Outstanding batting was the order of the day for the Taft Tigers girls varsity softball.
Two inside the fence home runs and a late inning blast over the fence made short work of the Pirates.
An enthusiastic crowd was on hand to cheer the teams.
The team plays against Gladstone Friday March 24 at 4 p.m. Then off to the North Medford Spring Break Tournament on Monday the 27th .
Go to https://www.osaa.org/activities/sbl/schedules?date=2023-03-27 for more scores and schedules.
Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Human Services sent this bulletin at 03/03/2023 08:15 AM PST
Salem, Ore.— Workers, patients and visitors in health care settings will no longer be required to wear masks starting April 3, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced today.
OHA is rescinding provisions in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 333-019-1011 that require workers in health care settings – such as hospitals, mobile clinics, ambulances, outpatient facilities, dental offices, urgent care centers, counseling offices, school-based health centers, complementary and alternative medicine locations – to wear masks. The requirement has been in effect since August 2021.
In addition, Executive Order 22-24 will expire on March 6, 2023. The emergency gave hospitals needed flexibility to respond to a surge in respiratory infections, including COVID-19, RSV and influenza.
The decision to end statewide health care mask requirements aligns with decisions in other states, including Washington.
It’s been quite a year for 15 year old Tessa Bonelli Sanquist. Having just completed her time as USofA Lincoln City Teen she has gone on to become Miss Lane County Teen for Miss America. Though she is a Lincoln County resident, Lincoln County has no Miss Teen organization so by their rules she may represent a sister county.
The home schooled star wants to use her platform to discuss and demystify dyslexia ( a condition she has had to cope with her entire life) and encourage other teens and kids to “Dream big. Don’t be afraid to try new things.”
With a steady gaze and a confident smile Tessa shared her story of struggling with not being able to read until her condition was finally diagnosed in fifth grade. But she has always been determined not to let it define her.
Tessa also shared her love of participating in the Miss teen competitions.
“It’s really like a big family, like having a lot of sisters. We all talk and text all the time. And honestly if someone else wins, I’m really happy for them. We’re family.”
When not studying for school or memorizing monologues for contests, Tessa performs in productions with the Lincoln City Playhouse, a theatre group that her mother, Karen Bonelli Sanquist created.
Tessa can be seen in the upcoming Lincoln City Playhouse production of “Into the Woods” where she will play “the Witch.”
Tessa’s next contest will be the Oregon Outstanding Teen Scholarship Program to be held in North Bend from April 28th-30th.
Wednesday, the Tigers faced a strong challenge from a physically larger Dalles team at the Pit.
The Riverhawks lead from the first inning with strong bat work that tested the legs and arms of the Tiger’s outfielders.
Run after run scored thanks to soaring balls swatted by the Dalles batsmen. At times the balls reached the fence line in right, center and left fields.
The Tigers pitchers and infielders put up a strong defense and thanks to some early poor pitching by the Riverhawks they were able to keep the game competitive though the 1-15 score might not reflect it.
“Size doesn’t necessarily mean much in baseball.” said coach Dustin Hankins. He noted that only a couple of plays per inning gave the Hawks the lead.
“We’re still finding out about each other and learning to trust on the field.”
Asked about some highlights of the game, coach mentioned, “Gavin Koceja got his first hit of the pre season, Baron Delameter hit the ball hard as did Kai Bayer.”
So far, the mighty Tigers are 2-2 in preseason action. Their next match is against the Newport Cubs starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Pit 3951 SE High School Dr, Lincoln City, OR 97367
Gleneden Beach Community Hall hosted Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers on Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking to the crowd of over 50 attendees, Sheriff Landers shared his background in law enforcement including his early days doing ride alongs.
“Going on the ride alongs and driving fast was fun.” He said, which drew laughter from the crowd. “But now that I’m responsible for things…no more driving fast. For anyone.”
He shared about his time as a contract deputy with the city of Depoe Bay. Feeling, at first, he was being punished somehow by being assigned to a very small town, he soon changed his mind.
“I gained so much valuable experience by working in a small town… I learned a lot, It was a valuable lesson getting out and meeting everybody, solving crimes. It was very valuable.”
Bringing the group to the present day Landers added,
“I’m now in my third year of my second term as Sheriff and I really enjoy it.”
He then opened the floor to take some questions from the audience where questions ranged from current staffing levels to jurisdictional boundaries.
Landers said he was encouraged about his staffing levels but did say they were still lower than he would like.
He shared that his department’s areas of coverage were anywhere in the county that isn’t already covered by a city’s police force, adding that they often relied on the State police for assistance and back up when needed.
One question dealt with his department’s interaction with the mentally ill.
“Unfortunately it is the mentally ill and drug addicted that are filling our jails. It’s a huge problem and as you can imagine it’s not a good environment for someone like that to be in. Someone who comes into the jail environment suffering from mental illness really starts to deteriorate quickly in there.”
