Author: North Coast BBQ

THE DROP BOX IS NOW IN FRONT OF CITY HALL. IT IS A NEW BOX AND A BIT DIFFICULT TO USE. IT IS BLUE AND OFF THE PARKING LOT ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING…

Visions

In an old cabin

some scarlet wine

in a candlelit glass.

Letting go, immersed

in the warmth

of a cast iron hearth,

one will easily drift.

Visions may come.

And if you are ever

on a mountain path,

stop and rest.

Taste the rain

on a summer’s dust.

In the early twilight,

bow to the horizon.

Over rounded buttes

and ridge line breaks,

lightning can move

in an amethyst sky.

Silence will come

soon enough.

grateful is Corinna and family
cbbcalm@gmail.com

Yes, it’s going to cost us more—with my calculations about a latte a month. (see math below) Surely, we can afford that and that our roads are worth it!

I doubt anyone would argue that the roads here on the North Coast and on Highways 26 and 6 need repair. In many places they are in bad shape and that’s not even considering the battering our winter storms give them. Deferment of maintenance and emergency repairs are much more expensive than regular maintenance.

We absolutely need good roads for local’s daily business and for visitors to get here. Tourism is our economy.

In the Voter’s Pamphlet there are many arguments against Measure 120. Most if not all, seem only to focus on their pride in getting the measure on the ballot and on the horrors of a tax increase. I did not see anything about their solution on how to fix the roads. As I understand it, right now all the money for road repair comes from the gas tax. With the advent of electric cars and the reduction in gallons of gas sold, I hope that there is serious solution seeking for other forms of revenue for our roads.

But that is in the future and I am willing right now to pay $7 a month extra to help keep our roads in drivable conditions.

Here is my math:
Tax increase is $.06 per gallon. Every 100 gallons cost us an extra $6.00. Let’s say your car gets 25 miles to the gallon. That means you can drive 2500 miles on that $6.00. Now let’s say you drive 25000 miles a year. That will cost you an extra $60 a year or $5 a month. And a lot of cars get much better gas mileage so that means they pay even less.

Passenger car registration is increasing $42, which is good for 2 years. That will cost us another $24 per year, or $2 a month.

The title increase is more (for many vehicles it goes from $77 to $216) and even though the payroll tax is doubling, the doubling is from 1/10 of a percent to 2/10 of a percent.

I would rather spend my $7 extra dollars a month on our roads than on a latte. (And to support our local coffee shop I will also buy that latte once in while!)

Please vote YES on Measure 120.
Barbara McLaughlin
Nehalem

“There once was a lady named Kotek
Who greatly taxed my paycheck
She raised my gas taxes and DMV fees
Brought me finally to my knees.

My friends said they can’t take it anymo’
So, they moved to Nevada, Texas and Idaho,
I’d join, but I’ simply all out of luck
Cuz I can’t afford gas for my U-Haul truck.”

from tax payers association of Oregon

A very strange sight met a few of the early arrivers at last week’s North County Peaceful Protesters event. A dead coyote was at the base of a sign for the Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale. I don’t want to read too much into this. Perhaps I’ll just leave it at that.

There were 40 of us at the Peaceful Protest. It was quite warm, but we had a cool breeze that kept us from feeling the heat. It was a beautiful day. We were well received by the people passing by with lots of honks and waves. We feel our demonstration is attracting more positive responses as each week goes by. It is difficult to attach this positivity to one of our President’s actions as action tends to change every week and sometimes more often than that. Now it seems we are back to wanting Greenland again.

Freedom of speech, our veterans cause, fascism, voting rights, the war, Ukraine vs. Russia, immigrant rights, LBGT, and the inability of our elected leaders to take back our government are just a few of the problems we have with the US Government.

We are a friendly group of people who would love for you to come a join us. At this point we are not seeing any rain in the forecast. Bring your water, your sun hat, a chair, and good spirits and join us this coming Saturday, May 9th, from noon to 2 PM. We’ve had some awfully good cookies people have given us over the past couple of weeks. Now who doesn’t want a good home-made cookie? And this past week we were served some excellent ice cream from buttercup!

Thanks,
Patty Rinehart

Your vote in this May election matters, and I encourage you to cast your vote for Mary Faith Bell.

Her service to all of us in Tillamook County has been steadfast and strong for several years now. She understands the problems our County faces. And once a challenge is set, Mary Faith has demonstrated time and again that she faces things squarely and does not shy away from hard work. She is especially notable for her ability to listen to all sides of an argument or problem and then skillfully work to pull people together and get the job done.

Her dedication is real and when you look at her years of service on boards in addition to the County Commissioners, it is amazing to think of the time and talents she invests every single day on our behalf. (Those boards include the Tillamook Bay Community College Board, Northwest Oregon Housing Authority, and Tides of Change.)

I have worked with her more closely since becoming Mayor in Manzanita, so I have had a chance to see her work up close and to learn more about what the work of a commissioner is. Mary Faith is a strong and resilient leader who is in it for the long haul. In a time when our challenges are not simple and will not be solved overnight, her optimism about possibilities combined with her practical and determined approach are just what we need in Tillamook County.

With best wishes to all,
Kathryn Stock