Grant funds provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Impact helped the Lincoln City Police Department make local roads safer during a National Distracted Driving Awareness campaign in the month of April.
Three enforcement operations conducted April 11, April 15 and April 27 identified numerous drivers unlawfully using their cell phones or other electronic devices while operating their vehicles.
The safety sting included 22 citations and eight warnings issued for distracted driving, one citation for a suspended license, and one citation and 11 warnings for other traffic violations.
John Branum has gone from making headlines in the local police log to making one of the best crab omelets on the Oregon Coast.
Branum is head chef and kitchen manager for the iconic coastal landmark eatery Lil Sambos Family Restaurant in Lincoln City, but things weren’t always this good for the 52-year-old converted convict. Following a period of dealing drugs that eventually led to his incarceration, Branum turned his life around and found cooking, which he’s exceptionally good at.
Spinach and mushroom omelet in progress
“I came here from Portland when I was 6 years old,” Branum said. “I went to Taft schools all my life and started doing drugs when I was 17. I sold drugs for 25 years and I’ve been to prison four times. I’ve been clean for 13 years. I started working here a couple years ago and it’s progressed from there.”
“The most important thing to me is that the restaurant is useful to God,” restaurant owner Cary Moore said. “When I see people turn their lives around, to me that’s a win.”
When asked why Branum’s crab omelet was such a hit, Moore replied, “We sell a lot of them.”
“I cook them with love and lots of crab,” Branum said.
Lil Sambos’ staff members said they take full advantage of the employee discount when Branum is behind the grill.
California omelet
“I love John’s crab omelet because it has more crab than eggs,” waitress Liz Kallman said. “They’re delicious, and all his omelets are stuffed with the good stuff.”
Branum attributes his love for cooking to shows he’s watched, such as, Food Network’s Chopped and the late Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown and Viceland’s Bong Appétit.
“I love Chopped,” he said. “I watch a lot of cooking shows, but Bong Appétit is my favorite.”
Branum says Rachel Ray is a good cook, but he’s seen her exhibit some bad habits, such as touching her hair on camera — something you are not supposed to do. He said he would rather spend time learning from someone like Food Network’s Guy Fieri.
“John is one of the best cooks in town,” Moore said. “He’s one of a handful of people in the city who can put out quality food on a busy Sunday morning.”
“I appreciate the Moore family for giving me the opportunity to do what I love and create, and for promoting me as quick as they did,” Branum said.
Lil Sambos offers special omelets every Monday and Tuesday from 6 a.m. – 1 p.m. when Branum is working.
North Lincoln Fire & Rescue’s newest firefighting vehicle, a “Heavy Rescue,” arrived Tuesday morning in Lincoln City on a flat-bed trailer from West Virginia by way of Alabama.
The Heavy Rescue, which has undergone refurbishing and repainting to meet NLFR District #1’s needs, was bought from a fire department in West Virginia and sent to an Alabama fire vehicle specialty shop for some refurbishing.
The tires were too old to meet national fire service safety standards, so new tires will be added to the rig by Les Schwab.
Division Chief Jamie Mason led a committee of firefighters to determine the “specs” for the rig, and found one that met NLFR’s needs for about $100,000. A completely new apparatus of this type, with equipment, would be around twice that amount, NLFR Fire Marshall Frederick E. Ulrich Jr. said.
The money came from the bond measure approved by NLFR voters in 2018.
Lincoln City Dairy Queen owners Gordon and Elizabeth Snyder are seeking applications as work continues in the remodel of the popular restaurant built in the 50s.
The Snyders, who own a Dairy Queen in McMinnville, said work to restore the frozen-treat fast-food chain’s Lincoln City store was going smoothly and they anticipate opening May 31.
The new owners will be taking applications at the end of this week and will place a box at the front of the store, where interested parties can take a form, fill it out and place it in a locked portion of the box. The Snyders said they would call people in for interviews.
Photo illustration. The application box will look similar.
The location is taking shape on the inside with numerous notable improvements.
“We put in new tile that will be seen from behind the counter,” Gordon Synder said.
New tile is also going on the floors.
Stainless steel is going where needed.
While waiting to enter the building, two separate couples tried the front door of the building until they saw the sign and got back in their cars.
“Looks like we’re coming back May 31st for that Blizzard, Carl,” one woman said to her male companion.