“We are doing a lot of things-we have two mental health counselors, which is almost unheard of in a jail our size. We try to determine the level of someone’s mental illness as quick as we can.”
He went on to talk about the assessment process and how, sometimes, it is the first time someone’s mental state had been addressed. He spoke of how, in the past, someone suffering a mental crises could remain in custody longer than if they had pled guilty, served their time and were released on schedule. “We don’t see that as much anymore.”
Lincoln City Homepage asked for the sheriff’s observations about how the decriminalization of marijuana in 2015 and the decriminalization of more dangerous drugs via ballot measure 110 passed in 2020 is affecting the community.
“I remember when any amount of marijuana was a criminal offense. Now, basically if any one is caught with a small amount of those drugs, they are fined one hundred dollars and given the number to a hotline and if they call that hotline there would be no record of the citation. No consequences.”
“I can tell you,” he continued. “Very, very very few people have reached out to use the hotline. Basically how the measure was sold and passed was that we would get all these people (drug users) help via funding from marijuana sales. They aren’t taking advantage of the resources promised.”
“Part of the reason of why some people get help in the first place is that they were arrested or repeatedly arrested until they reached a point in their lives where they saw that they needed a change.”
He went on to say that some of those convicted would take advantage of programs offered in jails.
“Sometimes it’s a wakeup call and not having that (experience of jail time) no one is taking advantage of treatment that is in place for them. I think our youth see the lack of consequences to being arrested and don’t see the harm (of drug use). It’s really unfortunate.”
“I’ve asked people that finally got clean, ‘what worked for you? What made a difference?’ Their response is, ‘I’d had enough. I started participating in the programs while incarcerated and turned my life around. If I hadn’t been arrested and convicted I don’t think I would have gotten clean.”
Gleneden Beach Community Center is at 110 Azalea Street, Gleneden Beach, Oregon 97388.
They plan on presenting speakers once per month throughout the summer.
Call 541-921-9573 for their schedule.
The Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a series of public hearings on the state budget.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to testify at each of these scheduled hearings regarding their perspectives and priorities around the state budget.
The series of hearings will start on April 8, 2023 at Portland Community College- Sylvania Campus.
Coastal residents will have their opportunity to share their thoughts in Newport.
Friday, April 14 (5:00 – 7:00 pm)
Location: Newport Performing Arts Center
777 W Olive St, Newport, OR 97365
To testify, members of the public will be able to access sign up links on the Ways and Means Committee’s webpage on the
Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Committees/JWM/Overview
Sign up links will be available online in the next week.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Lincoln City and the Taft 7-12 track was blooming with future track stars.
Under the watchful eyes of coaches Doll, Snelling, Tolan and Williams the boys and girls varsity track squads practiced running, dashing, jumping, throwing discus and handing off batons.
The young athletes all seemed excited for the new season and listened carefully as each coach handed out pointers about techniques they would need to improve upon.
The first scheduled competition is March 22 for an Invitational Meet at McMinnville High 615 NE 15th St, McMinnville, OR.
Anyone near the D River Wayside today caught a glimpse of high flying kites in what seemed like a mini kite festival.
If, in the space of 15 minutes, the weather changes from sunshine to rain to hail to freezing wind, it must be baseball season at the Oregon coast.
Varsity baseball returned today to “The Pit” at Taft 7-12 with the Taft Tigers facing the Corbett Cardinals. Despite facing a roulette wheel of weather, both teams played with great energy and enthusiasm in the season opener.
“We’ve only had four practices,” offered the Cardinal coach. “We’ve been stuck with ice and snow for the last few weeks.”
Despite a third inning rally to tie the game at 4-4, Corbett went on to win 4-7.
Tigers coach Dustin Hankins said, “We threw the ball away too many times and gave Corbett a chance to get back in.”
When asked about the team this year coach Hankins was optimistic, “We have sixteen players on the team. We’re very excited to see the numbers of kids participating trending up this year. Not just in baseball but across all sports.”
When asked about the biggest challenge the team faces he said, “Staying within ourselves-not trying to do too much. Playing fundamentally sound and limiting our errors.”
Tigers varsity plays their next three games away. They return to home to play the Dalles Riverhawks on March 22nd at 3 p.m.
At the end of Monday’s City Council meeting, ward one councilor Elaine Starmer resigned her seat effective at the end of tonight’s meeting.
“In a brief statement Starmer stated, ” Recent events have made it clear to me that I am no longer a good fit for this council.”
“We were shocked.” said Ward two councilor Riley Hoagland.
“I’m disappointed.” added Mayor Susan Wahlke.
City charter allows the council to decide if they will either appoint someone or hold a special election to fill the vacant seat.
The next scheduled city council meeting will be March 27th at 6p.m.
