Children run from a wave at D River Beach in Lincoln City (Photos by Justin Werner)
Wave watchers were out in force in Lincoln City Sunday as the Pacific Ocean took over beaches powered by King and Perigean Tides.
Local hotels reported higher than usual numbers of guests for this time of year due to the ocean activity as people came to see the Pacific Ocean King Tide as the moon is closest to Earth.
While not the biggest wave runups in the city’s history, the ocean at times did make beaches disappear and sent more than a few beachgoers running for safety.
Some could be observed standing and playing on logs, which is not safe as sneaker waves are exceptionally hazardous during a King Tide.
Debris peppered beaches in an untidy mess, with logs rolling dramatically into the surf.
Local residents compared this King Tide to previous incidents of Mother Nature’s destructive force and beauty. They said if a storm system had accompanied this King Tide, it would have been massive, but were not impressed with this year’s showing. They made comments about how people shouldn’t be on the beach because it wasn’t safe.
Beach access points from Newport to Lincoln City were swarmed with visitors seeking a glimpse of the last weekend of King Tides.
National Weather Service Portland issued a sneaker wave alert in Lincoln City for Saturday and Sunday (Photo by Justin Werner)
National Weather Service Portland (NWS) issued a Beach Hazards Statement for the Central Oregon Coast calling for an increased chance of sneaker waves for Saturday and Sunday.
NWS said Parigean Spring Tides are impacting seas which creates a “high sneaker wave threat” starting Saturday morning and lasting through Sunday afternoon.
A Parigean Spring Tide occurs when the moon is either new or full and closest to Earth.
Sneaker waves can knock people off of their feet and pull them into the frigid Pacific Ocean which may lead to serious injury or death. Stay off of logs, rocks and jetties and never turn your back to the ocean.
The alert was issued at 6:41 p.m. Thursday for the North Oregon Coast, Central Oregon Coast and South Washington Coast.
Over 130 games fill Game Over Arcade in Lincoln City
Chris Donner sits at a table inside Game Over Arcade and explains the intricacies of running the business while simultaneously managing to protect his two-year-old son from a heavy toy the child is about to pull down on himself.
He doesn’t miss a beat or even look in the direction of the kid as he deftly grabs the toy mid-air while going on about new games he has at the arcade. Obviously a veteran parent (military veteran too) for his ability to multitask during an interview, Donner has brought back what was once a booming industry in the 80s and 90s by modernizing the business model and keeping games fresh with regular new additions.
Donner made the decision recently to move from the “old-school” quarters-based system for his arcade games to a more modern card system, where parents of gamers can load a card up with cash, coins or a debit card. Plastic holders can register their card and if they spend enough money at the arcade, they can get VIP status, where a 25-30 percent discount is applied from then on to all the games at Donner’s establishment.
No more quarters at Game Over as the business has moved to a card-based system
“The VIP is good for life,” Donner said. “You can load up money from your phone right to the card, so it’s really cool.”
Bringing in new games is a highlight for Donner, as evidenced by him riding down on the platform of the game delivery truck. Keeping things fresh is a key part of the business according to Donner, and new games show up at Game Over consistently.
Asphalt Legends 9 Deluxe is a racing game where players need to wear a seatbelt. The game features a 5D movement system with up, down, left, right and forward delivering a unique driving experience. Hitting the flashing NITRO button greets the user with a blast of air to the face.
Pinball fans will rejoice at the newly acquired James Bond Thunderball Limited Edition. Sean Connery graces the backglass brandishing his pistol in this sought after pinball game. Game Over has 30 or more pinball games at any given time.
Kids get a kick out of the SpongeBob SquarePants Pirates of Bikini Bottom game where tickets can be won to use in a new prize system Donner now offers. Multiple games now give out tickets and players can walk up to a kiosk and claim their own prizes. No person needs to be at the counter to count tickets at Game Over as the process is fully automated. Game Over has given out six PlayStation 5 console systems to winners in the last year.
A fully automated machine let’s players redeem tickets for prizes
While it’s not a game, photo booth Marvel Adventure Lab puts picture takers into their own comic book. Users pick a Marvel character, pose for a picture and are transformed into comic style. “It’s new and popular,” Donner says.
