I had a very informative meeting with Shaelyn Bangs of Clatsop County.  Her perspective needs to be shared with you so we can all work towards a better outcome for our children.  Shaelyn came to me with a goal.  She wants to improve access to pediatric mental health.  The problem she sees first hand is that kids can’t get in to receive services they need. It took Shaelyn 3 years to get a diagnosis and she is still not able to find a consistent provider to treat her.

The message is clear, there are not enough pediatric mental health specialists in our state. 

Shaelyn did not come to just tell me about a problem, she came with ideas on what we could do to make it better.  She would like to see "drop-in" type resources, outside of the school setting, for young people to seek mental health support.  While Shaelyn started this conversation, I'd like to bring others into it.  What are your thoughts?  Have you or someone you are close to had experience that you would like to share.  

I had a wonderful dinner at the Tillamook Moose Lodge where we were joined by Moose International Board of Directors Chairman, John Sipes.  

The Moose is about celebrating life together, serving those within the local communities, supporting children in need who deserve a second chance, and standing by senior members as they enter their twilight years.

The Moose presence is felt in over 1,400 communities across nearly 50 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Banks for constituent meetings where I was hosted by Marsha Kirk at the Log Cabin Visitors Center.  Through these constituent meetings I've been able to discover local issues that I can have impact on.  In Banks, one issue that was brought to my attention was that the redesign and construction of the intersection coming into town took away business parking spaces.

I was able to bring this issue to our ODOT manager and in turn he asked for a re-draw of the designed intersection.  The re-draw is being reviewed now and I am optimistic that they will have done their best to solve this issue.  

Thank you Recology for hosting me on tours of your sites in our district.  I was able to tour the Astoria Transfer Station, the Warrenton office and shop location, and the Organics site in North Plains.  The best part about these tours is getting to visit with people and hear about the jobs they do and the impact they have on our community's wellbeing.  I also enjoy seeing how the operation works and the ways that our local companies are looking to grow.  

Recology Western Oregon provides garbage and recycling collection services to residents and businesses in Clatsop County, including Astoria, Cannon Beach, Gearhart, Seaside, Warrenton, and Unincorporated Clatsop County. 

Recology Organics – North Plains. This site processes approximately 55,000 tons annually of yard trimmings and food scraps. The facility uses a state-of-the-art aerated static pile system to process organics efficiently. Their quality assurance program includes routine nutrient, metal, and pathogen analysis to ensure a high quality and consistent product.

Oregon State Parks has announced that Saddle Mountain State Natural Area reopened Sept. 6 at 9 a.m. 

The park was closed while crews made extensive safety repairs to the 2.7-mile trail (5.5-mile roundtrip), improved parking, and added two new vault toilets. 

Look for the new picnic table at the top of the 3283-foot peak! 

Bring your own water and wear clothing and footwear appropriate for a difficult trail that gains over 1,600 feet in elevation. 

Cell service is spotty. Make sure you tell someone where you're going and expected return before you hike.

Not up for the hike? Take a 200-foot stroll to the picnic area and an awesome view of the mountain. 

You may see rangers and volunteers in the park and on the trail as they continue work on the park-wide rehabilitation project. 

Saddle Mountain is open dawn to dusk. No water is available. No overnight camping is allowed. 

Image description: A wood plank rests on the steel base of a picnic table. A hammer and tape measure are on top of the plank and other tools are nearby on the rocky ground. A ranger is walking uphill near a guardrail.

St. Helens Department of Motor Vehicle changes

Effective Monday, September 18^th, 2023, the St. Helens DMV office will have a service hour change. The office will now have a midday closure from 12:30-1:30pm.

Unfortunately, the variability of staffing levels has been impacting DMV offices statewide, with reduced staffing levels becoming more frequent. In an office without a midday closure, staff must be cycled off the counter at different times for lunch. That cycling must begin early and in some offices, there are lunch periods that begin as early as 11:00am and end as late as 2:00pm. This leaves that office shorthanded for the bulk of the middle hours of the day and results in long wait times. With a midday closure most employees can be at lunch at the same time, increase the possibility of taking close to a full lunch break, and then return to the counter with a stronger contingent of staff to serve customers in the afternoon. Despite the office being closed for a time during the middle of the day, customers will face shorter wait times preceding and following the closure. 

I am hopeful that this change will increase the level of service at this critical DMV office and allow the community to continue to access vital services.

Campaign to Elect the 2024 Oregon's Kid Governor Kicks-Off  

The Oregon Secretary of State invites all Oregon 5th grade students and their teachers to participate in the campaign and election of the 2024 Oregon Kid Governor. 

What is the Oregon Kid Governor program?

Oregon’s Kid Governor® (ORKG) is a statewide civics program for 5th graders managed by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. It is an affiliate of Kid Governor®, an award-winning civics program created by the Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC).

Timed to coincide with Election Day in November, ORKG offers each elementary school in Oregon the opportunity to enter one student candidate into a statewide election that other 5th graders vote in. Classes can nominate a classmate to run for office, vote in the election or both. Toolkits of in-class lessons guide teachers and students through the program to learn about civics, including how to vote, the Oregon Legislature, The Oregon Executive Branch, and the Oregon Supreme Court. The program is free and provides teachers with classroom toolkits to help guide their students through the curriculum.

ORKG candidates work with their classmates to create a campaign video outlining:

• Why they want to be Oregon Kid Governor
• Their leadership qualities and skills
• A community issue that they want to address and why it's important
• A 3-point plan that will help 5th graders across Oregon make a difference on that issue

From the pool of nominees, a selection committee will choose the final 7 candidates and the Secretary of State’s Office will post the videos online. During Election Week, registered classes watch and analyze the campaign videos and vote for the platform and candidate they want to support. The candidate with the most votes statewide is then named Oregon Kid Governor.

The winning candidate serves a one-year term with all the benefits and responsibilities of being Kid Governor. These duties include sharing their issue statewide with constituents, writing posts for an official blog, meeting with students and adults across the state, and participating in events with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.

The current kid Governor is Lea and her platform is on promoting kindness and preventing bullying. Watch her video here.

Past governors include:

• Emerie
• Taneesh
• Raaga

Each Oregon school or homeschooler that chooses to participate will nominate one 5th grade student. Oregon's Kid Governors are elected by fellow 5th graders from across the state. During the week of November 6th through the 14th all participating 5th graders will view the finalists' campaign videos and will vote for their favorite nominee. The winner will be announced on or before December 1st.

During their one-year term, Oregon's Kid Governor will work with the Secretary of State's office on their campaign issue and will meet with Oregon leaders and legislators. In past years, we have had Kid Governors work on anti-bullying efforts, combating racism, and helping animals.

For more information or to register and access the lesson plans visit or.kidgovernor.org.