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Police called to brutal beating, assault at City Center Motel

city center motel

Lincoln City Police responded Thursday to reports of a male guest at City Center Motel being severely beaten by a man and woman, front desk clerk Teresa Morrison said.

Morrison said a heavy-set woman was dropped off by A Happy Cab of Lincoln City and entered room No. 6. She said the guest in room No. 7 came to the front desk complaining that his TV almost fell over and that an assault was taking place in the room next door.

Morrison said a male companion of the woman arrived at the hotel shortly after she entered and joined her in assaulting the guest. Morrison said the guest fired a BB gun, striking the man in the face and he began bleeding above his nose.

“He had a softball-sized wound and dents in his head,” Morrison said. “I’ve never seen anybody beat up like that in my life.”

According to Morrison, the man and woman fled in opposite directions — the man to a vehicle identified in surveillance footage as a dark purple or dark blue Dodge Durango, and the woman to the back parking lot, where the man picked her up.

Upon arrival, Lincoln City Police cordoned off the area with crime tape, took pictures and interviewed witnesses, she said.

City Center Motel is owned by America’s Best Inn and Suites and located on the same property at 1014 NE Highway 101.

Resource Center celebrates first year and two birthdays

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Resource Center Ribbon Cutting
Amanda Suzanne-Cherryholmes cuts the ribbon

The Lincoln City Resource Center celebrated its one-year anniversary and the birthdays of President Patrick Alexander and Director Amanda Suzanne-Cherryholmes on Thursday with a Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cherryholmes gave Homepage a tour of the Resource Center, complete with statistics over the first year of operation.

  • Employment, housing or both were found for 51 of 65 clients, an 80 percent success rate.
  • 30 birth certificates, 36 photo identification cards and two Social Security cards were obtained for clients.
  • 7,081 meals were served.
  • 409 men, 207 women, 31 children, 40 Veterans, 48 Native Americans, 266 locals, 40 working people and 380 transients walked through Resource Center doors.
  • 1,532 showers were taken.
  • 1,242 loads of laundry were done.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Arce-Torres presented Resource Center staff with a signed congratulatory award and Cherryholmes cut the ribbon.

Birthday cake was provided and new restaurant D Dogs catered a taco bar to the event.

 

Affordable housing plan draft released; feedback sought

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Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) released a five-year look at the agency’s priorities, goals and strategies in ensuring a stable and affordable housing landscape.

Breaking New Ground: the OHCS Statewide Housing Plan, was drafted after combining robust statewide outreach and partner input sessions with quantitative data analysis.

SEE THE PLAN

DEFINITIONS APPENDIX

The document reflects what is needed to address the housing and service needs of both rural and urban communities across Oregon. OHCS will seek feedback over the course of the next month to clarify strategies and strengthen the Plan.

Margaret S. Salazar, OHCS Director

OHCS Director Margaret Salazar will be releasing a video interview later this month, ahead of five public meetings to introduce the draft plan and seek feedback on the strategies.

The five meeting dates and locations are listed below.

  • La Grande – November 29th 1 PM – 3 PM at Cook Memorial Library
  • Eugene – December 10th 10 AM -12 PM at a location to be determined
  • Redmond – December 11th 12 PM – 1 PM at Redmond City Hall
    • Part of the Housing For All meeting
  • Forest Grove – December 11th 1 PM – 3 PM at Forest Grove City Hall
  • Newport – December 13th 1 PM – 3 PM at Oregon Coast Community College

OHCS WEBSITE

Oregon Housing and Community Services is placing a greater emphasis on strategic planning and the way we invest our resources. Over the past several years we have been restructuring, refocusing and re-imagining our agency. Our work has led to an increased emphasis on data, research and customer service. We are carrying that effort forward with the development of the Statewide ​Housing Plan.

The plan will clearly articulate the extent of Oregon’s housing problem and what can be done to address it. OHCS has committed to the Housing Stability Council and our stakeholders that the plan will be responsive to the needs of the state, delivered to the legislature and include elements of our equity agenda. To accomplish this task OHCS has hired EcoNorthwest to help deliver this important body of work.​

Alleged drive-by shooting victim arrested for falsifying claims, lying to police

padronage

The alleged victim of a drive-by shooting in Lincoln City was arrested Wednesday and charged with making false claims and lying to police.

Isaiah Padron (Isaiah Padronage), 21, of Lincoln City, admitted he caused damage to his cell phone and minor injuries to himself after he accidentally discharged a stolen firearm while in the bedroom of a family member’s home.

On Monday, Nov. 12, at 3:34 p.m., Lincoln City officers responded to 950 SE 32nd St. on a report of a gunshot victim.

