The term supermoon has entered popular consciousness in recent years. Originally a term from modern astrology for a new or full moon that occurs with the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, supermoon now refers more broadly to a full moon that is closer to Earth than average. But why is the moon closer to Earth at some times but not others?
Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other (apogee). The word syzygy, in addition to being useful in word games, is the scientific name for when the Earth, sun, and moon line up as the moon orbits Earth. When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon!
This coincidence happens two more times in 2016. On December 14, the moon becomes full on the same day as perigee. On November 14, it becomes full within about two hours of perigee—arguably making it an extra-super moon.
The full moon of November 14 is not only the closest full moon of 2016 but also the closest full moon to date in the 21st century. The full moon won’t come this close to Earth again until November 25, 2034.
The supermoon of December 14 is remarkable for a different reason: it’s going to wipe out the view of the Geminid meteor shower. Bright moonlight will reduce the visibility of faint meteors five to ten fold, transforming the usually fantastic Geminids into an astronomical footnote. Sky watchers will be lucky to see a dozen Geminids per hour when the shower peaks. Oh well, at least the moon will be remarkable.
How remarkable?
A supermoon, or perigee full moon can be as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than an apogee full moon. However it’s not always easy to tell the difference. A 30% difference in brightness can easily be masked by clouds or the competing glare of urban lights. Also, there are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full moon looks much like any other.
Low-hanging moons, on the other hand, can create what’s called a “moon illusion.” When the moon is near the horizon it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects. The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience.
A supermoon is undeniably beautiful.
November 14, and December 14: mark your calendar and enjoy the super moonlight.
For more on beautiful views in the night’s sky, stay tuned to science.nasa.gov.
The Nelscott Reef surf, is a one of a kind wave and a gift to all of us. The reef has put Oregon on the map in the surfing community and surfers come from all over the world to participate in these events. Thank you for showing interest in this grass roots contest, and please come down and support the hard effort involved here. If you cannot attend please check out the videos and pics!
The 11th edition of the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic PRO/AM Unvitational, And PRO Invitational, to be held at the best high performance big wave in the world. Competitions will be held in 30′ minimum surf . 24 of the worlds best SUP and prone big wave surfers will participate in these ‘One Of A Kind’ events.
Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic has been supported for over ten years by many businesses from Lincoln City and the city of Lincoln City itself, and we would like to extend a special thanks to them and all of our sponsors!
Behemoth LLC, the original permit holder for the Nelscott Reef contests, is working with Mad Bro Inc. on creating a webcast and festival for the event.
GREEN LIGHT FOR 11/4
For athlete inquires email Event Director: John Forse
The Spooky Spectacular at Taft Elementary was packed with kids and parents and we all had a great time. Teachers and volunteers handed out candy in the doorways of classrooms and were all very friendly. On a rainy Halloween having the chance to trick-or-treat indoors was a blessing.
In the Taft Elementary gym there were games to play and prizes to win. I especially liked the cone toss game that was being run by Lincoln City Mayor Don Williams and City Council hopeful James Scrutton. These guys were all smiles as they handed out cotton candy to the kids.
This event is sponsored by local businesses and the Bay Area Merchants Association.
Students can trick or treat at Taft Elementary! A safe (and dry) way to enjoy the Halloween holiday. Candy will be passed out and there will be carnival games in the gym.
A secret 13-month Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal investigation, launched by Lincoln City City Attorney, Richard Appicello, against Mayor Don Williams, and one of his supporters, transparency advocate Ross Smith, has been dropped.
On September 28, 2016, DOJ Sr. Assistant Attorney General Matthew McCauley wrote Lincoln County District Attorney Michele Branam, stating “there is an insufficient factual basis to pursue criminal charges against either Don Williams or Ross Smith in this matter.”
The cases against Williams and Smith were dropped just one day after Smith wrote Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Branford, alleging Appicello made numerous false statements against him in a July 20th letter to Smith, which Appicello admitted authoring. The closing of the investigation marks the end to three failed attempts to prosecute and discredit Mayor Williams, who was elected in a landslide in Nov. 2014, on a platform of providing affordable housing and job growth.
