The Lincoln County School District is seeking a Lincoln City-area resident to consider fiscal issues and spending that affect North County schools as a Budget Committee member.
Community members are encouraged to apply by the Jan. 2 deadline. The application is available on the LCSD website.
Openings for three Budget Committee positions were discussed at Tuesday’s regular Lincoln County School Board session. Its Budget Committee consists of the five school board members and five appointed citizens from each of the five board zones.
Budget Committee members serve three-year terms, which are staggered to allow some continuity on the committee.The school board appoints the other citizens to the Committee.
The vacancies on the Committee are: Zones 1 (Lincoln City area); Zone 2 (Agate Beach to south Lincoln City); and Zone 3 (Newport central).
The Zone 1 vacancy expires June 2020. Zone 2 and 3 vacancies are full three-year terms.
Applications will be available on the district website and at the District Administration office in Newport (459 SW Coast Highway, Newport, OR 97365). Applicants must be registered voters, may not be employees of LCSD and must live in the zone to which they are applying.
Taft High senior Ana Ortiz, a first-team all-league girls soccer player, has been recognized as an honorable mention member of the Class 3A/2A/1A All-State team.
Ana Ortiz
Taft senior Tyee Fisher was named first-team all-league punter and split end in football, and junior Edson Fuentes first-team all-league in boys soccer.
Tyee FisherEdson Fuentes
Taft High Fall Sports All-League Honors
Boys Soccer
Edson Fuentes – First Team
William Calderon – Second Team
William Brooks – Honorable Mention Keeper
Jose Flores – Honorable Mention
Estib Hernandez – Honorable Mention
Girls Soccer
Ana Ortiz – First Team
Sammy Halferty – Second Team
Lydia Prins – Honorable Mention
Cross Country
Micah McLeish – All-League (5th place)
Lucas Hindman – All-League (7th place)
Football
Tyee Fisher – First Team (Punter)
Tyee Fisher – First Team (Split End)
Logan McClendon – Second Team (Defensive Back)
JJ French – Second Team (Running Back)
Trenton Hall – Honorable Mention (Linebacker)
JJ French – Honorable Mention (Linebacker)
Logan Gilleo – Honorable Mention (Linebacker)
Victor Carrasco – Honorable Mention (Offensive Line)
The next time you renew your Oregon driver license or identification card you may see a new design with new security features. DMV is rolling out a new card design starting this winter and early 2019.
The beauty of the new cards isn’t just skin deep. The enhanced colorful look is part of the new card’s advanced security features, making it harder to alter or duplicate.
Your current driver license or ID card will remain valid until its expiration date, so you do not need to replace your card before that date. You also do not need to replace your card when you move within Oregon – you can file your new address online at OregonDMV.com.
This is the first major upgrade to the card technology in Oregon since 2003. In addition to the new look and security features, the new card will provide a vertical layout for provisional driver license holders – drivers younger than 21 years old. This will make it easier to identify minors where age restrictions apply, such as the purchase of alcohol.
The new card will hold the same information as the current card, including name, address, issuance date and expiration date, as well as a small duplicate “ghost” image of the person’s photo. Driver license and ID card fees will remain the same with the new card.
New features
Among the new security features:
The card body is a durable plastic material made of a polycarbonate blend.
Customer information is laser-etched in clear, highly defined lines.
The colors are printed in tiny patterns that are difficult to see without magnification and difficult to duplicate.
The clear laminate covering the card front shows a hologram of Oregon symbols at certain angles and light conditions.
DMV will begin to test and install the new card system in two Salem-area field offices starting the week of Dec. 17. After making sure the new process is working properly, DMV will begin to install it in the rest of its 60 field offices during the first half of 2019.
Real ID option in 2020
As a reminder, this new card design is not yet available as a Real ID Act-compliant card. Oregon will begin to offer an optional Real ID-compliant card in July 2020. Until that time, Oregon driver licenses and ID cards will continue to be accepted as identification at secure federal locations and for boarding commercial aircraft. For more information about Oregon and Real ID, click here.
