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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2016)
March 4, 2016 Seaside Signal seasidesignal.com 5A Strength of Seaside community is source of pride S hortly after I arrived in Seaside during the summer of 2010, it became evident that this was a tightly woven community. Business leaders, shop keepers and residents alike all welcomed me and my fam- ily to the area with open arms. Peo- ple were happy to converse, discuss life and especially tourism in the Seaside I was just starting to learn so much about. But there was some- thing about Seaside that stood out six years ago that still stands out to- day; the strength of community and a generous, giving attitude present in nearly everyone I come into contact with. It stood to reason that the tragic event that took the life of Seaside Police Sergeant Jason Goodding on the evening of Feb. 5 might test the resolve of this community. At times SIDE RAIL JOHN RAHL over the ensuing week, I’m sure we all felt tested. How could this hap- pen? Why would this happen? This shouldn’t happen. Yet, the underly- ing tone throughout Seaside in the days and now weeks that have fol- lowed is unwavering support of the Goodding family, Seaside Police De- partment and each other. What I learned the week leading up to Sgt. Goodding’s memorial ser- vice is that this “small” town has a heart of gold and the ability to rally in a way that is almost indescribable. From pitching in and wanting to help, to raising all kinds of money to assist Jason’s family, to simply being there to love a fellow neighbor and give a hug, I cannot say enough pos- itive things about the week that grew out of a horri¿ c moment in time. It’s very sad that it takes trage- dy to bring us together in ways like this. It’s easy to take little moments for granted. It’s easy to turn to our devices. It’s easy to not engage with our family, friends and com- munity members. But it feels much better to avoid doing those things. So I encourage us to start engag- ing more. Don’t be afraid to give a hug, say I love you, or simply say hi to a stranger. I’m pretty sure – especially after listening to the way friends and coworkers described Jason – that Sgt. Goodding would have done just that. I don’t work directly in law en- forcement, but I’m proud to be a Seaside city employee that at times gets to work alongside these ¿ ne men and women as the public in- formation of¿ cer for the city, police and ¿ re department. And serving alongside law enforcement mem- bers from across the state to help plan and get word out about Sgt. Goodding’s memorial the week of Feb. 5-12 was a true privilege — an honor I’ll never forget. The Oregon Fallen Badge Foun- dation — the organization that rallied to bring many of these law enforcement of¿ cials to Seaside — is an organization I’d never heard of prior to February 5, but what I’ve learned since then is that they are a group we can all be thankful for. They work with the families of fallen of¿ cers, police agencies and cities in Oregon to help ensure that these incredibly dif¿ cult moments are handled in a most exceptional way. I hope we can all agree, these wonderful men and women did just that. I took a month off of writing about tourism because I felt this message was important to convey. Seaside will continue to heal from this tragedy and we’ll do it in a way that shows the strength and pride of our incredible little town. Have a thought or a question about tourism in Seaside, or maybe an idea for a future column? Drop me an email at jrahl@cityofSea- side.us. Jon Rahl is the director of tourism for the Seaside Visitors Bureau and assistant general man- ager of the Seaside Civic & Con- vention Center. Surviving spouses tax -break bill heads to governor for signature Hiking the Mill Ponds EO Media Group R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL The Mill Ponds are part of a contiguous 55-acre expanse of North Coast Land Conservancy protected wetlands in the Neawanna Creek system. The 26.5-acres were conserved in 1995. OBITUARIES The state House on Monday unanimously passed a bill that allows counties to grant prop- erty tax breaks of up to $250,000 to the surviv- ing spouses of police of¿ - cers and ¿ re¿ ghters killed in the line of duty. The bill saw unan- imously support in the state Senate last month. The legislation could bene¿ t Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding’s wife, who would