Blue Heron Landing sign with now missing carved salmon
For the second time in less than 30 days suspects have been caught trying to steal iconic signs in Lincoln City.
First, in late August, was the attempted pilfering of painted caricatures from the exterior wall of the former Lil’ Sambos restaurant.
On Wednesday evening at approximately 8:30p.m. Lincoln City police were alerted to a possible theft of signage from the former Blue Heron Landing-now owned by the Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID).
Damaged support for sign
According to DLWID Lake Manager Boone Marker, a caretaker living on the property called police when he noticed a group of men removing a sign from a wall of the building and then trying to use a battery operated hacksaw to cut through a metal pipe holding the huge round Blue Heron sign.
Sign removed but left behind and theft/vandalism tools (photo courtesy DLWID)
Police arrived and confronted the group who tried to explain to the responding officer that they had ‘the owner’s permission” to take the signs.
Suspects interviewed at the scene of the crime (photo courtesy DLWID)
According to the Lincoln City police log “A report was taken.” No arrests were made or citations issued for the event. Homepage is waiting for more details from the Lincoln City Police Department and we will pass that information along when it becomes available.
According to Marker, “It wasn’t until Thursday morning that we realized things were stolen and vandalized. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
Be sure to like, follow and subscribe to Lincoln City Homepage for updates as they occur.
One of many exhibits from previous Celebration of Honor event
The annual Celebration of Honor returns to Chinook Winds Casino Resort (CWCR) September 13-16.
According to the CWCR, “For the past twenty years, Chinook Winds Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, has spearheaded the Annual Celebration of Honor, a public event that honors active-duty personnel, military veterans, and their families. Chinook Winds Casino Resort is proud to continue the tradition of honoring our men and women who have served, and are serving, our country. Explore Lincoln City is doing a special float drop to help honor our veterans and active-duty men and women. The Veteran Services tent is back this year on Friday, September 15th from 10am to 4pm and Saturday, September 16th from 10am to 1pm.”
Flags in honor of veterans at Chinook Winds
CWCR notice continues, “We are excited to bring back the veteran services tent this year on Friday, September 15th from 10am to 4pm and Saturday, September 16th from 10am to 1pm. Interested veteran service providers and organizations may join us at no cost. Please call 541-996-5815 for more information.
The celebration includes vintage and current day military vehicles, displayed and provided by the American Infantry Soldier Group, as well as military flags on display for public outdoor viewing. This year The Vietnam Veterans of America 805 Oregon Veteran wall will be on display as well.
Chinook Winds is sponsoring Veterans and Active-Duty movie tickets and popcorn at the Historic Bijou Theatre September 15-18. Just show your military ID for this additional thank you for your service.
Saturday, September 16th the Lincoln City Kiwanis Parade of Flags will line the streets of Lincoln City with flags to celebrate the weeklong dedication. At 2pm the Re-dedication of the Desert Storm memorial will take place in front of the casino to honor those men and women who lost their lives serving our country.”
On Thursday evening retired Lincoln City police officer Oscar Escalante passed away. A social media and GoFundMe post from Heather Marie Nerup states, “Oscar Escalante passed peacefully in the presence of God, on September 7th, with his loving wife and loving family by his side. He is now resting in heaven. Oscar had been in the ICU at OHSU with cardiac complications for the previous nine days. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time.
According to Lincoln City Police, “Before receiving his call to be in law enforcement, Officer Escalante was employed by the saw mill in Toledo in the early 1980s. When the timber industry went on a downward spiral, he sought out a steady job and was hired by the Lincoln County Sheriff as a Corrections Officer in 1987. In 1989, he became a Patrol Deputy and continued in that position until being hired by LCPD in 1999.
Throughout his 28 years in law enforcement, Officer Escalante has received many awards and accolades, including the Top Shooter Award in his Basic Police Class #154, Life Saving awards from both North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and LCPD, DUII Enforcer of the Year from Lincoln County Sheriff, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year from the Lincoln City Community Days Committee, and Officer of the Year from LCPD two separate times.
