Free cookies and hot chocolate? See you there!
Jumbo changes for Community Center Pool
The brackets for the Community Center’s Jumbotron screen and all of the equipment for the pool’s new Ultraviolet sanitation system have arrived at the center and should be up and ready to go within a few weeks, said director Gail Kimberling.
“We have the UV system installed, we just need it powered up,” Kimberling said. “We hope to have that working sometime this week.”
The UV sanitation system will greatly reduce chlorine levels in the pool by almost half, Kimberling said.
The new system will currently only service the main pool, but next year the center hopes to install similar systems for the small pool and spa.
After closing the center briefly in September for regular cleaning, painting, and re-varnishing the gymnasium floor, it reopened completely on Oct. 3.
“The backing and brackets for the Jumbotron are up as well,” Kimberling said. “The screen will be installed next Monday.”
Chance to Win 2 Tickets to Chowder & Brewfest
This is from the Lincoln City Oregon Twitter account:
Enter to win two complimentary tickets to Lincoln City’s Chowder & Brewfest presented by Mo’s Restaurants. Join us on October 8, 2016 at Lincoln City Outlets from 12-6pm for a day of chowder, brews and tunes! For more information, visit the Chowder & Brewfest website.
Contest closes on October 6, 2016 at 11:59pm PST. Tickets will be placed under will call at the admission table for pickup the day of the event.
Have Coffee with a Cop October 7th
Coffee with A Cop was launched in Hawthorne, California in 2011, as a result of a brainstorming session. Members of the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served each day.
Community policing has long been considered a framework for establishing trust between the community and the police. However, over time the character and composition of our nation’s communities have changed due to shifting demographics, more commuters, and the introduction of different communication methods such as websites and social media.
The Hawthorne Police Department hit upon a simple plan to break through the barriers that have been built over the years–a cup of coffee.
In less than five years, Coffee with a Cop events have been hosted in all 50 states and is one of the most successful community oriented policing programs across the country. The program has also expanded to outside the Unites States to Canada, Europe, Australia, and Africa. The key to Coffee with a Cop’s growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.
Keep Safe From Prying Eyes on the Internet
Let me start off by saying you didn’t win the Nigerian Lottery. No Prince in Romania is ever going to give you any money and PayPal does not need you to resend your username and password.
People are falling for things like this everyday and I know what you’re thinking.
“I would never fall for that.”
And you would be right. The vast majority of us don’t fall victim to computer fraud by sending emails to princes. Internet users get swindled by sophisticated hackers who penetrate unsecured websites. When an unsuspecting user puts their credit card in, its game over.
How are you supposed to protect yourself online? Some people just avoid it all together and that is an option. If you have kids then its probably not an option. Turn off the Internet and you may have a rebellion on your hands.
People ask me all the time about the difference between HTTP and HTTPS. My quick answer is:
“HTTPS is Safe”
The ‘S’ stands for secure, which is what you are when you see the little green lock on a website. Entering credit card information on a website without any validation opens you up to identity theft and a frozen bank account. Especially over a WiFi connection. WiFi is great but its not secured. A kid with a Packet Sniffer can grab your router password and hack your device using your home network.
You should never shop online unless you see the green padlock symbol. Even if the website owner is a great guy and wouldn’t steal from anybody, on HTTP anyone can eavesdrop and potentially steal your debit card number. Especially over WiFi. An unsecured online shop is a hacker’s dream.
Google recently started giving websites that utilize HTTPS a 1% advantage over HTTP websites in search rankings. They are doing it to promote security on the web. Google is moving slowly on this so the world can get the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates over time. Within a couple years all the sites you visit will probably have the green lock.
The little green lock tells us that there is a name on file at a domain registrar like Godaddy. We are trusting that the owner of the website entered their information correctly and is a real person. I have a few of these SSL certificates and I could have provided my name as Bo Jackson, Mother Teresa, or some other cool name that struck my fancy. My point is that even with a Standard SSL certificate, or little green lock, you’re still not as safe as you could be.
You’ve seen the big green bar with the company’s name before right? That’s Extended Validation SSL Certificates or EVSSL. EVSSL Certificate issuers make companies jump through hoops to verify themselves. The certificate issuer checks to make sure that the company is who they say they are and proves it with documents and investigation. When you see a green bar with the name of the company in it you are as safe as the Internet gets.
Encryption has been far outpacing decryption for some time now and that is good for privacy but bad for the FBI. Did you see how long it took them to crack an iPhone? SSL certificates and HTTPS work great and will only get better. We may be entering a golden age of internet security as the average user is becoming more and more educated about the perils of cyber space. They’re learning to not get Phished.