The ninth annual B’nai B’rith Camp Spaghetti Dinner will be held on Wednesday, May 15, with tours of camp starting at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased online at bbcamp.org/spaghetti-dinner or at the door. Proceeds raise scholarship money for our local kids to go to the BB Camp Day Camp.
The spaghetti dinner is preceded by tours of the camp to see where kids take part in activities at the beautiful setting of the camp itself. It is a chance for people to see the changes happening at camp or their first view of the lake from the camp dining hall deck. This year you can see the three new two-story cabins being built that will be completed before the overnight camp begins in June.
There are several baskets to be raffled including tickets to Siletz Bay Music Festival, dinner, movie tickets, gift certificates, a basket of gourmet goodies, wine and many other surprise items. All proceeds support scholarships for local kids to be able to attend Day Camp.
“We have been lucky enough to have sunshine for the past years so people can really get out to walk the camp, “ Sue Anderson, co-chair of the event with her husband, Dick Anderson, said. “But if it is raining, the large deck is covered and we can still see what a great place BB Camp is for our community.”
Kids attending the Day Camp get to experience real, camp life and create memories for a lifetime. Not all local kids are fortunate enough to be able to go to camp. Some kids have very little adult supervision or fun things to do daily during the summer months. This is a chance for them to go to camp by means of financial aid and take home memories of fun experiences such as nature hiking, arts and crafts, sports, swimming in the pool, and water sports in the lake including canoeing, paddle boarding and tubing, and much more. Kids are also given books to take home on a weekly basis to add to or start their own book collection.
For more information on the Spaghetti Dinner call Dick or Sue Anderson at 541-996-8482 or to register kids for camp or apply for financial aid, go online to BBCamp.org.
Lincoln City Police and North Lincoln Fire & Rescue personnel helped finish a delivery job this morning after a man sustained injuries from a fall during a daily fruit and vegetable run to Kenny’s IGA Seafood Grocery.
“This is another case of our Lincoln City service people going above and beyond,” Andy Morgan, owner of the store at 2429 NW Highway 101, said.
After borrowing an IGA hand truck because his electric one had a dead battery, the delivery driver fell from the lift platform, hitting his head and injuring his ankle, officers said. The man was transported to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery.
LCPD officers Preston Craig and Summer Danneker assisted NLFR Engine 1407 personnel in unloading the produce with IGA staff and secured the truck for the injured driver.
According to LCPD staff, Officer Craig recalled his knowledge of operating a pallet jack, which helped efforts and again put into practice the “other duties assigned” portion of the job.
Local fire agencies and prevention organizations urge the public to consider alternatives to burning yard debris, as unseasonably warm and dry conditions are already causing fires across the state.
While fire season has yet to be declared on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry, 126 fires have already burned nearly 1,000 acres in 2019. Warm and dry conditions during May have led to more than 70 fires, catching many people off guard and prompting county-wide burn bans in several areas across the state.
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and the ideal time to reduce excess vegetation around your home that could pose a wildfire threat. However, as you begin spring clean-up, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Keep Oregon Green and the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal urge you to consider alternatives to burning.
“The window to burn safely has closed,” ODF Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields said. “If chipping or recycling is not an option, then it’s best to hold off until after fire season next fall.” Fields says delaying your burn plans will give the debris additional time to cure and still burn efficiently during moderate conditions. Waiting will also prevent piles burned this spring from coming back to life during the heat of the summer, as they can retain heat for several weeks and rekindle under warm, windy conditions.
If burning now is the only option to dispose of woody material, fire officials urge homeowners to follow safe burning practices. A burn pile is less likely to escape control by following some simple safety tips:
Call before you burn – Burning regulations are not the same in all areas and can vary with the weather and fuel conditions. If you’re planning to burn, check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry district, fire protective association or air protection authority to learn if there are any current burning restrictions or regulations, and whether a permit is required.
Know the weather forecast – Never burn on dry or windy days. These conditions make it easy for open burning to spread out of control.
Clear a 10-foot radius around your pile – also make sure there are no tree branches or power lines above.
Keep your burn pile small – A large burn may cast hot embers long distances. Small piles, 4×4 feet in dimension, are recommended. Add debris in small amounts as existing material is consumed.
