A1
Fundraiser for local childrens camp
Taft’s Weaver eyes state golf tourney
See Page A3
See Page A14
$1 | VOL. 86 | NO. 18 | 2 SECTIONS YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1927
MAY 8, 2013 | WEDNESDAY
www.TheNewsGuard.com
LINCOLN CITY, OREGON
Devils Lake Water District candidates speak out
DAILY LINCOLN CITY
NEWS ONLINE including E-Edition TheNewsGuard.com
Brian Green
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
Editors Note: There are four candidates running for two positions in the Devils Lake Water Improvement District races in the May 21 special election. The positions are four-year terms. Brian Green is the incumbent in Position 4. The challenger is Mark Ronald Christie. David Skirvin is the incumbent in Position 5. His challenger is Jack Strayer. The News Guard emailed all four three main questions. The following are the candidates’ answers:
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1) Briefly describe the qualifications you have to be an effective member of the DLWID board. I have already been an effective steward of Devils Lake for 35 years. I voluntarily spearheaded the formation of the Devils Lake Water Improvement District in the early 1980s. Then, when the lake was choked with weeds, I helped to stock the lake with grass carp to make the lake usable for all of us. Recently, I have helped to author and
begin implementation of the Devils Lake Plan (which you can read at www. DLWID.org) and I also successfully formed a local Improvement District to start installing sewer around the lake. 2) What do you see as the single most important challenge for Devils Lake and how would you overcome that challenge? The single most important challenge for Devils Lake has always been to minimize the impact of intensive development on water quality, the shore-
Election 2013
line and recreational uses. I would meet this challenge by restocking Devils Lake with grass carp; replacing failing septic systems with new, cheaper sewer technology; and raising the summer lake level in a manner that protects the shoreline from erosion, preserves wetlands and wildlife habitat and reduces septic drain field leaching into the lake until failing septic systems can be replaced with sewer. 3) As a board member, how would you resolve divisions between See ELECTION, Page A7
Otis garden receives a makeover
WATER SOCIALIZING Page B1
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
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For the members of the Salmon River Garden Club, it is a labor of love. The group is restoring the small garden in front of the Otis Café and Otis Post Office. “The garden really hasn’t been cleaned up for 13 years,” said Judi Barkley, Salmon River Garden Club president. “It’s become invaded with weeds and we’ve lost some of the plants. It’s just gotten out of control. We couldn’t really work it anymore, so we had to start over.” Club members have saved many of the stronger plants. “We’ve dug them out and taken them home and are watering them until we can replant them in the garden,” said Barkley. Motorists driving by the busy intersection of Highway 18 got a chance to see the garden group in action over the past several days as they dug up withering plants and pulled weeds at the garden site. The garden began as a civic project for the club in 2000. Members planned and planted the garden to fill up then-empty space, installed the Otis sign and painted a mural on
WEATHER GUIDE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS
High Low Prec.
Tues., April 30 Wed., May 1 Thurs., May 2 Fri., May 3 Sat., May 4 Sun., May 5 Mon., May 6
51 60 67 64 82 86 62
42 38 38 44 44 50 51
.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 JEREMY C. RUARK/THE NEWS GUARD
Weekly Rainfall: .03 inches Yearly Rainfall: 23.56 inches
Third-graders from Taft Elementary School get instructions from teacher Susan Roebber during a science field trip to Crowley Creek.
Into the wild to learn about fish
WEEKLY OUTLOOK May’s extended dry period should continue even though the clouds will greet us each morning. The weekend looks to be partly sunny with a very slight chance of rain on Sunday.
JEREMY C. RUARK The News Guard
You might not expect to see a group of third-grade students from Taft Elementary School hovering over their notepads alongside Crowley Creek in
Weather data provided by Roads End Weather Watcher Sheridan Jones
the forest northwest of Lincoln City, but that’s where their school lesson took them Friday, May 3. “We are studying the lifecycles of salmon as part of our science instruction,” said Taft third-grade teacher Susan Roebber. “We came out here to
release the salmon that the students have raised from eggs.” Roebber said she hopes the outdoor experience will help students develop a sense of place and ownership. See FISH, Page A9
See OTIS GARDEN, Page A6
School cop is officer, teacher, friend JIM FOSSUM The News Guard
As school resource officer, Oscar Escalante gets to play “good cop, bad cop” all day long. Both friend and foe, Escalante patrols the corridors of Taft High 7-12, where more than 700 middle school and high school students gather to learn how to become successful in life’s endeavors. A longtime Lincoln City policeman, the 58-year-old Escalante defies the image of bumbling, nerdy high school hallway officer depicted in some teenage movie comedy. The former firefighter has been a SWAT team member, first responder and drug recognition expert. He instructs others on how to be a cop. Being a campus cop comes with many nuances. Since coming to Taft High more than a decade ago, JIM FOSSUM/THE NEWS GUARD Escalante has become not only a law Lincoln City policeman Oscar Escalante patrols the halls at Taft High 7-12 as enforcement officer, but de facto teacher and counselor. school resource officer.
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“It’s not just the position, but having the right guy in the position,” Taft Principal Scott Reed said. “Oscar has done a terrific job connecting with students by being firm but fair and just being a great educator.” The likeable but straightforward Escalante will tell you he’s the one who’s been educated. “Kids have a different look on life,” he said, “so I’m always looking to see how kids do things, how kids respond, how they interact with one another. Learning from these guys is fantastic because they have young and fresh minds.” Having been at Taft since the 2000-01 school year, Escalante should know. He certainly knows the kids, having been around some for as many as six years on an almost daily basis from seventh grade through their high school graduation. It presents both advantages and hardships. “I’ve gotten used to them and they’ve gotten to know me,” he said.
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