EDITOR’S NOTE: Lincoln County School District Superintendent Dr. Karen Gray addresses the community in the following public submission:
Dear Lincoln County School District Community:
As many of you are aware, the Oregon Education Association has called upon its members to make May 8 a “Day of Action” to advocate for legislative action to significantly invest in K–12 education so that Oregon schools have adequate resources to serve all students.
Other unions’ planned activities include one-day teacher strikes (“walkouts”). While Lincoln County School District shares the goal of adequate and stable education funding and advocates for improved school support, the district does not condone walkout strikes or other activities that disrupt learning for students. We do appreciate that our Lincoln County Education Association (teachers’ union) and Oregon Education Association, have been transparent about their plan, so we have the opportunity to develop plans and communicate to our families in advance. Our own Lincoln County Education Association has decided to send representatives at their expense for both salaries and substitute costs in alignment with the collective bargaining agreement Article 5 Section C3.
While the district does not endorse employee walkouts for any reason, we are unified with many of our staff in our desire for Oregon to fix school funding. It is time for our state leaders to fulfill the promise of public education by reversing Oregon’s long-term disinvestment in schools and providing the resources our students need. Our school board and district administration continue to engage with our elected officials to advocate for stable and sufficient funding for K–12 education. We urge staff and others to advocate for what they believe in on their own time and in ways that do not disrupt student support and learning time.
Thank you for your understanding, support, and flexibility as we plan for May 8, 2019. Sincerely,
The Taft High boys golf team spent a weekend on the links and touring Central Oregon in preparation for next week’s Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 Championships at Trysting Tree in Corvallis.
The Tigers competed Monday in the La Pine Tournament at Quail Run Golf Course, placing third behind the host school at 434, a shot short of Creswell, but well off the winning total of 344.
La Pine’s Tommy Rohde, a top-5 State finisher last season, won the tournament with a 74.
Senior William Brooks led the way for Taft with a 90, followed by freshman Zac Will, 106; freshman Ethan Unruh, 115; freshman Eston Whisler, 123; and junior Jonathan Freilinger, 127.
Freshmen Zac Will, Ethan Unruh and Eston Whisler
Coach Andy Morgan’s comments:
“The final league tournament of the 2019 season happened Monday at Quail Run, near La Pine. Taft championship golfers, book-ended the Tiger five, with two perfect drives on hole one. Taft senior leader William Brooks played a nice, gentle draw into the fairway with some brisk wind at his back.
As part of the second group of the day, Brooks led his team into the 47-degree day, just before noon. Followed by freshmen Zac Will, Ethan Unruh and Eston Whisler, Taft was anchored on this windy morning by junior, Jonathan Freilinger, who also hit a perfect drive to the center of the first fairway.
“The young Tiger team is finishing a weekend of golf and teamwork as the Taft boys have traveled on their annual golf trip to Central Oregon. Beginning early Saturday morning, the Tigers headed up the McKenzie River to get an 18-hole practice round at Tokatee Golf Course.
“A favorite stop, Tokatee provides a beautiful place to compete with one another as the Tigers head to their weekend retreat, sponsored by Meredith Lodging, at Sunriver. Playing in the beautiful woods at the halfway point is a great way to play a complete round on a challenging setting, with small, fast greens and friendly fairways.
“Coming from the wet coastal weather, on grasses left longer, the putting at Central Oregon becomes a real challenge as the Tigers prepare for the later rounds in May at both the District and State championships. Tokatee Golf Course provides a bridge to the quicker grasses and more challenging putting. The Tigers are welcomed with great rates and a friendly welcome, as they stop to practice. Once Taft reaches the high-desert courses near Bend, the ball travels farther and the greens putt faster — prelude of things to come.
“With a Monday tournament hosted by SD2 District-leading LaPine High School at Quail Run Golf Course, the visiting Tigers took advantage of the offer for a free practice round on Sunday at the same location. Such great hosts, Quail Run treated the Taft boys with terrific rates and hospitality.
“Last year, due to the late weather conditions, Quail Run was unable to host the tournament, leading La Pine to hold the tournament at the Meadows Course at Sunriver. So, this was the first time most of the Tigers have played on this narrow, and challenging public course.