Always have water and fire tools on site – When burning, have a charged water hose, bucket of water, and shovel and dirt nearby to extinguish the fire. Drown the pile with water, stir the coals, and drown again, repeating until the fire is DEAD out.
Stay with the fire until it is completely out – Monitoring a debris burn continually from start to finish until dead out is required by state law, to ensure that any escaped sparks or embers can be extinguished quickly. Go back and recheck old burn piles, as they can retain heat for several weeks and rekindle when the weather warms and wind begins to blow.
NEVER use gasoline or other accelerants (flammable or combustible liquids) to start or increase your open fire. Every year, 55-60 percent of all burns treated at the Oregon Burn Center in Portland are the result of backyard debris burning.
Burn ONLY yard debris – State regulations prohibit the open burning of any material that creates dense smoke or noxious odors.
Escaped debris burns are costly – State law requires the proper clearing, building, attending and extinguishing of open fires any time of year. Citations can amount to as much as $2,000 and, if your debris burn spreads out of control, you will be responsible for the cost of fire suppression and very likely the damage to neighboring properties. This can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.
More tips on wildfire prevention, including campfire safety, motorized equipment use, and fire-resistant landscaping can be found on the Keep Oregon Green site, www.keeporegongreen.org/.
Several Taft High track and field athletes arranged a date with State this week at the Class 3A Special District 2 Track and Field Championships at Dayton.
Junior Kaden Wright won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, junior Edson Fuentes the 1,500-meter run, sophomore JJ French the pole vault and junior Ella Knott the javelin to earn automatic berths as District titlists into the 3A OSAA State championships May 17-18 at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.
Senior Jacob Mayoral and sophomore Avery Nightingale also qualified for the finals by placing second, respectively, in the boy and girls pole vault.
Senior David Jin also qualified based on his time in the 110-meter hurdles, while seniors Mad Scott and Savannah Russo could advance in the boys and girls javelin after distances from competitors from other District competitions are posted.
The Taft High boys placed third behind champion Amity in the two-day SD2 meet, while the girls finished fifth behind winner Blanchet Catholic.
Lincoln City Swim Club members Heidi Moreno, Dylan Murphy and Yireth Fuentes won three events each Wednesday in a dual meet against host Newport at the Newport Aquatic Center.
Moreno, 8, won the 25-yard butterfly, 25 backstroke and 25 free; Murphy, 9, won the 25 fly, 50 back and 50 free; and Fuentes, 10, won the 50 fly, 50 back and 50 free in their respective age groups.
Siri Khalsa, 12, won the 50 free; Leslie Lagunes, 13, won the 50 breaststroke; and Brandon Murphy, 13, won the 50 breast.
Virtually all of the Lincoln City swimmers posted personal-best times at the meet, where Ileyana Moreno, 10; Bryanna Pager, 16; Isabelle Serrato, 15; Noah Serrato, 13; and Carly Wisehart, 8, also participated.
Two F-15 Eagles fly over the Capitol building in Salem during an Armed Forces Day celebration. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy)
World War II veterans, their families and those who supported the war effort will be honored Tuesday, May 14, on Armed Forces Day at the State Capitol Mall in Salem.
“It is a privilege to honor our World War II veterans and veterans of gold star families,” Stephen Bomar, director of public affairs for the Oregon Military Department, said. “All World War II veterans are encouraged to attend and will be recognized for their service and sacrifice.”
The ceremony will begin at noon and will feature music from the Oregon Army National Guard’s 234th Army Band. The Howitzer salute will be performed by the “Governor’s Own” Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery Regiment and the 142nd Fighter Wing is scheduled to conduct a flyover.
The salute and flyover will take place at approximately 12:30 p.m., following the ceremony attended by Governor Kate Brown and Maj. Gen. Michael E. Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon.
The celebration gives Oregonians an opportunity to see the capabilities of the Oregon National Guard. The ceremony will be followed by the Oregon National Guard Career Day, which allows students a rare opportunity to see how serving their community and country, while pursuing a career or earning a college degree may be more intertwined than they imagined.
Military equipment from various units throughout the Oregon National Guard will be on display from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Local food trucks are scheduled to be onsite.
Armed Forces Day was originally created in 1949 to honor Americans serving in all branches of the U.S. military, and was designated as an official holiday in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.
For more information, contact Oregon Military Department Public Affairs at (503) 584-3917.
