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Lincoln County Leader -- The News Guard
Celebrating a milestone
Ossies Surf Shop owner Dan Hasselschwert is celebrating teaching surfing for college credit at Oregon State University for 20 years! Dan earned his masters degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Portland State University in 2004 and pitched the idea of a surfing class for college credit to OSU. Oregon had never had a surfing class for collage credit but OSU director Ann Asbell agreed to allow the class on a probationary basis. After several successful classes were in the books, the University decided to make Surfing a permanent class. It has been 20 years since Dan first started teaching this class and we want to recognize his achievements as well as showcase the expertise Dan and Ossies Surf Shop has with teaching surfing.
An alleged stolen vehicle leads to the arrest of a Newport man
A Newport man faces multiple charges following a law enforcement pursuit that officials said was stopped by a standing pedestrian. Willamette Valley Communication Center 911 (WVCC) received a report at approximately 6:02 a.m. May 14, of a vehicle stolen from the Siletz Valley Charter School in Siletz. The owner of the vehicle also reported that there was a firearm stored in the vehicle. Dispatch broadcast detailed information to the Newport...
Financial success for high school graduates
The world can be expensive, especially for high school graduates continuing to college. With limited financial experience, navigating college costs may be overwhelming for them. Here are some ways supportive family members can empower the grads to navigate their financial future. Gifting strategies • Cash contributions: This classic approach gives your grad the flexibility to use the money for their most pressing needs like rent, textbooks, or loan payments. ...
$7 million available in salmon fishery disaster funds
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has announced that $7,050,722 is available to Oregon to address poor performance of the state’s ocean commercial salmon fisheries for 2018, 2019, and 2020. This includes impacts to commercial fishermen, processors, and the fishing ecosystem and environment. The “Oregon Spend Plan,” vetted through NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), is now available for public review and comment. The...
College seeks voter approval for $33M funding measure
Oregon Coast Community College has referred to voters a $33,165,000 bond measure in the May Primary Election that, if passed, would provide funds to construct a new trades education building and support safety updates and modernizing existing facilities. According to information provided on the OCCC website, the college first commissioned plans for the proposed trades education facility in 2017. The goal of developing trades-focused, pre-apprenticeship training programs and trades has been identified in the college’s past two strategic planning documents. The OCCC Strategic Priorities plan...
Historical society has new executive director
The Lincoln County Historical Society (LCHS), which governs the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center on the Bayfront and the Burrows House Museum on Southwest Ninth Street in Newport, has a new executive director following Susan Tissot’s retirement. Jeffrey Syrop was hired by the board of directors and took over in May. Syrop is no stranger to Lincoln County museums, having spent the last seven years working to preserve and interpret the county’s history. He started as the curator for the LCHS in 2017 and went on...
Criminal charges 'not warranted' in OLCC Investigation
After thoroughly investigating allegations that employees of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) improperly used their positions to obtain in-demand bottles of bourbon, the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded that criminal charges are not warranted. The summary report (linked here) is limited to criminal matters and does not separately address whether the conduct of any OLCC employee violated Oregon’s civil ethics laws. The investigation was conducted by...
Robotic-assisted surgery now at Newport hospital
Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital recently joined an elite group. It is now among just a few dozen Critical Access Hospitals across the U.S. to offer robotic-assisted surgery — and the first Critical Access Hospital in Oregon to use it as an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. “This is an amazing moment for our small and thriving community hospital,” said Aimee Thompson, chair of the Pacific Communities Health District Board of Directors. ...
Spring sting
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted a spring sting, which involved pulling over young drivers to ensure the buckle-up-for-safety rule was followed. Luckily, this driver was all buckled in. The sheriff’s office urges all young drivers to stay safe.
This Week in History
25 years ago (1999) Waldport High students protest budget cuts About 60 Waldport High School students who walked away from school Monday — in part to protest school budget cuts — are being suspended from school for three days, administrators say. The students, who organized their protest over several weeks, in particular disagreed with expected...