“The team benefited from the Sunday preview round. Scoring higher than the last tournament, the Tiger boys learned valuable intel on their practice round at the only recently-opened (due to winter weather) golf course. Because of a particularly long and cold winter, there are four temporary greens as the course is set up for the Monday tournament. Also, the fairways are still dormant in many cases, leading balls to roll what feels like forever.
“In Monday’s tournament, Brooks made the turn with a score of 43, helped by a birdie-2 on the second hole. William has been striking the ball well, but has battled consistency throughout his complete round of 18 holes. Brooks didn’t quite find his groove, finishing in with a 47, giving him a tournament total of 90.
“Second Tiger group Zac Will managed a 51-55, for a total 106, as he continued to work on his groove. Zac felt the cold air and saw a snowman (8) on both the front and back of the mountain course — preventing a sub-100 score he desired.
“Ethan Unruh has established himself as the No. 3 golfer for the young Tigers. His consistency and ability to ignore emotions has been his greatest asset. Ethan managed a 56 after nine holes before turning to the windy back nine and finishing with a 115.
“Followed at Tiger No. 4, Eston Whisler is the third man in this ‘Three-Amigos’ group of Taft freshmen. Eston has begun to strike the ball very well and has continued to improve his short game making the turn with a 60 and carding a tough 123 for the tournament total.
At the back of the Tiger roster, junior Jonathan Freilinger has become a driving force, providing some glue to this group of five. Jonathan scored a personal-best 127 after a pep-talk and received a pat on the back from all of his teammates as his game continues to be refined. Jonathon’s improvement has had a positive effort on the entire team.
“Heading to the second nine in this 18-hole tournament, the Tigers were acclimating to the high-desert wind and cool temperatures of high 40s, under the clear blue sky. Optimism, frustration, fatigue and challenge confronted the Tiger team — dedicated to making improvements as the Tigers continue to polish their skills.
“Besides the good scores from Brooks and Freilinger, the team needed improvements on the card to have any chance at the top two spots. Unfortunately, the elements and the long hours got the best of the team as everyone posted higher scores on the second nine.
“The tournament and the long weekend of travel provided valuable experience to the young Tiger squad. Brooks told the young Tigers of their great opportunities ahead. “You guys just need to play a ton of golf,” he said.
“The Taft Tigers finished the tournament with a team score of 434, earning them a third-place finish. Bested by a single stroke, Taft was behind Creswell at 433, as host team La Pine paced the group — as they have all season — with a team score of 344. Led by 2018 state top-five finisher Tommy Rohde’s tournament-best 74, La Pine carded three sub-100 rounds, displaying the type of competition the young Tigers will face.
“Coming home to the Tigers’ home course at Salishan Resort, Taft will be better prepared to shape shots around the narrow, challenging track. Salishan plays long and narrow, creating challenges everyone will find at the State championship course at Emerald Valley — home of the Oregon Ducks golf team.
“Taft championship golf is one of the luckiest programs to get to play on some of the finest courses on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. Bringing three freshmen back next year will provide a great springboard, as the culture of Taft boys golf returns to the discussion at the State championships in 2020.”
The Taft High girls golf team tuned up Monday for next week’s Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 Championships by touring Santiam Golf Club in Aumsville.
“We used yesterday’s District Preview tournament as a round for the ladies to work on club selection and course management as the course will be the course for Districts next Monday and Tuesday,” Taft assistant coach Kyle Baker said.
Senior Violet Palermini shot 101, junior Sammy Halferty 112 and senior Olivia Baker 117 for the Tigers Monday in their peek at the championship venue.
“Violet led the team with the low round of the day doing what Violet does, going out stress-free and just playing her game,” Baker said. “With these girls great attitudes and enthusiasm, it should make for a very exciting and competitive Districts.”
Baker was playing for the first in more than a week after sustaining a dislocated patella April 18.
“She did well battling though the pain as well as trying to maintain her follow-through with the injury,” Kyle Baker said.
