in 2019. This resulted in a net inflow of nearly 59,000 workers to Oregon – up from a net inflow of 57,000 in 2018. Workers crossing state boundaries influence the economy in a variety of ways. This article focuses on where nonresident workers live, their contribution to Oregon’s General Fund, and their effect on Oregon’s per capita personal income.

Growing Number of Nonresident Workers

The number of nonresident workers grew rapidly over the last decade, from 87,940 in 2009 to 124,653 in 2019.

That impressive 42% increase in nonresident workers was surpassed by the 57% rise in Oregonians working in other states, which grew from 41,808 in 2009 to 65,787 in 2019. Overall, the net inflow of workers grew from 46,132 in 2009 to 58,866 in 2019.

Home Is Where the Tax Form Is

The 97,610 Washingtonians working in Oregon in 2019 accounted for more than 5% of all workers with jobs in Oregon. Among Oregon’s other neighbors, there were 9,277 Californians, 7,888 Idahoans, and 753 Nevadans working in Oregon.

The fact that people live in neighboring states and work in Oregon isn’t surprising. But what about workers living in Texas, Arizona, Florida, and other far away states? Their numbers increased 127% between 2009 and 2019, but they’re not likely crossing the Snake River on I-84 each morning to get to work. Nonresident workers may live in both states but maintain their primary residence outside Oregon, or work in Oregon on temporary assignment, or they may have moved during the year and their residency status wasn’t updated yet.

Residency is assigned by the U.S. Census Bureau based on data from federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration, so the state where the worker files their taxes is considered home.

Another possible explanation for the growing number of nonresident workers is the rise in teleworking – regular employees working outside

the conventional workplace and interacting with others via communication technologies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people working from home in Oregon increased by 339,142 from 2011 to 2021. There’s a good chance that teleworkers are driving some of the increase in Oregon’s nonresident workforce.

Taxed by Where the Work Takes Place

Regardless of where they claim residency, income earned from services performed in Oregon by nonresidents is subject to Oregon income tax. According to the Oregon Department of Revenue, the total Oregon personal income tax liability of nonresidents was more than $782 million for 2020 tax returns, or 8% of the total tax liability. Personal income tax is the largest source of revenue for Oregon’s General Fund. The Oregon personal income tax liability of Washington residents was $362 million for 2020 tax returns, with 63% of that coming from Clark County residents. In fact, Clark County would rank eighth among Oregon counties for Oregon personal income liability (if it were in Oregon). The Oregon personal income tax liability of Californians was nearly $62 million, Idaho residents were responsible for nearly $49 million, and $310 million came from residents of other areas outside Oregon.

Inflow of Workers Lowers Oregon’s PCPI

Nonresidents working jobs in Oregon lowers one closely followed measure of regional income. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) estimate of per capita personal income (PCPI) is the annual sum of all resident income in a geographic area divided by the number of residents in the area. The BEA adjusts for residency by counting work

of residence. A net outflow of workers adds to a state’s PCPI, while a net inflow of workers, such as Oregon has, subtracts from a state’s PCPI. With a net $6 billion in earnings by the inflow of nonresident workers in 2021, Oregon had the fourth-largest net out adjustment to income for residency of any state in the BEA’s calculation of PCPI. The large adjustment is a result of Oregon’s major employment center – Portland, with about half of the state’s jobs – being right on the border with Washington. If Oregon had no net inflow of workers in 2021, Oregon’s PCPI would have been about $1,411 higher, and Oregon’s PCPI would have been 98% of the nation’s PCPI instead of the 96% it actually was with so many nonresident workers. In other words, nonresident workers account for 55% of the gap between Oregon’s PCPI and the nation’s.

Nonresident Workers Data

Information about Oregon’s nonresident workers is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap data, part of the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) partnership with the states. OnTheMap provides the most compre-

worker flows by residency and place of work. The data is for workers during the second quarter of the year. This analysis considers only a worker’s primary job – the job with the most earnings during the quarter – to avoid double

counting of workers with two jobs.

Erik Knoder is a regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department. He may be reached at 541-3515595.

Metro Creative Connection

Roughly 7% of people who make their living in Oregon make their home in some other state.

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TheNewsGuard.com/opinion

IN THE GARDEN

Tips for successful winter to spring gardening

CHIP BUBL News Guard Guest Column

The following are gardening tips for success during the remaining winter days and to get a positive start for spring.

Garden short takes

Protect planted containers as best you can from cold weather. Take caution doing any garden work if it is icy or really cold.

Fertilize your garlic, rhubarb, and asparagus beds. Repeat in mid-April.

Plan your garden by drawing a map of what you might plant where. This helps rotating areas, so you don’t plant the same family of plants in the same place as you did last year. This helps reduce disease issues. Making the map will also encourage you to try a new vegetable this year.

time of year – apples and all the other tree fruits; blueberries; and cane berries; and many others.

You can incorporate some vegetables into a landscape. Rhubarb is actually quite attractive, especially the red-stemmed types. So are artichokes, though those plants can get quite large. But in the right place they also look very attractive. Both these vegetables are generally not

New plants from winter cuttings

Quite a few plants are possible to root from cuttings taken this time of year. They include honeysuckle, spiraea, some roses, figs, quince, grapes, blueberries, currants and quite a few others. You want shoots that grew last year. Cuttings are usually 10-12-inches long with two

A better world can come

MICHAEL RANDALL News Guard Guest Column

Dutch spiritual writer, Thomas a Kempis (13801471) wrote in “The Imitation of Christ” that, “If it pleases you to hear the news of the world, you must always suffer disquiet of the heart as a result.”