A previously undisclosed letter Appicello wrote alleging both Williams and Smith had committed crimes was released last week by the Oregon DOJ, in response to a Nov. 2015 records request made by Smith. Appicello sent the 5-page letter in Sep. 2015 to Ronald Bersin, Executive Director of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC), charging Williams with criminal misconduct.
“Whether or not Mr. Williams will be criminally prosecuted (for official misconduct under ORS 162.415 for unauthorized release of confidential information) will be left to a special prosecutor” wrote Appicello. Violating ORS 162.415 is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a 1-year prison term, and a $6,250 fine.
The document Appicello alleged was confidential was a 315-page ethics complaint Appicello had drafted against Williams, which was submitted to OGEC in Aug. 2015. Williams said he released the complaint to the press shortly after receiving it from OGEC, because he wanted to clear his name, and because an OGEC representative had twice told him he didn’t need to keep the complaint under wraps.
But Appicello claimed the ethics complaint should not have been disclosed arguing it contained “confidential executive session excerpts” of private city council meetings. Smith, a staunch supporter of Williams, then sent a 9-page letter to OGEC’s lawyers, and convinced them to release the complaint to the public.
Williams was cleared of the ethics charges by OGEC in Oct. 2015, in a unanimous 5-0 decision, with their lead investigator, Diane Gould, referring to Appicello as an “instigator” in the messy affair.
In Aug, 2015, the Lincoln City Council authorized a separate investigation of Williams, and hired an outside attorney, Russell Poppe, to interview dozens of citizens, including several of the mayor’s supporters. The 13-month investigation, costing taxpayers an estimated $50,000 or more, concluded last month on the condition that Williams offer an apology for “possibly” violating city council rules.
Ross Smith
Afterwards, the city council voted 4-1 to keep all details of Poppe’s investigation secret, claiming attorney/client privilege. Williams questioned that claim since Poppe told the city council on Aug. 15th that he didn’t represent the City in any legal capacity, but was hired simply to investigate and present a report.
Later in Appicello’s letter, he turns his attention to Smith, who he charges with violating ORS 163.275, when Smith “attempted to coerce” City Recorder Cathy Steere by sending her a public records request for the ethics complaint in Sep. 2015. Coercion (ORS 163.275) is a Class C felony, carrying a 5-year prison term, and a $125,000 fine.
According to Assistant Attorney General McCauley’s letter, Appicello had charged Smith with numerous crimes, including “criminal impersonation, stalking, coercion, solicitation, and the unauthorized practice of law.” Criminal impersonation (ORS 162.365), Stalking (ORS 163.732), and Solicitation (ORS 161.435) are Class A misdemeanors (1-year prison/$6,250 fine). It is unclear what the penalty is for the unauthorized practice of law (ORS 9.160).
The charges against Smith came just one month after Smith had filed suit against Lincoln City in circuit court in Aug. 2015. In his suit, Smith claims the city council frequently violated Oregon’s Public Meetings Law over the last 6 years, including holding 59 secret meetings, and discussing and deciding on forbidden topics.
Smith said he filed the suit “not only to protect our mayor, but to protect the rights of the 1,700 citizens who elected him, because I show the city council did not follow the law in filing the ethics charges, or authorizing the Poppe investigation.’’
Smith questions if the charges against him were due to his filing the suit. “Claiming my respectful records request was criminal coercion is beyond the pale. Appicello just cooked that up to try to silence me, since I was challenging his attempts to unseat our mayor.” Smith said.
This July, Smith filed a second suit against the City, claiming the city council has been violating not only Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, but the City’s own municipal code, for several years, by holding private interviews of applicants, and holding secret votes to appoint city councilors, planning commissioners, and others.
While the Court is expected to rule on the first suit soon, Smith submitted a binding offer last week to the city council to drop both lawsuits, if council “apologizes to Mayor Don Williams, the staff and the citizens of Lincoln City”, for having “possibly violated Oregon Public Meetings laws.” The city council rejected his offer, without discussion.
“I guess our city council would rather waste our money on attorneys, than admit they might have acted improperly” Smith said. “I just hope our voters will elect leaders that will work openly, and with each other, and our mayor, because that’s certainly what our citizens deserve after all this.”