Game Over Arcade Owner Chris Donner points to a comic-style picture he had taken in the Marvel Adventure Lab
Jenn Donner, also Owner of Game Over Arcade, has delved into the candy making business and has created freeze dried salt water taffy balls that melt in your mouth. A wide range of flavors seem to be intensified by the creation process and the candy does not get stuck in your teeth.
Jenn also made what she is tentatively calling “Nerd Bites,” which are a puffy candy ball with Nerds sprinkled on the outside. “Those are definitely my favorite,” Chris said.
Jenn hopes to start selling the candy at the arcade soon to compliment the bar and pizza options already available.
The Donners say Game Over made it through the pandemic and rough economic conditions and is here to stay. Business is good and their family is proud to be a part of Lincoln City.
State Senator Dick Anderson in his Salem office (Photos by Don Williams)
State Senator Dick Anderson, (R)-District 5, sat down for an interview with Lincoln City Homepage to share his thoughts on the upcoming 82nd congress which started Jan. 17.
Homepage: “You’ve just finished your first biennium any thoughts, reflections or surprises?”
Anderson: “I don’t think there were any surprises because I was well acquainted with the system. Good people, a lot of agreement. Disagreements were usually on how to get to the end game.
“The early reaction that I had at the end of the long session in 2021 was one word: ‘undervalued.’
“Where does a minority party senator have any real input? People were courteous. I was never hammered down in committee meetings and people would listen but did it really have an impact? ‘Undervalued.’
“That is why I took a different tack after the short session in (participating in) Task Force meetings to have some influence in how bills were going to be crafted.”
Homepage: “You’re a first time Senator, what has the reaction been from others that have been in the legislature longer than you?”
Anderson: “I was pleased because I’ve had a lot of compliments of my ability, as a Freshman Senator, to grab hold of what is going on within the process. And by my committee assignments and continually being asked to participate in things. I’m pleased where I’m positioned.”
Oregon State Capital building
Homepage: What’s an average day like for a state senator?”
Anderson: “I commute to Salem for 8 a.m. meetings. So I get there well before eight to get ready. Committee meetings will be an hour and a half down in the hearing rooms. Then I’ll have a floor session at 11 a.m. and the Republican caucus will meet beforehand at around 10 a.m. to go over bills. We do try to wrap up the day around 5 p.m.”
Homepage: “So, clearly this is a fulltime job.”
Anderson went on to explain the demands on his time after scheduled hours on things like meeting with different lobbying groups, concerned citizens, driving to locations within his district to attend meetings and view proposed projects.
“I joke that I gave up golf as a hobby for this,” he said.
“This is a citizen’s legislature. It’s a full time job. So, for me, it worked well because I’m retired. I can’t imagine how a person that has to work in a job can get time off. I don’t think we’re very considerate of that. It’s one thing to take a leave of absence for six months (for the long session) or thirty-five days in (short session) but the rest of the year there are meetings all day long and at inconvenient times.”
Homepage: “Do you have staff to help you?”
Anderson: “I have great staff. One full time Chief of Staff and during sessions I have the funds to add a second person essentially to take calls and respond to emails and such. And interestingly enough we have Megan Davis, who received a Sea Grant fellowship to work on her doctoral degree, helping with ocean related legislative issues for the Coastal Caucus. She will be working for the entire long session with both my and Representative David Gomberg’s (D-House District 10) offices.
Homepage: “The Siletz reservation falls within your district. What is the state’s relationship with them as a sovereign nation?”
Anderson: “They are a separate nation but they’re included. They need to have a voice. I’ve advocated that and have voted no on some bills because they (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians) weren’t included, but impacted.”
Homepage: “Do you have an example?”
Anderson: The Forest Accord. How to manage forests. The governor (former Governor Kate Brown) brought together (various stakeholders) and came up with an accord on how to best manage forests. They left the Tribes out. The Tribes weren’t at the table. My floor speech was, ‘I’ve heard all session about needing to involve everybody and here’s an example of where that didn’t happen.’ As a matter of fact, I introduced a bill to push the conversation whenever natural resources or gambling or any of these things that the tribes have an interest in. They need to be at the table. It went nowhere.”
