Newsie Features

School’s back in session and students are utilizing school playgrounds. And thanks to bond funding, the students at East Elementary School will soon have a brand new play structure to utilize during recess. In May 2025, voters supported Measure 29-182 that created a bond for TSD9 worth $25.35 million with an additional $6 million grant awarded from the Oregon Capital Improvement Match Funds. All projects outlined for bond funds will finance critical safety and improvement projects to various district facilities. Projects have been prioritized based on safe schools, healthy students, and responsible stewardship. This bond is not a new tax to tax payers, but an extension of the current tax rate of $0.69 per $1,000 of assessed property value. East Elementary’s former playground consisted of several pieces of equipment in poor-shape and were not designed for intermediate age students. “Our fourth graders would definitely play on some of the equipment, but the fifth and sixth graders were really not as interested,” East Elementary School Principal Kara Rhodes said. “There was a lot that was breaking. It was really old and outdated.” The new play space is nearly 10,000 square feet with roughly $250,000 of new equipment. Installation began in July; a ribbon cutting ceremony was hosted on October 15, 2026. “There are some very unique pieces that we picked. It will be one of the nicest playgrounds in town,” TSD9 Bond Advisor Randy Schild said. “We selected items we thought would be best for fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders, but also with the understanding that this playground is a community resource and much younger kids will play on it when school is out.” 

Even though it wasn’t shipped in a brown cardboard box, Amazon has delivered a warehouse to Tillamook – its first on the Oregon Coast. A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony tour was hosted by Amazon to celebrate the opening of its new 47,000 square-foot warehouse at the Port of Tillamook Bay on May 28. The purpose of the building is to operate as a “Last Mile” facility to get Amazon orders to its customers faster in rural areas by operating as a terminus for the company that receives packages, loads them, and delivers them within a 50-mile radius of the Tillamook warehouse – as far north as Cannon Beach and south to Lincoln City.

By Jordan Wolfe

Orange you glad it’s Halloween time? This October, the Tillamook Revitalization Association (TRA) will host their annual downtown Tillamook Halloween decorating contest. Businesses are invited to dress up there windows, doorways, or front entrances for the spookiest time of the year.

The flagship steam locomotive for Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR), McCloud River Railroad #25, just turned 100 years old this September. To celebrate, OCSR hosted a weekend-long event (Sept. 20-21) with special excursions including a stopover in Wheeler. “This run’s been exciting because we’ve gone all the way from Garibaldi to Wheeler which is something we don’t normally do. Typically, we only run trips from Rockaway Beach to Wheeler or Rockaway Beach to Garibaldi, but not the entire length of the service railroad to Wheeler,” OCSR Operations Supervisor and General Manager Trevor Park said. “We brought people up here not only to celebrate the #25’s 100th birthday, but also to bring business to Wheeler as we’ll be running up here every single weekend [soon]” The specialty ride from Garibaldi to Wheeler, brought out 200 passengers. 

First it was a fishing settlement. Then a farming and camping area. And now today, a vibrant community on the rural Oregon Coast. The evolution of Neskowin is captured through historic photos in The Neskowin Historical Foundation’s first ever book: “Neskowin: A Book of Found Photos 1880-1970.” The 300+ page, hardback coffee table book takes readers on a visual journey through time featuring photographs of the area’s iconic landscapes such as Proposal Rock and the mysterious Ghost Forest, as well as portraits of the town’s pioneering families.

It’s that time again to let the gourd times roll at The Kilchis River Pumpkin Patch. “It's a different kind of pumpkin patch in a beautiful, remote, authentic and relaxed setting,” Zweifel said. “Come for the afternoon and enjoy the good, wholesome family fun.” Boasting thousands of gourds and u-pick pumpkins, and the biggest corn maze on the Oregon Coast, the Kilchis River Pumpkin Patch will operate every Saturday and Sunday in October from noon – 5 p.m. Get the full, down-home experience with free hay-rides behind one of the farm’s tractors, or snap a cute family picture at one of multiple photo booths. “People who come here, remark about how family-friendly and non-commercial it is,” Owner Patrick Zweifel said. “It is very relaxed. People come with their families and a basket of food and hang out for several hours.”

Benefit Concert brings The Voice contestants to Garibaldi

Editor’s note: This feature story contains information about suicide and suicide prevention and awareness. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline : Call or text 988. 24/7 Tillamook County Crisis Hotline : 1-800-962-2851 or 503-842-8201 24/7 AgriStress Helpline (available specifically for people in farming, ranching, fishery, and forestry industries): call 833-897-2474 Mental health and behavior health services are available at: Tillamook Family Counseling Center: 503-842-8201, tfcc.org Adventist Health : 503-815-2292 Nehalem Bay Health Center : 1-800-368-5182 Tillamook County Community Health Centers: 503-842-3938