Two events being held at the Samaritan Center for Health Education in Newport will touch on different aspects of aging.
Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia – This free class is part of an ongoing class series presented by the Alzheimer’s Association. It will be held on Wednesday, April 10, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. At this class, you will learn the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, disease risk factors and stages plus current research and treatments.
To register, visit alz.org/CRF and select programs and events, or call 541-574-4952.
Knowing Your Options as You Age – This lunch and learn will be hosted by Samaritan Evergreen Hospice on Tuesday, April 23, from noon to 1 p.m. and it will include a light lunch. During this panel discussion, experts will discuss options that are available to you or a loved one as you age. Speakers will include an elder law attorney and representatives from Senior Services, Avamere Rehabilitation of Newport and Samaritan Evergreen Hospice.
Space is limited and registration is required. For additional information and to register, contact Kelly at [email protected] or call 541-812-4662.
According to a press release form the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), studded tires must be removed by Sunday, March 31. No extension of the studded tire season is expected.
“We encourage everyone to take off their studded tires before March 31, especially if you won’t be driving in the mountains,” advised Galen McGill, State Maintenance and Operations Engineer.
Driving with studded tires after the deadline can result in a fine. Law enforcement may issue a citation, a Class C traffic violation, with a $165 fine.
McGill continues, “While studded tires are okay from November 1 to March 31, it’s better to use other options like traction tires or chains. Studded tires cause about $8.5 million in damage to state highways each year, according to a 2014 study.
Our crews continue monitoring highways and weather forecasts, working to remove any late season snow or ice. Visit TripCheck.com for current conditions. After March 31, switch to traction tires or chains if needed, or consider postponing your travel until conditions improve. “
Captain Jon and his wife mother next to his boat in Depoe Bay.
U.S. Marine veteran Jon Barnard loves fresh seafood.
In fact, he loves it so much that he moved to the Oregon coast, bought a boat and started a commercial fishing business so he could share his passion with everyone.
“There’s nothing better than coming off of the ocean to a meal of fresh seafood.” says Barnard.
From his boat ‘El Desarae’ Jon fishes to order for restaurants and individual customers.
“We are a custom order fish seller direct to end user. We sell today what we catch today. Our fish are individually caught, bled and iced to provide the freshest, high quality fish available.
We fish seasonal catch including ling cod, nearshore ground fish species and albacore tuna.”
With a few days notice via his Facebook page Barnard will take an order for a day’s trip.
Captain Jon and his grandson Tucker
Sometimes Jon is accompanied by his 15 year old grandson Tucker who is also a licensed commercial fisherman.
A typical day for Barnard begins at five a.m. “I’ll get the boat ready and head out (weather permitting) and fish until about two or three o’clock in the afternoon. Then upon return to dock there’s getting customers their catch and then cleaning up of the boat. So typically I’m putting in a 14-15 hour day.”
When asked if guests can pick up ready filleted portions he says, “No, because of the type of limited license I carry I must deliver a whole fish to my customer. But once it’s paid for I can then help with the filleting of portions” Barnard tells clients, “an average lingcod will yield about 25 percent of it’s total weight to actual edible meat so they need to plan accordingly.”
And while it’s very cool to tell everyone about a new veteran run business in the area, Jon’s story of how he came to be here is, well, as hard to believe as most fishing stories.
“I joined the Marines at 18,” says Barnard “and was exposed to a whole new culture on the Island of Okinawa and also South Korea. Prior to that the only other place I had been outside of Montana was Oregon on vacation with my family. Okinawa was where my love of the ocean began. I used to go snorkeling two to three times per week. It was fascinating and beautiful.”
Fast forward to 2014- Jon and his wife were living in Montana where he was involved with highway construction when they decided they wanted to move to Grants Pass Oregon. They enjoyed many trips to the Oregon coast and loved to charter boats to catch fish out of Newport.