More information
Any time you need to visit a DMV office, first check www.OregonDMV.com to find office hours and locations, and to make sure you have everything you need before your visit. You also can do some DMV business from home at OregonDMV.com. You can renew your vehicle registration, file a change of address or file notice of the sale of your vehicle online without getting in line at an office.
A head-on collision took the life of one driver, while the other driver and her passenger were injured Monday night as the result of a two-vehicle accident at NW 68th Street and Highway 101.
The deceased driver of a white Geo Metro has been identified as Candous Lee Holberg, 52, of Waldport. Suffering minor injuries were the driver of a Chevrolet S10 Blazer, Jacqueline Eve Read, 34, of Lincoln City, and passenger Carl Vincent Davidson, 44, of South Beach.
An investigation revealed the Geo was headed southbound on Highway 101 and crossed the center line, where it crashed into the Blazer, which had been traveling northbound. The driver of the Geo, who was trapped inside the vehicle, was pronounced dead as a result of her injuries.
Highway 101 was closed for several hours while the Lincoln County Interagency Major Crash Team completed its investigation. The team is comprised of members of the Oregon State Police, Lincoln City Police, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Toledo Police Department, Newport Police Department and the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office.
Senior Tyee Fisher, shown in a game earlier this season, led the way for the Tigers (File photo by Eric DeMello)
First-year Taft High boys basketball coach Andy Morgan was well aware his team’s toughest test of the young season awaited when it stepped up in class Friday night on the road at Tillamook.
So the upstart Tigers showed the Cheesemakers they don’t know jack.
Class 3A Taft of the newly founded Coastal Range League upset Class 4A Tillamook of the long-established Cowapa Conference 60-53 despite a depleted rotation that lacked its leading scorer and with three JV players who were eligible to play only one quarter each on the bench.
“As a young team, our expectation is to learn during the month of December, and, hopefully, be very competitive in January,” Morgan said of his new-look Tigers, who stand just 10 points away from being undefeated following a 2-2 start.
The Tigers exploded on a 22-8 second-quarter scoring barrage after trailing 21-9 after the opening period for a 31-29 halftime lead, then stretched the lead by a basket in both the third and fourth quarters to depart dairy farm country with a .500 record.
Senior Tyee Fisher led Taft with team highs in rebounds and blocks and junior Eli DeMello paced the Tigers in steals as Taft took the fourth-quarter lead for the fourth time this season.
“There have been some conditions that have led us to stay with our plan to grow and learn rather than win at all costs,” Morgan said. “I am not saying we definitely would have won all the games, but I do believe we have been committed to the process of team growth rather than wins during the preseason.”
With senior starting post player Ray Darrington benched due to academic issues by a last-minute coach’s decision, Taft used the 6-foot-9-inch center’s pregame talk as motivation to get maximum minutes and a disciplined group effort on both ends of the court, Morgan said.
“We discussed the importance of playing fundamental defense and keeping our feet in position and on the ground,” he said. “We knew we couldn’t get into early foul trouble while keeping aggressive on-ball and from the help-side defense.”
With starting junior guard Lucas Hindman inexplicably caught hesitating on a few early possessions that led to a 12-point first-quarter deficit, Morgan said he turned to senior Clay Nelson to help combat Tillamook’s potent shooting.
“It was a blow to the team’s defensive plan to send Lucas to an early breather.” he said. “Lucas is known for his sharpshooting, and is probably one of the smartest basketball minds on the team. He has ability to score from anywhere around the arc. [We] have recognized Lucas’s ability to be a very strong one-on-one defender. He is long, quick and has a huge heart. You won’t get more effort out of any other player.”
The Tigers shifted to a 2-3 zone, made some other minor defensive adjustments and used “the hustle and heart we talked about pre-game” to turn the tables into a two-point halftime advantage, Morgan said.
Hustle and defensive intensity throughout the second half allowed Taft to hold Tillamook at bay with junior guard Trenton Fisher leading the way. “Little Fish,” as Tyee’s younger cousin is known among teammates, was able to increase his offensive presence and limit his turnovers while playing nearly the entire game.
