By Robin Swain What is a Tech Storm, you ask? Well, that would be when Mother Nature and the Universe collaborate to mess with our gadgets of connection for the mere pleasure of driving us insane with frustration. Torrential rain, high winds, flooding, trees down, power outages with snow being the icing on the cake just was not enough. Nope,…
Category: Guest Column
MOOVOTER: Results of Tillamook March Special Election – Torres & Hopkins Secure Seats on Tillamook City Council
From Moovoter, a public Facebook group*, A Resource for Tillamook County Voters The City of Tillamook was required to hold a special election in March, due to ballot errors, to determine the City Councilors for Wards 2 & 5. The same candidates prevailed – Nick Torres for Ward 5 and Rebekah Hopkins for Ward 2. For Tillamook City Council Ward…
BOOK REVIEW: Bayocean – Atlantis of Oregon
By Neal Lemery Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon offers a comprehensive examination of a massive real estate development in one of the Northwest’s most scenic and pristine ocean beaches. The many tales of speculation, promotion, and determination are interwoven with extensive research of original sources to tell the tales of a long-ago age. Jerry Sutherland teaches us history and also engages…
MANZANITA MUSINGS: The Meaning of the Meeting – Oregon’s Public Meetings Law
By Kim Rosenberg Just like the reclusive Varied Thrush that skirts my yard avoiding other birds, you almost never see more than one or two Councilors at the same time outside a public meeting, not because they’re antisocial but because of Oregon’s Public Meetings Law or OPML. The law helps to ensure that decisions affecting the public are made in…
OP/ED: Letter to State Representative about Housing & Accessibility
By LaNicia Duke Here’s an email I just sent to my new (to me) State Representative regarding housing and accessibility. Fortunately she’s also on the housing committee. I did edit some personal details. My name is LaNicia Duke. I am one of the newest residents to the community. I just signed my lease on March 15th. I wanted to share…
TILLAMOOK COUNTY WELLNESS – Beginner Gardening on the Coast: An Interview with Master Gardener Sarah Ostermiller
EDITOR’S NOTE: Full disclosure, I’m a Master Gardener and Sarah Ostermiller is one of my favorite Master Gardeners. We got to tour a bunch of gardens together during 2020. We are all so eager to get out in the garden, but it was snowing again today (March 25, 2023) and the temp didn’t make it to the mid-40’s. Soil temperature…
I’ve been thinking … One Feral Clown-Cat 3 Times Daily Doses of Laughter
By Jim Heffernan My wife and I have always been cat lovers. For 50+ years, we’ve always shared our house with 2 or 3 cats. We’ve always had pet doors to save ourselves the onus of cat-box duty. Now and then, we would lose one when the siren call of 27 acres of rodent habitat across the road would cause…
BOOK REVIEW: “The Politics Industry”
By Jim Heffernan I usually wait until I finish a book before I begin to write my review, but this one is different. I’ve read a lot of books about contempory politics and “The Politics Industry” is special. I’m very impressed how original and even-handed it is. Michael Porter is an economist born in 1947 who is known in academic…
I’ve been thinking … Braver Angels
By Jim Heffernan I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what generally happens when someone says or writes something that another person doesn’t agree with. A person with strong opinions and weak filters, like me, will most likely run for his “culture warrior sword”* and rush into battle. The “culture warrior” is convinced truth, and maybe God, is on his…
OP/ED: Our Democracy is Threatened!
By Jim Heffernan That’s not a joke. Our Democracy is not only threatened, but it was dealt a body blow. It’s not some sinister foreign conspiracy which threatens us. The threat is right here in Tillamook. And it’s not just a few of us, it’s more than two-thirds of us. (67.15% to be exact.) That’s the percentage of people who…