On one such trip from Newport in 2015; “The boat I was on was out in some rough seas that were getting rougher. We were going to leave and had stowed all the gear. A ten foot swell came along and put the boat on its side. Another came along and turned it upside down.
The Captain and I were sitting inside the cabin and he started calling out a mayday. We let the cabin fill with water to equalize the pressure and then swam out of a window. The Captain grabbed a “ditch” bag that had a handheld radio, flares and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).
He popped up next to me and we swam together to the boat and held on.”
Barnard continued, “There was one person trapped underneath and one person floating on the sea laying atop an unsecured life vest. He couldn’t make it to the boat and drifted away. There were five us in the water. We got the EPIRB activated and didn’t know if anyone had received the mayday call. About a half an hour later the guy that was underneath the boat popped up wearing a fully strapped life vest. We thought that he had probably died. Once he came up he was too exhausted to swim to us and also drifted away.
As time passed two local fishing vessels came to their aid and pulled the two afloat from the sea. “The ‘Affair’ out of Depoe Bay grabbed one fella and the ‘Miss Raven’ out of Depoe Bay grabbed the other.”
Boat captains Loren Goddard and Mike Sorensen received the Meritorius Public Service awards for their efforts
Barnard explains, “The Coast Guard was originally going to send one chopper out of Newport but it had to be recalled to due mechanical issues and two other crews were summoned-one from North Bend and one from Astoria.”
Thanks to cooperation and bravery on everyone’s part all survived.
Fast forward to a few months later and Jon and his wife wanted to return to the coast for a short break. Jon recalls, “Halfway to the beach she tells me she’s arranged a chartered fishing trip for me on the Miss Raven. It was time to get back on that horse.”
It was on that trip that Jon decided he wanted to become a commercial fisherman.
The El Desarae heads out of Depoe Bay
So in 2022 Jon went through the laborious steps of obtaining a limited commercial fishing license. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The bite was good this day
Jon fishes primarily on weekends and holidays but “If the bite is good, I’ll go out mid week.”
According to earthsky.org A penumbral lunar eclipse – lasting over four hours – will occur overnight on March 24-25, 2024. It will be visible from Japan, the eastern half of Australia, the Americas, the western half of Africa, western Europe – and several oceans and parts of Antarctica. Timeanddate.com call for a total solar eclipse over the United States April 8, 2024. Visit timeanddate.com to get an exact timing of the eclipse from your location.
From Earthsky.org,
“Penumbral eclipse begins at 4:53 UTC on March 25, 2024. That is 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24 in North America. Greatest eclipse is at 7:12 UTC on March 25 (2:12 a.m. CDT) with a penumbral magnitude of 0.9577. In other words, at greatest eclipse, nearly all of the moon will be inside the Earth’s outer penumbral shadow. The moon will never go into Earth’s darker umbral shadow. So it will never seem as if a dark bite has been taken out of the moon. Instead, it’ll be a subtle darkened shading on the moon, and, at mid-eclipse, only a small sliver of the moon will fall outside this dark shading. Penumbral eclipse ends at 9:33 UTC on March 25 (4:33 a.m. CDT). Duration of eclipse: This is a deep penumbral lunar eclipse with a duration of 279.9 minutes. Note: A penumbral lunar eclipse is the most subtle kind of lunar eclipse, one that most people won’t even notice. Some people say the moon’s shadow won’t be detected until the disk of the moon is immersed in about 2/3 of the penumbral shadow. On the other hand, others notice it right away. It depends on how observant they are, atmospheric conditions and a person’s visual acuity.”
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has released its annual report on physician assisted suicide under the so called “Death with dignity Act (DWDA)”, which shows an almost 30% increase in the number of prescriptions written for lethal doses of medication under the Act in 2023.
The DWDA was a citizens’ initiative passed twice by Oregon voters. The first time was in a general election in November 1994 when it passed by a margin of 51% to 49%. An injunction delayed implementation of the Act until it was lifted on October 27, 1997. In November 1997, a measure was placed on the general election ballot to repeal the DWDA. Voters chose to retain the DWDA by a margin of 60% to 40%.