Asked to comment on the DOJ investigation, Williams replied “I had no idea when the investigation began, who was accusing me, or what was being alleged. Frankly, I’m disgusted this was all done at taxpayer expense, because it was a complete waste of time for everyone involved.”
But in the end, Williams remains surprisingly optimistic. “I’m just thankful we can put this all behind us, and focus on addressing real issues, like my 6-point plan to build more affordable housing, which I campaigned on, and have been trying to implement since I was elected.”
Mayor Don Williams, James Scrutton, Doug Wheldon, and Jim Davis were at the Meet and Greet event hosted by Lil Sambos Restaurant recently and I had the opportunity to interview the candidates for city council.
Mayor Don Williams said workforce housing (also known as affordable housing) was the biggest problem the city faced and that the three candidates, with close to 100 years combined building, contracting, and developing experience, could solve the problem. He wants us to vote for these three builders for city council but who are they and why should we?
Jim Davis is running for City Council Ward 1. He is an experienced builder who has a commanding presence. His interview was to the point and he had some great ideas about how to actually solve the problem of affordable housing. Off camera in speaking with Jim Davis I found him to be highly intelligent. Imagine General George S. Patton commanding armies and you get the idea of Jim Davis commanding contractors. He has sat on the council before so some political experience is there.
James Scrutton is running for Ward 2. I enjoyed interviewing this guy. He’s easy to talk to and just an all-around good guy. James Scrutton is a great listener and genuinely cares about his community and neighbors. He has helped feed the homeless in numerous programs and if that wasn’t enough, he tries to talk to all of them and find out what their story is. He said he was ready to help the homeless in Lincoln City learn trades with new programs so they could rejoin society. Scrutton is also a retired contractor and he brings experience in all the different contracting trades.
Doug Wheldon is running for Ward 3. Wheldon went into great detail about what workforce housing is and ways the builders could create the much needed housing for people in Lincoln City. He seemed to know an enormous amount of information on the subject and I was impressed. I learned a thing or two from him. What I really liked about Doug Wheldon was how he presented himself. Something about his body language made me feel comfortable. He was a good listener and really knows everything about construction. He also showed a glimpse of his political strength by how he answered my questions from an average Lincoln City citizen standpoint.
Talking to these three men made me excited for Lincoln City. If they do get elected I have no doubt in my mind that they will tackle the problem of affordable housing and the city will benefit greatly when the dust settles.
Trim tree branches away from your house and power lines.
Secure loose gutters and shutters.
Identify an interior room of your house, such as a basement or interior bathroom, that you can take shelter in during high wind warnings.
If you live in a mobile home, identify a sturdy building you can go to if NWS issues a high wind or severe thunderstorm warning.
Update your emergency kit and be sure to include enough food and water to last for 3 days for each person in your home.
Make a list of items outside your home you will need to tie down or put away so that they don’t blow away or fly through a window. When NWS issues a high wind or severe thunderstorm watch, immediately secure these items to avoid damage or injury once the wind starts picking up.
Never drive around barricades into flood waters! More than 50% of all flood fatalities are vehicle-related. It only takes 12 inches of water to carry off a small car and 18 inches of water to sweep a larger vehicle away. Turn Around Don’t Drown!tadd.weather.gov#FloodSafety
Doug Bradstreet is bringing the past to life in Lincoln City. The tagline on the Prehistoric Oregon website says it all:
WHERE EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIn
I went to Prehistoric in downtown Lincoln City to interview the shop owner. It quickly turned into the owner giving me a narrative tour of his collection. Some of the best and rarest artifacts I have ever laid eyes on. There were Megalodon teeth in pristine condition that could still cut you. These teeth were over 15 million years old. 15 million!
Bradstreet gave me a tour that would rival any given by the Smithsonian. I am a fan of everything he has in Prehistoric and him telling me about each individual piece was icing on the cake. He went into great detail, all the while keeping me interested.
Prehistoric is owned by Doug Bradstreet. He has over 16 degrees and is a world renowned gemologist. His 25 years of digging, examining, and acquiring the best and rarest has made him an expert collector. Bradstreet is brimming with interesting facts. You can tell collecting rare artifacts is his passion and he may be the best at it.
He says 99% of the items in his shop are authentic. I believe it.