“Both Sammy and Olivia had some issues on the par-5’s on the front nine, but battled back well on the back. We will only get to use Sammy for Day 1 of Districts due to her track commitments so how she battled back on the back nine bodes well for next week.”
Sophomore Veronica Jin shot 132, sophomore Grace Cawley 134 and senior Lydia Prins 147 in their initial trek around Santiam.
“This was the first time both Lydia and Veronica played this course at all, and Grace had only played the front nine once, so it was a very new experience for them and they played well and showed great attitude and enthusiasm,” Baker said.
“Woodburn was a surprise team that we hadn’t seen this season so far and posted a strong team score of 369. That is a score that will be a strong contender for a state place trophy,” Baker said. “We have a lot of room for improvement and look to lower that team score significantly next week at Districts.”
D River State Park in Lincoln City is among five beaches in Lincoln County and 18 statewide under consideration for monitoring for pollution and water quality as part of the Oregon Health Authority’s Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP).
Other beaches in Lincoln County on the list are Beverly Beach, Agate State Park Beach, Nye Beach and Seal Rock State Park Beach.
The program invites public comment on a list of beaches it is proposing to monitor this summer.
The OHA’s Oregon Beach Monitoring Program works with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to determine beaches that need monitoring based on several established criteria, including existing pollution hazards, previous beach monitoring data that identify water quality concerns, type and amount of beach use and public input.
As part of an adaptive sampling plan, beaches and sampling locations are routinely reevaluated to ensure available resources best protect public health. Based on OBMP’s evaluation criteria, the following list contains the proposed beaches for 2019 monitoring season, listed with the nearest city and the county where the beach is located.
A copy of DEQ’s beach evaluation is available upon request.
The proposed list includes some of the most frequently visited beaches in Oregon, as well as beaches where the program has found bacteria present, or beaches for which local partners and the public have requested monitoring due to potential pollution concerns.
“We do our best to align program resources to monitor as many beaches as possible,” OBMP coordinator Tara Chetock said. “However, with more than 360 miles of coastline, more than 90 beaches and just one full-time sampling technician, we cannot monitor them all.”
OBMP will accept public comments and suggestions on the proposed 2019 beaches through May 17. Contact OBMP at [email protected] or call 971-673-0440 to submit input.
UPDATED: In information provided in an email Tuesday from North Lincoln Fire & Rescue spokesman Jim Kusz, Maintenance Division Chief Dave McKee said the smoke seen from the ladder truck was from oil leaking into the exhaust.
There was no fire and the belief this morning is that oil leaked into the turbo unit, producing the smoke seen coming from the truck.
Ladder 57 is out of service until repairs can be made.
Previous coverage:
A North Lincoln Fire & Rescue ladder truck returned to the station Monday night billowing white smoke that clouded downtown traffic near the Dorchester House before catching fire at the Inn at Spanish Head.
“Something blew,” a firefighter said. “We heard something blow off. We lost all power, so we pulled over at Dorchester.
“We had a ton of white smoke coming out. You couldn’t see anything behind us all the way through town. It was a big driving hazard for everyone else on the road.
“We just got to the top of the hill by the Inn at Spanish Head when we heard another pop and there was fire coming from the officer’s side. We stopped and shut it off again. There was oil everywhere.”
Flames can be seen jetting from the side of Ladder 57 in a video sent to Homepage
You never know what the tide’s going to bring in . . .
A local resident stumbled across what she believes to be part of a dead beached whale Monday evening while catching a glimpse of an “amazing” sunset.
“I’m not sure who to contact, but I think there’s a very dead whale on the beach just south of Bella Beach,” said Kim Gorman, who took these photos of the object about 100 feet south of the stairs to Bella Beach near Lincoln Beach. “It’s not whole, and I wasn’t going to get close enough to identify it. I sent a message to the aquarium, but had no idea who to contact.
“I walked down to see the sunset, which was amazing, and there it was,” she said. “I think it’s a small whale, but it’s like it’s just the outer shell or it’s only a part of it.
‘It also sort of looked like an eel, but if they get that big, I definitely do not want to know about it. It was hard to tell as it was getting dark. It was right at the tide line, and I tried to get closer, but I’m squeamish and it is a bit smelly.
