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Celebration of Honor on display at Chinook Winds

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Celebration of Honor

Standing atop the lush green grass in front of Chinook Winds Casino a lone sentinel mannequin dressed in an olive drab green Army uniform stands representing the US Infantry soldier of the Vietnam era, part of a traveling collection known as the Celebration of Honor.

Created 18 years ago by friends and service veterans Dana Foley and Ted Henderson to honor and connect with other veterans, they travel at their own expense to share their collection of military armaments. Inside the travel trailer is a miniature military museum. Shelf after shelf is neatly arranged with different types of weapons, ranging from mortars to an M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun.

“We started at a car show with just one military truck,” Foley said.  “At our last stop in Madras there were over 6,000 people in attendance. And in Lincoln City The Confederated Tribe of Siletz Indians really rolled out the red carpet for us.”

The display has grown to include not just weaponry but an impressive display of flags used in Honor Guard ceremonies.

“It’s kind of up to us older guys to keep it going. The younger vets are busy raising families.” he said.

When asked if they get any negative reactions from visitors, Henderson replied:

“I tell people that might be hesitant to approach that these aren’t weapons of war, they’re weapons of freedom.”

The Celebration of Freedom continues at Chinook Winds Casino from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. through Saturday.

Pacific Power issues shutoff warning for extreme wildfire conditions

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Lincoln City Wildfire
A man prepares for the worst during the Echo Mountain Wildfire

This article has been updated with Pacific Power changing the time for a possible shutoff for Lincoln County to 10 a.m. Friday. Pacific Power officials said it was still a “last resort” option. 

Pacific Power issued a warning Wednesday alerting the public to a possible shutoff due to forecasted high winds during “extreme wildfire conditions.”

Lincoln City was among a list of communities that could experience a “public safety power shutoff” around 10 a.m. Friday morning through late Saturday night.

CHECK PUBLIC SAFETY POWER SHUTOFF AREAS

“Our advanced weather modeling is indicating a potential for dangerous fire weather conditions,” Pacific Power Meteorology Manager Steve Vanderburg said. “We’re gaining an understanding of the impacts to our system this specific weather event could bring, and have issued Public Safety Power Shutoff notices to several Pacific Power communities.”

From a Pacific Power news release:

A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a proactive effort to reduce wildfire risk during hazardous fire weather conditions, including extremely low humidity, dry vegetation, elevated levels on key weather indexes and sustained winds and gusts. Current forecasts indicate conditions for a Public Safety Power Shutoff could be met around 10 a.m. Friday morning. The power shutoff could last late into Saturday evening.

Pacific Power sees the move as being proactive and an effort to reduce the risk of a possible wildfire. Power crews will actively patrol and remove debris from lines and make repairs as needed.

The Echo Mountain Wildfire that struck in 2020 had similar conditions prior, but the winds predicted Friday and Saturday are not as high and officials will be using the shutoff as a last resort.

Residents can find information on how to protect their homes and what supplies they should have on hand at Pacific Power’s website.

For all non-emergency questions about the Public Safety Power Shutoff, customers and the public should call Pacific Power at 1-888-221-7070.

LCPD responds to alleged assault

Police swarm assault
LCPD officers respond to an alleged assault in front of Lucky Dog Grooming Tuesday evening (Photo by Don Williams)

Multiple Lincoln City Police cruisers responded to a disturbance at SW 7th Street and HWY 101 around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday to a reported assault between a man and woman.

Witnesses described hearing shouting and profanity before police arrived.

Police swarmed the parking lot and took the man into custody.

According to police dispatch, the female declined medical services.

Details are pending.

 

LCPD: Intoxicated driver crashes into patrol vehicle during DUII enforcement operation

DUI Crash LCPD

According to Lincoln City Police, a Siletz resident driving a Ford Fiesta failed to stop and crashed into a police cruiser Saturday, Sept.  3, as the officer was patrolling during an enhanced Labor Day DUII operation.

Oregon State Police responded to investigate the crash on the corner of NW Jetty Avenue and NW 30th Street and arrested 24-year-old Cora Long, who law enforcement say exhibited signs of intoxication.

