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Lincoln City: Tsunami information, thinning Agnes Creek trees, report on LC’s Cultural Center and sewers and blacktop enroute to Voyage/Lake neighborhood.

Apr 232013

Lincoln City City Councilors covered a lot of ground Monday night including telling the Bruinier family of Portland that their upgraded 1962 billboard sign just west of East Devils Lake Road must be abandoned since a tree destroyed it recently. The council acknowledged that city codes allowed the family right to keep it since it was built before more restrictive laws were enacted on roadside signs. But since the sign was recently destroyed when high winds blew a tree down through it, the sign is now illegal. City Manager David Hawker said it would cost more than half of the cost of the total sign to repair it, and besides it’s on an undeveloped commercial lot. And undeveloped commercial lots are not to allowed to have such advertising signs put on them. The next move is now up to the family as to whether they will appeal the city’s council’s action to the Land Use Board of Appeals in Salem. No word from the family if they’re going to do that.

The city council moved ahead on creating a local improvement district for the Voyage and Lake Street areas of West Devil’s Lake. The project will bring city sewer lines to that part of the city rather than allow homes along those two streets to keep their aging septic tanks. Septic tanks in general are blamed to contributing to the lake’s low water quality. In addition to the sewer connections the two streets will be paved. Total cost to each home owner is estimated to be around $6,500. There was some discussion about where system development charges play into the equation. That issue was left for another council meeting.

Lincoln City Cultural Center Director Nikki Price gave the council an annual report on how the center is doing. In so many words Price said things are much improved over the past year. Price said membership has remained substantial, grants have been won, and that more emphasis will be placed on programs and their use of center facilities with a view to becoming more self-sufficient. Visitorship was up in 2012 along with the number of hours donated by volunteers.

Price said the center has hired a first-ever Director for the Chessman Gallery who will make the gallery more attractive and compelling for art lovers.

But there are problems on the horizon for the center, Price said. The big one is the center’s leaky roof which will not be cheap to replace. Other maintenance issues and enlisting greater community involvement with the center will take even more energy and fundraising and grant writing, along with continued “city involvement,” which is a code word for funds. The city’s contribution to Price’s salary is scheduled to end at the end of June, to be replaced, ostensibly with funds the center raises itself.

The council expressed their gratitude to Price for her imaginative approach to getting the center back on its feet but agreed with her that a lot is still up in the air and that both the center and the city must work close together to develop the best entertainment and programming ideas in order to keep growing the center.

The council also gave it’s thumbs up to extend a contract with Trout Mountain Forestry to begin planning a “gentle touch” logging of some of the overcrowded stands of trees within the Agnes Creek open space area. It appears that Trout Mountain will begin removing trees in the crowded stands sometime this summer. City Manager David Hawker said Trout Mountain will leave behind a forest that will begin to produce bigger and healthier trees, more resistent to disease and insects and provide better habitat for wildlife. The city will also derive income from the sale of the trees, now that the log market is coming back.

The city is still trying to develop a fair way to lower the water bills of those who suffered unanticipated water loss through vandalism, leaky toilets or leaky pipes under their homes. Some of those higher water bills can run into the hundreds of dollars. City officials say they need more time to work out the specific details of limited “cost sharing” with residents so they don’t have to pay much more than half of the increase, while being limited to one such occurrence over a five year period. The council will take it up again at a later meeting.

And the council received some advance information on Tsunami Preparedness activities coming up in the county – one of them May 7th at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. Public outreach programs begin at 3pm and 7pm and run a couple of hours apiece. Earthquake/Tsunami Preparedness kits will be passed out along with the latest tsunami inundation zone maps so everybody can see if they’re “in the zone.” If they are, they should refer to escape route information provided in the kits. Other Earthquake/Tsunami Information sessions are occurring over all of Lincoln County. All new inundation maps will be passed out in all coastal areas of the county – including Toledo. Door to door information campaigns are also anticipated.