Anderson: “I’ve got four of the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon in my district and five of the casinos. And generally they’re the largest employer. There’s an economic impact and they are not to be ignored.”
Homepage: “Any last thoughts on the upcoming session?”
Anderson: “It’s not for everybody quite frankly. I think you would need counseling or therapy if you do this job. It can be tough in places; the criticism. Not everybody loves you. You’re going to make fifty-percent of the people mad with every vote. In the end I’m voting for what I think my district needs.”
Homepage: “Thank you for your time.”
Anderson: “Anytime, always happy to answer questions when I’m able.”
The Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) seeks to bring grass carp back to curb invasive water weed growth wreaking havoc in Devils Lake.
Devils Lake Neighborhood Association (DLNA) sent out an email asking people to send a letter to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in an effort to reintroduce sterile grass carp into Devils Lake to deal with the elodea invasive species.
Photo by Devils Lake Navigator on Facebook
DLWID and its board of directors have been working for the past few months to get the required permit from ODFW and is “nearing the finish line” according to the DLNA. In order for the permit to be processed, a change to Oregon’s Administrative Rules needs to be made.
From the DLNA:
We have been working extensively with ODFW staff to draft the required rule changes. Once finalized, these draft rule changes will be presented to the ODFW Commission in February with a recommendation from staff for approval. The District is optimistic that these rules will be approved leading to the successful placement of grass carp in late spring of 2023.
We have been assured that the ODFW Commission will place this issue on its agenda for their meeting held February 16th and 17th, 2023. Our attorney Sarah Stauffer-Curtiss from Stoel Rives will be making comments on behalf of the lake. We are not recommending that our public attend this meeting as we feel it will be more effective for the Commission to hear our support for the rule change via written submissions.
To assist DLNA and DLWID accomplish their goal of getting the carp into the lake to solve the elodea problem, a letter has been put together and the Devils Lake organizations are asking citizens to send it to ODFW Commissioners by Feb. 14.
Copy of the letter:
Dear commissioner:
Devils Lake is an integral part of my neighborhood and now more than ever our beautiful lake needs our help. The Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) is pursuing a permit under OAR 635-056-0075(2) from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to re-introduce sterile grass carp into Devils Lake. In furtherance of this goal the District has submitted a permit application which also serves as its management plan setting forth the timelines, policies, and processes that will be used for the re-introduction and ongoing management of grass carp in Devils Lake. In order for our permit to be processed certain changes to the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR’s) will be presented by ODFW staff for your consideration in the February Commission meeting.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation toward the ODFW staff for working through these issues and identifying the OAR changes that are currently before you for consideration. I would also like to thank you in advance for the pending approval of the required rule changes. A positive response by the Commission will allow the Devils Lake Water Improvement District to begin stocking sterile grass carp this spring.
The stakes couldn’t be higher as over the past year, the situation in Devils Lake has become dire with the explosive growth of elodea. In 2019, DLWID conducted a plant survey which was used to map plant biomass in the lake. At that time, elodea was discovered in a limited area immediately adjacent to Devils Lake State Park boat ramp. In August 2022, the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association performed an extensive survey of the lake indicating 48.6 percent of the lake by volume was occupied with elodea. Surface coverage of the weeds was 40.1 percent, with 100 percent of the bottom of the lake covered with elodea. Engineering estimates of the volume of material indicate as much as 116 million cubic feet of elodea present at the time of the survey.
Given the shallowness of the lake, elodea is greatly impacting all beneficial uses of Devils Lake, including the migration of native coho salmon into Rock Creek. Native freshwater clam beds have disappeared in some areas of the lake, impacting otters. Limited visibility is impacting the use of Devils Lake as a nesting and feeding ground for bald eagle, osprey, egrets, herons and migratory birds. Many areas of the lake have become unnavigable to boats and unsafe for swimming. Continuing to allow the explosive growth of elodea into Devils Lake may result in the introduction of this invasive species into other water bodies throughout the Pacific Northwest through direct transmittal on watercraft. Although the Devils Lake Water Improvement District is committed to implementing a multi-pronged approach to addressing elodea, the introduction of grass carp into Devils Lake is vital to a long-term solution to this problem.
