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$1 | VOL. 86 | NO. 18 | 2 SECTIONS YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1927
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MAY 1, 2013 | WEDNESDAY
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LINCOLN CITY, OREGON
Lawsuits filed against local daycare center
DAILY LINCOLN CITY
NEWS ONLINE including E-Edition TheNewsGuard.com
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
Two lawsuits seeking $8.1 million have been filed against the Samaritan Health Services, operators of Samaritan Early Learning Center in Lincoln City. A 4-year-old girl and her mother are accusing the center of repeatedly failing to protect the child from another 4-year-old, who allegedly molested the girl.
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“Parents trust the daycare to keep their child safe and that trust has been betrayed,” said Scott Kocher, a Portland attorney representing the mother and child. According to the lawsuits, filed April 25 in Lane County Court, the child’s mother first discovered the alleged abuse in October when she noticed marks on the child while bathing her. The child told her mother the markings had been put there by a
fellow student at the center. The following day, the mother expressed concerns about the markings to the daycare director, who the lawsuit claims assured the mother she would address the incident with the children involved and rearrange the play-kitchen where the alleged incident occurred so it would be visible to the supervising adult. According to the lawsuit, she also assured the mother the children
action and that teachers at the daycare were on “high alert.” On Dec. 12, the child told her mother that the instigator had, on separate occasions, abused her in the daycare bathroom and in the play-kitchen area. The girl’s mother withdrew her child from the daycare Dec. 13 and took her child to CARES Northwest,
would be better supervised. The lawsuit claims that the director failed to speak with the children or move the play-kitchen furniture. The suit details another alleged assault in November against the 4-year old by the same instigator. The following day the mother said she again approached the daycare director to report the abuse. The suit alleges the director told the mother she would take appropriate
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WEATHER GUIDE
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Pinball arcade braces for Saturday opening JIM FOSSUM The News Guard
The game’s finally on at “Game Over,” which intends to re-identify the pinball wizards who made arcade games all the rage many years ago. The modernday pinball arcade, which will hold its longawaited grand open-
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS
High Low Prec.
Tues., April 23 Wed., April 24 Thurs., April 25 Fri., April 26 Sat., April 27 Sun., Aoril 28 Mon., April 29
58 68 57 61 57 59 53
41 45 46 43 42 46 49
0 0 0 0 0 .38 .03
Weekly Rainfall: 0.41 inches Yearly Rainfall: 23.53 inches
WEEKLY OUTLOOK
Weather data provided by Roads End Weather Watcher Sheridan Jones
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
The proposed 2013-2014 Lincoln City budget includes a 4 percent water and a 4 percent sewer rate increase to help maintain the two systems, according to City Manager David Hawker. The unknown in the See BUDGET, Page A6
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
It has been one year since organizers launched plans to fill two shipping containers with survival supplies for staff and students at three area schools following a tsunami or other major disaster in Lincoln City. The caches are designed to meet the basic need of shelter, water and
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food for 1,300 people. “That is how many students and staff there are at Taft High, Taft Elementary and Oregon Coast Community College,” said Sue Graves, Lincoln County School District safety coordinator. “If an emergency happens when school is in session, the students and staff will be able to go to the containers. If the See CACHE, Page A8
JEREMY C. RUARK/THE NEWS GUARD
Carolyn Russell, Taft Pioneer Cemetery historian, looks over one of the graves at the cemetery. The cemetery association is launching a drive to find new members to help preserve the twoacre graveyard.
Saving Taft Pioneer Cemetery “It has the history of our town,” said Carolyn Russell, Taft Pioneer Cemetery historian. “It needs to be protected and preserved.” That is why Russell and the Taft Pioneer Cemetery Association are launching an effort to enlist more members for the association.
“We are trying to get more people involved in helping to keep the association running and to keep the cemetery clean and to take pride in the community,” said Russell. The cemetery is spread over two acres on top of a hill above the Inn at Spanish Head Resort at 4000 Highway 101.
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“It is certainly a unique place for a cemetery,” said Russell. John Bone, who had established the town of Taft, gave the land to the city in 1905. The first person buried in the cemetery was Neils Anderson
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Lincoln City Budget Committee May 6 • 5 p.m. Urban Renewal Agency • 6 p.m. City Budget Lincoln City Hall 801 S.W. Highway 101 541-996-2151
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big and I just decided to open a place.” Long occupied by the glass and windowdressing store Pacific Glass Inc., the opening of “Game Over” is the culmination of a lifelong journey for Donner, who has been exposed to the arcade game industry since he was a little boy. “My dad had an arcade route in the Portland area 23 years ago or so, and I always grew up with arcade games, so I had the idea that I
Sewer, water rate increases proposed
On your way to work, expect to need a jacket. The sun will warm things up by noon. Thus ideal weather should last through the weekend.
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ing Saturday, May 4, at 2821 Highway 101 in Lincoln City, will feature more than 100 rare and popular games and attractions in a day and age when home console systems have dominated the marketplace. “I’ve been collecting arcade games for six, seven, maybe eight years now,” said Chris Donner, who co-owns the establishment, which includes a full kitchen and beerand-wine bar, with his girlfriend, Jenny Johnson. “A few years back my passion grew pretty
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