Lincoln City is preparing for its annual Community Pride Week in April.
To kick off the event, the City will offer its services of picking up miscellaneous items such as yard clippings, brush, limbs, scrap metal goods, furniture, plastics, etc.
Starting March 25, call North Lincoln Sanitary Service at 541-994-5555 to arrange for pickup. You can leave a message after hours. Deadline for calls is 5 p.m. Monday, April 22.
This event is co-sponsored by North Lincoln Sanitary and the City of Lincoln City. Here are a few guidelines:
This service is provided to North Lincoln Sanitary customers with residential homes inside Lincoln City city limits.
Small items must be bagged, not weighing over 40 pounds.
Yard debris such as longer limbs and bare lumber must be neatly stacked or bundled with a maximum of 6 feet in length. Leaves and small items should be bagged or boxed.
There is a limit of 4 cubic yards per stop.
The following items cannot be picked up: a) Due to DEQ regulations, construction and demolition debris, including but not limited to items such as carpet, flooring, ceiling tiles, drywall, etc.; b) Tires, oil products, large appliances, hide-a-beds, hazardous materials, and home garbage (note: North Lincoln Sanitary can still pick these up at another time, but they have to be handled outside of the City cleanup.)
All items need to be “curb” side and ready for pickup Tuesday at 7 a.m. and will be picked up through the remainder of the week as the list of stops is worked through.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services is ready to hear about prescription drug price increases from consumers, health insurance companies and drug manufacturers.
The Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act (HB 4005), from the 2018 Legislative Session, established Oregon’s drug price transparency program. The new law requires prescription drug manufacturers and health insurance companies to report specific drug price increases to the department’s Division of Financial Regulation.
All Oregonians are encouraged to report an increase in the cost of their prescription drugs to the division one of three ways:
“We are excited to bring one of the nation’s first prescription drug price transparency programs to Oregonians,” Andrew Stolfi, insurance commissioner, said. “It will help people better understand why drug prices increase, and help legislators make informed decisions on how to control rising costs.”
Consumer reports and the pricing of new prescription drugs will be made available as soon as information is received and reviewed. Insurer and drug manufacturer price increase reports will be available later this fall.
The division will provide annual reports to Oregon State Legislature based on the information provided by consumers, and the data reported by health insurers and prescription drug manufacturers.
This program is designed to report drug price increases only. If a consumer has a problem with their health insurance or prescription drug coverage they should contact our consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free). To learn more about Oregon’s Prescription Drug Price Transparency Program, visit dfr.oregon.gov/drugtransparency.
About DCBS: The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov.
About Oregon DFR:
The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov and http://dfr.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx.
Spring Whale Watch Week returns to the Oregon Coast March 23-31 to celebrate more than 20,000 Gray whales expected to migrate north past Oregon over the next few months.
Trained volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here program will be stationed 10 a.m.-1 p.m. each day at 24 sites along the coast, ready to help visitors spot the migrating mammals. A map of the volunteer-staffed sites is available on whalespoken.org.
The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
Visitors to the center can enjoy interactive whale exhibits and take in the panoramic ocean views.
Binoculars are provided. Rangers from Oregon State Parks will also be on hand to answer questions about the whales.
An online live stream of whale activity in Depoe Bay returns this spring too; watch it on the Oregon State Parks YouTube channel during the event.
Gray whales migrate north along the coast of the western U.S. annually during spring; they return to Alaskan waters after wintering in the warm lagoons off the coast of Baja, Mexico. Many of the Gray whales will be accompanied by their new calves, born during the winter. The first large groups of whales pass by Oregon mid-March and the migratory stream typically continues into June.
For more information about coast parks and campgrounds, visit oregonstateparks.org.
Hilltop Inn Family Dining in Lincoln City has reopened its doors after seven years with a soft opening under new ownership with some improvements and virtually the same menu ahead of a grand opening two weeks from now.
Co-owners Jesus Santuario and Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant co-owner Benson Galvan have remodeled the inside and outside by painting, cleaning, pressure washing and upgrading computers and other equipment. On top of the improvements, the restaurant will offer free WiFi.
“There wasn’t that much to do,” Santuario said. “The place was pretty much the way you see it.”
The new owners put in a Veteran’s parking space close to the front door.
“That’s where a flag is going to be,” Santuario said. “We also have three spots for motorcycles.”
A grand opening at the eatery at 1910 SE Highway 101 will be held in two weeks, Santuario said. The soft opening is designed to test point-of-sale systems and get customer feedback on the meals and service.
“We are offering different specials every day, and based on what the people say is what makes it on the menu,” he said. “It’s going to be a people’s restaurant … a customer’s restaurant.”
With the cooperation of former owner Judy Hardy, Hilltop Inn will feature 90 percent of the old menu’s recipes, which date as far back as 1959, when the restaurant was built.