Lincoln City mayor looks to the future
Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke looked to the past to illustrate how the city is moving forward into the future. In her State of the City address April 23, Wahlke outlined the progress the city has made in developing new affordable housing through the city’s planning and development department. She highlighted Innovative Housing Inc., 107 affordable housing units across Highway 101 from Oceanlake Fire Station; and Wecoma Place, 44 affordable units by Lincoln County Housing Authority at Northeast 29th and Highway 101. ...
Oregon utilities promote wildfire season awareness
The Oregon Public Utility Commission, Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Idaho Power encourage Oregonians to prepare for wildfire season. They are issuing the advisory in recognition of National Wildfire Awareness Month, which kicked off May 1. “Everyone has a part to play this summer in keeping our communities safe,” the PUC and utility companies stated in a release. PGE, Pacific Power and Idaho Power invest year-round in methods to...
Recycling Modernization Act details discussed
Representatives from the three solid waste haulers in Lincoln County provided details about the Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) to the county commissioners at their meeting on May 1. Paul Seitz, manager of the Lincoln County Solid Waste District, said local recycling efforts are going quite well. “For a rural county, for a small area in the state, we are really operating at close to what’s happening in metropolitan areas in services, education, all those things, and that really is the three partners that we have...
Several Taft High school students recognized
Taft High School Career and Technical Education program (CTE) students achieved several honors at the recent SkillsUSA Oregon Championships, demonstrating their expertise in technical and vocational disciplines, according to a release from the Lincoln County School District. In the public speaking competition, senior Cheyenne Pullin represented the school’s Speech and Debate Club and captured first place in Extemporaneous Speaking. Participants in this event are tasked with delivering a structured and persuasive speech on a topic provided on the spot, showcasing their ability to think and...
Law enforcement pursuit ends in arrest
A domestic assault suspect is facing multiple criminal charges following a law enforcement pursuit through Lincoln City on Friday, May 3. The Lincoln City Police Department was contacted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at around 7:50 a.m. Friday for assistance with locating a suspect involved in a domestic violence assault they were investigating. They believed the suspect, identified as Edward Eldridge, was heading to Lincoln City, and deputies provided LCPD with information about their case and a description of the vehicle Eldridge was driving. ...
Man steals transit bus
On April 28, shortly before noon, officers with the Newport Police Department responded to the Lincoln County fuel pumps near the intersection of Northeast Third and Harney streets on a report of a stolen Lincoln County transit bus. Officers spoke to the transit bus driver, who advised they had parked at the fuel pump and gone inside to use the restroom. The bus driver said when they came back out, the bus was gone. Police officers, with the assistance of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office,...
Letter: How I would improve the county’s homeless plan
In 2007, Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall co-authored a plan “for eradicating chronic homelessness” within 10 years. Seventeen years later, how did this plan work out? Not well. Rather than ending homelessness, the number of unhoused people in Lincoln County has swelled to an estimated 2,000, according to a new report. Once scenic parks and trails have become campgrounds for the unhoused, typically littered with unhealthy garbage. Brazen trespassers stake out private forestlands and vacant lots. A Newport official told me that streams we need...
Letter: History repeats itself
I am confused by the demonstrations going on across our nation at college campuses. The demonstrators are demanding the end of Israel and all Jewish people living on Earth. They believe that the terrorists operating out of Gaza were correct last year when they attacked the Jewish villages and beheaded babies. They raped women and young girls then beheaded them. They murdered the men who were defenseless. The terrorists kidnapped Jewish citizens and took them to the underground tunnels to use them for shields and whatever else they could think of. ...
Letter: Vote Claire Hall for county commissioner
I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation about our outstanding county commissioner, Claire Hall. When I first returned to Lincoln County, I was very interested in working on housing issues, and everyone I talked to said, "Talk to Commissioner Hall." I found Claire easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable about this number one issue in our community. Her years of experience, knowledge and relationships with key players...
Lincoln County Leader -- The News Guard
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