But his proudest achievement by far was receiving the Senior Trooper Maria Mignano Dedication to Duty Award, which is a statewide recognition presented to a sworn law enforcement officer who exemplifies behavior, dedication, and professionalism in all aspects of impaired driving detection.
Since 2000, he has been the School Resource Officer (SRO) for our agency, along with being a Field Training Officer (FTO), and a certified instructor for DARE, Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), the Intoxilyzer 8000, Drug Impaired Training Educational Professionals (DITEP), and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training. With all of his teaching experience, it’s no wonder he is such an exceptional SRO!
Jason Love, co-owner of Lincoln City Homepage said, “I remember that whenever he came to school he drew a crowd of students eager to talk with him.”
Officer Escalante stopping for some refreshment (photo courtesy of Lincoln City Police Dept.)
Escalante was well known and loved in the community and was enjoying his well earned retirement.
Follow Lincoln City Homepage for further information including any memorial information.
Saturday August 26 the local Cub Scouts of Pack 47 gathered at the St Clair Fire Station to enjoy a BBQ, have a little fun and share all the positives that Scouting has to offer.
According to Cub Master Alina and and Den Leader Keri, two moms that have dedicated (and donated) their time to lead the local Den and Pack, it’s “All about the kids, their futures, and the level of leadership they will bring to not just their own lives and families but their communities as well.”
Continuing, “This group here today are Cub Scouts. We range from kindergarten to fifth grade for both boys and girls; it’s a prequel to the Boy Scouts. Each Den should be about 6-8 kids. There are 5 dens within the Pack. We meet in Lincoln City but kids are from here, Gleneden Beach, Depoe Bay and surrounding areas.
It’s really a family program. We do hikes with whole families and friends. We meet in Lincoln City but kids are from here, Gleneden Beach, Depoe Bay and surrounding areas.
Typical time involvement for parents is a one hour den meeting once per week on Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. and sometimes we will have some weekend event like BBQs, hikes or camping once in awhile. And sometimes there’s Day Camps which would be over a weekend.”
Pressurized bottle launch funPreparing for Lego car derby
Asked why would a kid want to join Cub Scouts, Alina replied, “Number one, it’s fun! There are no video games, but we do play games. We want to reinforce family outdoor oriented activities that get them away from a screen. We get outside and play games.
There’s a focus on team building and problem solving. Our motto is ‘Do your best.’ A lot of the Den adventures are catered to their learning ability at their age so it really gets them thinking about, ‘How do we work together to come to a solution?’
It’s teams with a purpose. They’re having fun but learning to work together. And they are learning leadership skills. It’s getting them prepared for life.
There are just so many good qualities that Scouts have that when I found a Pack here (in Lincoln City) I signed up myself and my son immediately.
I want him to grow up to think about others and to care about the community he lives in. I want him to learn to step forward and get involved, not to wait on someone else. To use initiative to help make everybody’s lives better and I feel that that is what Scouting is all about.”
When asked about having so many young kids together if there are there many disciplinary problems, Keri responded,
“We start every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by our Scout Oath and our Scout laws. If we see a negative behavior from a child we are able to ask them, ‘Is this one of the Scout Laws?’ It really makes them stop and think. I think it gives them a guideline where they can ask themselves ‘Is this Scout-like behavior?’ I think it gives them perspective on how to self govern their actions.
It is one of our requirements that they memorize the Scout Oath and Scout laws. They know exactly what Scout-like behavior should be.”
Pack 47 meets every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at New Life Foursquare Church, 2700 NE 22nd St, Lincoln City, OR 97367 .
Interested in enrolling your son or daughter in Scouting? Click on this link for more information or email [email protected]
Be sure to follow, like or subscribe to Lincoln City Homepage.
Austin Emami, co-owner of the new Waves Fresh Market.
With the relocation of Grocery Outlet to midtown, the big question on everyone’s mind has been “What’s going to take its place in Lighthouse Square?”
Well, in a Homepage exclusive we can tell you…nothing. Nothing is going into that space. For now.
According to Austin Emami, co-owner of a portion of Lighthouse Square and a representative of the plaza there are no firm plans to place a new tenant in the former Grocery Outlet space.