News junkies and social media addicts suffer perennially unquiet hearts, but that is the cost of these forms of entertainment.

Each day I receive an e-mail message from an organization devoted to promoting non-violence. These messages attempt to implant peaceful perspectives more deeply throughout the world. The ideas behind these messages attempt to diminish violent confrontation between nations, racial and ethnic groups, politically opposed tribes, and next-door neighbors. The daily communications are meant to help each of us look at one another and at life more calmly and compassionately. Today’s message was, “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

Anyone’s opinion

This world seems close to being on fire, and many fear that human societies will be irreversibly damaged by climate change; poisoned into social collapse and/or extinction by our resource-devouring life styles; potential wars with China or Russia (likely with thermo-nuclear blasts and subsequent radiation sickness and death); toxic politics in small towns, cities, states and at the federal level; angry racial distrust; fear of migrants at our southern border; homelessness growing nationally with no large scale solutions in sight; growing signs of depression, plus physical and emotional frailty in many young people who are so heavily dependent on social media and the “screen life.”

For keeping the temperatures of world societies at a rolling boil, we can thank the

thousands of left wing and right wing and mainstream media (whether big or tiny) that broadcast from everywhere on Earth. They need to capture our eyeballs to convince their sponsors to keep giving them advertising money. Politicians and others are only too glad to feed them raw meat to scorch, then feed to us.

Hyper-social primates

We are hyper-social primates. Once we have identified a group whose thinking and opinions give us a sense of personal identity, we consider ourselves part of it. We work hard to conform our opinions to those of that group. That group is “us.” Outsiders are “them.”

We dismiss “them” without empathy, feel competitive with “them,” discriminate against “them.” “Us” gives us a pleasurable dopamine rush, and “them” creates in us a surge of outrage.

Given the right conditions, feeling enough widespread outrage about “them” from our own group’s opinion leaders, we can be motivated to do “them” harm. Hating “them” for no good reason happens all the time: political and religious terrorists, mentally disturbed men with guns, urban gang members shooting opposing gang members simply for not being “us.” We are our own worst enemies and should be ashamed of our weakness.

Constant screen gazing

One way would be to wean ourselves from constant screen gazing. Computer driven algorithms created by major social media companies to feed on us have only one goal. Once they divine a little bit about us and our interests from our screen behavior, plus the personal info that we unwittingly (or indifferently) pass to them, they feed us more and more of what we seem to want to see and hear. The consequences are to confirm our

personal biases, then reconfirm and reinforce them again and again. We receive it as entertainment, and we want it nonstop. Does being so thoroughly manipulated make you angry enough at yourself and those algorithmic schemers out there to make a serious effort to find your independence? In the face of all that ever-renewing digital candy, many of us simply remain unconscious of, or indifferent to, the harm done. We lust for that screen buzz and disregard the manipulation. We feel fatalistic, that this harming inevitably will continue unabated into the future.

What makes us so vain as to think our opinions are interesting or useful? One young person I know who was banned from Facebook, told me (almost wailing), “How am I going to express myself? How will I get my opinions out there?” Not being able to do so prompted serious feelings of diminishment in that person, for apparently no other means existed to help give him/her a sense of identity, a sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Solutions

Solutions seem not only unnecessary, but also undesirable, to those who have adjusted well to living in a profoundly sick society. But one writer, Bob Bell, wrote, “When you forgive somebody, when you are generous, when you withhold judgment, when you love and stand up to injustice, you are in that moment bringing heaven to earth.” Such behaviors, if widely absorbed among people, would create a better life for us all. We would have greater confidence in each other’s honesty, kindness and integrity. We would live more contented lives in a profoundly healthier society than the one we have today.

Michael Randall is a Tillamook writer. He may be reached at 503-812-8494, or at merslife@gmail.com

bud “nodes” on them. If it is hard to tell up from down on the cutting, cut one end at an angle and the other straight across. Write down which cut meant “top” which meant “bottom.” You can treat the bottom piece with a rooting hormone if you wish. It generally improves rooting success. Label them and put them in a container that won’t get water-logged with moist peat moss, sawdust, or other potting media in a cool, unheated area. Only a small section of the top should show above the media. Then leave them alone. Chances are decent that some, though probably not all, will root. In the late spring, they can be planted in place or put in pots to grow more for planting next fall.

Some plants can be layered. That involves taking a limber woody shoot found near the ground, digging a

small trench, bending the shoot into the trench, holding it down with heavy U-shaped wire, and covering the trench with soil. Rhododendrons are often quite amenable to this technique.

Do something for the community

If you have extra garden produce and/or money, consider donating to the food bank, senior centers or community meals programs. It always is greatly appreciated.

The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.

Chip Bubl can be reached at the Oregon State University Extension office in St. Helens at 503 397-3462 or at chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu.

To reach the Lincoln City OSU Extension Office, call 541 574-6534

Community Calendar

Feb. 28 State of the City Address

State of the City Address by Mayor Susan Wahlke to be present from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Highway 101 in Lincoln City.

Lincoln City Senior Center Events

Weekly walk on LCCC track. No charge or membership required. 10:30 a.m. Mondays.

Tai Chi 9 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. No membership required. Donation to instructor suggested.

Chair Yoga 11:30

a.m. Mondays. No membership required. Donation to instructor suggested.

On Going

Free Meal For Veterans Homemade soup and sandwiches every third Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lincoln City B.P.O Elks #1886 at 1350 SE Oar Avenue in Lincoln City.