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Lincoln City City Council: Billboard on 101 coming down?, Agnes Creek upgrade by logging, getting a break on an OMG leak, and moving forward on Voyage/Lake project

Lincoln City No Responses »

Apr 212013

Voyage/Lake street-sewer special district area

When Lincoln City Mayor Dick Anderson gavels the city council to order Monday night, they’re likely to approve the creation of a special local improvement district that will put homes along Voyage and Lake Streets onto the city sewer system and off their septic tanks which are suspected of contributing to the nutrient loading of Devil’s Lake. The six thousand dollar plus cost for each hookup and street improvement will be rolled into a bond that will be paid off over the years to make the project affordable for homeowners. There are some who are still fighting the idea but the city contends it’s got more than enough property owners signed up to allow the district to go forward.

Leaky toilets, hot tubs, washing machines, broken pipes….all water wasters…

The council will also likely approve a system for reducing the OMG moment when a water customer opens their water bill and it’s ten times what it was two months ago. This happens more than anyone would care to see and it’s usually due to a leaky toilet, leaky washing machine, a broken pipe under the house or other major water guzzler. It can also happen due to vandalism when the water customer is away for a time.

In an effort to reduce the shock of such a bill, the city council will likely approve a plan offered by City Manager David Hawker and the utilities department. City staff and the customer determines how much of the overage was caused by the leak and then the city splits the difference with the customer. So if the customer’s normal bill was $50 a month and it shot up to $500, the city would forgive half the amount of the water wasted for that month (because by then the leak would be fixed – with proof). The water bill would be $225 + $50 normal = $275. The plan does not accommodated wild variations due to hot tubs or vast backyard gardens. And the plan allows one water adjustment action over a five year period. The clock is started again on the sale of the property. However, selling the property to one’s wife or family trust does not constitute a re-starting of the clock.

Bruinier Family Billboard
Highway 101 west of E. Devils Lake Road

The council will also likely tell the Bruinier family of Portland that their long running family billboard, a non-conforming sign for many years, will have to come down. Councilors were told that although the sign was legal in 1962 when it was originally built there it’s illegal under current city code. But it was okay to leave it stand because it was grandfathered in. But when a tree came down on it last winter and destroyed it, that was the end of it’s grandfathered in phase of life. A simple repair wouldn’t fix it. So, the family rebuilt it – and although they contend it was technically a repair, which preserves the grandfather designation, the city said it’s technically NOT a repair because the amount spent was well over fifty percent of the cost of the sign, in that they put up new posts, poured new cement, replaced the billboard framing, and other improvements. Staff also pointed out that the sign was originally 250 square feet in size. The sign today is 330 square feet. They say there is no record in the city files that the family applied for a sign permit to expand it. Staff also reminded the council last session that no non-conforming sign is intended to remain in place forever. In this case, the sign was recently destroyed by a falling tree. As a non-conforming sign it can’t be rebuilt. And besides, said staff, the lot the signs sits on is an undeveloped commercial lot which, under the current city code, cannot have a billboard on it.

If the Bruinier family doesn’t like the ruling Monday night, their next step would be to take it to the State Land Use Board of Appeals in Salem, then possibly to the Court of Appeals, then the State Supreme Court.

Agnes Creek Open Space
“Clogged” with trees
Scheduled to get a hair cut

And the council Monday night will propose to do what might raise a few hackles among the public – at least at first blush. But in this case it’s not what some folks might think. The city is proposing to got into a city open space area and cut down a bunch of trees. But in this particular project, the Agnes Creek Open Space area, the trees are so grown together that they crowd each other for root growth, crown space and so none of the are going to do very well until the city goes in and “thins the herd,” so to speak. The council is expected to try again to contract with Trout Mountain Forestry, known for their environmentally sensitive “gentle hand” logging tactics. They won the contract sometime back but log prices were in the dumper so the city held off. Now that prices are on the upswing, City Manager David Hawker said it’s time to get Trout Mountain back in action and see if they can’t thin about 17 acres of timber – only a fraction of the area. The city will make some money on log sales as well as Trout Mountain. In return, the remaining trees will grow taller and fatter, be more resistant to insects and disease while providing better habitat for wildlife. And what’s more, the logging road Trout Mountain will cut into the property will be transformed into a hiking trail for those wanting to enjoy the open space improvements created by the selective logging.

The Lincoln City City Council begins their regular twice a month meeting at 6pm, Monday evening at City Hall.

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“Hey! Come see what I did!”

Arts & Entertainment, Lincoln City No Responses »

Apr 182013

Savannah Smith with “Sun of Fireworks.”

Vivian Williams, shows off her painting “Rainbow Butterfly.”