Happy surfing.
SECURE YOUR HOME – PDF POSTER – REALLY GOOD
Justin Werner is the owner of Tuned In Studios, a respected web development and security company based in Oregon. Fifteen years of fighting hackers has taught him many things. Chief among them is the need for prevention through education.
Hall’s resignation leaves Taft wrestling in lurch
Family and personal considerations have caused Luke Hall to resign as Taft High varsity wrestling coach
Coaching void tops Tigers’ to-do list as winter sports near
The recent resignation of Luke Hall as Taft High varsity wrestling coach for personal reasons will likely be the most difficult of nine vacant openings to fill at the school due to the nature of the sport and the recent success the program has enjoyed, Taft Athletic Director Bart Rothenberger said Monday.
Taft Tigers
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It’s a tough position to fill sometimes, and I’m unsure about applicants at this point, but our goal is to fill it in the next week or so,” said the first-year Taft AD, who has four head varsity posts to fill among the 14 openings county-wide being advertised by the Lincoln County School District (the naming of Rothenberger as boys head varsity basketball coach and longtime Taft assistant and youth coach Mark Williams as girls head varsity basketball coach are pending).
“Luke’s done such a tremendous job from what I understand, and he’s got some good assistants, and we want those assistants who don’t have time to be head coach but still want to be involved with the program to continue in Luke’s absence,” Rothenberger said.
Hall, who coached four wrestlers to the State tournament in his first season back as coach after a year attending to the birth of his third child, said family considerations superseded his desire to continue coaching. Former Taft varsity head football and track and field coach James Mick and boys basketball coach Scott Henderson also cited personal reasons for their recent resignations.
“I made the decision to step down from the head wrestling coach position in order to refocus on responsibilities to my family and to my church,” said Hall, who resigned in in late August. The first wrestling practice is scheduled Nov, 14, just six weeks away.
Hall and current Taft head football coach Jake Tolan shared the Manny Lopez All-Sports Coach of the Year Award for their contributions to North County sports just last April.
Hall, who coached two wrestlers [Seth Steere and Joe Salsbery] to the State tournament in 2013-14, took the 2014-2015 season off for the birth of his third daughter. Tolan (now interim head football coach) assumed Hall’s duties for the season before he returned last year to refocus the team on the future. Four Taft wrestlers — Everett Thomas, Jacob Nelson, Michael Parker and Cade Knott — reached the State tournament at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Only Parker had any appreciable previous wrestling experience.
“While it was a helpful season off, this past year has made me aware that, for this season of life at least, I am unable to maintain the commitment level I would want to for the wrestling program while simultaneously providing the leadership and support required of me as a father and husband,” he said. “As a result, I feel that I have not filled any of these responsibilities as well as is deserved.
“I believe that leading a wrestling program is a larger investment of time and energy than any other sport. The wrestling season has annually been a grueling four months for my family, and has also represented a difficult balance to maintain with my work as a youth pastor at Faith Baptist Church. In order for me to reprioritize my commitment to my wife and girls, wrestling was, unfortunately, an ‘extra’ endeavor that needed to go.”
Hall said Taft wrestling is ready for, and deserving of, a coach who can make a year-round commitment to the program, investing in offseason competition, camps and coaching training that he did not have enough time or energy to accomplish.
He thanked several people for the opportunity to be the head wrestling coach at Taft.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had over these last seven years to be a part of something very special to me,” he said.
In particular, Hall thanked former coach Jim Rodriquez for first hiring him in 2008; former Principal Scott Reed for giving him the opportunity to lead the program; current Principal Majalise Tolan for her continuing support; and the many athletic directors, parent volunteers, boosters and community members who helped make his coaching experience something he would treasure for his entire life.
“ I am indebted to the investment made by Jake Tolan, Chet Parker, and Tyler Cunningham in their service as not only assistant coaches, but in their reinforcement of me during the grind. I am especially grateful for the amazing patience and grit of my wife, Jennifer, who’s tougher than any wrestler I’ve met for her willingness to be a ‘wrestling widow’ for some 28 months, and for the leadership and community of Faith Baptist Church for not only supporting my investment in coaching, but for becoming some of Taft wrestling’s most visible fans and supporters.”
Hall also thanked the student-athletes he coached for a memorable experience.
“Most of all, I thank the kids who had the toughness and resolve to pour their lives into Taft wrestling and make this experience so amazing,” he said. “These young men, and sometimes women, are truly my heroes. I have been inspired in watching them overcome adversity on and off of the mat and am immeasurably proud of the men and women they have become and are becoming.”