If you have a community event coming up, send brief details with the date, time, location and contact phone/ email to jruark@countrymedia.net

LINCOLN COUNTY ELK

NG23-439 TRUSTEE’S

NOTICE OF SALE TS

NO.: 21-62706 Reference

is made to that certain Deed of Trust (hereinafter referred as the Trust Deed) made by Edward F. Turner Jr. and Julie L. Turner as tenants by the Entirety as Grantor to Western Title, as trustee, in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”), as designated nominee for West Coast Bank, beneficiary of the security instrument, its successors and assigns, as Beneficiary, dated 12/18/2008, recorded 12/23/2008, as Instrument

No. 2008-14349, in mortgage records of Lincoln County, Oregon covering the following described real property situated in said County and State, to-wit:

Beginning at an iron rod set in the center of an existing road that is South 717.83 feet and West 2108.85 feet from the Southwest comer of the Robert Newton tract as described in Volume 208, page 503, Deed Records (said Newton comer being South 2229.15 feet and West 1396.75 feet from the Northeast comer of Section 29, Township 13 South, Range 11 West, Willamette Meridian, in Lincoln County, Oregon); thence along the center line of said road North 26° 55’ West 42.82 feet; thence North 13° 23’ West 293.35 feet; thence North 25° 55 West 135.30 feet; thence North 33° 39’ West 95.10 feet; thence North 23° 32’ West 63.05 feet; thence West 150.76 feet, more or less, to the West line of the Southeast quarter of the Northwest quarter of said Section 29; thence South 0° 03’ 30” East along said West line 218.92 feet to the Northwest comer of the Northeast quarter of the Southwest quarter of said Section 29; thence South 2° 27’ West along the West line of said quarter 504.34 feet; thence East 301.59 feet; thence North 35° 01’ East 177.64 feet to the point of beginning. EXCEPT the Easterly 25 feet for roadway and utility purposes; and EXCEPTING that part thereof conveyed to the City of Waldport by deed recorded June 30,1965, in Volume 256, page 487, Deed Records of Lincoln County, Oregon. ALSO EXCEPTING any portion that may overlap that parcel deeded to the City of Waldport for water tank placement. The street address or other common designation, if any for the real property described

above is purported to be: 3328 SE NELSON WAYSIDE DRIVE, WALDPORT, OREGON 97394 The Tax Assessor’s Account ID for the Real Property is purported to be: R381909/ 131129CA00105 and R379181/131129CA00105

Both the beneficiary and the trustee, ZBS Law, LLP have elected to foreclose the above referenced Trost Deed and sell the said real property to satisfy the obligations secured by the Trost Deed and a Notice of Default and Election to Sell has been recorded pursuant to ORS 86.752(3). All right, title, and interest in the said described property which the grantors had, or had power to convey, at the time of execution of the Trust Deed, together with any interest the grantors or their successors in interest acquired after execution of the Trust Deed shall be sold at public auction to the highest bidder for cash to satisfy the obligations secured by the Trust Deed and the expenses of sale, including the compensation of the trustee as provided by law, and the reasonable fees of trustee’s attorneys. The default for which the foreclosure is made is: The monthly installment of principal and interest which became due on 11/1/2018, late charges,

and all subsequent monthly installments of principal and interest. You are responsible to pay all payments and charges due under the terms and conditions of the loan documents which come due subsequent to the date of this notice, including, but not limited to, foreclosure trustee fees and costs, advances and late charges. Furthermore, as a condition to bring your account in good standing, you must provide the undersigned with written proof that you are not in default on any senior encumbrance and provide proof of insurance. Nothing in this notice should be construed as a waiver of any fees owing to the beneficiary under the deed of trust, pursuant to the terms and provisions of the loan documents. The amount required to cure the default in payments to date is calculated as follows: From: 11/1/2018 Total of past due payments: $94,536.50 Late Charges: $1,780.74

Additional charges (Taxes, Insurance, Corporate Advances, Other Fees): $5,693.53 Trustee’s Fees and Costs: $588.00 Total necessary to cure: $102,598.77 Please note the amounts stated herein are subject to confirmation and review and are likely to change during the next 30 days. Please contact the successor trustee ZBS Law, LLP, to obtain a “reinstatement’ and or “payoff’ quote prior to remitting funds. By reason of said default the beneficiary has declared all sums owing on the obligation secured by the Trust Deed due and payable. The amount required to discharge this lien in its entirety to date is: $374,182.92 Said sale shall be held at the hour of 10:00 AM on 5/12/2023 in accord with the standard of time established by ORS 187.110, and pur-

suant to ORS 86.771(7) shall occur at the following designated place: At the front entrance to the Lincoln County Courthouse located at 225 West Olive, in the City of Newport, OR 97365 Other than as shown of record, neither the said beneficiary nor the said trustee have any actual notice of any person having or claiming to have any lien upon or interest in the real property hereinabove described subsequent to the interest of the trustee in the Trust Deed, or of any successor(s) in interest to the grantors or of any lessee or other person in possession of or occupying the property, except: NONE Notice is further given that any person named in ORS 86.778 has the right, at any time prior to five days before the date last set for sale, to have this foreclosure proceeding dismissed and the Trust Deed reinstated by payment to the beneficiary of the entire amount

then due (other than such portion of the principal as would not then be due had no default occurred) and by curing any other default complained of herein that is capable of being cured by tendering the performance required under the obligation(s) of the Trust Deed, and in addition to paying said sums or tendering the performance necessary to cure the default, by paying all costs and expenses actually incurred in enforcing the obligation and Trust Deed, together with the trustee’s and attorney’s fees not exceeding the amounts provided by ORS 86.778.

