A1
Prepare to be wowed! Native American traditions come to life SEE STORY, PAGE B1
75 CENTS | VOL. 85 | NO. 32 | 2 SECTIONS YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1927
AUGUST 8, 2012 | WEDNESDAY
www.TheNewsGuard.com
LINCOLN CITY, OREGON
Teen gets 23 years for killing Marsala cuts deal to avoid murder trial PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard
Blackfish Cafe displays life in objects Neskowin artist Ran Koch has a new show at the Blackfish Café featuring 20 pieces of original art, all of a theme: encountering life in inanimate objects. In his Blackfish show, Koch explores the nature around him; “river teeth” from the creek near his home, the raven that feeds from his compost pile and teases his dog, and a fern bundle he found in the woods that resembles the raven. The show is a strong collection of organic images that look as if they were made for the Blackfish space.
Joseph Marsala
An 18-year-old has been sentenced to 23 years in prison after admitting stabbing and bludgeoning another man to death in a Lincoln City home. Joseph Anthony Marsala of Milwaukie, Ore., has been in custody since his June 27, 2011, arrest on suspicion of murdering 49-year-old Darrin Masterson Dow of Tigard. Prosecutors alleged Marsala
killed Dow to conceal evidence of a previous assault and robbery after the pair came to the coast together in the company of another teen. Defense attorney Elizabeth J.C. Baker countered that Marsala had acted in self-defense against Dow, whom she said targeted her client for sexual abuse. The case had been scheduled to go to trial in October but, on Friday, Aug. 3, after a two-day settlement confer-
ence with visiting Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric J. Bergstrom, Marsala agreed to a plea deal that resulted in a 23year prison sentence. Marsala pled guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree attempted robbery and first-degree attempted assault. In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop charges including murder and aggravated murder. Baker said there was no doubt that Marsala inflicted the
three stab wounds that killed Dow in his N.E. Reef Avenue vacation home on June 25, 2011. But, she said, Dow had simultaneously taken an overdose of prescription drugs paired with cocaine. “Had he not been stabbed, he would have died from an overdose,” she said. Baker said her client acted in self-defense when Dow became violent after a “24-hour period of radical controlled substance and alcohol ingestion” involving both men. See MARSALA, Page A8
Dr. Bob to go it alone Oksenholt to set up independent practice after Samaritan cuts the cord
See story, page 3A
INSERTS Chinook Winds; Roby’s Furniture; Walgreens; Sears; Safeway; Rite Aid; Bi-Mart
PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard
WEATHER GUIDE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS High Low Prec.
Tues., July 31 Wed., Aug. 1 Thurs., Aug. 2 Fri., Aug. 3 Sat., Aug. 4 Sun., Aug. 5 Mon., Aug. 6
63 62 64 72 76 65 65
56 54 53 54 55 55 55
0 0 0 0 0 0 o
Weekly Rainfall: 0 inches Yearly Rainfall: 55.97 inches (corrected)
WEEKLY OUTLOOK After 18 straight days with no precipitation, gardeners will welcome the forecast for patchy drizzle. The drizzle (if it occurs) won’t eliminate the need to irrigate. The weekend should be partly sunny and comfortably warm. Weather data provided by Roads End Weather Watcher Sheridan Jones
PATRICK ALEXANDER/THE NEWS GUARD
Seven-year-old Carter Skoglund was among the hundreds of people whose wishes will be forever sealed inside the heart of the Devils Lake Creature, which was dedicated to the community on Sunday, Aug. 4.
A wish come true The Devils Lake Creature emerges into the sunlight
PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard
L
incoln City’s newest piece of public art has everything — a long, twisting tail; a fine set of fangs; a rubbery belly; and a heart crammed full of wishes. In the run up to its official dedication ceremony at the Devils Lake
Revival on Saturday, Aug. 4, the heart of the Devils Lake Creature literally filled up with the wishes of those who gathered to see it begin its lakeside life at the top of Regatta Park. Sculptors Heidi Erickson and Doug Kroger topped off their yearand-a-half-long construction effort by creating a “wishing chamber” in the shape of a large, red heart,
which they invited attendees to fill with their wishes, hopes, dreams and prayers. The pair provided pennies engraved with hearts for people to wish upon and deposit into the chamber, which was later sealed within the belly of the beast — there to remain forever. See MONSTER, Page A9
Dr. Robert Oksenholt is to start his own Lincoln City practice after Samaritan Health Services (SHS) terminated his employment two weeks earlier than expected on Friday, Dr. Bob Aug. 3. Oksenholt Oksenholt, known locally as Dr. Bob, had a public falling out with SHS administrators in the wake of a July 18 letter from SHS CEO Dr. Larry Mullins that said Oksenholt had accepted a position in Lebanon, Ore. Through his attorney, Stephen Lovejoy, Oksenholt said he had no intention of such a move. Mullins’ letter said Oksenholt would be wrapping up his Lincoln City practice on Aug. 17, but the end of the relationship came two weeks earlier than that when Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (SNLH) CEO Marty Cahill gave Oksenholt his final paycheck on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 3. See OKSENHOLT, Page A8
Crunch time for VRD talk Consensus effort enters final phase of vetting options
PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard
of making a recommendation to Lincoln City Council on how to rewrite the VRD ordinance. Lincoln City’s efforts to The meetings are facilireach a consensus on how tated by conflict resolution to deal with vacation rental expert Richard Birke, a law dwellings (VRDs) are set professor from Willamette to kick into high gear next College of Law, whom the week, with two meetings City hired in February to aimed at evaluating differhelp different factions in the ent approaches. The VRD Working Group, VRD debate find common ground. which is made up of resiThe Aug. 15 meeting will dents, VRD operators, and see members of the VRD local business people, will working group give their meet on Tuesday, Aug. 14, opinions on suggestions as well as Wednesday, Aug. emerged at the July 15, after asking for extra 3:40 PMthatPage L10387 Power Ford 6x2 080812:Layout 1 8/6/12 1 meetings — options that time to complete their task
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range from leaving the rules unchanged to outlawing all vacation rentals from the city’s residential zones. When the working group met in July, Birke divided them into two teams, each of which was charged with developing as many options as possible for dealing with VRDs. The teams each came up with ideas for limiting the number and location of vacation rentals as well as dealing with issues like trash, noise and parking. Meanwhile, some suggestions aimed to level the
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• Allow Planned Unit Developments to be self-regulating – either encouraging VRDs like Olivia Beach or outlawing them like Indian Shores. • Use old zoning maps to determine which areas of town were historically used for visitor accommodation. Create an overlay zone to restore that original intention. • Require that any new VRD be a certain number of feet from any existing vacation rental.
playing field between VRDs and monthly rentals in terms of dealing with complaints and between VRDs and regular homes in terms of landscaping requirements. Some of the suggestions on the table are as follows: • Establish high-density and low-density VRD zones as well as VRD-free areas of town. • Limit VRDs in singlefamily residential areas. Suggestions include no more than 20 percent of homes and no more than 5 percent of homes.
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