“By far Trenton’s best performance,” Morgan said. “He was able to stay aggressive on the defensive end while he found himself matched up against formidable athletes.”
Partnering with the younger Fisher in the ball-handling duties was DeMello, who had numerous key steals, Morgan said.
“Eli was also potent, sinking three shots from deep, adding to the layups from his steals,” he said.
Taft, which forced 23 turnovers while committing 17, overcame the fourth-quarter jitters that have twice proved the team’s undoing this season.
“Tyee Fisher was not going to let his teammates give up,” Morgan said of the senior post player, who had six blocks, two steals, two assists and 12 rebounds in Darrington’s absence. “The inspired team leader played a dominant game as the team’s sole big man.”
With Tillamook making a charge to tie the game midway through the final quarter, the Tigers seized command by turning to junior point guard Jordan Hall, who made 14 of 17 foul shots.
“It was Hall that changed the outcome with his aggressive play at the rim,” Morgan said. “He continued to attack the paint off the dribble. The team knew the challenges of a fast-paced game with a short roster. Hall recognized the benefit of the free throws.
“It did wonders to calm the heart rate and the breathing. The atmosphere is always electric in the Cheesemakers’ gym. The fans are rowdy and the band is loud. The pressure of the situation didn’t steal the moment.”
Morgan said assistant varsity and head JV coach Kyle Hamlin then stepped in to help the Tigers halt the comeback.
“A timeout by the Tillamook coach allowed a 60-second rally cry by Coach Hamlin,” he said. “The team responds well to his unique understanding of competition, teaching the boys to be calm and confident. As the clock ticked, it became more apparent that this Tiger team is becoming a strong, trusting fraternity.”
Taft will have 10 days off to regroup from the emotional victory before returning to the court Monday, Dec. 17, for its league and home opener against Warrenton.
Eli DeMello takes a shot in game earlier this season (File photo by Eric DeMello)
The Lincoln City Police Department plans on using the first of its 2018-2019 DUII grant funds during an enhanced enforcement event over the upcoming holiday season.
The national High Visibility Enforcement event, which runs Dec. 13 through Jan. 2, is designed to increase the number of patrol officers on the streets nationwide, with an emphasis on identifying drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs and removing them from the roadways. DUIIs continue to be a leading cause of motor vehicle deaths and injuries throughout the nation.
The Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) said the funds are a valuable resource that assist in improving traffic safety and is pleased to join forces with other law enforcement agencies to crack down on impaired drivers.
“Our goal is simple: to save lives.” the LCPD said in a news release. “Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk; if you drive drunk, you will be arrested.”
DUII Enforcement Grant funds from the previous grant allocation, made possible through Oregon Impact and the Oregon Department of Transportation, were last used during the 2018 Labor Day weekend. Results of two enforcement operations included three felony arrests (two subjects arrested on felony warrants and one subject for unlawful use of a motor vehicle), one driver was cited for driving while suspended, one stolen vehicle recovered and a number of traffic violation warnings issued.
Several underclassmen gave themselves and their teammates a big boost in confidence moving forward Saturday as the Taft High swim team won the boys competition and placed second in the girls at the Andrew Nygaard Invitational in Astoria.
“Several of the freshmen were able to help us out quite a bit with kids like Aubrey Sciarrotta, Charlotte Lunstedt, Cristofer Ochoa, Sam Cortes and Angel Moreno,” Taft swim coach Lissa Parker said. “We are beginning to see the pay off from having these swimmers swim for the Lincoln City Swim Club [LCSC] for several years.”
The Class 3A Taft boys defeated Class 4A Valley Catholic 106-70, while the girls narrowly lost to VC, 74-70.
Twenty-one of the Tigers’ 28 swimmers competed, with some having other commitments and some suffering from illness or injury. Taft is awaiting the return of junior Hunter Lunstedt, who has been sidelined with shoulder issues.
“Our novices got to swim in more events due to the fact that we didn’t have some people there, and that gave them more confidence and experience, so that was good thing.” Parker said.
