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Tillamook County Newsie is a curated newsletter of local news, events and happenings in Tillamook County. Newsletters feature links to local stories from already existing media outlets, information on upcoming community events, and original Newsie Feature pieces.
Tillamook County Newsie is produced by experienced journalist Chelsea Yarnell who has worked as a writer on the Oregon Coast for over a decade.
Newsie Features
Let’s hear more cowbell for the fastest growing sport in the country: pickleball! The Tillamook Pickleball Club is bringing the competition and hype to the coast this month. The “Cowbell Classic” will be hosted June 21-22 at the outdoor courts at Al Griffin Memorial Park in Bay City, as well as the indoor courts at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. The pickleball tournament is round robin style with events in men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles that are also categorized by skill and age groups. The cost is $50 for one event, and $25 for an additional event. All participants receive a commemorative t-shirt and gift bag. A raffle and barbeque will be held at Al Griffin Park in Bay City following the completion of events on Saturday, June 21. “This is our first tournament, so we’re trying to make it memorable,” Tillamook Pickleball Club President Roger Miller said. “We have enough players that are pretty active and have played in other tournaments. We felt that the time was right and we had some people who were willing to step up and pull this together.”
More than a dozen community partners were selected to receive funds as a part of Tillamook High School’s Charity Drive Community Grants. In total, $57,000 was awarded. Some of the receiving organizations included: Tillamook Fire Department, Tides of Change, Tillamook VFW Post 2848, Tilly Tots Preschool, Tillamook Oddfellows, Compassion Tillamook, The Grinch Gang, and the Tillamook Early Learning Center. A complete list of recipients is below.
Oregon State Representative Cyrus Javadi said the 2025 legislative session has been “productive” and the “busiest session in two decades” referring to the nearly 4,000 bills introduced since January. Rep. Javadi hosted a town hall event at Tillamook Bay Community College on May 21. He invited constituents to attend and receive a legislative update as well as ask questions. The town hall gathering began with an update on bills that could potentially have an impact in Tillamook County including the much anticipated transportation package. “The Oregon Department of Transportation finds themselves in a 2 billion shortfall,” Rep. Javadi told the town hall gathering. “The department does not receive money from the income tax, but rather from the fuel tax and DMV fees. They miscalculated how much people would be driving and the impact on fuel efficient and electric vehicles. This has led to a gap.” Rep. Javadi said that the bill is expected to be revealed on May 22. “Tillamook could benefit with some desperately needed funds for Hwy 6,” he said. Other updates included the reopening of Tillamook’s dialysis center that Rep. Javadi called a “big win,” as well as HB 3556 which would change what percentage of transient lodging taxes can be used for public services. “This would be a huge win for rural communities…it would give our [community] leaders some flexibility,” he said. Overall referring to the news about the state’s potential budget deficit, Rep. Javadi said that there’s “plenty of revenue coming in, it’s a spending problem that we have…we need to go in and find out what matters the most. There’s a lot of pressure and talk about whether to tax people or not.” Rep. Javadi also mentioned that he has sent letters to Congress and the White House concerning the freezing of federal dollars that were being utilized for housing projects on the Oregon Coast.