The mailing address of the trustee is: ZBS Law, LLP

5 Centerpointe Dr., Suite 400 Lake Oswego, OR 97035 (503) 946-6558 In construing this notice, the masculine gender includes the feminine and the neuter, the singular includes plural, the word “grantor” includes any successor in interest to the grantor

as well as any other persons owing an obligation, the performance of which is secured by said trust deed, the words “trustee” and ‘beneficiary” include their respective successors in interest, if any. Without limiting the trustee’s disclaimer of representations or warranties, Oregon law requires the trustee to state in this notice that some residential property sold at a trustee’s sale may have been used in manufacturing methamphetamines, the chemical components of which are known to be toxic. Prospective purchasers of residential property should be aware of this potential danger before deciding to place a bid for this property at the trustee’s sale.

Dated: 12/28/2022 ZBS Law, LLP By: Bradford Ellis Klein, OSB#165784 ZBS Law, LLP Authorized to sign on behalf of the trustee A-4770123 02/28/2023, 03/07/2023, 03/14/2023, 03/21/2023.

NG23-433 TS No.

OR08000119-22-1 APN

R507334 || R440633 TO No 220427949-OR-MSO TRUSTEE’S NOTICE OF SALE Reference is made to that certain Trust Deed made by, CHRIS MCKINNEY AND MARIA MCKINNEY, HUSBAND AND WIFE as Grantor to CASCADE TITLE as Trustee, in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. (“MERS”), as designated nominee for FIRST FRANKLIN A DIVISION OF NATIONAL CITY BANK, Beneficiary of the security instrument, its successors and assigns, dated as of October 6, 2006 and recorded on October 11, 2006 as Instrument No. 200615502 and the beneficial interest was assigned to U.S. BANK N.A, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK

N.A. TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE MERRILL LYNCH FIRST FRANKLIN MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-FF18 and recorded July 2, 2013 as

Instrument Number 201306499 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Lincoln County, Oregon to-wit: APN: R507334 || R440633 Beginning at a point on the North line of Section 4, Township 11 South, Range 10 West of the Willamette Meridian, in Lincoln County, Oregon, that is North 89 deg. 37’ 04” West, 290.0 feet from the North quarter corner of said Section 4; thence North 89 deg. 37’ 04” West, 615 feet; thence South 1320 feet; thence South 89 deg. 37’ 04” East, 219 feet; thence North 1270 feet to the center line of an easement road shown on C.S. 13,617; thence Southeasterly along the center line of said road to a point that is 120 feet South of the point of beginning; thence North 120 feet to the point of beginning.TOGETHER WITH an easement for ingress and egress as created by instrument recorded January 14, 1992 in Book 239 Page 162, Microfilm Records of Lincoln County, Oregon and modified by instrument recorded April 23, 1996 in Book 316 Page 1809, Microfilm Records of Lincoln County, Oregon. Commonly known as: 153 HAPPY VALLEY RD, TOLEDO, OR 97391 Both the Beneficiary, U.S. Bank National Association as Trustee in trust for registered Holders of First Franklin Mortgage Loan Trust, Mortgage Loan Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2006-FF18, and the Trustee, Nathan F. Smith, Esq., OSB #120112, have elected to sell the said real property to satisfy the obligations secured by said Trust Deed and notice has been recorded pursuant to Section 86.735(3) of Oregon Revised Statutes. The default for which the foreclosure is made is the Grantor’s failure to pay: Failed to pay payments which became due

Monthly Payment(s): 11

Monthly Payment(s) from 03/01/2022 to 01/31/2023 at $1,621.51 Late Charge(s): Late Charge(s)

0.00 By this reason of said default the Beneficiary has declared all obligations secured by said Trust Deed immediately due and payable, said sums being the following, to-wit: The sum of $244,387.43 together with interest thereon at the rate of 4.37500% per annum from February 1, 2022 until paid; plus all accrued late charges thereon; and all Trustee’s fees, foreclosure costs and any sums advanced by the Benefi-

ciary pursuant to the terms of said Trust Deed. Wherefore, notice is hereby given that, the undersigned Trustee will on June 14, 2023 at the hour of 10:00 AM, Standard of Time, as established by Section 187.110, Oregon Revised Statues, at the Olive Street entrance to the Lincoln County Courthouse, 225 W Olive, Newport, OR 97365 County of Lincoln, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash the interest in the said described real property which the Grantor had or had power to convey at the time of the execution by him of the said Trust Deed, together with any interest which the Grantor or his successors in interest acquired after the execution of said Trust Deed, to satisfy the foregoing obligations thereby secured and the costs and expenses of sale, including a reasonable charge by the Trustee. Notice is further given that any person named in Section 86.753 of Oregon Revised Statutes has the right to have the foreclosure proceeding dismissed and the Trust Deed reinstated by payment to the Beneficiary of the entire amount then due (other than such portion of said principal as would not then be due had no default occurred), together with the costs, Trustee’s or attorney’s fees and curing any other default complained of in the Notice of Default by tendering the performance required under the obligation or Trust Deed, at any time prior to five days before the date last set for sale. Without limiting the Trustee’s disclaimer of representations or warranties, Oregon law requires the Trustee to state in this notice that some residential property sold at a Trustee’s sale may have been used in manufacturing methamphetamines, the chemical components of which are known to be toxic. Prospective purchasers of residential property should be aware of this potential danger before deciding to place a bid for this property at the Trustee’s sale. In construing this notice, the masculine gender includes the feminine and the neuter, the singular includes plural, the word “Grantor” includes any successor in interest to the Grantor as well as any other persons owing an obligation, the performance of which is secured by said Trust Deed, the words “Trustee” and “Beneficiary” includes their respective successors in interest, if any.