Prescriptions rose about 29%, from 433 in 2022 to 560 in 2023, according to the report. Deaths from ingesting the DWDA medications increased by about 20%, from 304 in 2022 to 367 in 2023.
The increase in DWDA prescriptions and deaths is believed to be driven in part by an amendment to the DWDA, passed in 2023, that removed the state residency requirement. The law no longer requires patients to be Oregon residents. All other criteria for participation remain.
OHA collects residence data from death records but does not receive records from other states unless the decedent was an Oregon resident. This means if an Oregon DWDA patient dies out of state and was not a resident of Oregon, OHA is unlikely to obtain notice of the death.
As a result, the 23 non-resident deaths reported may not represent all DWDA deaths of out-of-state residents who obtained a DWDA prescription from an Oregon health care provider. It is not known how many prescriptions were written to non-Oregonians. OHA plans to begin collecting patient residency status on the attending physician’s compliance form in 2024.
“The full impact of allowing out-of-state residents to access the law is unclear, as information about where the patient lives has not been collected during the DWDA prescription process,” said Tom Jeanne, M.D., M.P.H.., deputy state health officer and epidemiologist.
As in prior reports, participates who died after ingesting DWDA medication were more likely to be 65 and older (82%) and have cancer (66%). Other findings for the year include:
Prescriptions for lethal doses of medication were written by 167 different physicians. The youngest patient who took lethal medication was 29 years old. The oldest was 102. Seventeen patients (5%) outlived their six-month prognosis. A physician, other health care provider or trained volunteer was present at 54% of ingestions. At least 10 patients experienced complications, most of which involved difficulty ingesting the medication, such as a burning sensation in the throat or partial regurgitation of medication. No patients regained consciousness after ingesting the DWDA prescription medication. The median time from ingestion to death was 53 minutes.
OHA is legally required to collect information on compliance with the Death with Dignity Act and to make that information available on a yearly basis.
“OHA’s role is that of a steward of data about the use of the law,” Jeanne said. “This is a law, not an OHA program, and our principal role is to report accurate aggregate data about the use of the law. It is critical that we have accurate data so that informed ethical, legal and medical decisions can be made.”
News release: Oregon State Parks will host Spring Whale Watch Week along the Oregon Coast Saturday, March 23 through Sunday, March 31.
Trained Oregon State Park volunteers will be stationed at 15 sites along the Oregon Coast to help visitors spot whales and their calves and answer questions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily March 23-31. The sites are some of the best places to watch for whales on the Oregon Coast.
The spring event is three days longer than last year and might include better odds of seeing gray whales on their journey home from the calving lagoons in Mexico in light of today’s announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA announced the end of an Unusual Mortality Event, a significant die-off of the gray whale population, that had affected the marine mammals since 2019.
“The latest counts indicate that the gray whale population has likely turned the corner and is beginning to recover. It’s a perfect time for people to see them as they swim north with new calves to feed,” said Michael Milstein, public affairs officer with NOAA Fisheries.
Researchers counted about 412 calves last year, which was almost double the number from the year before. That helped signal an end to the Unusual Mortality Event and a likely turnaround in numbers as the species begins to rebound.
An estimated 14,500 gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores from late winter through June as part of their annual migration back to Alaska.
“Spring is a great time for whale watching because the gray whales are usually closer to shore on their return trip, typically around a mile or so out, and the weather can be better for viewing. But don’t forget your rain gear just in case,” said Park Ranger Peter McBride.
The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23-31. Visitors to the center can enjoy interactive whale exhibits and take in the panoramic ocean views. Binoculars are provided. Rangers from Oregon State Parks will also be on hand to answer questions about the whales.
All Whale Watch Week visitors are encouraged to dress for the weather, to bring binoculars and to follow beach safety guidelines such as remaining out of fenced areas, knowing the tide schedule and keeping an eye on the surf at all times. Go here for a list of safety tips.