Carly Diggs, in front of her acrylic painting “Joy Comes in the Morning.” She brought her son, Brogan, and daughter Zeda, and the rest of her family to the opening reception in 2013.

LINCOLN CITY – Aspiring artists of all ages and abilities are invited to display their work at the second annual Community Art Show, opening April 27 and on display through May 20 at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. This non-juried art show is open to everyone, as part of Lincoln City’s annual Community Days Celebration.

“We’re so happy to announce the return of the Community Art Show, which was first introduced for Community Days 2012,” said center director Niki Price. “This is an opportunity for every artist – young and old, experienced and amateur – to display something that they are proud of. Last year’s event was a big success, with more than 30 artists participating.

Don’t hide that beautiful artwork in a closet — show it off at the Community Art Show!” Center staff will be accepting artwork on Thursday and Friday, April 25 and 26, from 10 am to 4 pm, and on Saturday, April 27, from 10 am until 2 pm.

Once the show is ready, the artists can invite their friends and family to a special reception, with refreshments, from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, in the Elizabethan Room (formerly known as the Artists White Room).

The rules are simple:
1) One submission per person. Two-dimensional works must be ready to hang, with tacks on the corners or a wire hanger in the back. Three-dimensional works should be ready to sit on a pedestal or rest on the floor.
2) Small pieces that will require a glass case, such as jewelry, will not be accepted.
3) Art must be family friendly, and appropriate for all ages.
4) Each participant must fill out a short registration form, providing contact information. The artist must indicate if the piece is for sale, and if so, the price.
5) Works that are for sale will be subject to a 35% commission, which will go toward the upkeep of the Lincoln City Cultural Center.
6) After the show is over on May 20, artists must pick up their work at the cultural center during normal business hours. Works that are not picked up within 90 days become the property of the LCCC.

During Community Days, the Lincoln City Cultural Center will also be hosting the annual Pinwheel Garden, a joint venture between the Children’s Trust of Oregon and the volunteers of Chinook Winds Casino Resort. That garden will be installed on April 20. The cultural center will also be hosting a hole on the putt putt golf tour (11 am to 5 pm on Saturday, April 20), and pony rides from 10 am to 2 pm on April 27.

For more information, call 541-994-9994, head to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, or become a friend on Facebook.

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Lincoln City: City Council says no to a restored non-conforming billboard on 101 just north of town

Lincoln City No Responses »

Apr 092013

Bruinier billboard
Highway 101 just west of Devils Lake Road

Photo shows substantial reconstruction of the sign after a tree fell through it.

A tree similar to this one, choked with English Ivy, was blown by high winds into Bruinier’s billboard.

Billboard owner Kurt Bruinier of Portland and his lawyer asked the Lincoln City City Council Monday night to allow the family to keep its billboard the same size just north of town on 101, slightly west of Devil’s Lake Road.

A tall tree, covered with ivy, was blown down in a big storm back in November, pulverizing the billboard. In a plea to the city, Bruinier reportedly said the tree wouldn’t have blown down had the city allowed it to be cut as requested last year. Three trees were approved for cutting because they posed a threat to the Ryan Gallery, an occupied building. But the city said no to the other two standing closer to the sign. Officials said the trees posed only a marginal threat to any occupied building.

In November a tree blew down and badly damaged the sign. But as it turned out, the tree that hammered the sign was not one of the two the city turned down for removal. It was a tree on the lot immediately to the west, near the Wildflower Grill.

Lincoln City Planning and Community Development Director Richard Townsend told the council that after the November storm, a city building official spotted the sign being rebuilt. Knowing that the sign was non-conforming under current codes (because it was built in 1962 when standards were lax) he told the workers to stop work on it and reported the incident to the city. Townsend went on to explain that the only way the sign could legally continue to exist would be to rebuild it to today’s standards – a sign of 50 square feet rather than its long-running 325 square feet. But Townsend went on to say that because the sign is planted on an empty lot in a commercial area, NO billboards are allowed, period.