the claims may be barred. All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings in this estate may obtain additional information from the records of the Court, the Personal Representative, or the attorney for the Personal Representative. DATED and first published: February 14, 2023. KATHY A. KEEFER, Personal Representative c/o KULLA, RONNAU, SCHAUB & CHAMBERS, P.C. SCOTT J. SCHAUB, OSB #893572, 2210 NE 22nd St., Lincoln City, OR 97367. ATTORNEY FOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: KULLA, RONNAU, SCHAUB & CHAMBERS, P.C. SCOTT J. SCHAUB, OSB #893572, 2210 NE 22nd St., Lincoln City, OR 97367. Phone: (541) 9962195, Fax: (541) 996-2770, E-mail: krsc@embarqmail. com

NG23-442 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District #1 will hold a joint public hearing of its Board of Directors and its Local Contract Review Board regarding adoption of Public Contracting Rules on the 8th day of March, 2023, at 4 p.m. The meeting will be held at 2525 NW Hwy 101, Lincoln City, Oregon. To attend the hearing virtually go to https://meet.goto. com/865809205 or for questions, contact Rob Dahlman, Fire Chief, at rdahlman@nlfr.org. The proposed Resolution will replace and update the District’s current Public Contracting Rules and exemptions. The public hearing will be held for the purpose of taking comments on the District’s draft findings supporting the exemption of certain classes of special procurements and public improvement contracts from competitive bidding requirements.

sonal representative. ADDRESS FOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: c/o

Attorney David V. Cramer, OSB #992479 Zantello Law Group, 2941 NW Highway 101, Lincoln City, OR 97367. DATED and first published: February 21, 2023. David V. Cramer, Attorney for Personal Representative.

NG23-436 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN In the Matter of the Estate of: AGNES CLAIRE FERGUSON, Deceased. Case No. 23PB00749 NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that DAVID FERGUSON and TAWNI FERGUSON have been appointed co-personal representatives. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present them, with vouchers attached, to Co-Personal Representatives, DAVID FERGUSON and TAWNI FERGUSON, at the address below, within four months after the date of first publication of this notice, or the claims may be barred. All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings may obtain additional information from the records of the court, the copersonal representatives, or the attorneys for the copersonal representatives. ADDRESS FOR CO-PERSONAL REPRESENTA-

NG23-444

TIVES: c/o Attorney David V. Cramer, OSB #992479 Zantello Law Group, 2941 NW Highway 101, Lincoln City, OR 97367. DATED and first published: February 14, 2023. David V. Cramer, Attorney for Personal Representative.

NG23-435 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN In the Matter of the Estate of: DONNA M. EDWARDS, Deceased. Case No. 23PB00696 NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that JUDITH A. BOWMAN-KREITMEYER has been appointed personal representative. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present them, with vouchers attached, to Personal Representative, JUDITH A. BOWMANKREITMEYER, at the address below, within four months after the date of first publication of this notice, or the claims may be barred. All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings may obtain additional information from the records of the court, the personal representative, or the attorneys for the personal representative. ADDRESS FOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: c/o Attorney David V. Cramer, OSB #992479 Zantello Law Group, 2941 NW Highway 101, Lincoln

City, OR 97367. DATED and first published: February 14, 2023. David V. Cramer, Attorney for Personal Representative.

NG23-443 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN In the Matter of the Estate of: SANDOR G. BRANCZEISZ, Deceased. Case No. 23PB00750 NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SUSAN M. SCHOFIELD has been appointed personal representative. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present them, with vouchers attached, to Personal Representative, SUSAN M. SCHOFIELD, at the address below, within four months after the date of first publication of this notice, or the claims may be barred.All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings may obtain additional information from the records of the court, the personal representative, or the attorneys for the personal representative. ADDRESS FOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: c/o Attorney Joshua D. Zantello, OSB #121562, Zantello Law Group, 2941 NW Highway 101, Lincoln City, OR 97367. DATED and first published: February 28, 2023. Joshua D. Zantello, Attorney for Personal Representative.

NOTICE OF MEASURE ELECTION

Notice is hereby given that on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, a measure election will be held in the Oregon Coast Community College District, Lincoln County, Oregon.

The county clerk has advised that the election will be conducted by mail.

The following shall be the ballot title of the measure to be submitted to the voters of this district in Lincoln County on this date:

CAPTION

Bonds to construct Trades Education Center, improve classrooms, safety, technology.

QUESTION

Dated: 2/2/23

By: Nathan F. Smith, Esq., OSB #120112 Successor

Trustee Malcolm & Cisneros, A Law Corporation Attention: Nathan F. Smith, Esq., OSB #120112 c/o

TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Order Number 89187, Pub Dates: 2/14/2023, 2/21/2023, 2/28/2023, 3/7/2023, THE NEWS GUARD

NG23-431 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN PROBATE DEPARTMENT In the Matter of the Estate of: JOAN MARLENE CHRISTOPHER, Deceased. No. 23PB00624 NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the estate. All persons having claims against the estate are hereby required to present their claims, with proper vouchers, within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this notice, to the Personal Representative at the address below, or

NG23-438 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN In the Matter of the Estate of: SYLVIA ANN VALE, Deceased. Case No. 23PB01169 NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that JACK WILLIAM HAYDEN has been appointed personal representative. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present them, with vouchers attached, to Personal Representative, JACK WILLIAM HAYDEN, at the address below, within four months after the date of first publication of this notice, or the claims may be barred. All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings may obtain additional information from the records of the court, the personal representative, or the attorneys for the per-

Shall Oregon Coast Community College build a new Trades Education Center; improve existing facilities; issue up to $32,000,000 in bonds?