Taft is seeking a varsity head track and field coach, an assistant track and field coach, a girls junior varsity assistant basketball coach. a middle school assistant football coach and a junior varsity softball coach
Rothenberger said former Taft High multisport athlete Tyler Lopez will fill a vacant assistant football coaching position. He said selection of assistant coaches in various sports will be determined once the head coaches are installed and able to select their own staffs. Rothenberger said he was concentrating his efforts on filling the winter openings before attending to the spring sports vacancies.
County Addresses Mental Illness
At their October 5 meeting, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners will consider a resolution to join the national Stepping Up initiative, designed to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails—an estimated two million nationwide. “It’s a challenge in Lincoln County,” says Commissioner Bill Hall. “According to our jail staff, typically 30 percent of those in our jail have been treated for a mental health diagnosis and about 10 percent have a serious and persistent mental illness.”
The premise of Stepping Up, a partnership of the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments and the American Psychiatric Association, is that keeping mentally ill people—often arrested for minor misdemeanors—in jail is costly, doesn’t improve public safety, and doesn’t offer them the help and treatment they need.
Since the initiative was launched in the spring of 2015, more than 300 counties have signed on to date, including nine in Oregon. “We’ve already got some important pieces of a better solution in place,” said Hall, “Including a jail inmate counselor, a Mental Health Court, and the coming launch of mental health mobile crisis services in the county,” but there’s a lot more that can be done.
The proposal comes to the Board of Commissioners with support from the county’s Mental Health Advisory Committee, Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, Samaritan Health Services and the Lincoln County School District. “It’s good to see broad recognition of how widespread the impact of this problem is on the community,” Hall said.
Commissioner Hall said there’s no guarantee that participation in Stepping Up will bring added resources to the county, but he’s hopeful, pointing out that mental health reform has become a high priority issue in both Salem and Washington, D.C.
“Lawmakers at the state and federal levels see what we’ve been doing isn’t working,” Hall said. “People in just one segment of this population, people sent to the State Hospital after their attorneys file a motion that they can’t aid and assist in their defense, are costing the state an average of $64,000 a year. The director of the Oregon Health Authority has acknowledged that we could provide someone with housing, treatment and supportive services for far less than that.”
More information about the initiative is available at www.stepuptogether.org
Information provided by Casey Miller PIO
Port of Newport grant set back
Port of Newport steps back to reassess timing for International Terminal build out
After losing a bid for a two million dollar grant from the state to further build out the Port of Newport’s International Terminal, the Newport Port Commission and Port Manager Kevin Greenwood have decided to take a new tack.Greenwood told News Lincoln County that with the state looking askance at raw log exports, due to complaints from Oregon lumber processing mills, it’s time to re-evaluate the port’s strategy on how to proceed with the International Terminal project. Greenwood said the port could move ahead with more of a mix of domestic and foreign destinations for a wide variety of Oregon products – agriculture, pulp, recycled paper, finished lumber – especially cedar products – and still some log exports. Greenwood also indicated that the presumed terminal operator, Teevin Brothers, is just as committed as they’ve ever been, to stick with the port as it restructures its business plan.
Greenwood also mentioned that the port is exploring the hiring of a very aggressive marketing manager to more closely connect the port with the industries that truly need the port’s services to get their products to domestic and international markets.
As for finding the money to complete the construction of the terminal Greenwood says they’re looking at three options that could move the project forward, despite the recent set-back with the state. Greenwood says the first option would be to simply float a two million dollar loan. With that two million, the port has other promised funds available to complete the project. Option two would involve the port dipping into its NOAA reserve fund which has three million dollars in it. The third option would involve a low interest federal loan for one million dollars and another million from another source.
Greenwood and his port commission have their work cut out for them but Greenwood says he’s optimistic about the outcome.
Jake’s Women, a comedy by Neil Simon – Theatre West
Theatre West presents Jake’s Women, a comedy by Neil Simon. This is the first of five productions in our “Season of Simon”. The Director is Bonnie Ross. Bonnie has both acted and directed at Theatre West. She made a memorable appearance in Rose’s Dilemma in 2013.
The play will run from October 20 through November 12, 2016. It will be presented on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 P.M There will be one Sunday matinee on November 6 (please remember the time changes back 1 hour on this day), curtain at 2:00 P.M. On regular performance days, the box office is open at 2:00 P.M. The doors open at 7:00 P.M. and play begins promptly at 7:30 P.M. Advance reservations for all performances are strongly recommended and can be made by calling (541) 994-5663. Please leave a message and someone will call you back.