To ensure that Devils Lake Water Improvement District has the tools necessary to ensure the lake can be enjoyed by Oregonians for generations to come, I request that the Commission vote in favor of the proposed changes to OAR 635-056-0075(1)(a).
Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D) speaks in front of a crowd at Taft High School for a town hall Saturday, Jan. 14 (Photo by Justin Werner)
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley took questions on a wide-range of topics from the media and public Saturday at a town hall event held inside Taft High School.
Merkley answered questions from citizens about Social Security, electric vehicles, immigration, fixing Highway 101, the River Democracy Act, investment partnerships extracting money from newspapers, gun laws, marijuana tax money and the debt ceiling.
Oregon Senator Dick Anderson talks about where marijuana tax money is going (Photo by Justin Werner)
Oregon State Senator Dick Anderson couldn’t remember the answer to a question about where marijuana taxes are spent, when called upon by the Senator. Ultimately answering the question was Oregon House Representative David Gomberg, letting the public know that marijuana taxes were being spent on things such as behavioral health, substance abuse programs, and education.
Oregon House Representative David Gomberg, left, and Oregon Senator Dick Anderson meet after Merkley’s town hall to talk shop (Photo by Don Williams)
The public voiced their concerns about the availability of electric vehicle charging stations in Lincoln County. Merkley shared his personal experience and said one of the best charging stations is at the gas station in Otis where he was able to fast-charge his Chevy Volt. He called on Lincoln County cities to catch up and tackle the upfront costs.
When asked about Social Security and possible cuts or reductions Merkley had a three word answer:
“We’ll stop those.”
Merkley was asked about Oregon’s new gun law, Measure 114, which is tied up in the court system. The Senator spoke briefly on the subject and said:
“We’ll see how this turns out.”
Lincoln City citizen Jay Roelof asked about hedge funds buying up newspapers and RV parks and extracting money from them. Merkley said he was aware of the issue and talked about his new bill banning hedge fund ownership of residential homes which is covered below.
A separate media availability event took place before the town hall, where members of the media had a 15-minute block of time to ask Merkley questions. Homepage had three reporters in the room and The News Guard sent Senior Reporter Jeremy C. Ruark.
Homepage asked what the biggest issue facing Oregonians is and what Merkley is doing to address it:
“I think the issue I’m hearing about from citizens the most is affordable housing. It affects every single town across the state,” Merkley said. “It’s very evident in some of our larger towns with the obvious homeless tents and so forth. The omnibus bill we just passed has a lot of funding for housing. It’s not just an Oregon problem, it’s a national problem.”
Merkley said he is “supporting all the elements for affordable housing” such as down-payment assistance for homeowners, increasing the amount of vouchers and how much they can cover, and introducing a new bill that bans hedge funds from holding residential housing.
Senator Jeff Merkley speaks about his new bill designed to ban hedge funds from owning residential homes (Photo by Don Williams)
According to Merkley, when he first arrived in the Senate in 2009, massive foreclosures were happening and Fannie May and Freddie Mac were holding a ton of homes. He appealed to the Obama administration to make them available for families to buy. Obama and the treasury secretary said no and ended up selling them to hedge funds by the thousands.
“Hedge funds is where the money of the richest Americans is collected, which means the richest Americans were buying homes at half price instead of families. Hedge funds went ‘wow, look at the appreciation we’ve had,’ so you think about all that wealth growth that used to be for the middle class was instead going to the richest Americans. It’s driving up the cost of homes. People who have been shopping for homes have told me they are competing with all cash offers representing big business. It’s helped drive up the costs and drive up the rents.”
Merkley said the new bill has had positive reaction in the Senate and “people get it right away,” but also said “these are very powerful organizations who will fight like crazy to defeat any such legislation.”