Long was charged with DUII, reckless driving and reckless endangering.

Both Long and the officer involved in the crash were transported to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital for medical treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

North Lincoln Fire and Rescue and Pacific West Ambulance also assisted.

Honor our elders and celebrate joyful moments

letter to the editor

Now that the closures of the pandemic have waned many are returning to regular schedules and making up for missed travel. I would like to remind everyone that it’s easy to forget that our elders took the brunt of illness during the pandemic. Especially those who lived alone in isolation from friends and family. For those who lived in residential senior housing, it was also a different time for people. For instance, our community teams worked tirelessly to maintain a connection between residents and their families through virtual communication, and we had to be especially creative in providing door-to-door activities to keep their spirits high.

It’s with this in mind that I would like to ask everyone in the community to take a few moments out of their busy schedule during the week of September 11-17 to honor an elder. This is an important week in the senior living community — National Assisted Living Week. This year’s theme is “Joyful Moments”. This theme is especially meaningful given the past two years and it encourages everyone to find happiness, joy, and fulfillment in both the big and small moments in life.

Whether a senior lives in your home, your neighborhood, or in a senior living community, this is the time to let them know that you care. We suggest a simple gesture such as writing a card of appreciation or a small token such as giving a plant, or a flower, or dropping off treats to a senior living facility.

As someone who works daily with the senior population, I can tell you that a little kindness goes a long way to making a person happy. So please consider making Joyful Moments for our elders from Sept. 11th through 17th.

In gratitude to our elders,

Kim Jensen, Executive Director

Lakeview Senior Living

Stuff-A-Bus supplies students once again

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Stuff a bus Lincoln City
Stuff-A-Bus supplies are getting to students who need them (Photos by Justin Werner)

For the last 28 years, school supplies have been generously donated by community members, shoppers and businesses for Lincoln City’s Stuff-A-Bus.

“This is Lincoln City at it’s best,” Stuff-A-Bus founder Roger Robertson said. “It’s all about helping somebody else. It sets the tone for what a giving community this is.”

The school supply drive has raised over $20,000 for students and schools with backpacks, shoes, socks, clothing, glue, pencils, crayons, notebooks and everything else a student would need to be successful.

Stuff-A-Bus

“There’s still a long way to go,” Robertson said. “We’re here until six o’clock.” Parents and students can stop by and pick up supplies at the Lincoln City Outlets across from Nike.

Stuffy bus

“It’s been non-stop with parents and kids picking up supplies,” Robertson’s wife Pat, who runs the Backpacks for Kids Food Program, said as she sat overseeing the distribution. When asked how she and her husband feel after all is said and done, she mentioned how years later kids have come up and thanked them. “That’s very rewarding,” she said. Families interested in getting food boxes to supplement their SNAP benefits can ask the school for those resources.

Backpacks for Kids

Stuff-A-Bus school supplies can be picked up by anyone, not just needy families, the Robertsons said.

Local businesses have been running various promotions where customers could chip in to get the much needed supplies into the hands of students. Lincoln City Gifts raised $4,400 and other local businesses did their part with checks and direct donations. Lincoln City’s Kiwanis and Rotary chapters also donated.

glue

Famed local restaurant Mo’s went over budget at Walmart while shopping for school supplies and the country’s largest retailer donated the nearly $500 remaining. Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital put bags together with a value of $800. Lincoln City Outlets, which hosted the space, was a large contributor according to the Robertsons.

The less-stuffed-bus will head to local schools after the drive to drop off the remaining supplies where they can be used by students throughout the year.

First Student Lincoln City

Parents and kids eager to return to school

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Oceanlake Elementary
Families line up for Open House at Oceanlake Elementary Thursday night (Photo by Don Williams)

Gleaming floors, polished windows and fresh coats of paint welcomed parents and pupils to Open House night at Lincoln City’s public and private schools Thursday evening.

Oceanlake Elementary entryway

Long lines developed outside Oceanlake, Taft Elementary, Taft 7-12 and Faith Baptist prior to each scheduled door opening.