Hilltop Inn changed hands in 1989 when Judy and Doug Hardy bought the restaurant and turned it into a Denny’s and operated the franchise for a couple of years until a disagreement with Denny’s corporate led to the Hardy’s going independent.
After more than 20 years of serving home-style meals to its patrons, Hilltop Inn closed its doors in 2011 after Doug Hardy became ill. He passed away at his Otis home on May 5, 2014.
The building sat vacant for over seven years until the new owners purchased the landmark eatery in December.
“Everything they are doing here is pretty good,” said a restaurant patron and Vietnam veteran. “It’s better than before.”
Hilltop Inn will be open 6 a.m.-3 p.m. until summer, when they will stay open later and offer dinner.
Taft senior Mad Scott heaves the javelin for a third-place finish in the Sherwood Icebreaker
Senior Mad Scott placed in the top 10 three times against several Class 6A schools as Taft High unveiled its large contingent of runners and field athletes Wednesday in the season-opening Sherwood Icebreaker.
“Sherwood was a great way to shake off some dust and get moving.” first-year Taft coach Sam Moore said. “I am so proud of the way our athletes competed with schools of all levels.”
Scott was third in the boys shot put and javelin, and ninth in the discus for the Class 3A Tigers.
Taft, which has nearly 60 students competing in track this season, enjoyed several other top-10 finishes.
Junior Kaden Wright placed fourth in the 100-meter dash; senior Jacob Mayoral sixth in the 400-meter dash; junior Tristin Beach eighth in the discus; sophomore Degan Sawyer 10th in the shot put and javelin; and junior Elin Fitch 10th in the high jump.
Freshman Kadence James was fourth in the high jump; freshman Aubrey Sciarrotta sixth in the 100-meter dash; senior Maleah Smith eighth in the shot put; sophomore Elizabeth Kirkendall eighth in the discus; freshman Jaelyn Olmeda ninth in the 400-meter run; and sophomore Rylee Senner 10th in the 100 meter dash.
“We had more PRs [personal records] than not, with most athletes getting marks right around their lifetime bests,” Moore said.
The Tigers’ 4×100 boys relay team of Wright, freshman Brayan Mateo-Perez, sophomore William Calderon and senior Logan Mclendon placed third.
“Our athletes have been working hard, and for them to see improvement this early in the season was very reassuring for them and this process,” Moore said. “We will continue to develop our speed, improve our conditioning and look forward to a bright season.”
Taft was joined by C.S. Lewis Academy, Damascus Christian, Delphian, Lakeridge, Reynolds, Sherwood, Southwest Christian and St. Stephen’s Academy in the annual kickoff event at Sherwood High School.
Taft returns to the track Thursday, March 21, at the Special District 2 Icebreaker at Scio High School against Amity, Blanchet Catholic, Dayton, Oakland, Pleasant Hill, Santiam Christian and Willamina.
A Lincoln County Sheriff police dog tracked a suspected felon fleeing on foot along a river, through the woods and around neighboring houses near Beaver on Tuesday night before finding the man hiding on a hillside, where he was arrested without incident.
Miguel A. Neto, 36, of Rockaway Beach was taken into custody on outstanding arrest warrants by Tillamook County Sheriff’s deputies at approximately 8:30 p.m. following a 50-minute foot pursuit for a quarter-mile in the dark through thick brush, trees, yards and fences.
According to a news release, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Derick Smith and K9 partner Nix responded to the area of Blaine Road and River Bend Road following a 6:30 p.m. request for assistance. They began a search at approximately 7:40 p.m. from where the suspect was last seen abandoning his vehicle following a road pursuit by Tillamook County deputies.
The dog tracked Nieto’s scent down the north side of the Nestucca River before locating the suspect on a steep hillside on the north side of Blaine R at RO Richard Road.
Neto was taken to the Tillamook County Jail on outstanding arrest warrants, including Felon in Possession Firearm and charges related to the vehicle pursuit.
Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (SNLH) ranks in the top third of U.S. hospitals for overall quality and is rated at the top for patient experience, according to recently updated data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
On a five-star scale, SNLH is rated four-star for overall hospital quality and five-star for the patient experience.
“For the past several years, we have had a focused quality improvement program in place to help our hospital staff provide the highest level of care and compassion to every patient coming through our doors,” SNLH CEO Lesley Ogden said. “Patients are noticing these improvements and CMS has confirmed it, through a variety of important quality measures.”
At SNLH, Theresa Via, director of Quality Resources, has guided teams of employees and a patient and family advisory council as they work together to enhance quality and the patient experience.
“This success comes from an accumulation of work over the last five years, with many people providing great ideas on how to make our hospital experience more exceptional,” Via said. “Not only do we have great ideas, we have implemented them across the board. By doing this, we have seen incremental increases in all areas of patient satisfaction over this time.”
