Lincoln City Homepage is proud to announce Lincoln City resident, Don Johnson, will be sending us some of his amazing pictures to use on the site. Thanks for sharing your talents with the people of Lincoln City Don. This Lincoln City beach shot is great.
Here we go Lincoln City: Facebook said on Thursday that it will start to show users more posts from their friends and family in the News Feed, a move that means people will see fewer posts from publishers and brands.
According to Facebook, the move is designed to encourage people to interact more with the stuff that they actually do see. The thinking is that you’re probably more likely to comment and discuss a post shared from a Lincoln City family member than one shared by a business you follow.
“Recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in a post on Thursday.
Then he added something else surprising: Facebook expects the change will mean that people will spend less time using the service.
“Now, I want to be clear: by making these changes, I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down,” he wrote. “But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable.”
The announcement is huge for a couple of reasons:
For years, critics have blasted Facebook for reinforcing ideologies by showing users content and viewpoints they already agree with, creating a bubble mentality that some believe helped fuel the rise of certain hate groups such as the alt-right. Agents of Russia capitalized on this dynamic and used Facebook (as well as other outlets like Twitter and YouTube) to sow unrest in an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
It’s unclear, however, if these latest changes to News Feed would stem the spread of fake news, since users will still be able to share links to stories from almost any place, including conspiracy sites.
But Facebook says the reason for these changes come from a study it published last month, which found that people who aimlessly scroll through News Feed without interacting with the stuff that they see walked away feeling crummy.
The changes rolling out now are intended to encourage people to interact, which would theoretically help them walk away feeling less crummy.
“We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being,” Zuckerberg continued. “The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we care about, it can be good for our well-being.”
In other words, Facebook believes that it’s sacrificing short-term gain (more time spent) for long-term gain (happier users who will come back more often).
It’s a big gamble, in part because Facebook is bound to alienate a major set of users: Publishers that create a lot of the free content that appears on Facebook. The social network has a reputation for jerking these publishers around by routinely changing the algorithm, which in turn means publishers need to change the kind of stuff they make and share on the service.
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Portland OR 809 PM PST Wed Jan 10 2018
Central Oregon Coast- Including the cities of Lincoln City, Newport, Cape Foulweather, Yachats, and Florence.
HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM TO 5 PM PST THURSDAY NEAR BEACHES AND HEADLANDS.
The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a High Wind Warning Near Beaches and Headlands, which is in effect from 8 AM to 5 PM PST Thursday.
* WINDS…South 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.
* TIMING…The strongest winds will occur on Thursday between mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
* IMPACTS…Strong winds may blow down trees, branches, and power lines. Isolated power outages are possible.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A High Wind Warning means hazardous weather conditions of strong and damaging winds are imminent or highly likely in the warning area.
Lincoln City, OR – Last Monday’s three+ hour city council meeting had Councilor Kip Ward threatening possible jail time to any Councilors he finds violating our council’s rules, and again names Mayor Don Williams. In response to our scathing expose last week, City Manager Ron Chandler discouraged us from publicly airing sexual harassment complaints raised by city employees. And City Attorney Richard Appicello explained why he neglected to forward to council an important communication from Ross Smith regarding Smith’s two lawsuits against the city.
Here are all the juicy bits, in chronological order:
Chandler offered an update on the city’s threat of $1,100/day fines to Mayor Williams, if he continues to rent Taft Hall to the Warming Shelter (for the cost of the utilities, by the way). Chandler said the charges against the Mayor cannot wait until the Warming Shelter’s upcoming appeal hearing set for January 16th, before the case is eventually sent to our Municipal Judge. Watch
Chandler discussed the need to keep complaints, such as the alleged harassment complaint against Appicello, under wraps. “Reporters and bloggers need to be cautious on assumptions being made as a general view” he said. The Councilors were silent on the alleged harassment of one of their former employees, but Councilor Dick Anderson offered to help anyone trying to make sense of the Lincoln City budget. Watch
Appicello gave an update on Smith’s two lawsuits on the city’s numerous alleged violations of Oregon’s Public Meeting and Public Records Laws (15CV22131 & 16CV21270). Smith sent his latest settlement offer last Friday, the deadline set by one of the city’s seven outside attorneys, Bob Steringer, of Harrang, a Portland law firm. Steringer forwarded Smith’s communication to Appicello, who neglected to forward it to the city council for three days, forcing the council to cancel the executive session they’d previously scheduled to discuss Smith’s response. Is this how Appicello spends all his time, scanning and password protecting all communications? Watch
Ward lamented “it’s been a challenging three years” with the “unbecoming behavior” of members of the council. Ward again accused Mayor Williams of “self-dealing” without offering specifics. Ward said anyone violating our City Charter is committing a Class A misdemeanor (1 year jail/$6,250 fine). That’s so ironic coming from Ward, as Ward’s primary residence is in Otis, according to former Code Enforcement Officer Janell Templeton, Jerry Warner, and many others. (Section 8.1 of our Charter requires a Councilor‘s primary residence to be in their Ward.) Watch
Chandler spoke on the city’s failure to require permits to run surf contests, even though the city required John Forse to have permits to run his Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic for the last 13 years it’s been held. “I think it’s appropriate for me to review with our attorney, [VCB Director Ed] Driestadt and others, our interpretation of the ordinance” Chandler said. Chandler declined to meet with Forse to address Forse’s serious safety and city liability concerns, choosing instead to meet privately with Appicello, Driestadt, and Police Chief Keith Kilian. Why the secrecy Chandler, afraid of another lawsuit? Watch
New for 2018 is a whole new section of the website dedicated to aspiring kid writers. If you have a child who can write, send us the story by email at [email protected].
