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Active Shooter Preparedness.......................... PAGE 3 Whale Watching Week.. ............................. PAGE 11

March 21, 2023

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I often hear how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. People love it here and they can’t wait to come back. Lori Arce-Torres, Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

Making Bank Spring Break means big business in Lincoln City JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

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ourism in Lincoln City is a key economic factor that provides hundreds of jobs, fuels businesses sustainability and impacts the city’s livability. The economics

While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed tourism for a time, Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Arce-Torres said the visitors industry is now a year-round economic factor. “We have seen a definite increase in tourism over the past few years, and it’s not just during the spring and summer months making our tourism season more consistent during the entire year,” she said.

“The pandemic forced people to stay close to home while vacationing, and in many cases, they re-discovered the beautiful Oregon Coast. I often hear how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. People love it here, and they can’t wait to come back. “ Arce-Torres said transportation to Lincoln City can be challenging, still, people are visiting here. “Although airline travel is back up and running, it is still a bit of a gamble, with high ticket prices and uncertainty in arrival times,” she said. “Gas prices, although higher than in previous years, are still fairly reasonable and people are choosing to drive to their destinations where they have control of their circumstances.”

Even though the pandemic seems to be behind us, Arce-Torres said businesses are still having challenges getting back up and running with full staffs. “The lack of employees is the number one issue I continue to hear about,” she said. “It seems that every business in town is hiring in some capacity. Employers have been forced to increase wages, See MONEY, Page 10

Beer, wine price boost proposed Starmer resigns Fast Fact Excessive alcohol use is Oregon’s third leading cause of preventable death. Six people die each day here due to alcohol. In 2020, alcohol-related deaths increased 73%. Oregon ranks fifth nationally in alcohol addiction and 12% of Oregonians have alcohol use disorder, according to state representatives. STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc. Prices for beer and wine could be temporarily increased to help fund immediate access to detox and treatment, under proposed state legislation. The Alcohol Harm Reduction Act (HB 3312) has been introduced by Oregon State Rep. Tawna Sanchez, a licensed social worker, Rep. Travis Nelson, and Rep. Lisa Reynolds. Additional funding will be used to educate consumers and children about the adverse health impacts of alcohol, fentanyl, cannabis, and methamphetamines, according to a release from the legislators. “As too many Oregon families know, excessive alcohol use destroys lives, families, and relationships,” Sanchez said. “Alcohol addiction cuts across income level, race, culture, geography—and politics. That makes reducing the harms of alcohol in our state an issue that should unite everyone. There are over 450,000 people struggling with addiction across Oregon, primarily addiction to alcohol. I believe their lives are worth more than a dime a drink, and I hope my colleagues do too.” “The out-of-state alcohol industry is trumpeting that this is a 1200% increase, which is intentionally misleading. What they don’t want consumers to know is that it’s just a ten-cent-abeer increase, spread out over five years,” Oregon Recovers Executive Director Mike Marshall said. “This bill was specifically designed not to negatively impact Oregon’s breweries and wineries; their customers won’t even notice a two-cent-a-year increase. Those who will notice are people who engage in binge drinking and underage drinking—two behaviors predictive of lifetime alcohol addiction. Those folks simply aren’t the customer base of breweries and winer-

ies. Let’s keep the focus on what this bill is all about: addressing Oregon’s alcohol crisis and saving lives.” By the numbers Excessive alcohol use is Oregon’s third-leading cause of preventable death. Six people die each day here due to alcohol. In 2020, alcohol-related deaths increased 73%. Oregon ranks 5th nationally in alcohol addiction and 12% of Oregonians have alcohol use disorder, according to the release. Oregon ranks 50th in access to addiction treatment, with 18% of Oregonians needing but not receiving treatment. Each alcoholic drink sold in Oregon costs local and state governments $2.08 in lost workplace productivity, health care expenses, criminal justice costs, and motor vehicle crashes. The total economic costs of excessive drinking in Oregon were $4.8 billion in 2019, the release states. Oregon currently has the lowest beer tax and the second lowest wine tax in the country, when factoring in the lack of a state sales tax. Beer taxes are less than 1 cent per bottle and haven’t been raised since 1977. Wine taxes are 3 cents a glass, and haven’t been raised since 1982. The Alcohol Harm Reduction Act calls for a temporary, incremental price increase to $0.10 per bottle of beer/cider, and $0.17 per glass of wine. The increased pricing sunsets when Oregon’s alcohol addiction rate falls from 12% to 5, according to the release. The legislators said raising alcohol prices to reduce harmful consumption and fund services is popular with voters. Six in 10 Oregonians support increasing alcohol taxes in order to reduce harmful alcohol use like binge See ALCOHOL, Page 10

from city council JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc. Lincoln City Councilor Elaine Starmer has abruptly resigned. The resignation came Monday night, March 13, during the regular city public session. The following is Elaine Starmer’s response to The News Guard inquiry as to why she has resigned. “I understand you’re looking for comment from me regarding my resignation. As I stated in the March 13 City Council meeting, I cannot speak openly about the details of the Executive Session that convinced me I am no longer a good fit for LC City Council. I am still bound by the code of conduct regarding confidentiality for Executive Sessions. “What I will tell you is that I did not resign because of a specific person in City Hall. No one has that kind of control over my decisions and actions. But sometimes you simply have to accept the reality of a situation and decide whether or not your personal values can co-exist in that situation. “I know that is a cryptic answer, a non-answer really, but it is the most I can say on the matter. I will leave you with this . . . it takes strong leadership, a united council, and a cooperative and innovative city staff to make meaningful change. You can’t tuck your tail in the face of intimidation and veiled threats. Standing up for what is right in not always an easy task. Lastly, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the voters of Ward 1 who allowed me

Police Blotter ............ 3 Opinion ...................... 5

Classifieds.............. 7-8 Sports ...................... 12

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Reaction Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke Elaine said Starmer’s departure Starmer from the city council took her by surprise. “I am disappointment,” Wahlke said. Lincoln City Manager Daphnee Legarza also said was surprised by Starmer’s resignation. Legarza said she was planning to prepare an agenda item for the March 27 city council meeting about the process to fill the vacant council position. Legarza referred to the city charter for the process, which states: “A vacancy in the council shall be filled by appointment by majority of the council, provided, however, that the council may in its discretion call a special election for the purpose of filling such vacancy. The appointee’s term shall begin immediately upon his or her appointment and qualification and shall continue through the unexpired term of the appointee’s predecessor. During the temporary disability of a council member, or during a member’s absence from the city, the office may be filled pro-tem in the manner provided for filling vacancies in office.” Background In 2021, Starmer was elected in 2021 to replace See STARMER, Page 2

TheNewsGuard.com

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the privilege of representing them.”

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