If the bonds are approved, they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of sections 11 and 11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.

SUMMARY

The College has been awarded $8,140,000 in state funds only available if the bonds are approved. Projects expected to be financed with bond and state funds include:

Construct a new Trades Education Center expanding career options in skilled trades for Lincoln County residents.

Expand, adapt, and modernize existing career technical training facilities and acquire land supporting programs including Education, Allied Health, Applied Aquatic Sciences, and Welding.

Update classrooms, technology, facilities, and equipment providing students with modern higher education and job training spaces, including flexible hybrid learning options to meet student needs into the future.

Enhance facilities and acquire equipment contributing to community emergency response infrastructure.

Improvements to existing facilities increasing lifespan and efficiency.

Site improvements, furnishings and equipment, and bond issuance costs.

Bonds would mature in not to exceed 21 years from issuance and may be issued in series. The estimated incremental increase in the tax rate from this year’s tax rate is $0.05 per $1,000 of assessed value. Actual tax rate may differ due to final interest rates and changes in assessed values.

Sea Stars protection kelp forests, researchers say

STEVE LUNDEBERG News Guard Guest Article

A research team, including a scientist from Oregon State University, has provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America’s Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is important because

kelp, large algae with massive ecological and economic importance around the world, are under siege from environmental change and overgrazing by sea urchins.

The findings by a collaboration that also featured scientists from the University of Oregon and The Nature Conservancy suggest that the sunflower sea star likely plays a much stronger role in kelp forest health than had been previously thought.

Lab experiments showed that sea stars, known scientifically as Pycnopodia helianthoides, consume urchins at rates sufficient to maintain and perhaps reset the health of kelp forests. The authors are calling for active management and a coordinated sunflower sea star recovery.

“What we saw suggests a clear link between the crash of sea stars, the explosion in sea urchin populations and the decline in kelp,” Oregon State College of Science research associate Sarah Gravem said.

“It also points to sea star recovery as a potential key tool for kelp forest recovery.”

Kelp are a foundation species that occupy nearly 50% of the world’s marine ecoregions. They especially thrive in cold water, where they form large aquatic forests that provide essential habitat, food and refuge for many species. Their sensitivity to certain growing conditions means climate change and a warming ocean are particularly problematic for them.

Kelp are often harvested for use in products ranging from toothpaste and shampoos to puddings and cakes, and they also help support nutrient cycling, shoreline protection and commercial fisheries such as rockfish. Economists place kelp’s value in the range of billions of dollars annually.

In 2020, the sunflower sea star was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature following a population study led by OSU and The Nature Conservancy.

Populations of the sunflower sea star suffered dramatic downturns because of a marine wildlife epidemic event, referred to as sea star wasting syndrome, that began in 2013, Gravem said.

In the population study, scientists used more than 61,000 population surveys from 31 datasets to calculate a 90.6% decline in sunflower sea stars and estimated that as many as 5.75 billion animals died from the disease, whose cause has not been determined.

Moreover, the research produced no indications of population recovery in any region in the years since the outbreak.

Sunflower sea stars are now nearly absent in Mexico as well as most of the contiguous United States, the scientists say. No stars have been seen in Mexico since 2016, and only a handful have been found in Oregon and California since 2018.

Researchers have thought that the sea star decline helped

What we saw suggests a clear link between the crash of sea stars, the explosion in sea urchin populations and the decline in kelp.

Sarah Gravem,

fuel an explosion in the urchin population in many regions, with an overabundance of urchins placing added pressure on kelp forests already being challenged by marine heat wave events.

But prior to the latest study, the relationship between sea stars, urchins and kelp had not been quantified, Gravem said.

“This study addresses that gap, and the findings are significant and somewhat surprising,” University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology principal investigator Aaron Galloway said. “We found that these stars are eager consumers of purple urchins and, most importantly, they even eat the nutritionally poor, starving ‘zombie’ urchins.”

Other important predators of purple sea urchins, such as sea otters, are generally known to avoid eating starving urchins from “barrens” –massive underwater carpets of urchins that have devoured their food supply and can live for years in an emaciated state until kelp grow back.

The new study, funded by The Nature Conservancy and the National Science Foundation, shows that a sunflower sea star on average eats about 0.68 sea urchins per day, and that they eat starved urchins, the ones associated with barrens, 21% faster than they consume the well-fed urchins typical of healthy kelp forests.

“Eating less than one urchin per day may not sound like a lot, but we think there used to be over 5 billion sunflower sea stars,” Gravem said. “We used a model to show that the pre-disease densities of sea stars on the U.S. West Coast were usually more than enough to keep sea urchin numbers down and prevent barrens.”

Because sunflower sea star recovery is unlikely to happen in the near term without intervention, Gravem said, researchers have developed a “Roadmap to Species Recovery” that includes the world’s first captive breeding program for the species and a pathway to re-introduction.

Also collaborating on the study were scientists from the University of Washington and Florida State University.

Steve Lundeberg is a researcher and writer for Oregon State University Relations and Marketing. He may be reached at steve.lundeberg@oregonstate.edu

Courtesy from Jenna Nichols

Lab experiments showed that sea stars, known scientifically as Pycnopodia helianthoides, consume urchins at rates sufficient to maintain and perhaps reset the health of kelp forests.

Oregon State College of Science research associate.

Courtesy photo

The projects include promoting wildfire-specific community risk reduction efforts, community education, defensible space projects, home assessments, media campaigns, signage, fuel mitigation programs, and grant funds.