This is the first play of our “Season of Simon” celebrating the 90th birthday of Neil Simon which is on July 4, 2017. It is the story of Jake, a novelist, who is more successful with fiction than with life. He faces a crisis through conversations – some imaginary and some real — with the women in his life. They include a revered first wife who was killed years earlier in an accident, his daughter who is recalled as a child but is now a young woman, his boisterous and bossy sister, an opinionated analyst, his current wife who is planning to leave Jake, and Jake’s current lady friend.
The Cast: Bryan Kirsch as Jake, Karen Davis as Julie, Robin Kirsch as Maggie, Stina Seeger-Gibson as Karen, Joy Gallagher as Edith, Dahlia Merry as Molly (12), Brandie Jurasin as Molly (21) and Roseanne Johnson as Sheila.
Backstage: Assistant Director, Linda Jackson, Lights and Sound technician Ashley Ross and Stage Manager, Andrew Schmitz.
Theatre West is located at 3536 SE Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. Tickets for the show are $15.00 for adults, $13.00 for seniors (60 and over) and for students (over 12) and $10.00 for children 12 & under. A special group discount is available at $10.00 per ticket for groups of 10 or more with a pre-paid reservation. Season tickets (5 shows) for 2 persons are available for $100.
Theatre West is a non-profit, all volunteer community theatre dating back to 1975. Membership is open to all with dues at $15.00 per year for individuals, $25.00 for couples and $35.00 for families. Everyone in the community is invited to join and support our Lincoln City community theatre. More information about the theatre may be found at www.theatrewest.com or call (541) 994-5663. You will also find Theatre West of Lincoln City on Facebook and Twitter.
Linda Jackson, Publicist
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
My Sisters’ Place is observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October by affirming that everyone has the right to safe, loving homes, and raising a “Sanctuary Fund” to provide housing assistance to help individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence find or remain in safe, affordable housing. The Sanctuary Fund will be used as supplemental rental assistance for My Sisters’ Place clients who have exhausted all other community resources and are still unable to come up with the final costs to move into or remain in safe housing. All individual donations made to My Sisters’ Place during October will go into this fund, with the goal of raising $5,000 to cover housing costs such as rental application fees, emergency rental assistance to prevent eviction, move-in fees, and rental deposits.
During October, My Sisters’ Place will be displaying 110 “fairy doors” to represent the 77 women and 33 children we sheltered in 2015, as well as 104 empty doors for the shelter requests we were unable to meet. Displays of the fairy doors, as well as miniature houses to distribute information on the Sanctuary Fund and other information about domestic violence and housing, can be found at libraries and city halls throughout the county. Community members are invited to attend a Sanctuary Night to help build fairy doors, write down messages of hope and support for survivors seeking safe housing, donate to buy house-themed seed packets, and contribute to the Sanctuary Fund.
Sanctuary Nights will be held at the follow locations:
Oct. 11, Newport – 3:00 – 5:00 PM (Samaritan Center for Health Education, 740 SW 9th St, Newport)
Oct. 12, Lincoln City – 3:00 – 5:00 PM (Lincoln City Community Center, 2150 NE Oar Pl, Lincoln City)
Oct TBD, Siletz – 3:00 – 5:00 PM (Siletz Community Center, 402 Park Way, Siletz)
Oct. 28, Yachats – 3:00 – 5:00 PM (Yachats Commons, 441 U.S. 101, Yachats)
Interpersonal violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and their children, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Many individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence have trouble finding rental properties due to poor credit, rental and employment histories related to their abuse. Abusers commonly jeopardize a victim’s economic stability. Many victims struggle to find rental properties or rental assistance due to poor credit, rental and employment histories related to the circumstances of their abuse. Some individuals may decide to stay in an unsafe situation rather than become homeless. Ultimately, 38 percent of individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence will become homeless at some point in their lives. With your help, we can help survivors in Lincoln County find and stay in a safe, loving home.
“In Lincoln County, we’re all aware that the affordable housing shortage and homelessness has a serious impact on our entire community,” says Lisa Norton, executive director at My Sisters’ Place. “But what may be less well known is how much of an impact housing scarcity has on victims of domestic violence. People might stay in unsafe situations because they can’t find or can’t afford to move anyplace else. As a community, we have the power to affirm that safe and loving homes are a right for all of us.” My Sisters’ Place is confident that with the funding and awareness we raise during Domestic Violence Awareness Month we will be able to ensure that, thanks to our community’s support, individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence will be able to find sanctuary throughout the year.