Merkley was asked about immigration and he agreed the system is broken and needs bipartisan support to fix it. Merkley spoke about a 2013 effort that addressed every aspect of border security, immigration, asylum hearings and acted as a template of what the government needs to do. He hopes Democrats and Republicans can come together and make it happen with the new Congress.
“The border needs to be secure,” Merkley said. “There needs to be the rule of law. There are a variety of mechanisms to do so. I think the goal of the country is to have a legal process, but as part of that legal process we also need to have more immigration legalized for workers. I’m hearing from businesses all over the state saying we are desperately in need of workers, let’s have that be part of this legal structure as well.”
Merkley is one of two Senators representing Oregon in Washington D.C. alongside Senator Ron Wyden (D).
Homepage’s Don Williams and Cary Moore contributed to this report.
Check out the kid-friendly version of this story in our Kids Zone.
North Lincoln Fire Rescue responded to a house fire on SE Oar Avenue early Friday morning, complicated by non-working smoke alarms.
According to NLFR Fire Marshal Cody Heidt, firefighters saw flames coming through the roof of a home located at 427 SE Oar Avenue, when they arrived at 5:15 a.m. The situation was immediately deemed a defensive fire, which means fire personnel fought it from the outside before sending anyone inside. Fire crews were able to get the fire under control after an involved battle and prevent it from spreading. After deeming the home no longer posed any fire danger, crews left at 12:28 p.m.
Fire officials said nobody was home at the time of the fire and no loss of life occurred.
The cause of the fire is still under under investigation by the fire marshal’s office, but Heidt did say smoke alarms inside the home were not working. He said it was the third fire in a row where smoke alarms were not able to do their job. The fire marshal wants to make sure people know how important it is to have a smoke alarm that will allow the fire department to arrive earlier and possibly save lives.
Waves crash off Lincoln City (photo by Justin Werner)
National Weather Service Portland (NWS) issued a Beach Hazards Statement for possible sneaker waves through Friday morning due to a pair of storm systems from the Gulf of Alaska.
“The primary motivator for the alert is a long period swell combined with higher swell height,” NWS Meteorologist David Bishop said. “A decent looking low is sweeping in from a pair of systems off the Gulf of Alaska with one coming in behind the other.”
NWS measured the period between waves, crest to crest, and noticed increasing seas.
The alert, put out at 2:14 a.m., stretches from South Washington’s coast to the Central Oregon Coast. Sneaker waves are possible in this area and can run up significantly farther on beaches, rocks and jetties.
Sneaker waves can knock people off their feet and cause logs to roll. Beachgoers are advised to stay alert and keep out of the water.
The 2023 Omnibus Spending bill ended funding for COVID-19 emergency SNAP benefits, decreasing the amount low-income families receive for food.
February will be the last month households receive an additional allotment that has been given out since April 2020 totaling $1.9 billion.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we have had the opportunity to provide these emergency food benefits to most SNAP households in Oregon,” said ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht. “We know that many rely on these additional emergency food benefits to get enough healthy food for themselves and their families. As Oregon continues to be impacted by COVID-19, we know that without these emergency food benefits some in Oregon may experience hardship and hunger. We encourage them to contact our partners at 211, Oregon Food Bank and their local Community Action Agency for support during this difficult time.”
State of Oregon officials permanently increased the regular amount given out to SNAP recipients back in October 2021 by an average of $36 per person, per month.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves about 1 million families who meet eligibility criteria and provides them with a food card that can be used at most grocery locations.
In January 2022, Oregon increased the income eligibility limit for SNAP up to 200% of the federal poverty level. This means that an individual with up to $2,265 in income per month, or a family of three with up to $3,838 in income per month, are eligible to receive SNAP food benefits.
In a brief ceremony held prior to the business portion of Monday’s city council meeting, recently re-elected Mayor Susan Wahlke and councilors Mitch Parsons – ward 1, Sydney Kasner – ward 2 and Rick Mark – ward 3, took their respective oaths of office.
City Recorder Jamie Young administered the oath before a group of well wishers in the audience.
All four officials were elected to four year terms in November of 2022.