County to share $2.7M for wildfire reduction plans

STAFF REPORT

Country Media, Inc.

Lincoln County is one of several across the state that will receive a portion of $2.7 million from the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) for wildfire risk reduction projects.

The OSFM said the strategic one-time investment is being made at local and county levels through community wildfire protection plans (CWPP).

Reduction efforts

The projects include promoting wild-

fire-specific community risk reduction efforts, community education, defensible space projects, home assessments, media campaigns, signage, fuel mitigation programs, and grant funds.

The OSFM’s fire risk reduction specialists worked with local CWPP planning groups to determine where funding was needed. This selection process was based on actionable projects, underserved communities, and the risk of fire in or near communities.

The reduction efforts will take place in

25 CWPP planning areas located in Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River,

Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Wallowa, Wheeler, and Yamhill counties.

The funds are part of the OSFM’s Fire Adapted Oregon initiative, available because of Senate Bill 762.

To learn more about wildfire risk reduction and response investments, visit the agency’s grants and Investments in Action pages.

About Fire Adapted Oregon

The OSFM’s Fire Adapted Oregon initiative was created to help prepare communities

for wildfire and reduce its impacts.

Fire Adapted Oregon offers education and training to empower communities to protect themselves and their property from wildfire. Learn more here.

About Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP)

A CWPP is a plan developed by a community in an area at risk from wildfire. The community wildfire protection planning process is the collaboration between communities and agencies interested in reducing wildfire risk.

Forestry Board votes to continue habitat conservation plan

WILL CHAPPELL

Country Media, Inc.

Work on the habitat conservation plan for Western Oregon’s state forests will continue as planned.

The follows a motion to start a new, duplicate process narrowly failed to pass at the latest Oregon Board of Forestry meeting.

Future remains murky

Despite the motion’s failure, the future of the habitat conservation plan, or HCP, remains murky after downward adjustments to harvest projections late last year have drawn concern from the board and the counties and special districts that rely on timber revenues.

The virtual special meeting on February 15 was called at the request of two board members. They wished to discuss progress on the HCP after harvest projections in the transitional implementation plan set to be rolled out in July have drawn consternation.

ODF’s State Forest Division Chief Mike Wilson started the meeting by giving the board an update on a new

transitional implementation plan and work on the habitat conservation plan.

While not the final HCP, the transitional implementation plan that is set to be enacted on July 1, is a good predictor of the harvest yields that would be allowed under the HCP. The implementation plan is designed to transition from the old forest management plan to the new one scheduled to be rolled out in conjunction with the HCP in July 2025.

Interim projections presented to the board last summer predicted harvest levels around 225 million board feet annually, down slightly from the 247 million board feet averaged between 2000 and 2021.

However, projections released in January following model solution review last fall that are being used in the transitional implementation plan cut harvest projections drastically further, to between 165 and 182.5 million board feet annually.

Wilson said that the cuts came based on more detailed consideration of the conditions in specific groves, mentioning Swiss needle cast and

off-site seed as examples of limiting factors in Tillamook State Forest.

Wilson stressed that the harvest projections from the implementation plan were not the final projections for the HCP. He said that those final projections would be present ed to the board with a variety of conservation and harvest options at their June meeting.

The balance

Board Member Joe Justice followed the presentation by saying that he believed the newest harvest estimates did not achieve a balance between conservation and financial viability, the dual goals the board had set for the HCP.

Justice said that he be lieved that a harvest closer to the 225 million board feet presented last summer was more equitable for rural communities and counties. Justice asked Wilson if he thought the revised projections due in June would project a harvest level close to that and Wilson said that he did not.

Considering the latest estimates as well as the 70-year term of the plan, Justice said that he was proposing a motion for ODF staff to begin

Metro Creative Connection

The Oregon Board of Forestry is continuing developing its current habitat conservation plan.

that doing so would set the HCP development process back at least two years. The draft of the plan is already with federal regulators for review under the National Environmental Policy Act, so it is too late to amend that document.

Wilson said that the agency also lacked the staff to begin work on a second HCP concurrently with the ongoing work on the already-sub-

as the meeting went on.

While both agreed that the projections were alarmingly low, one favored allowing the process to run its course before essentially restarting the process. They argued that the decision should wait until after the board receives updated projections in June and a final draft of the plan in September.

The other group argued that the already released fig-

ures represented too drastic a change from what they had discussed previously, making Justice’s motion failed by a vote of 4-3 during the Feb. 15 meeting. Board Members Justice, Liz Agpaoa and Karla Chambers voted aye, while Board Chair Jim Kelly and Board Members Ben Deumling, Chandra Ferrari and Brenda McComb voted nay. Follow development at thenewsguarc.com and in the Tuesday print editions of The News Guard.

Continued from Page 1 have to keep focused and stay the course in order to make much-needed investments in Oregonians’ most urgent shared priorities: housing and homelessness, behavioral health, and education.”

Republican response

Continued from Page 1 of housing are under construction. We need this housing and more. The city and the County have worked with non-profits to make this happen here, and I am hopeful that we can make even more

SNOW DAY

House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville) issued the following statement upon the release of today’s quarterly revenue and economic forecast: “The quarterly revenue forecast revealed our state’s economy and revenue influx is stable. However, we must

progress in the coming years. The News Guard: Overall, what’s your forecast for our city as we move ahead?

Wahlke: I am an optimistic person and I see a bright future for our city. Our Council and city staff have been working collaboratively to

not forget the reality Oregonians are experiencing on a daily basis – inflation at a rate of over 8 percent, gas at nearly 4 dollars a gallon, and a dozen eggs which cost even more than that ($5.22).