The alleged victim reported he had been walking along SE 32nd Street when a car pulled up, the driver fired a gun, and the bullet hit the cell phone he was carrying in his hand. Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) detectives recovered the phone, which had damage appearing to be caused by a bullet.

In the days following the initial report, detectives conducted a follow-up investigation to determine the suspect’s identity.

During the follow-up, detectives determined the alleged victim made a false report to police. Detectives recovered the handgun and determined it to be a stolen firearm taken during the burglary of a Central Oregon home.

Padron was taken into custody for Filing a False Police Report, Reckless Endangering, Theft I by Receiving, and Disorderly Conduct. He was lodged at the Lincoln County Jail.

Padron said Monday that the cell phone saved his life. Upon arrival to investigate the incident, police cordoned off the area with yellow crime tape.

Padron said a white male, driving a black late-model four-door sedan near 950 SE 32nd Street & SE Fleet Avenue, shouted, “Hey you!” before shooting a bullet that struck Padron’s iPhone 7, sending shrapnel flying into the bridge of his nose.

“I went for a nice little walk and ended up barely getting home leaking blood,” he said. “Shrapnel from the phone scattered and got my nose.”

Padronage shooting

After the car sped off, Padron said he managed to make it to the Spyglass Apartments, where bystanders were able to assist him.

“I appreciate everyone who helped me. I’m just lucky to be alive,” he said.

Padron was taken by ambulance to North Lincoln Samaritan Hospital, where he received stitches and was released a few hours later.

“My ears started ringing and I couldn’t hear anything,” he said. “All I could do was try to stop the bleeding.”

Padron said a white male passenger accompanied the driver. He said he didn’t know who shot at him or why.

News release issued by Lincoln City Police Department Nov. 13

On November 12, 2018 at around 3:34 pm, Lincoln City Police Officers responded to the area of 950 SE 32nd St on a report of a gunshot victim. The victim, a 20 year-old-male, reported he had been walking along on SE 32nd St when a black, 4-door sedan pulled up and the driver fired a gun at him. The suspect was reported as being a white male.

The victim ran to the apartment complex at 950 SE 32nd St and reported the incident. The victim, whose name is not being released at this time, was taken to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released.

LCPD Officers closed down SE 32nd St for several hours to investigate and conduct interviews.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please call the Lincoln City Police Department at (541) 994-3636.

Earlier breaking coverage

UPDATE: Police said the investigation is ongoing and residents have been told it is safe to go outside.

Lincoln City Police officers cordoned off SE Fleet Avenue and SE 32nd Street due to a drive-by shooting around 4 p.m. Monday.

An adult male allegedly had his cell phone shot out of his hand as he walked on the sidewalk, police said.

“There is damage to the phone so we are investigating this as a drive-by shooting,” Lincoln City Police Officer Brandon Storm said. “Go inside and lock your doors. It’s not safe out here.”

Police said the suspect vehicle left the area and there is no manhunt in the crime scene area.

The adult male was not shot and did not suffer major injuries.

OHA promotes safe food handling with parody ‘Salmonella’ Twitter account

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Salmonella

Nothing ruins a holiday gathering quite like an unwelcome guest, particularly when that guest is a bout of food poisoning.

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) hopes to help Oregonians avoid sickness this holiday season by sharing prevention messages through Salmonella, a parody Twitter account personifying the salmonella bacteria.

Through his tongue-in-cheek tweets, Salmonella (inadvertently) highlights ways Oregon cooks can make their kitchens less welcoming to the illness-causing contaminant.

Salmonella Twitter

In his messages, Salmonella enthusiastically tells people that using the same cutting board for both raw meats and vegetables is a great way to invite him to dinner; cooking stuffing inside the turkey appeals to his sense of living dangerously; and not to believe the nay-sayers—eating raw cookie dough really is a great way to get sick.

“We want people to know salmonella can have serious consequences for your health,” said Emilio DeBess, DVM, state public health veterinarian and an OHA salmonella expert. “But you can keep it off your menu by taking simple steps as you prepare your food.”

Each year 400-500 cases of salmonella are reported in Oregon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates salmonella causes 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths in the United States each year.

OHA offers the following tips for preventing food poisoning at home:

  • Wash hands and surfaces often.
  • Don’t cross-contaminate.
  • Cook foods to the proper internal temperature.
  • Refrigerate foods promptly.

Although cases of salmonella are most common during the summer months, food is often a central part of holiday preparations, making Thanksgiving and the winter holidays a good time to raise the subject.

Children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to foodborne illnesses and should take extra precautions to practice safe food handling.

Popular social media platforms handle billions of messages each day and are effective ways for people to share information. Robb Cowie, OHA communications director, said the Salmonella social media campaign offers a new way of getting attention for an important public health issue.