Billboard owner Kurt Bruinier and his attorney asked the council to consider the rebuilding of the sign as a repair job, which is allowed even with a non-conforming sign. But Townsend replied that when the cost of a billboard repair job exceeds 50% of the cost of a new, properly sized conforming sign, the conforming sign must be built. Townsend said the cost of the “repairs” to the current sign far exceed the cost of a 50 square foot sign. Either way, he said the current billboard is no longer legal. The city attorney agreed. Bruinier then suggested that he’s been paying property taxes on the sign for years, and that it’s current value is estimated to be something just over $13,000. “The $900+ that I’ve spent repairing the sign is nowhere near 50% of the value of the sign,” he said. “Therefore we should be able to keep it.” The city attorney quickly replied that the city ordinance refers to the actual cost of repairs verus building a new conforming sign. He said an estimate of a new conforming sign is around $350. “Nine hundred dollars to fix the old sign is well over fifty percent of building a new conforming sign.

Although there were several pleas based on the importance of the billboard’s advertising effectiveness for a local hotel and other businesses, the council was reminded by the city attorney that the issue pertains to city ordinances, not the popularity of using the sign. It was also brought up that the billboard was increased in size in 1990 in a possibly illegal manner because there is no record of the owner ever applying for a building or sign permit.

Saying that old, non-conforming signs were never intended to last forever – that they’re expected to eventually “fade away” – the council voted unanimously to deny the Bruiniers appeal.

Should they choose to take the issue to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), they’ll have to take it up in Salem. If LUBA denies the appeal, it goes to the Oregon Court of Appeals, and ultimately to the State Supreme Court. That’s how the system works which, for the part, prompts quick turnaround for developers and government officials alike. Mr. Bruinier did not indicate whether he’ll appeal to LUBA.

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Lincoln City: Looks like SE 48th Street is staying closed for a good long while…

Lincoln City No Responses »

Apr 092013

Slumped out portion of
SE 48th. Some repairs but mostly determining whether the earth movement has stopped.

Lincoln City Councilors decided to be patient enough to play it safe on further repairs to SE 48th Street which slumped out some months back after a bad series of storms sent groundwater under the road, destroying a portion of sidewalk, curbing and pavement.

Right after the pavement slumped, a drain was installed through the sunken area allowing the groundwater to flow past the damaged road. City public works officials told the council that subsequent testing indicates the ground movement has stopped. However, they’re not sure if more bad storms next winter might cause the same pressures, on what would be by then, a repaired road. So the council decided to postpone a permanent fix until geotechnical experts can monitor the slide through the summer, fall and into next winter to see if the drain actually stopped the earth movement for good, or as close to good as any Oregon hillside can be stopped – road engineers call them “mud glaciers.”

During the dry season, the city will dig down and remove a section of the regional water line that slumped down with the road. They’ll take the pipe out and replace it with some of the old Schooner Creek Road pipe they saved from that project about 2 years ago. They’ll reinstall it under SE 48th slightly northward, into more solid ground.

Throughout the year the city will also contract with a geotechnical firm to install very sensitive earth movement detection equipment to determine if the hill has actually settled down. If nothing moves through next winter, the city will launch a more permanent fix – reposition the sewer main closer to the surface (fixing the big sag in the pipe caused by the slide) repair the pavement, the sidewalk and railing. That’ll run upwards toward $250,000 according to estimates from public works.

In the meantime SE 48th will be closed for the next year to make sure everything goes according to plan.

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Roads End house fire on North Mast Street – SATURDAY UPDATE

Fires, Lincoln City, Roads End No Responses »

Apr 062013

Live fire photos courtesy Citizen Photographer
Click on photos to enlarge

Report by Captain Jim Kusz
North Lincoln Fire Rescue

Observant Neighbors Trigger Rapid Response to Roads End Fire

Vicki Carter was speaking to her father, when she noticed what appeared to be a heavy fog coming from the house next to the dwelling they had rented for a beach getaway. Carter, 65 from Vancouver, Washington went outside and saw flames coming from the house located at NE 64th and Mast in Roads End.

Soon multiple callers reported the fire at approximately 6:00 PM on Friday evening, April 5th, dispatching North Lincoln Fire & Rescue, to 1828 NE 64th Street. First-in units noticed smoke coming from all sides of the building and flames coming out the east bedroom window. The modest beach home, which was vacant at the time, soon was surrounded by four engines; several rescue units, and over twenty North Lincoln Fire & Rescue volunteer firefighters. Engines also responded from Depoe Bay and Nestucca Fire, and stood by with additional North Lincoln Fire & Rescue’s ladder truck and an additional rescue unit.