Fourteen-year-old Cortes, a top youth age-group swimmer for years throughout the state as a member of Parker’s LCSC squad, helped pace the Tigers by joining two-event winner Joram Hoff, an 18–year-old senior, on the tallest podium with a victory in the 100-yard backstroke.
Hoff won the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley for the Tigers, while Cortes placed second in the 100 butterfly.
Junior Micah McLeish won the 200-yard freestyle and was third in the 100-yard backstroke.
Charlotte Lundstedt was second in the 200 IM; Sciarrotta second in the 100 free; sophomore Jose Segura second in the 500 free; and senior Lydia Prins second in the 500 free.
Junior Sammy Halferty and McLeish were third for the girls and boys, respectively, in the 100 back; and sophomore Isabelle Serrato and Moreno third for the girls and boys, respectively, in the 500 free.
“We are trying something new this year where I am switching the swimmers around from meet to meet so that they all get to do different events, and it makes it a little bit more fair for everyone,” Parker said. “That being said, I can’t really put novices the 500 free yet. We did get a lot of points for having several swimmers in tough events like the 100 fly, the 200 IM and the 500 free.”
Taft returns to the pool Thursday for the Rhonda Relays at Philomath.
Senior Devon Lindquist, who placed second at Districts last season, won the 145-pound division while three other Taft High wrestlers placed second Saturday to lead the Tigers to a third-place finish among 13 teams at Scio.
Calling it “a huge day for Taft wrestling,” second-year coach Robb Ellis also watched seniors Cody Knott at 160 and Jacob Mayoral at 152 join sophomore Jose Flores at 113 with runner-up finishes in just their second tournament of the season.
The Tigers got third-place showings from Kaden White at 120 and first-year wrestler Jace Phippen at 285; fourth place from William Calderon at 138 and Victor Carrasco at 182; and fifth from David Jin at 170 and Eriq Aquino at 220.
The Tigers are scheduled to compete Friday in the Derek Blake Invitational at Yamhill-Carlton and Saturday at the Bill Haggerty Invitational at Nestucca.
Newport Police chased 21-year-old motorcyclist Jason Avery through Newport Friday evening while trying to stop him for traffic violations near the intersection of South Coast Highway and SW Case Street.
When officers activated their emergency lights to conduct the traffic stop, Avery quickly accelerated southbound on South Coast Highway, leading officers on a high-speed pursuit.
Officers said they observed the motorcycle speeding through traffic over the Yaquina Bay Bridge at an estimated 80-90 mph. They said they lost sight of the motorcycle and terminated the chase.
A short time later, officers were notified by a passing motorist that the motorcycle had crashed near the intersection of South Coast Highway and SE 32nd Street. Police responded and located a male subject walking away from the area. The motorcyclist was identified as Jason Avery, 21, of Newport.
Avery was detained while the investigation continued and officers were able to locate his motorcycle hidden off the roadway on SE 32nd Street Officers said Avery stashed the motorcycle in an attempt to evade being caught.
Avery was taken into custody and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on charges of attempt to elude police and reckless driving. Avery was also cited for speeding, unsafe passing and having no motorcycle endorsement.
A man who regularly comes into US Food Mart, 4700 SW Hwy 101, bought a Fortune scratch-it and won $250,000 Saturday morning.
The odds of winning the top prize in the Oregon Lottery’s $250,000 Fortune game were one in 144,000 with only two top prizes available.
Patrick Thompson, a store clerk on duty at the time, said the man was “freaking out” and said he would bring the clerk $1,000 for selling him the winning ticket.
“We were both freaking out. This is so awesome to happen with Christmas coming up,” Thompson said.
“I ran the ticket like I’ve done many times before and the screen just filled up with zeros. I thought it was $250 million at first,” said Thompson.
According to Thompson, the Fortune game will be pulled from stores Monday when the lottery offices open as all the top prizes have been won.
Community members are encouraged to apply by the Jan. 2 deadline. The application is available on the LCSD website.
The Lincoln City Police Department plans on using the first of its 2018-2019 DUII grant funds during an enhanced enforcement event over the upcoming holiday season.
