Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) staff will be at these upcoming farmers’ markets to hand out Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP) vouchers to WIC participants.
• Newport Farmers Market at the corner of Highway 101 and Angle St., Saturday June 29, 9am – 1pm • Lincoln City Cultural Center at 540 NE Hwy 101(inside the building), Sunday June 30, 9am – 1pm
The FDNP provides fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants to expand the awareness, use of, and sales at farmers’ markets.
A variety of fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs may be purchased with FDNP coupons.
WIC Farm Direct fruit & veggie vouchers come in a booklet to qualified participants.
From June through November 30, WIC recipients may spend their vouchers on fresh fruits and vegetables with authorized farmers at farm stands and farmers’ markets.
WIC receives enough funding to offer Farm Direct vouchers to approximately 25% of enrolled WIC participants each year.
WIC is a USDA public health program for families. The WIC Program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education at no cost to low income pregnant and/or post-partum women, and to infants and children up to 5 years of age, who are found to be at nutritional risk.
“It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed.[5]”
Though this quote is often associated with the United States Postal Service (USPS) it could equally apply to the women and men that drive the vehicles that deliver our community’s children to school, school activities and home again.
Day in and day out the heroes of the local bus routes make their appointed rounds, greeting child after child.
As little (and some not so little) feet scamper past the folding door, up the rubber coated steps and find their way to the smooth vinyl seats it’s the bus driver that bears the heavy responsibility of delivering our kids to their destinations.
I have never met anyone that has not ridden on a school bus at one time or another in their lives. It’s a common rite of passage we share. Everyone has a school bus story.
And for every school bus story to exist, somehow, there had to be a driver attached.
As a youngster I lived just 5 houses away from my elementary school and didn’t need a bus. But every summer I and a dozen neighbors clambered aboard bus number 17 to catch a ride to the Parkrose High School swimming pool. Mrs. Gardner was our regular driver and she always had a pleasant hello for us. To this day I can see her eyes reflected in her mirror as she continually scanned her little band of outlaws that were determined to find as much mischief as we could on her bus. If caught violating a rule, she would simply call out our name(s), ask us to stop doing whatever it was we were doing and give us a “mom stare” via that mirror that would coax us immediately back into compliance.
She would drop us at the pool, park her bus and wait for us to finish. When done, we would climb aboard with eyes burning red from the chlorine in the water and we all were just a little quieter on the ride home, having exhausted most of our energy in the water. She made sure we got to our destination safely and that we would “go straight home.”
Thinking back, I don’t know if I fully appreciated the adults in my early life that took an interest in my well being. Mrs. Gardner and the thousands more bus drivers like her-along with our teachers, police, fire fighters, mail carriers, etc.. in my neighborhood all seemed to understand that kids need someone to look out for them; to get them where they belong.
I had the chance to speak with representatives of First Student (the student transportation provider company that serves our local school district) and a couple of Lincoln City school bus drivers about what it’s like to chauffeur a gaggle of youngsters around our town (and sometimes much further). What I expected were horror stories about awful kids and ungrateful parents. Instead what I heard was how much these drivers enjoyed their jobs and how fulfilling it was to them to help families get their kids to school and after-school activities.
Staci, for example, is a Lincoln City resident who has driven a bus for First Student for nine years. She said, “I see a lot of the community. I make a lot of friends and I got to watch my kids grow up as they rode along with me on my route.”
First Student is currently recruiting for new drivers in the area and shared one of the benefits of working for First Student is a driver (if room permits) may bring their child(ren) aboard the bus during their route.
Corrine of First Student adds, “This is a really good job for mom’s and stay-at-home moms that might want to pick up a few hours of work in between their kid’s school hours. It offers someone like Staci to ‘stay in the mix;’ before school, after school-it gives her a chance to have her own time in between.”
Craig, also of First Student interjected, “I think our stories are our biggest assets. I was talking to a driver-a military veteran named Wayne-he still tells me, ‘This is the best job I’ve ever had.”
Craig continued, “Wayne had a student rider who was in middle school-who was struggling through his school year. One day Wayne dropped the student off and the student said to him, ‘Bus driver Wayne, thank you for being here all year. My home life hasn’t been real good but you’re someone I can always count on.’
Wayne said to me, ‘I’m 75 years old and nobody has ever said anything like that to me before. It’s things like that that keep me coming back.'”
Kim, a 26 year bus driving veteran in Lincoln City says, “I’ve driven my kids and my grandkids to school. I just continue to love the job. All but one driver (who’s moving away) are returning to their routes. It’s a pretty happy place to be.”
Corrine adds, “We’re willing to work with people if they only have a couple of days per week availability. They can drive early mornings or afternoons. We’ve got drivers that only drive home-to-school routes. We have big bus driver, little bus driver, van driver and monitor positions available. We also have drivers that just do sports trips, field trips or private chartered events.
We work with people to give them what they need. We’d love to have their help and we are willing to be flexible to get it.”