Taft Elementary
A line forms for Open House at Taft Elementary (Photo by Justin Werner)

Smiling staff, administrators and volunteers welcomed students, whether for the first time or returning.  

At Oceanlake and Taft Elementary children darted in and out of classrooms eager to find their teachers and friends. Many kids seemed to find comfort in returning to familiar rooms, desks and faces. 

At the high school there seemed to be an air of relief at being able to see the full faces of friends and teachers without mandated masks.

Administrators said events were going very well and it was great to see the kids fill the hallways again.

Oceanlake

Driver crashes SUV through guardrail

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Crash Lincoln City
A man crashed his “truck” through a guardrail on the corner of SE 32nd Street and SE Fleet Ave. near the Ridge Apartments early Saturday (Photos by Justin Werner)

A man crashed his SUV through the guardrail on the corner of SE 32nd Street and SE Fleet Avenue early Saturday, getting his vehicle stuck in the trees because he “forgot there was a turn there.”

Crash SE32nd Street and SE Fleet Ave

Immediately after the crash, the man could be heard moving through the bushes as he climbed up to the street. He approached bystanders and asked if he could use a phone.

Lincoln City Police responded immediately to the 911 call around 1:30 a.m. and found the man walking around the scene. He asked officers for a flashlight so he could find his phone to call someone to help pull out his vehicle.

“I was doing 30 miles an hour and I forgot there was a turn there,” he told police.

North Lincoln Fire and Rescue was called to the incident due to fire concerns after officers observed some smoldering. Firefighters took all the necessary precautions to prevent a fire.

The man appeared uninjured from the crash except for some blood on his face. He will need to pay for a tow truck to extricate his vehicle, but no charges were filed and he was free to go. Police said the man’s insurance should cover the cost to fix the guardrail.

The author of this article, Justin Werner, called 911 after hearing the crash.

Oregon Coast Art Bus rolls into Lincoln City

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The Oregon Coast Art Bus visited North Lincoln County Historical Museum Friday for “Art at the Museum.” (Photos by Justin Werner)

The Oregon Coast Art Bus made a stop at Lincoln City’s North Lincoln County Historical Museum (NLCHM) Friday afternoon where kids made art and got to see the new bus wrap.

“We take the art to the kids instead of having the kids come to us,” Newport Visual Arts Center Arts Education Manager Sara Siggelkow said as she gave Homepage a tour of the newly wrapped mobile educational art bus.

Newport Visual Arts Center Arts Education Manager Sara Siggelkow gives a tour of the educational art bus

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts and Oregon Cultural Trust sponsor the bus as it makes it way to events along the coast and is based out of Newport. NLCHM Director Jeffrey Syrop hosted the bus for the Art at the Museum event, where kids painted, printed and learned their shapes. Education is “hidden into” art projects as the bus’ mission is to combine art and education.

“I called them up and this is the first time we have done this outside,” Syrop said. “Kids love it.”

“It’s awesome to do art and see this bus,” a child painting at the event said. “I hope we get to come again because I learned a bunch.”

Syrop has been busy at the museum, offering new rotating exhibits such as Float Odyssey, which delves into the rich history of glass floats. Also new to the rotation is Swipe Through History, an exhibit where museum-goers can swipe through historical photos.

For more information about North Lincoln County’s museum check out their website.

If you are interested in having the Oregon Art Bus come to you, call 541-574-3364.

Mayoral outburst over councilor’s cost questions

Lincoln City City Council

At Monday’s Lincoln City City Council meeting, Mayor Susan Wahlke shouted down and cut off Councilor Riley Hoagland as he questioned city staff about spending tax dollars on a proposed project.

The project in question concerns a new technology that will replace human meter readers with radio transmitted readings of water usage.

Breaching council protocol, Wahlke demanded: “These technical questions should be presented before the meeting!”

When Hoagland attempted to defend his line of questioning, Wahlke shouted: “You can’t expect her to have the answer to these questions off the top of her head!”

Hoagland gave up on his line of questioning after the berating.

“I’m just trying to get things right to make the best decision for the people of Lincoln City,” Hoagland said in response to the incident.

The outburst can be seen in the publicly available council meeting video on the City’s website.