“Also, the seagulls were guarding it, so …
“I figure I’ll walk down in the morning to see if it’s still there?”
As many as five Lincoln City Pacific Power employees have been dismissed from their duties over alleged improprieties designed for financial benefit, sources said.
In a statement issued Monday afternoon confirming the firings, Pacific Power Media Spokesman Tom Gauntt said:
“Pacific Power dismissed several Lincoln City personnel on Friday, April 26. While it is Pacific Power’s policy not to comment on matters involving employee dismissals, we want to assure our Lincoln City area customers that these changes will not impact the quality and reliability of the service they expect and count on.”
Gauntt said Pacific Power would have no further comment at this time.
According to sources, the linemen, who have not been charged, were terminated after a private investigator followed them for three to four months when the company was tipped off to the possibility of illegal activity in the Lincoln City area.
The alleged activities include falsifying time cards, having friends call in fake power outages, turning off transformers in the middle of the night, and extending work time devoted to fixing outages to accrue overtime.
Some of the linemen were also found to allegedly be using work trucks to perform various duties on their rental properties, sources said. A source said Pacific Power has replaced the employees with workers from the Willamette Valley and those who remain do not work on power lines.
Pacificorp advertised on its websiteat the time of the dismissals to fill openings for journeyman linemen “to maintain and repair all transmission and distribution electrical systems and associated equipment, both overhead and underground, while utilizing line trucks, aerial boom, lifts and wire pulling equipment.”
The Lincoln City electricians are members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 659.
An athletic field at Taft High 7-12 will be the site for the annual Pixiefest festival in late June as part of several major changes announced Monday by the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln City.
The “mesa” practice athletic field, located at the base of the hill climbing up to the school at 3780 Spyglass Ridge Dr., will host the June 28-29 event. The festival was originally held in Otis beginning in the late 1960s, then Chinook Winds Casino Resort last year.
“I am excited to partner with Kiwanis and have Taft 7-12 be a part of Pixiefest,” Taft High Principal Nick Lupo said.
Several additions will be introduced to attendees at reduced prices from noon to 5 p.m. both days, according to a news release issued Monday by the Kiwanis Club through Explore Lincoln City.
Feedback sought by the Kiwanis Club from previous year’s attendees has resulted in a reduction in tickets to $10 for adults and $6 for kids 6-11.
“Pixiefest is an ongoing learning experience for the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln City,” Kiwanis Pixiefest Committee Chairperson Milt Johnson said. “We listened to our guests and strive every year to create a Pixiefest experience based on their feedback.
“We heard loud and clear that they want affordable, family-priced tickets. They also love entertainers that kids can enjoy. We’ve changed our pricing and are recruiting amazing children’s entertainment.”
The Captain Barnacle Variety Show will return to Pixiefest with a new cast of characters., including Louis Fox, a contestant on America’s Got Talent, who will perform Saturday. Presto the Magician will perform Sunday.
New carnival rides and games will also be unveiled. Rides will be $1 and games 50 cents. Pony rides from Green Acres in Pacific City will also be added.
According to the release, Pixiefest is “a fundraising event for the Kiwanis Club celebrating the magic of childhood memories while making childhood magical for kids today.”
Funds raised by Pixiefest benefit youth sports, college scholarships and various local nonprofits.
The Pixie Kitchen opened its doors on May 21, 1953, in Wecoma Beach. Owners Jerry and Lu Parks bought the restaurant from former owner T.C. Gallagher, who had called it Pixie Pot Pie.
The Parks created a restaurant where families could enjoy an affordable meal and be transported to a magical fairy tale land. Special attention was given to children, who were viewed as customers and were given candy gifts and placemats that folded into pixie hats.
By the 1960s, the restaurant had become a popular tourist spot with the slogan “Heavenly Food on the Oregon Coas.t” An amusement park inspired by the restaurant, called Pixieland, opened just north of Lincoln City.
Riding on the success of Pixie Kitchen, in 1967, Jerry Parks envisioned a 57-acre “Fairytale Story of Oregon.” He unveiled plans to build Pixieland Amusement Park in Otis.