Firefighters on scene quickly managed to extinguish the fire; however, flames had severely damaged two bedrooms and the ceiling; heavy smoke andheat damaged the majority of the 1100 square foot beach house owned by Brad and Nancy Conklin of Dundee, Oregon.

Saturday morning investigators from the recently formed Lincoln (County) Fire Investigation Team or LFIT, determined the cause to most likely be from an electrical outlet in the bedroom.

LFIT members are Firefighters and Police officers with fire and arson investigation backgrounds. The team is activated to investigate and determine the cause of fires throughout the County. Assistant Chief Rob Murphy from Newport Fire came up to assist Saturday’s morning’s investigation along with team members from North Lincoln Fire & Rescue.

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Lincoln City: Bright flashing pedestrian crosswalk signs destined for 101 at 33rd (Starbucks) and new sidewalk on 101 from 16th to 19th

Lincoln City, Pedestrian Safety No Responses »

Mar 262013

Crosswalk LED’s with refuge island
(Corvallis, 9th Street)

Very bright crosswalk lights, pedestrian activated

The Lincoln City City Council, acting as the town’s Urban Renewal Agency, authorized Public Works Director Lila Bradley to launch a couple of pedestrian projects along Lincoln City’s main drag – Highway 101.

The first project is installing a high tech, low maintenance pedestrian actuated bright and flashing LED signal light at 101 and North 33rd, at the existing crosswalk that connects to Starbucks. The new system, which will run just over $13,500, will make a troublesome crosswalk for pedestrians a bit more safe in that the activated bright flashing lights will make it clear that pedestrians are entering the crosswalk. Bradley reported to the council “Even though every effort has been made to enhance pedestrian safety, including location, lighting, signage, island refuge and reflectors, pedestrians at this crosswalk are experiencing ‘issues’ due to unaware drivers.” She said the new crosswalk light activation system should go a long way toward making the crosswalk more pedestrian safe if not friendly.

New sidewalk east side of Highway 101 from 16th-19th.

The council also approved building new sidewalks from the frontage of Orsborn Power Saw and the Bonita Plaza complex to SE 19th Street. Bradley said public works would like to proceed with the project, which also includes moving the LINC Bus Stop to a safer locations and installing a bus shelter. The council approve the projects which weigh in at just under $100,000 for design and construction. Watch for construction crews in the area.

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Lincoln City Police Chief Keith Kilian praises one of his own – 10 year veteran Sgt. Brian Eskridge

Lincoln City No Responses »

Mar 252013

Chief Kilian (L) Sgt Eskridge (R)
At LC City Council

Sgt. Brian Eskridge receives commendation from Mayor Dick Anderson

Lincoln City Police ten year veteran Sgt. Brian Eskridge was praised Monday night by Police Chief Keith Kilian as a strong asset to the police department. Chief Kilian cited Sgt. Eskridge’s early years in law enforcement with Oregon State Police as a leader in OSP SWAT tactics, knowledge that he routinely imparts to his fellow Lincoln City Police Officers.

Chief Kilian told the city council that he has come to rely on Sgt. Eskridge in a number of ways to help ease the transition to the new administration at the police department, Chief Kilian taking over from retiring Chief Steve Bachard. Sgt. Eskridge received a ten year service certificate from the city council, given to him personally by Mayor Dick Anderson who thanked him for his service and with hope that his service will continue for many more years to the city of Lincoln City and to its citizens.

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Lincoln County public works seeking “fix” for E. Devil’s Lake Road flooding

Lincoln City, Lincoln County No Responses »

Mar 202013

It’s a famous picture. You can see it by typing “fish crossing the road” into Google Images. The first photo that pops up is a salmon crossing East Devils Lake Road just east of Lincoln City. It’s spawned plenty of jokes. But for north county residents who routinely drive that road, it’s no laughing matter.

The flooding across the roadway that persists for several months of the year is at least a nuisance and at worst a safety hazard, forcing periodic closures of the road.

Lincoln County officials want the public to know they’re taking the problem seriously. “There’s a perception that because nothing’s happening with the road, nothing is being done to address the problem,” said Bill Hall, chair of the Board of County Commissioners. “In fact, the county’s been working with state and federal agencies to come up with an answer for several years. Environmental concerns are a big part of why any solution is very complicated and costly,” Hall said.

