Richard Swanson, 42

Scott Hiatt, 47, Neskowin
Criminally Neglitent Homicide

A Neskowin man has been indicted for the May 14th death of a Seattle man, who was walking along Highway 101 to a World Cup soccer match in Brazil. Richard Swanson, 42, was hit and killed near Pro Build in South Lincoln City by a pickup driven by Scott Hiatt, 52, of Neskown.

After the accident, Hiatt remained on scene and was characterized as being fully cooperative with police.

After a grand jury investigation into what happened, the jury handed down an indictment against Hiatt for criminally negligent homicide. Hiatt is scheduled to appear tomorrow afternoon in Lincoln County Circuit Court for arraignment of the charges. Details of the case are expected to unfold as the judicial process moves forward.

If convicted of negligent homicide, under Oregon State Statutes, he faces up to ten years in prison.

Swanson was doing a charity walk from Seattle to Sao Paulo Brazil for a group called Team Richard. Swanson was expected to end his walking trek to Sao Paulo for the beginning of the World match by June 12th.

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Newport Visual Arts Center
Nye Beach Turnaround

OCCA Offers Free Arts Website Listings

OCCA Offers Free Arts Website Listings

The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts (OCCA) is offering free learning sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 27th, 28th and and 29th, to all Lincoln County artists, gallery owners, presenters of arts-related events, and arts, heritage and humanities organizations, to learn how to input their information on OCCA’s new website, www.coastarts.org. This website is the only one of its kind devoted exclusively to promoting coastal Oregon arts.

These easy and free sessions teach people how to enter, at no cost, arts-related events, classes, workshops, auditions, receptions, artists’ profiles into our website, and become part of OCCA’s coastal Events and Arts Directory. Artists, public relations, executive directors, event coordinators, marketing people, and volunteers, who handle their organization’s press releases, will want to attend.

Through a grant from Meyer Memorial Trust, OCCA redesigned its coastarts.org website, and the Oregon Community Foundation grant from the Fred Fields Fund, is allowing OCCA to create its Coastal Arts Network Design and Optimization (CAN DO) initiative to teach organizations and artists to input their information and keep it current.

The OCCA buys local, regional and national advertising to promote and drive people to coastarts.org and the site is quickly found with common search tools of the Internet. The site has a built-in refined search capability to allow anyone to find the art resource quickly and timely, whether it be an event, gallery, artist, venue, or art organization. More importantly, if you are an artist, performer, or event coordinator for art events on the coast, you will have a special ability to submit the content of your listings at this site easily online anytime at will, making it the freshest list of culturally fun and interesting things to do.

OCCA’s CAN DO Outreach and Education Representative (OER), Ernest Brown, conducts these free learning sessions. Pre-registration by Wednesday, June 26th, is required as space is limited. If you have a laptop or tablet computer, please bring it to the session; however it is not a requirement for participation.

In Lincoln City choose the session is being offered at the Lincoln City Cultural Center on Thursday, June 27th, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

In Newport, a learning session will occur at the Newport Visual Arts Center on June 28th, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm and at the Newport Performing Arts Center on June 29th, 10 am to 12 noon.

To register for a free training, please call Ernest Brown at 541-574-2650 or email him at occa-can_do@coastarts.org.

OCCA, as the nonprofit regional arts council for the Oregon coast, promotes and provides high caliber arts experiences on the Oregon coast. It is the “go to” source for information connecting residents and visitors in an easy, accessible manner.

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Lawrence Nelson, 65
Myrtle Creek
Charged with three counts of murder.

When fires broke out Saturday in two nearby homes off a rural road outside of Myrtle Creek, firefighters suspected arson. When they put the fires out and searched among the rubble, arson turned to murder – triple murder. Two bodies in one home, a third in the other.

Sheriff’s investigators quickly concluded that the victims had been murdered before the fires were set. And they set out to find their prime suspect; the husband of one of the victims. And they soon had him in custody.

More from the Oregonian. Click here.

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Five Alarm Firehouse Cook-Off
Newport Middle School
Saturday
Click on photos to enlarge

Shrimp – featured dish

Contestant Fire Departments
Facing the verdicts

Newport Fire Department
Grand Champions 2013

Fire stations world-wide have reputations for some of the best homecooked food on the planet. And the Newport Food Pantry is well aware of that. It’s what prompted the launching, some years back, of a fundraiser for the food pantry and for the children’s Snack Pack programs that run throughout the year.

It’s only fitting that firefighters, who well understand the benefits and liabilities of fire, should come together and compete for culinary bragging rights for their prowess in a working men and womens’ firehall kitchen.

Fire departments from Nestucca, Rockaway Beach, Siletz, Seal Rock, Siuslaw Valley (Florence) and Newport put on a five star performance in featuring shrimp, a main dish and dessert.

Eager and hungry diners poured through the front doors of Newport Middle School and were instantly met with the rich, lush aromas of the foodie creations by8 firehouse chefs who obviously knew exactly what they were doing. And the people mmmm’d and ahhhh’d as they each took their tastings of exquisitely prepared shrimp, aromatic smoked brisket chili, and delectable raspberry coconut pana cota. There were many other dishes, too many to mention.

Slowly the middle school gym began to fill up with happy tasters, comparing notes and voting their preferences. One by one the Fire “Chef Captains” lined up on the stage with Master of Ceremonies Jim Myers who began tolling the fire bell on how they all pleased the crowd and to what extent.

Here are the results:

* Peoples’ Choice: Shrimp – Seal Rock Fire, Thai Coconut Shrimp Cocktail
* Peoples’ Choice: Main Dish – Newport Fire, Smoked Brisket Chili
* Peoples’ Choice: Dessert – Newport Fire, Raspberry Coconut Pana Cota

Judges’ Awards: Oregon Pink Shrimp
* Seal Rock Fire – First Place
* Toledo Fire – Second Place
* Rockaway Beach – Third Place

Judges’ Awards: Main Dish
* Newport Fire – First Place (..that brisket chili – to die for)
* Siuslaw Valley – Second Place
* Toledo Fire – Third Place

Judges’ Awards: Dessert
* Newport Fire – First Place (Raspberry Coconut Pana Cota)
* Toledo Fire – Second Place
* Nestucca Fire – Third Place

Grand Champions (one vote between 1st and 2nd place)
* Newport Fire – Grand Champions
* Toledo Fire – Second runner up
* Seal Rock Fire – Third runner up

So the next time you drive by the main Newport Fire Hall on 10th Street, be rest assured they’re up to a lot more than just figuring out how to put out house fires. They’re lighting fires under some of the best eats in town.

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East Devils Lake Road
Milepost 4, near KOA

Vehicle right side slammed into an embankment, bounced off and rolled onto the pavement.
Ronnie Wick photos

Click photos to enlarge

Three Lincoln City teens were roughed up Sunday afternoon when their SUV headed north on East Devils Lake Road failed to make it around a curve. The vehicle left the road and slammed up against an embankment on the right side of their Ford Explorer SUV. The SUV bounced off the embankment, re-entered the roadway and rolled up onto its top.

One male teen was injured and was transported to North Lincoln Hospital. One witness said they heard the car coming and the crash. “Sounds like they were ‘hot’ around that curve,” he said.

Law enforcement is investigating.

Highway 101 at south entrance to Otter Crest Loop
Sunday
Ronnie Wick photos

Then in another rollover crash, two vehicles came together on Highway 101 at the south end of Otter Crest Loop earlier in the afternoon. No specific details are available as to why the accident happened. There was one injury. He was transported to PCH in Newport. His injuries were not believed to be serious. Traffic was pretty congested since the northbound lanes were blocked for quite a while.

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