For more information about coast parks and campgrounds, visit oregonstateparks.org.
Visitors are encouraged to share their photos and videos from Spring Whale Watch on social media using #OregonStateParks and #ORWhaleWatch24.
Greetings dear Homepage readers and welcome to the inaugural edition of “The week in review, what I think about it.”
Over the last year, since assuming the mantle of publisher of the Lincoln City Homepage and administrator of the Lincoln City Homepage Community Facebook page I’ve had many people approach me to ask me to offer my thoughts on items in the local news. So, being a benevolent dictator, I have agreed to pontificate (and even bloviate) on what I found interesting around town.
Note: This series of editorial commentaries are my own and no way reflect the opinions of anyone but me.
But where to start? The end of February and the first few weeks of March are not big news generating times.
Really, the biggest news (if our Facebook feed is any indicator) is the success of the Finders Keepers program run by Explore Lincoln City (formerly the Visitor and Convention Bureau)
Post after post with pictures of disembodied hands holding blown glass orbs appeared almost daily. It was easy to sense the joy each finder shared and equally easy to hear (through virtual grinding teeth) the frustration of those that have yet to find their prize yet they felt compelled to offer congratulations with a hopes of not jinxing their chances by appearing to be a jerk. Is the program of randomly dropping glass bobbles on the beach a success or worth the cost? Hard to say. In terms of goodwill and marketing for our city it’s a home run. As to actual cost versus income produced, no numbers exist except anecdotally. I know several business owners who give it a fiscal thumbs up. I also know a few beach walkers that despise the extra traffic. Oh well, ain’t that life though? What do I think about it? It’s fun for some and not others but really doesn’t cause harm to anyone. One downside that I have witnessed was a group of scavenging humans swarming the beaches and gathering floats to then sell at beach entrances. Not cool, but enterprising.
Dancing man of Lincoln City
I think that coming in a close second on Facebook was a fake post concerning the Dancing Man of Lincoln City Mr. Stephen Goetz. The post was a wickedly cheap attempt to pull at the heartstrings of anyone that has met Stephen by making it seem (via an edited video) that he was destitute and in need of money. I saw through the scam and didn’t allow it to be published on our site but it made it onto the Facebook feed. Fortunately a relative of Stephens was able to quickly dispute the video and let everyone know that Stephen is doing just fine. The internet has it’s plus side but, man oh man, does it foster the worst in some people. This type of human debris reminds me of nature films where hyenas cackle and plot around the carcass of a wounded animal or one that another animal has slayed. Unable to provide for themselves they seek to steal what belongs to others. This is why I still believe that public shaming is the only way to deter those who seek to commit crimes anonymously. What would my idea of public shaming look like? Bring the criminal to a very public place for all to see and have them tell the world who they are, where they live and explain what they did. For good measure, some type of embarrassing corporal punishment might be thrown in. But that’s just my opinion.
Trout ejected from hatchery delivery truck at Devils Lake
Getting some local attention was the stocking of trout into Devils Lake. Most of the comments on our Facebook page concerned themselves with lake health issues and that they had “heard” that the lake is polluted and the fish weren’t fit to eat. Most of the comments along that line were from people who have no more interest in the affairs of the lake than they have in the affairs of the city. Frankly I doubt they could find the lake without an assist from Google Maps. But without a world full of morons what fun would social media be? The fish are fine to eat and lake front property owners aren’t dumping poo into the water. Devils Lake, however, is coming off a bad stretch of grass growth that was choking the life out of it. Devils Lake Water Improvement District manager Boone Marker says the latest survey of the lake (by an independent third party) shows the grass is currently in a major recession. Mechanical harvesting and the newly introduced grass carp will play a huge part in determining this summer’s success concerning lake health. I’ll be out on the lake a lot this summer fishing from my 48 foot yacht. Be sure to wave hello.