However, Hall and fellow commissioners Terry Thompson and Doug Hunt often get phone calls, letters and emails from those who travel the road regularly, who say they’re fed up by the lack of progress.

The latest $4.55 million proposal would elevate the road three feet above current ground level and install a 60-foot bridge. The new bridge would be supported on steel pilings driven to bedrock to eliminate settling. The plan also envisions using numerous tactics to protect and enhance 40 acres of surrounding wetlands, which are critical habitat for Coho salmon, whose ability to migrate and spawn are threatened by the flooding of the road. The Devils Lake Watershed has been designated as critical habitat for the Coho, which continues to be listed as a threatened species.

Lincoln County has applied for grants from the Federal Land Acquisition Program and from the Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Project to finance the bridge. “We hope to know whether we are successful sometime this fall,” said Jim Buisman, county public works director. Buisman says East Devils Lake Road has occupied a lot of his time during his more than thirty years with the county. Buisman said the road, which was built in the 1940s, has been settling for years due to the soft soils it’s built on. The two existing bridge structures are only inches above water level at low flows, so when moderate to high flows occur, water spills over the road causing spawning fish to become stranded on the pavement.

Busiman said in the past, the county was able to dredge the channel from the road to Devil’s Lake which kept the ditches on either side of the road cleared. He says this approach also kept the roadway clear of stream overflows for a number of years. But then came the big landslide up on Rock Creek which sent huge amounts of sediment coursing downstream. The sediment collected in the creek bed, and under the two bridges. As a result, heavy rains regularly push runoff over the roadway, so much so, that Coho salmon commonly mistake it for the creek itself. In the meantime, the issue caught the attention of the Department of State Lands, the Corp of Engineers and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Partnering with the Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the county came up with some options. They varied from a viaduct to a total realignment of the road away from the area. Price tags ranged from $20 million to $30 million. Lincoln County applied for a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s highly-competitive Tiger III grant program. The county didn’t get the money. So, Lincoln County went back to the drawing board and developed the current proposal which, again, involves a sixty foot raised bridge with supports anchored to bedrock.

County officials say they don’t expect to learn whether they’ll get the funding until sometime this Fall.

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Alleged Seattle area killer holes up at Lincoln City motel – eventually taken down and arrested

Crime, Lincoln City No Responses »

Mar 122013

Michael Chad Boysen
Arrested at Westshore Motel, Lincoln City
OSP SWAT and others take him alive

An all day standoff with Chad Boysen of Renton, WA ended with his arrest and a trip to North Lincoln Hospital for treatment of what authorities described as very deep self-inflicted wounds. It’s believed Boysen cut himself as he was repeatedly challenged by Oregon State Police SWAT units, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputies and Lincoln City Police officers. There were about ten loud explosions, over a period of 10 hours, around Boysen’s room at the Westshore Motel, at 32nd and Anchor Street. They were believed to be a combination of water cannon devices as well as flash-bang grenades – common fare for SWAT teams.

As daylight began to fade, officers decided to step up their assault on Boysen and soon rushed his room to find him inside quite bloody. He was hauled downstairs to an awaiting ambulance which took him to North Lincoln Hospital for treatment of his wounds. Again, his wounds were determined to be self-inflicted. He was later transported to a trauma center in Portland where he was listed in critical condition, but it expected to survive his wounds.

Boysen is expected to be released to King County authorities in Seattle where he will be formally charged with the murder of his grandparents. Authorities report that Boysen had just been released from prison after serving time for robbery. Authorities say his grandparents, who lived in Renton, WA, threw a “Welcome Home” party for him. But something happened because he ended up killing them both. Police say he fled south into Oregon, and wound up in Lincoln City where he registered for a room at the Westshore Motel at SW 32nd and Anchor Street. An alert clerk recognized Boysen from a mug shot she saw of him on a TV news program that described the murders in Renton. She called 9-1-1 and alerted authorities who quickly surrounded the motel and Boysen’s room.

All day long they had sporadic verbal exchanges with him, but nothing that seemed to lead to any chance of him surrendering peacefully. Then, early Tuesday evening they fired off one last flash-bang and then went into Boysen’s apartment. There they took him into custody.

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