Via said SNLH’s top strengths are in the areas of: Communication with Nurses, Response of Hospital Staff, Communication with Doctors, Discharge Information, Communication about Pain and Communication about Medications.
In the latest release of data, 7.9 percent of U.S. hospitals achieved the highest five-star rating for overall quality, 29.2 percent of hospitals earned the four-star rating, 34.0 percent of hospitals are rated three-star, 21.5 percent have two-star ratings, and 7.6 percent of U.S. hospitals have just one-star. About 18 percent of U.S. hospitals do not report enough measures to be eligible for an overall rating.
The hospital quality rating is based on a variety of mandated reportable measures through the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program, and the patient experience rating is based on random patient surveys through the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey, also known as HCAHPS. The information is publicly released online at medicare.gov/HospitalCompare.
Lincoln City’s Bijou Theatre has declared March 22-28 “No Small Screens Week” and will play four film classics in lieu of first-run movies on its silver screen.
The legendary films to be shown are Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia and Rebel Without a Cause.
The movies were booked with the sponsorship of Explore Lincoln City, Lincoln City Glass Art Studio and Oregon Coast Community College.
The Bijou Theatre is located at 1624 NE Highway 101.
Teens wanting a fun and informational activity during spring break might enjoy the Cooking Matters for Teens class series planned March 25-29 at Beacon Crest Apartments in Lincoln City.
From 1 to 3 p.m. each day, youth 12-17 years old will get hands-on experience in the kitchen, including understanding nutrition information and nutrition labels, how to read and follow recipes, knife safety and meal planning. Students will prepare two recipes and enjoy a family-style meal during each class.
As an additional incentive, each student will receive a Cooking Matters curriculum manual with kid-friendly recipes. They also can take home groceries each week to practice the recipe again at home with their family.
Class size is limited, and registration is required. For information and to register, contact Sommer McLeish, Samaritan Healthier Communities coordinator, at [email protected] or 541-557-6215.
The teen cooking class is presented by Cooking Matters, Food Share of Lincoln County, Northwest Coastal Housing and Samaritan Health Services, through the Coast to the Cascades Community Wellness Network. The Network offers grant-funded Culinary Health Education & Fitness (CHEF) programs in Lincoln, east Linn and rural Benton counties.
If strength in numbers is any indication, the Taft High track and field team appears to be getting a healthy head start on the field entering the 2019 season.
Taft track & field coach Sam Moore
Nearly 70 athletes have turned out to compete for first-year coach Sam Moore’s squad this year, led by State silver medalist Ella Knott, who claimed a silver medal last spring in the Class 3A OSAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene.
(Photo by Lon French)
Now a junior, Knott hurled the javelin 133 feet, 1 inch at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, just short of her school-record 137-foot, 2-inch heave in winning the Special District 2 title the previous week in Dayton.
Knott also competed in the 400-meter run, but failed to qualify for the finals, placing 12th. A three-event qualifier, she also did not place in the pole vault.
Kaden Wright, who finished eighth for Taft in the 200-meter dash as a sophomore, is also back for his junior season. He also qualified for State in the 100-meter dash, but failed to reach the finals.
Moore, who replaces Joey Arce-Torres as coach, credited her predecessors for Taft’s success on the track and in the field in recent years.
“We were very lucky to be coached by very knowledgeable and committed coaches the past few seasons, causing our team to have strong athletes in a wide scope of events,” she said. “Having placed third for both women and men at Districts last year, with multiple athletes moving on to compete at the state-championship level, we have a lot to work with and look forward to this year.”
Taft will take to the starting blocks for its opening meet of the season at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Sherwood Ice Breaker. The Tigers will hold their annual home meet April 18.
“We are hopeful that our program will draw in student-athletes who are enthusiastic about track and field, as well as their school, and the challenge ahead,” said Moore, a former standout athlete at Newport High.
“Understanding the future path of each student-athlete is different. It is of the utmost importance to equip our athletes with the qualities of resilience, grit, compassion and respect in order to be successful in whichever positive path they choose.”
Moore said she would strive to develop team members “who approach academics and athletics with commitment, excitement and the pursuit of the best version of themselves.”
Two other returning Taft athletes advanced to State last season with Autumn Ellis and Jordyn Ramsey joining Knott and Wright on the podium at the West Valley League championships.
Ellis was runner-up in the 3,000 finals at Districts with a personal-best time of 12:21.36.
Ramsey placed third in the 800-meter run, but was granted an invitation to State when one of her opponents could not compete.
The Tigers feature several other promising athletes in pursuit of a repeat of successful seasons, including David Jin, JJ French, Mad Scott, Kadence James and Savannah Russo,
Moore’s goal: “Cultivating a program of hard work, commitment, and respect, in order to develop our student-athletes in the most beneficial way, while simultaneously representing our school in a positive and successful manner.”