But, as they say, “Wait! There’s more!” In the adjacent space to the east, in what used to house BiMart, there will be a new grocery store.
The store will be called Waves Fresh Market and according to Emami, who along with his brother Alan are owners of the store space, “It will be an independent grocery store supported by a large a co-op. It will have fresh produce, an in-store bakery and deli as well as a large beer cave.”
Former BiMart space to become Waves Fresh Market
While most online visitors to the Lincoln City Homepage Facebook community page have been eagerly hoping for a new grocery store in town they will have to continue to wait. For, as Emami puts it, “We’re back-ordered on many pieces of equipment for up to 12 months.”
In the meantime, work has been going on inside to ready the 36,500 square foot interior as they patiently wait for the needed equipment to arrive.
And, according to Emami, “We want to finish this space to make it the anchor of the Square before we begin the renovation of other spaces. We’re waiting for the whole center to be ready before we re-tenant.”
To stay updated on this story and all Lincoln City and Lincoln County news and events subscribe to or like Lincoln City Homepage here or follow us on Facebook, YouTube,Instagram or Twitter.
From the council’s agenda packet: “Ordinance 2006-11 Section 13, subsection E, provides for regular proceedings to consider rate adjustments. It states, “If the franchisee’s annual report of operations submitted under subsection C of this section projects that the franchisee’s operating ratio for the current fiscal year will be less than 0.85 or greater than 0.91, then there shall be a rate review proceeding in accord with this subsection E.
logo courtesy of North Lincoln Sanitary Service website
The franchisee’s submitted rate review report projects that its operating ratio for FY2023 will be 93% without a rate increase. With a 4.5% rate increase, the projected operating ratio is 89%.
In July 2022, City Council adopted Resolution 2022-25 that increased NLSS rates by 17%. This set the standard residential rate to $32.93. This resolution will change the rate for standard residential service to $34.41″
Lionel Manners and Sarah Harris cited and released for alleged theft of artwork and vandalism at the former Sambos restaurant. (photo courtesy of Christopher Donner)
Saturday morning Chris Donner, the owner of the former Sambos restaurant, was alerted by his security system that an intruder was on the property.
Two people were spotted allegedly attempting to steal artwork from the exterior.
The artwork consisted of a hand painted tiger originally commissioned and installed by former owner Cary Moore.
Video still of suspect removing artwork. (photo courtesy of Christopher Donner)Shadow where artwork was removed.
Video footage shows Lionel Manners allegedly removing a wooden painting of a tiger carrying pancakes from the south exterior wall of the building.
Pair allegedly unable to fit the “historical ephemera” into a car. (photo courtesy of Christopher Donner)
Footage then shows Manners and Sarah Harris attempting to place the item into the back of his tiny vehicle.
Stashing artwork (photo courtesy of Christopher Donner)
At this point, says Donner, “…when it didn’t fit into their vehicle, they stashed it out back and came back later with 2 vehicles…We called the Lincoln City non emergency and I personally met with them (Lincoln City police) at the little Sambos property and we reviewed the footage.
The police then issued a warrant out for both Sarah and her accomplice.
The officer left, I left and then within about 30 min Sarah returned with another vehicle that her accomplice was driving and she drove her own vehicle as well back to the little Sambos property to recover the stashed piece of artwork.
Our on site security stood in front of Sarah’s accomplice’s vehicle blocking them from leaving while the police were on their way. At this time, I pulled in behind them and also immediately called 911.
“They were both cited and released with a pending court date. We’re pressing charges.” said Donner.
*(Note, Homepage has received notice that the pair were charged with the following: Theft 3 Trespass 2 and Criminal Mischief.)
He also added, “When confronted Sarah acted as if she had done nothing wrong claiming nobody was there so she figured it was OK.”
Bio of Harris from Oregon Historical Society Quarterly (courtesy Christopher Donner)
In an ironic twist, a search of Harris’ online profile shows that she is the Rose Tucker Fellow with the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly where on their bio of her they state, “In her free time, Sarah takes road trips to small towns across the Pacific Northwest to explore local history (and add to her ever growing collection of historical ephemera and tchotchkes).”