“The State of Oregon experienced a historic infusion of federal funding, but Oregonians and the Legislature

get things done. I look forward to our opportunity to discuss what we want to accomplish during the next two years and make plans for the future of Lincoln City.

Background

While the winter snow storm provided beautiful scenery and a chance to make a snowman, it also was challenging not only for drivers but pedestrians as well. The National Weather Service said Lincoln County received up to 5 inches of snow along the beaches and inland while up to a foot of snow fell at higher elevations which closed area schools and forced some businesses to adjust operating hours for the safety of their employees and customers.

must face the reality that these funds have ended. For the remainder of the 2023 Legislative Session, we must pursue fiscal responsibility which includes leaving our Education Stability Fund (ESF) and rainy-day funds (RDF) alone.

“We must return Oregon’s ‘kicker’ back into the hands of hardworking Oregonians.

Wahlke was elected to serve as Ward 1 City Councilor in 2014 and served from 2015 through 2018. In November of 2018 she ran unsuccessfully for Mayor. She ran again and was elected in May of 2021 to fill the unexpired portion of former

While my Pendleton friends would say “let er’ buck,” I say “let er’ kick.”

Background

The Oregon Economic Forecast provides information to planners and policy makers in state agencies and private organizations for use

Mayor Dick Anderson’s term. She has served as mayor since June of 2021. The position is a four-year term. In 2022 she was elected as Mayor after running against City Councilor Riley Hoagland. During her campaign for office, in a published article with The

in their decision making processes. The Oregon Revenue Forecast opens the revenue forecasting process to public review. It is the basis for much of the budgeting in state government. The forecast reports are issued four times a year: March, June, September, and December.

News Guard she said Lincoln City’s Mayor should be a collaborator.

“But unlike some Oregon cities, the Lincoln City Mayor has one of seven votes,” she stated in the article. “I give every councilor a chance to state their opinion, and I state my opinion. I encourage discussion of the issues, and input from the public and staff. As mayor I listen. In a leadership role, often listening is more important than talking.”

Mayor Wahlke’s State of the City address is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Highway 101.

Photos by Jeremy C. Ruark / Country Media, Inc.

The champions

The University of Oregon ultimate frisbee team wins President’s Day Invitational in San Diego

WILL LOHRE

Country Media, Inc.

Since December 2022, I have had the pleasure of writing articles about the high school sports programs at Taft High School and keeping the community updated on how those teams are doing. I am passionate about sports, not just as a newswriter but also as an athlete and a coach. This week, I want to step back and talk about some of the sports goings-on in my life.

Over the Presidents’ Day Holiday, I helped coach the University of Oregon’s club ultimate frisbee team, “Ego,” to a tournament win in San Diego.

Crash Course in ultimate frisbee

For those unfamiliar with ultimate frisbee, don’t worry; you’re certainly not alone; in fact, you are in the majority.

Ultimate frisbee doesn’t involve chain baskets or dogs; it is a team sport. Teams play 7 v 7 on a field 120 yards long and 40 yards wide. The area of play is 70 yards long with 25-yard endzones on either side.

Running with the frisbee is prohibited, and athletes must throw it to each other to move the disc up the field and catch it in the endzone to score a point. If there is a turnover (mis cue or defensive block), the team previously on defense picks up the frisbee and plays offense going the other way.

It is a fast-paced, backand-forth game, and only af ter a catch is made in the end zone are new players allowed to substitute.

Coaching from experi ence

Believe it or not, ultimate frisbee is a sport that can be played through all life stag es if a team is in your area.

I began playing when I was in middle school in Colo rado, and there are age di visions stretching to 60+! I have played in high school, in college at the Universi ty of Oregon, for adult club teams based out of Portland and Denver, and even on the international stage, winning a world championship with

Team USA’s under-24 division in 2018.

For colleges and clubs, national championship tournaments happen every year.

I was lucky enough to be a part of a national championship team out of Denver just last summer. This spring and summer, I will play with the Portland Nitro, a semi-professional frisbee team who plays at Providence Park, which is home to the Portland Timbers and Thorns FC.

Playing at these various levels has given me the depth of experience to pass on my knowledge to the next generation of college athletes coming through the University of Oregon.

The college division

The college season spans from January to May, and over those five months, teams travel to tournaments with the hope of earning bids for their region to go to nationals. The

Ultimately (no pun intended), the game was decided on a “Hail Mary” deep throw from Chang to sophomore Chander Boyd-Fliegel, who made a leaping catch over a Colorado defender to seal the tournament win.

After the catch, chaos ensued as our team rushed the field to mob Boyd-Fliegel and their teammates who had been on the field. Head coach Braedon Petrus and I could not have been prouder of the group.

Lessons from coaching

Like many coaches I talk to at Taft High School and around the state, coaching is about more than wins and losses. Teaching players skills and concepts is crucial to the role; however, being a positive role model for the athletes is the most rewarding aspect.

I had a hand in coaching Oregon last year. Though our season ended heartbreakingly as we failed to qualify for nationals, seeing the group’s growth from last year to the present has been remarkable. While I love playing frisbee and enjoy coaching, I would not be doing it without the gratification of helping young people push themselves and achieve their goals. This is just the first in a series of columns I hope to write. The subject matter may vary; I love professional sports, movies, books, and TV shows, and I hope to share my thoughts with the community as a way of helping people get to know me and maybe get people talking or thinking about things they otherwise wouldn’t. To learn more about ultimate frisbee, visit ultiworld.com.

Courtesy photo from Mike Glass

The University of Oregon’s club frisbee team after being crowned Presidents’ Day champions in San Diego.