Opening in 1969, Pixieland was dedicated to the families of Oregon by Gov. Tom McCall. Keeping the fairytale theme of the Pixie Kitchen, Pixieland featured a steam locomotive, a log flume ride and an opera house.
Pixieland did not survive the decade and closed its gates in 1974.
To learn more about Pixiefest, please visit Pixiefest.com.
Back row, left to right, Ileyana Moreno, Allison Lua, Lesley Lagunes; front row, left to right, Heidi Moreno, Daisy Cobos (Photo by Anayeli Islas Melo)
Five Lincoln City Swim Club members won races to lead the girls to second place and the boys to third this weekend in the annual April Invitational Swim Meet at the Lincoln City Community Center pool.
Daisy Cobos won the girls 8-and-under 25-yard butterfly and 200 freestyle; Napy Meyer the girls 15-and-over 100 backstroke and 100 fly; Dylan Barerra the 13-14 100 fly; Hunter Lunstedt the 15-and-over 50 free; and Isabelle Serrato the 15-and-over 400 free.
“It was a busy weekend. We had some great swims,” LCSC coach Lissa Parker said.
Virtually all of Lincoln City’s 25 swimmers improved on their times with 11 second-place finishes and eight thirds, including three runner-up showings by 14-year-old Mugen Evenson.
“It was a challenging weekend for our parents as we are a fairly small group right now,” Parker said. “A lot of kids are doing other high school sports, and so the parents that we did have running the meet were multitasking and doing several jobs at once.
“All in all, though, we pulled off a great meet with 186 swimmers and their families. Everyone was happy and the weather was awesome.”
Most of LCSC’s scoring came from its 10-and-under and 8-and-under girls contingent.
“Daisy Cobos, Yireth Fuentes and Ileyana Moreno took off over 14 seconds in their events,” Parker said. “Abby Halferty and Heidi Moreno had good swims. Another youngster who is fearless is Dylan Murphy. TJ Evenson is a go-getter.”
Parker said other huge time drops were posted by Lesley Lagunes, Logan Meyer, Brandon Murphy, Noah Serrato and Ryuma Evenson. Parker said it was a first-time meet for Allison Lua, Carly Wisehart and Siri Khalsa.
“They performed very well,” she said.
“For relays, the older guys had a couple firsts in both the 200 free and 200 IM relays,” she said. “They are looking forward to Mugen coming onto the Taft team as a freshman next year.”
The older girls, plus Lesley Lagunes, got second place in the 200 IM relay.
Meyer was able to swim all weekend despite recovering from recent illness, Parker said.
“Swimmers like Erica Zamorano, Sammy Halferty, Lydia Prins and Sam Cortes are all doing other sports right now, but pitched in for the team,” she said.
“Hunter Lunstedt has been working at an afternoon job pretty regularly, but he still managed to pull off a personal-best in the 50 free without very much practice,” Parker said. “Older swimmers like Rachelle Serrato have been coming to practice regularly, and that was reflected in her races, as has Dylan Barrera.”
Parker said one of the teams, Capital from Salem, just formed,so it did not score in the meet due to a 120-day grace period before new squads are considered a club in Oregon.
Girls
1. Bend Swim Club 1,288
2. Lincoln City Swim Club 411.50
3. Portland Aquatic Club 244
4. Newport Swim Team 219
5. Nehalem Swim Team 167
6. South Coast Aquatic Team 140
7. Tillamook YMCA Sharks 109
8. Gold Coast Swim Team 75
Boys
1. Bend Swim Club 1,143
2. Portland Aquatic Club 777
3. Lincoln City Swim Club 547
4. Newport Swim Team 181
5. South Coast Aquatic Team 84
6. Tillamook YMCA Sharks 80
7. Gold Coast Swim Team 50
8. Nehalem Swim Team 19
The Taft High Culinary Program took home first place this weekend in the dessert category at the Cook Around the World competition at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
The Taft High Culinary Program took home first place this weekend in the dessert category at the Cook Around the World competition at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