be eligible for the tax relief. Goodding was shot Jason Goodding and killed last month try- ing to arrest a man on a felony assault warrant. The fallen of¿ cer is survived by his wife and two daughters. “This is not a mandatory requirement for counties, but it does give local government of¿ cials the option to waive property taxes in support of surviving spouses,” state Rep. Deb- orah Boone, D-Cannon Beach , said Friday. “As I think about the recent tragedy involving Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding, I’m glad this legislation has been receiving universal approval.” The bill, which now goes to Gov. Kate Brown, was also supported by a slew of law enforcement associations. Robert Donald Neikes, M.D. LETTERS May 20, 1917 — Feb. 28, 2016 Robert was born in Portland, Oregon, to Herman and Martha Neikes. He married Elizabeth Judd in 1951, and they had ¿ ve children. In 1976, he married Betty Jane Quinn. Robert attended Reed College and Oregon State College (now OSU). In 1943, he graduated from the College of Medicine at Creighton University in Nebraska. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps on the hospital ship US- AHS Charles A. Stafford. Rob- ert moved to Astoria, Oregon, in 1948, where he practiced med- icine at the Doctor’s Clinic and Astoria Clinic. As president of the Astor Li- brary Construction Committee, he was instrumental in establishing the Astor Library, dedicated in Oc- tober of 1967. His additional civic designations included serving as president of the Clatsop County Medical Society, the Civic and Community Concert Associations, and the Library Board of Trustees. He received the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce Distin- guished Service Award in 1968. He delighted in reading, clas- sical music, opera, À y ¿ shing, and the outdoors, especially spending time at his farm in Jewel. In his later years, Robert volunteered at the Clatsop County Historical Society and as a tutor in Oregon’s SMART Reading Program (Start Making a Reader Today). Robert is survived by his chil- dren, Martha (Gunther) Roma- Robert Neikes, M.D. nov, David Neikes, Tom (Joom) Neikes, Jim (Jackie) Neikes and Carrie Neikes; stepson, Peter (Anna) Quinn; six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. He is preceded in death by his wife, Betty Jane; stepdaughter, Chris Quinn-Brintnall; siblings, Elsa Young, Fred Neikes and Art Neikes; and dear friend Florence Jacobson. Please join his family to cel- ebrate “Dr. Bob’s” life on Satur- day, March 12, at 2 p.m. at the Barbey Maritime Center. In lieu of À owers, contribu- tions may be made to the Astor Library, Clatsop County Histori- cal Society, or SMART Reading program, on behalf of Robert Neikes. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mor- tuary in Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. An online guest book may be signed at www.cald- wellsmortuary.com Letters from Page 4A Recently, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and more than 20 oth- er organizations, held a news conference in Sa- lem to announce our “tobacco 21” campaign, and I was lucky to be one of about 40 volun- teers at the capital urging our state legislators to support these efforts. We hope this will cul- minate in legislation next session to raise the age of tobacco sales in Oregon to 21. Every day, seven Oregon kids start smok- ing and 95 percent of lifelong smokers begin smoking before the age of 21. Just think of the number of lives that can be saved if this leg- islation passes. If we don’t take steps to curb smoking rates, 68,000 Oregon kids alive today will die prematurely from tobacco. Thank you again for taking such a strong position on raising the age of sale to 21. It’s wonderful to have your support. Lois Fitzpatrick Seaside 18th ANNUAL CLATSOP CASA CELEBRATION Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6-9 pm Bridgewater Bistro 20 Basin Street, Astoria Gourmet Small Plates, Beverages, Music! ONLY 150 TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE, SO PLEASE CALL SOON! Ways to support this community effort Be a Sponsor Sponsorship levels from $250 - $5,000 or more. Buy an Event Ticket $30 per ticket or a table of eight for $225, table of ten $275; call 503-338-6063 or contact casa@clatsopcasa.org Become a CASA Volunteer Call 503-338-6063 or contact julia@clatsopcasa.org Clatsop CASA P.O. Box 514, Astoria, OR 97103 503-338-6063 www.clatsopcasa.org or visit us on Facebook