There are licensing and training requirements to become a certified school bus driver and First Student will help applicants get through the process and provide paid training.
“We have driver trainers that will help applicants study for their commercial drivers license as well as third party testers with the Department of Motor Vehicles at our Toledo yards. the process, on average, takes about 40 days from beginning to end with approximately 60-75 hours of paid training.”
Considering becoming a bus driver? Now is a great time to make the plunge as First Student is offering a $5,000 sign on bonus! Currently, the entry level wage is $20.50 per hour through June 30, 2024, and moves to $22.45 per hour on July 1, 2024.
The students of this area depend on us all to get them to their schools. You could be that hero.
At the upcoming June tenth 2024 city council meeting, Explore Lincoln City (formerly the Visitors and Convention Bureau) will be asking council to approve hiring an outside advertising agency-DVA Advertising and Public Relations.
Each year, their contract would account for $950,000 in paid media, an annual retainer fee of $191,500 and an events promotions budget of up to $135,000.
The annual retainer would be applied against Explore Lincoln City’s Miscellaneous Contracted Services.
Paid media and the events promotions would be applied against Explore Lincoln City’s Advertising and Promotions line item in their budget.
Total cost will be $1,276,500.00 per year.
Lincoln City staff are recommending that the council vote “Yes.”
Newly hired Lincoln City City Attorney David James Robinson
On May 13, 2024, the City Council of Lincoln City voted unanimously to hire David James Robinson as its city attorney. He has been serving as Lincoln City’s pro tem (temporary) attorney under contract since September 2023.
Mr. Robinson was elected to the Oregon State Bar House of Delegates and the Solo and Small Firm executive committee. He is the treasurer for the Lincoln County Bar Association and current president of the Oregon Coast Community College Foundation. He is active in several business chambers and nonprofits.
He replaces Richard Appicello who was dismissed from his position by the city council.
According to Robinson’s business website he worked in the Portland area on a diverse list of legal subjects including estate planning, family law and municipal and election law.
As the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area (CHSRA) approaches its 50th anniversary, surrounding coastal community prepare to celebrate the occasion.
Established on December 22, 1974, by President Gerald Ford, CHSRA works for environmental protection and scientific exploration on Oregon’s North Central Coast.
Spanning 9,670 acres, CHSRA was the first non-wilderness land in the United States designated by Congress for its scenic, ecological, and scientific values. Over the years, it has served as a model for similar protected areas across the nation, including the Mono Basin and the Columbia River Gorge.
Housing diverse ecosystems including meadows, estuaries, and forests, CHSRA provides habitat for native flora and fauna, including the Oregon Silverspot butterfly. Its significance as a research site for Sitka spruce and Western hemlock forests is internationally recognized.
To commemorate this milestone, all are invited invites to join in a celebration at the Cascade Head Experimental Forest Headquarters on June 29th, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
The event will feature speakers, a short film, music, and food, with many opportunities to learn more about CHSRA’s legacy of balancing cultural, environmental, scientific, and recreational activities.
According to a press release from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Construction crews are hard at work on the east side of McKenzie Pass and plan to have the highway above the gate paved and open by the morning of July 4.
Earlier this week, crews began paving preparation work beyond the gate of this seasonally closed pass.
Only the east side of the pass is under construction, but the west side will also remain closed at the gate just beyond Linton Lake until July 4. Limited space for vehicles to turn around on the west side makes it unsafe to open any further towards the summit.
Once the freshly paved pass opens above the gate, there will still be some construction work happening. Tasks like striping, putting up signage and clean-up may cause minor delays.
Paving on the east side section of highway below the gate will continue through July and could also cause some delays. Unlike the upper highway, this section is wide enough to accommodate traffic and construction equipment with single lane closures and flaggers.
ODOT reminds drivers that when this road is closed, it’s closed to everyone. Entering the work zone is dangerous and can cause delays that may slow down the project timeline. Since crews will be working in a closed area, they may work any day of the week and heavy equipment will remain on the road until its open.
Funding from a Federal Lands Access Program grant is repaving OR 242 from the junction with U.S. 20 in Sisters to the summit at Dee Wright Observatory.
There is always the possibility that extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances could delay the opening past July 4.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) today lifted a public health advisory for contact with ocean water at D River Beach, located in Lincoln County.
The health authority issued the advisory June 4, after water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters.
Results from follow-up tests taken by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) showed lower bacteria levels. Contact with the ocean water no longer poses a higher-than-normal risk. Officials recommend staying out of large pools on the beach that are frequented by birds, and runoff from those pools, because the water may contain increased bacteria from fecal matter.
For more information, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0440, or call OHA’s toll-free information line at 877-290-6767.
Press release- The FBI Portland Division has seen an increase in reports of scammers falsely representing themselves as FBI agents, or a representative of another government agency, and sending couriers to pick up cash or gold payments.