This fine piece of writing comes to us from Lincoln City Taft Elementary student, Cameron Werner. Cameron is eleven. He was tasked with writing six paragraphs as a narrative for class. This is a true story. It has not been edited.
I get off the bus and look around for treasure. It’s just what I do.
I walk across the street and find a dollar on the ground. It’s my lucky day!
I take my new found wealth to IGA, the grocery store. Wandering through the aisles I stumble upon the candy section. My gaze falls on a Reese peanut butter bar. I grab the bar and head towards the checkout.
At the checkout I place the bar down and the lady scans it. “That will be $1.19.” She says.
I say, “But all I got is a dollar I found on the ground.” The lady looks at me and I can tell she feels bad. I start looking on the ground for change, somehow thinking I was going to come up with nineteen cents.
As I’m scrounging around, the guy behind me in line taps me on the back. He says “Hey kid, you on the ground is worth nineteen cents worth of entertainment to me!” He hands me a quarter and I give it to the lady. She smiles and says “Man I thought for a second it was gonna come out of my pocket!” they both laugh hard, I smile, wave, and leave feeling like a charity case.
“Give it to the next kid that walks in here and tries to buy something and comes up short.”
A great listen. Topics include the Taft warming shelter, city attorney, and politics.
Host: Cheryl Harle
Guests: Lincoln City Mayor Don Williams and Jim Hoover
Who are the Float Fairies? Where do they live, work, and play? I’m not sure we’ll ever know. They are on the beaches leaving little glass treasures for us to find and I’m determined to find one.
Lincoln City City Attorney Richard Appicello was the subject of a complaint raised by a subordinate in April 2017, according to multiple sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly. The alleged victim had worked under Appicello for several years, but her employment was terminated shortly after the allegations were raised.
The alleged victim claimed Appicello made inappropriate comments to her regarding her clothing and shoes. She claimed he showed her inappropriate artwork in his home. She said his shirt was undone at times, exposing his chest and stomach, and she described feeling ogled by him. As a result, she said she felt uncomfortable being alone with him. She claimed other co-workers felt the same, as well.
In addition, the alleged victim voiced concern that Appicello talked about, and once pointed out to her, his desk gun, discussed buying ammunition, and mentioned a knife he kept in his backpack. She said he is unpredictable, and loses his temper, slams doors, shouts while speaking, and berates fellow employees, including City Manager Ron Chandler, loud enough for others to hear.
The allegations may rise to the level of “sexual harassment,” as Oregon law defines the term to be unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or conduct of a sexual nature, that is directed toward an individual because of gender. It can also include conduct that is not sexual in nature but is gender-related.
The Lincoln City Council held up to five private meetings to discuss disciplining Appicello, according to public records. After the last meeting, on May 22, the city council voted to approve a “personnel action,” without providing specifics. Prior to the vote, Mayor Don Williams testified “tonight, we fail to protect the powerless from the powerful. The actions council takes tonight have violated open meeting laws, our own ordinances and state ethics law, and I will not participate in this vote.” Oregon law allows city councils to hold private disciplinary hearings if a specific statute is cited, but only one of the five meeting agendas listed the statute.
One co-worker said the alleged victim “did such a great job here. It was wrong what they did to her” referring to the termination. Other co-workers also expressed support for the alleged victim, but none were willing to speak publicly, for fear of reprisal.
According to a 15-year veteran of the city, it is “common practice” for the city to have outgoing employees sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and said Ann Marie, Gene Mason, Sue Ryan, and Vicki Young had signed them. The alleged victim may have signed one as well, before receiving a severance.