Donner added, “If they really wanted it legitimately my phone number was on the front door.”
Kids staring at phones (courtesy of monkeybusinessimages)
We’ve all seen the scene; groups of kids (or adults for that matter) huddle en masse, staring at their phones and never speaking with the person next to them.
Or perhaps we’ve seen that guy at a concert or show recording on his cell phone, blocking views and not really even watching the event that he paid for.
Not only do performers find cell phone use distracting, so do teachers.
The struggle to keep kids focused in class has always been a challenge but the introduction of cell phones into that arena makes the problem exponentially worse.
Taft 7-12 Principal Nick Lupo (Lincoln County School district photo)
Taft 7-12 principal Nick Lupo has observed the growth of cell phone use in the schools for years and is aware of how they have interfered with education. He was looking for a solution when inspiration hit.
Pre covid, while at a show in Portland that required attendees to place their cell phones into a Yonder bag for the duration of the show, he saw the potential it held for helping kids stay focused at school.
A typical Yondr bag and unlocking device
A Yondr bag is simply a cloth bag with a magnetic lock on the top flap.
Users power down their phones, place them in the pouch, seal the flap and keep the phone with them while attending the event. At the end of the event, users tap the lock on a deactivating device and the phone is returned to them.
Principal Lupo reached out to Yondr and began exploring its feasibility in school.
Taft 7-12 already has a no electronic device policy but that too was a distraction for the teachers, making them spend precious time policing the kids rather than instructing.
According to Lupo, “this takes the onus off of the teachers.”
Here’s how the program will roll out: At the beginning of the school year all kids with phones on campus will be issued a Yondr bag at no cost.
Upon arrival at school students will power off their phones, place their phones in the Yonder bag and secure the magnetic lock. Students will remain in possession of their phones at all times and will be able to take the pouches home.
After school or while at off campus lunch students may unlock the bag at a designated unlocking station.
The bag (while actually property of the school) will remain with the student and they may decorate it as they see fit (within school guidelines). Damage to bags or use of cell phones at school will be addressed individually with the student and possibly parents according to existing policies.
What started out as a deterrent for copyright violations at comedy clubs and concerts has found its way into schools as a means of redirecting kid’s attention where it belongs-on being educated.
Currently, according to Lupo, “Yondr has been implemented in over 2,000 schools and 16 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment. Cell phones are great, but we want kids to be prepared for outside of school.”
Yondr is an American company founded by Graham Dugoni in 2014.
According to Wikipedia, “Yondr creates phone-free spaces, working with schools, entertainers, courthouses, organizations and individuals to eliminate the intrusion of technology and allow people to simply ‘be here now.’ Yondr makes mobile phone pouches which close with a magnetic lock, and a device for unlocking them.”
Faraday bag for phones
Unlike a Faraday bag popular with those seeking a little more privacy in a high tech world, the Yondr does not block cell signals to phones it only limits physical access to the phone.
Testimonial on Yondr’s website from educators and artists show an enthusiasm for the idea of refocusing attention;
“It’s an absolute game-changer. The climate and culture on our campus is so much more energetic and positive.”— Allison Silvestri, Principal.
“People actually watch the show, they’re in the moment, and they’re vastly more fun to speak to.”— Dave Chappelle.
For now, Taft 7-12 will be the only school in the district using the Yondr bags.
City Attorney Richard Appicello was fired “without cause” last night at a city council special meeting. The vote was 4-1 in favor of terminating Appicello’s employment. The link to the meeting can be found here. (*note, the meeting begins and then recesses for an executive session then resumes near the end for the vote)
Councilor Riley Hoagland was the lone dissenter. When asked about his vote he said, “I am unable to elaborate and have no comment .”
Appicello was a controversial figure for many years among many citizens and had his fair share of detractors.
Said a council member who asked to remain anonymous, “It was time to pull the trigger. It wasn’t just one thing. It was a lot of little things. He just wasn’t a very good attorney.”
As this is a continuing story, follow Lincoln City Homepage for updates