Be advised, federal agencies do not call or email individuals threatening arrest or demanding money. Scammers often spoof caller ID information, and these phone calls are fraudulent even if they appear to be coming from an agency’s legitimate phone number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report the call.
There are many versions of the government impersonation scam, and they all exploit intimidation tactics. Typically, scammers will use an urgent and aggressive tone, refusing to speak to or leave a message with anyone other than their targeted victim; and will urge victims not to tell anyone else, including family, friends, or financial institutions, about what is occurring.
Payment is demanded in various forms, in this new version of the scam, victims are asked to withdraw money as either cash or gold and give that to a courier who arrives at their home. Other tactics include prepaid cards, wire transfers, and cash, sent by mail or inserted into cryptocurrency ATMs. Victims are asked to read prepaid card numbers over the phone or text a picture of the card.
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 14,190 people reported being victims of government impersonation scams in 2023, with losses totaling more than $394 million dollars. Here in the Portland Division, which includes all of Oregon, financial losses exceeded $1.7 million dollars in 2023.
The scammers typically target older adults. In 2023, almost half the complainants reported to be over 60 (40%), and experienced 58% of the losses (almost $770 million) nationally. Complainants over the age of 60 lost more to these scams than all other age groups combined, and reportedly remortgaged/foreclosed homes, emptied retirement accounts, and borrowed from family and friends to cover losses in these scams. Some incidents have resulted in suicide because of shame or loss of sustainable income.
The FBI will never:
Call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest. You will also not be asked to wire a “settlement” to avoid arrest. Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal. Ask you for wire transfers or gift cards. Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or to coordinate inheritances. Scams impersonating the FBI and other government agencies are a persistent problem and can also occur via email. Common hallmarks of a scam email include misspellings, missing words, and incorrect grammar. Fraudulent emails may give the appearance of legitimacy by using pictures of the FBI Director and/or the FBI seal and letterhead.
Members of the public seeking to confirm that they have been contacted by an actual FBI employee are encouraged to call the FBI Portland Division at 503-224-4181 and ask to be connected directly.
If you think you are a victim of this, or any other online scam please file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
More information about government impersonation schemes and other online fraud schemes can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is issuing a public health advisory today for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at D River Beach in Lincoln County. People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted.
Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children, older adults and those with compromised immune systems should use extra caution, as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.
Visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks, pools of water on the beach, or in discolored water, and should stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean. Levels of fecal bacteria tend to be higher in these types of water sources.
Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters can come from both shore and inland sources, including:
Storm water runoff. Sewer overflows. Failing septic systems. Animal waste from livestock, pets, and wildlife. Even if there is no advisory in effect, avoid swimming in the ocean within 48 hours after a rainstorm.
Ocean waters will be re-tested after an advisory is issued. Once bacteria levels are at a safe level, OHA will notify the public that the advisory is lifted.
While this advisory is in effect at D River, state officials continue to encourage other recreational activities (flying kites, picnicking, playing on the beach, walking, etc.) on this beach because they pose no health risk, even during an advisory.
For the most recent information on advisories, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0482, or 877-290-6767 (toll-free).
Tolovana State Park Beach health advisory lifted May 30
UPDATE:
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) today lifted a public health advisory for contact with ocean water at Tolovana State Park, located in Clatsop County.
The health authority issued the advisory on May 29, after water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters.
Results from follow-up tests taken by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) showed lower bacteria levels. Contact with the ocean water no longer poses a higher-than-normal risk. Officials recommend staying out of large pools on the beach that are frequented by birds, and runoff from those pools, because the water may contain increased bacteria from fecal matter.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued a public health advisory today for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at Tolovana State Park in Clatsop County. They advise that people should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted.
Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children, older adults and those with compromised immune systems should use extra caution, as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.
Visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks, pools of water on the beach, or in discolored water, and should stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean. Levels of fecal bacteria tend to be higher in these types of water sources.
Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters can come from both shore and inland sources, including:
Storm water runoff. Sewer overflows. Failing septic systems. Animal waste from livestock, pets, and wildlife. Even if there is no advisory in effect, avoid swimming in the ocean within 48 hours after a rainstorm.
Ocean waters will be re-tested after an advisory is issued. Once bacteria levels are at a safe level, OHA will notify the public that the advisory is lifted.
While this advisory is in effect at Tolovana State Park, state officials note that other recreational activities (flying kites, picnicking, playing on the beach, walking, etc.) on this beach pose no health risk, even during an advisory.
For the most recent information on advisories, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0482, or 877-290-6767 (toll-free).
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) staff will be at these upcoming farmers’ markets to hand out Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP) vouchers to WIC participants.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) today lifted a public health advisory for contact with ocean water at D River Beach, located in Lincoln County.
Press release- The FBI Portland Division has seen an increase in reports of scammers falsely representing themselves as FBI agents, or a representative of another government agency, and sending couriers to pick up cash or gold payments.