Appicello is no stranger to controversy. In 2015, Appicello drafted ethics charges against Mayor Williams, as well as spearheading both civil and criminal investigations of Williams, and Williams’ supporters, costing taxpayers over $72,000. The Ethics Commission and the Oregon Department of Justice threw out the cases, blasting Appicello as an “instigator,” and faulting him for failing to produce any evidence to back up his claims.
Today, Appicello’s income is over $197,000* a year, a 57% increase over his 2013 starting income of $125,500, according to public records. In Jan. 2012, Appicello took a $62,600 a year job as an assistant attorney for Hernando County, Florida, according to the local Hernando Tribune newspaper. In Nov. 2010, Appicello abruptly quit as Ashland’s attorney, for unspecified “health reasons,” according to Medford’s Mail Tribune.
Widespread sexual harassment is now being exposed in all levels of government, including it being “the norm” in Salem, “pervasive” in Sacramento, and “among the worst” in the US House and Senate, where using NDAs to silence victims is common practice.
Mr. Appicello did not respond to a request for comment.
It is the policy of this news organization not to publish the names of victims who come forward with allegations of harassment, abuse, or rape.
This is a developing story. If you have any information, please email [email protected], or call/text 541.992.0321. You can also message us using WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram which are secure messaging apps for Android and iOS that use end-to-end encryption. If you work at City Hall, please do not use your work phone or email account. We protect our sources and will not publish your name, or any identifying information, without your explicit approval. Thanks for your help!
Don’t miss Is there a Weinstein Roaming City Hall?
*Special thanks to council member Dick Anderson for explaining the city attorneys budget.
Rumors are swirling that a senior city official was alleged to have committed harassment against a subordinate, in the last few months. Our sources say that the official received no discipline or reprimand. Instead, the alleged victim, who was highly respected, and had been with the City for years, is no longer employed there. Unfortunately our sources are hesitant to go on-the-record, for fear of reprisal by the alleged perpetrator, and others.
We are working to independently verify the facts. If you have any information, please email us at [email protected], or call/text/WhatsApp/Signal us at 541-992-0321. WhatsApp and Signal are completely secure messaging apps. If you work at City Hall do not use your work phone or email. We protect our sources and will not publish your name, or any identifying information, without your explicit approval. Stay tuned folks!
TO:
This Notice of Violation is provided to the responsible parties identified above pursuant to LCMC 17.84 as a prerequisite to issuance of a citation to Municipal Court. This Notice of Violation may be satisfied, and the violation(s) abated and disposed of without fines or assessments, with the execution and submission of a Voluntary Assurance of Compliance (attached) within ten (10) days of the date of this letter.
Lincoln City Municipal Code (LCMC) Section 17.04.030 provides, in pertinent part:
It is unlawful for any person to erect, construct, establish, move into, alter, enlarge, use, or cause to be used, any building, structure, improvement or use of premises located in any zone described in this title contrary to the provisions of this title.
Lincoln City Municipal Code (LCMC) Section 17.84.020 A. provides, also in pertinent part:
Any person, firm, association or corporation, whether as principal, agent, employee or otherwise, who violates any provision of this title or any order adopted pursuant to this title shall be punished under the provisions of Chapter 1.16 LCMC. Any such violation is a Class A civil infraction. Each day that the violation of this title exists is deemed to be a separate offense.
The Lincoln City Warming Shelter has been operating at 1206 SE 48th Place, Lincoln City, OR 97367. This site is within the Taft Village Core zone. The use of this property as a warming shelter is not among the allowed uses, conditional uses, or accessory uses of that zone. Accordingly the use of the site as a warming shelter is a Class A violation for each day the offense continues.
As the responsible parties you have ten (10) days from the date of this letter [5 p.m. Friday, January 12, 2018] to execute and deliver to me an assurance of voluntary compliance relating to the alleged violations. The assurance must set forth what actions, if any, you intend to take with respect to correction of the alleged violations. If I am satisfied with the assurance of voluntary compliance, I will submit it to the municipal court for approval, and if approved it will be filed with the clerk of the court as an order of the court. I may reject any assurance which does not provide for correction of the violation(s) in a timely manner.
I have attached a suggested Assurance of Voluntary Compliance. You are not required to use it, but it shows the essence of what I am looking for. It contains your promise to cease using the subject property as a warming shelter except in certain limited circumstances, plus a request to initiate a legislative zoning ordinance amendment to allow emergency shelters in the TVC zone and an agreement for the warming shelter to put its pending appeal on hold pending the outcome of the legislative process.
If I do not receive an assurance of voluntary compliance, I will proceed with issuance of a citation.
Your immediate attention to these matters is requested.
Sincerely,
Richard Townsend
Planning & Community Development Director
Cc:
City Attorney
City Manager
This is a developing story.