Offshore wind farming map
There were a couple of State of Oregon stories. One was about wind farming off the Oregon coast. This was given the federal ok despite every vested group, including our local legislators, in the state saying no to it. But, I guess, if I learned one thing about big government is that if enough of the right people will be making buckets of money the projects will go through. I hate to sound cynical but I’ve been involved in local government where thankfully there are enough checks and balance and transparency to stop this kind of garbage before it starts. When the dollar numbers involved start with the letter ‘B’ and no one will ever have to account for the success or failure of a project, this is what we end up with.
I’m not saying I’m against the project (even though I think it’s a giant waste of money). What I am against is that no one that I have heard from wants this, yet it continues. I’m waiting for a gentle pat on my head to tell me that I need to be a good boy and let the adults take care of everything.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that. My fingers are tired from typing and my dogs need to go out to pee.
BOEM has designated two final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) off the Oregon coast, the Coos Bay WEA is 61,204 acres and located approximately 32 miles (mi) from shore. The Brookings WEA is 133,808 acres and approximately 18 mi off the coast. If fully developed, the Final WEAs could support 2.4 GW of energy production. The news release can be read in full here
The State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The meeting will take place remotely via the internet on Microsoft Teams and is open to the public. The agenda and handouts will be posted on the Council’s website.
What: Meeting of the State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council When: Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Where: Microsoft Teams click here to join the meeting Who: State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council
The State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council is established by Governor Kotek’s Executive Order 23-26, Establishing a State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council.
The purpose of the Council is to recommend an action plan to guide awareness education, and usage of artificial intelligence in state government that aligns with the State’s policies, goals, and values and supports public servants to deliver customer service more efficiently and effectively. The recommended action plan shall include concrete executive actions, policies, and investments needed to leverage artificial intelligence while honoring transparency, privacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Meetings of the State Government Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council are open to the public. Public comment may be made during the meeting. Sign-up for public comment is required as spots are limited. Sign-up closes Friday, March 15 at noon. Written comment will also be accepted. Written comment can be submitted by mail to the Council Support Office, 550 Airport Rd SE Suite C, Salem, OR 97301 or online.
Accommodations can be arranged for persons with disabilities, and alternate formats of printed material are available upon request. Please contact Enterprise Information Services at 503-378-3175 at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting to request accommodations. Closed captioning is included on the Microsoft Teams meeting.
Contact: Shirlene Gonzalez Legislative and Communications Director, Enterprise Information Services 971-803-1766
Onlookers view cherry blossoms at Oregon state capitol (Capitol Facebook photo)
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will host “Yozakura,” night viewing of the Akebono cherry blossoms, March 16 through April 6 in the North Mall at State Capitol State Park.
Parks staff will illuminate the cherry blossoms with Japanese lanterns and lights nightly 6-9 p.m. Visitors may bring blankets, camping chairs or an evening picnic to enjoy under the canopy of the illuminated trees.
According to a news release from the Oregon State Capitol, “The lanterns and lights create a striking and beautiful scene inside the park at night.”
The Focal Point Photography Club of Dallas will be in the park March 23 at 7 p.m. to help photographers capture the perfect shot of the illuminated blossoms. SamaZama, a koto and cello duo, will perform in the park March 30 at 7 p.m. The duo will also perform March 16 as part of the Cherry Blossom Day sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and the City of Salem.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will livestream the cherry blossoms on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OregonParks beginning March 16 during the day and evening through April 6.
Park staff ask that tree limbs and blossoms be left as is so everyone can view them throughout the bloom. Alcohol is not allowed in State Capitol State Park (without permits) and the park closes at 10 p.m.
For more information on events at the Capitol, call Visitor Services at 503-986-1388 or visit the events page .
Two events being held at the Samaritan Center for Health Education in Newport will touch on different aspects of aging.
News release: Oregon State Parks will host Spring Whale Watch Week along the Oregon Coast Saturday, March 23 through Sunday, March 31.
But where to start? The end of February and the first few weeks of March are not big news generating times.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that. My fingers are tired from typing and my dogs need to go out to pee.