“If health experts always deliver food safety messages in the same way, we run the risk that people will tune them out,” Cowie said. “Social media can help spread the word, but it means we have to take a different approach. Our intent with Salmonella’s light-hearted tone is to reach more Oregonians and warn them: Don’t take Salmonella lightly. He can ruin your holiday—or worse.”

Through the campaign, the Salmonella parody account will respond to Oregon-based audiences posting on social media about preparing or consuming food and deliver a timely food safety message. In its first 72 hours, Salmonella has reached nearly 50,000 Oregonians.

Using social media to deliver public health messages is an emerging health communications practice and similar campaigns have shown positive results. In its “Melanoma Likes Me” campaign, Melanoma Patients Australia created a Twitter persona for Melanoma to reach young Australians, the group most at risk for the lethal cancer. Over the summer of 2014-2015 the campaign reached 2 million people and helped generate a 1,371-percent increase in unique visits to the Skincheck mobile site, a site that helped users check their moles and marks for signs of cancer.

Oregonians can follow Salmonella at @SalmonellaOR.

For more information on safe food handling practices, visit the Oregon Health Authority

website

Update on local fire crews assisting in California ‘Camp Fire’

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A Firefighter sprays water as flames consume a home in Magalia, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Photo: Noah Berger (AP)

Newport Fire Chief Rob Murphy talked with Strike Team Leader, Andy Parker Wednesday, who said crews were doing well against the “Camp Fire.”

Crews worked a 24 hour shift, getting off this morning. They will rest for 24 hours and go back out on the fire line. The crews have been busy protecting structures, digging handline and assessing damage in Paradise, CA. They reported that between 80-90 percent of Paradise has been burned.

Parker described the landscape as “surreal”.

“Our strike team is made up of personnel and equipment from Yachats RFPD, Central OR Coast Fire Rescue District, Newport FD, Depoe Bay Fire Dist., North Lincoln Fire and Rescue, Toledo Fire Dept., Polk County Fire District, and Dallas/SW Polk Fire,” Parker said. “It is truly a team effort we are putting forth to help the people of California.”

Currently, the “Camp Fire” is 130,000 acres and 35 percent contained. Approximately 6,500 structures have been lost and the death toll is up to 48.

There are still over 15,000 structures threatened and over 5,000 firefighters are assigned to this fire. Oregon has sent 15 strike teams totaling 280 firefighters and 45 engines.

Otis man pleads guilty to using Dropbox to distribute child pornography

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William Borges, 20, of Otis, pleaded guilty today to one count of distributing child pornography using Dropbox.

According to court documents, investigators identified Borges in September 2016 as part of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office into the use of Dropbox, a cloud-based file sharing application, to distribute media depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

A federal search warrant issued to Dropbox produced the email address Borges used to create a Dropbox account identified by investigators as containing child pornography.

Investigators later matched three video uploads to Dropbox depicting the sexual abuse of young children to the IP address of Borges’ home in Otis. During a search of Borges’ home, he admitted to possessing child pornography and trading images and videos using Kik Messenger and Dropbox.

Borges faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release. He will be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2019, before U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken.

The FBI Sacramento Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) and FBI Salem Resident Agency investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Amy Potter, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The FBI’s CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations—many of them undercover—in coordination with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering underage victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at www.fbi.gov/tips.

LCPD awarded 3 traffic safety grants for 2018-19

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traffic safety grants

The Lincoln City Police Department has been awarded three traffic safety grants for 2018-19 totaling $6500 for enhanced DUII enforcement, distracted driving enforcement and pedestrian safety enforcement.

The enhanced DUII enforcement funds, in the amount of $2,500, will be utilized to put extra officers out on patrol when higher numbers of impaired drivers are likely to be on the roadways. The enforcement operations will occur in conjunction with the national High Visibility Enforcement event time periods, which are designed to increase the number of patrol officers on the streets nationwide with an emphasis on seeking out drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs and removing them from the roadways. DUIIs continue to be a leading cause of motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries throughout the nation.

The $2,000 in distracted driving enforcement funds will be utilized to put extra officers out on patrol specifically looking for drivers who are using their cell phones or other electronic devices while operating their vehicles. The goals of these operations are to raise awareness to the dangers of distracted driving, and to reduce distracted driving by enforcement action and education. The effort is to change the behaviors of drivers and make distracted driving unacceptable. The end goal is to increase the safety of everyone on the roadways and reduce crashes caused by distracted driving.

Pedestrian safety enforcement funds ($2,000) will be utilized to conduct specific operations where a decoy pedestrian will cross the roadways in a designated crosswalk while an officer acting as an observer will watch for violators of the applicable pedestrian-related crosswalk laws. The observing officer will notify other officers in chase vehicles, who will then conduct a traffic stop on the violator of the crosswalk law and take the appropriate educational or enforcement action. The primary focus of the operations is to raise pedestrian safety awareness in motorists with an emphasis on enhancing the safety for pedestrians crossing our roadways.

The Lincoln City Police Department is committed to the safety of its citizens and visitors, and these grant funds are a valuable resource that assist in improving the traffic safety in the community. These grant funds were made possible through Oregon Impact and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Enforcement operation gives drivers crash course on pedestrian safety

Drive-by shooting victim credits iPhone 7 for saving his life

Alleged drive-by shooting victim arrested for falsifying claims, lying to police

Padronage

Twenty-year-old Lincoln City resident Isaiah Padron (Padronage) says he lives to breathe another day because of his cell phone.

Padron said a white male, driving a black late-model four-door sedan near 950 SE 32nd Street & SE Fleet Avenue, shouted, “Hey you!” before shooting a bullet that struck Padron’s iPhone 7, sending shrapnel flying into the bridge of his nose.

“I went for a nice little walk and ended up barely getting home leaking blood,” Padron said. “Shrapnel from the phone scattered and got my nose.”

Padronage shooting
Isaiah Padron

After the car sped off, Padron managed to make it to the Spyglass Apartments, where bystanders were able to assist him.

“I appreciate everyone who helped me,” he said. “I’m just lucky to be alive.”

Padron was taken by ambulance to North Lincoln Samaritan Hospital, where he received stitches and was released a few hours later.

“My ears started ringing and I couldn’t hear anything,” he said. “All I could do was try to stop the bleeding.”

Padron said a white male passenger accompanied the driver. He said he doesn’t know who shot at him or why it happened.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lincoln City Police Department at (541) 994-3636.

News release issued by Lincoln City Police Department Nov. 13

On November 12, 2018 at around 3:34 pm, Lincoln City Police Officers responded to the area of 950 SE 32nd St on a report of a gunshot victim. The victim, a 20 year-old-male, reported he had been walking along on SE 32nd St when a black, 4-door sedan pulled up and the driver fired a gun at him. The suspect was reported as being a white male.

The victim ran to the apartment complex at 950 SE 32nd St and reported the incident. The victim, whose name is not being released at this time, was taken to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released.

LCPD Officers closed down SE 32nd St for several hours to investigate and conduct interviews.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please call the Lincoln City Police Department at (541) 994-3636.

Earlier breaking coverage

UPDATE: Police said the investigation is ongoing and residents have been told it is safe to go outside.

Lincoln City Police officers cordoned off SE Fleet Avenue and SE 32nd Street due to a drive-by shooting around 4 p.m. Monday.

An adult male allegedly had his cell phone shot out of his hand as he walked on the sidewalk, police said.

“There is damage to the phone so we are investigating this as a drive-by shooting,” Lincoln City Police Officer Brandon Storm said. “Go inside and lock your doors. It’s not safe out here.”

Police said the suspect vehicle left the area and there is no manhunt in the crime scene area.

The adult male was not shot and did not suffer major injuries.

Oregon Department of Forestry joins firefighting efforts in California

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Flames consume a car and building as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Photo by Noah Berger, Associated Press

The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has deployed two strike teams with equipment and personnel to assist in suppression efforts for the devastating wildfires in California. This deployment was coordinated with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

Using the EMAC system, California fire officials originally requested additional resources to support suppression efforts in the southern portion of the state. The two ODF strike teams, consisting of five Type 6 engines each, two strike team leaders and an agency representative, departed early Sunday morning. In addition to ODF districts in eastern and southern Oregon, resources include engines and personnel from the Douglas Forest Protection Association.

While en route, the ODF teams received new orders to divert to the Camp Fire near Chico, CA due to the evolving and emergent situation. Both strike teams arrived at the Camp Incident Command Post Sunday evening and will be joining suppression efforts on the front line Monday morning.

“Oregon and California have a long-standing relationship of mutual aid wherever suppression resources are needed,” said Oregon’s State Forester, Peter Daugherty. “California has come to our aid during our challenging fire seasons and Oregon is now able to help California during this tragic time of need.”

At the time of arrival, the Camp Fire was reported at 111,000 acres and 25 percent containment, with approximately 6,453 residences destroyed and an additional 15,000 structures threatened. An estimated 31 people have lost their lives and an additional 200 are listed as missing.

The ODF teams will join their Oregon State Fire Marshal counterparts, adding to the growing number of out of state resources joining suppression efforts during these devastating wildfires impacting much of the state. The team anticipates a full 14-day deployment.