This is a stick up

The week this story ran there had been three or more armed robberies in recent weeks. I should have talked to someone from the FBI, but I still learned a lot.

Published Feb. 10, 2006, in the Keizertimes

Bank robberies baffle even those thoroughly versed in the ins and outs the banking business.

"I'm shocked that they are still a problem. The penalty for committing a bank robbery is a long stretch in federal prison for what is usually a small amount of money," said Steve Ryker, vice president of regional security for Wells Fargo Bank.

Ryker added that more than 80 percent of all bank robbers are caught.

However, an air of mystique surrounds the bank robbery.

By Ryker's own admission, the amount of money the culprit escapes with isn't released precisely because banks don't want to fuel the belief that one of the country's oldest institutions is ripe for the picking.

Ostensibly, that's the smart move, but there's another possible interpretation.

If they're not saying, exactly how much did the crook get away with?

The average bank heist nets the criminal less than $5,000, according to a 2002 special report by the FBI. The report studied bank robberies between 1996 and 2000.

Ryker said Oregon banks were robbed 133 times in 2005, a decrease from 2004's 192 bank robberies.

The decrease can be interpreted as the result of increased crackdowns on drug abusers, who Ryker said comprise the predominance of bank robbery perpetrators.

Ryker said a robbery situation is made far more difficult to control because the perpetrators are often under the influence of drugs.

The banks' response to that problem is to control what they can – their employees and customers.

"Our goal is to create a safe environment, even in the event of a robbery," Ryker said.

Ryker urges those that perceive banks as merely handing over the money to take the bank out of the equation.

"If someone is being mugged they are going to do what is necessary to keep them and their loved ones safe and that means complying with demands to make sure no one gets hurt," Ryker said.

Bank robberies come in two styles, the note-passing and the take-over.

In a note-passing, the robber gives a note to a teller at the bank and requests money with an implied threat of violence if his demands are not met.

The recent robbery at Keizer branch of Washington Mutual fell into the second, far less frequent, type of bank robbery: the take-over. In a take-over, the criminal or criminals make a show of their crime by announcing themselves to the entire bank and making demands of both bank employees and its customers.

Ryker said the unifying element of both types of robberies is the threat of violence. That is why banks opt to comply with a robber's demands rather than risk turning a threat of violence into an act of one.

That doesn't mean banks are revolving doors, Ryker stressed. In addition to exhaustive employee training, banks are turning to digital video cameras to aid in the fight.

"Digital video cameras allow us to get a picture out in minutes rather than the days it took with old film cameras," Ryker said.

There are different schools of thought on the matter of armed guards. Ryker said it's a matter of getting what you pay for – the steeper the cost, the better the protection.

"Regardless of what security company is used, I personally think it is better to have guards outside the bank than inside," he said.

Ryker said there are also other deterrents that might lose their effectiveness if they became publicly known.

In the case of Wells Fargo, Ryker said the bank often offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the crook.

After the robber has left a bank, his acts echo throughout the bank and the lives of its employees and customers.

"For most bank employees it is a shock to their system. They often lose sleep and the same effects can be seen in their loved ones who worry for their well-being," Ryker said.

The same goes for the customers.

Keizerite Crystal Sherman had just sent a deposit inside the bank from the drive-up window at Washington Mutual last week when she saw a man wearing a ski mask and waving a gun.

Sherman, who had her sister and niece in the car with her, immediately pulled away from the bank and called the police.

She said she had bad dreams over the next two nights.

"They eventually went away, but my primary though was, ‘I hope they catch that guy,'" she said.

Ryker said such occurrences aren't uncommon, but the Wells Fargo is equipped to provide counseling for both employees and customers.

Robberies also affect the bottom line of the banking business. Contrary to popular misconception, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. does not reimburse banks for such losses, unless the bank has purchased special insurance.

"Any losses from robberies come right out of the bank's pockets," Ryker said.

Ryker said the most effective deterrent to any robbery is striking at the heart of the problem, which doesn't start anywhere near a bank.

"We need to do whatever we can to curtail drug use in our own communities," he said.

McNary Protest, Pt. 1

The next two stories were part of a package of four stories that won the ONPA contest for best educational coverage. Up to this point at the paper, I had probably spent as much time at McNary as I had all other aspects of my job combined. When the kids made me the first stop on their list after getting out of school it felt like all hours man hours had been validated.

Published Jan. 28, 2005, in the Keizertimes

A group of McNary High School students staged a sit-in last Friday to protest stalled teacher talks, and got a lesson on the price of public dissent for their efforts.

About 150 students gathered in the school commons in support of their teachers who have been working without a contract since June 2003. Their participation brought a range of consequences - from detention to suspension. At least one student was kept from participating in the final weekend of a school play.

The punishments drew protests from some parents, but school officials defended the actions as a justifiable response to students skipping class.

A reporter from the Keizertimes was asked to leave the building before the protest began, and others from the media were barred from entering while the demonstration took place.

McNary Principal Ken Parshall said that the district can deny access to the school when it is dealing with large groups of students such as assemblies.

"It diverts teacher attention away from students," said Parshall.

According to junior Kyle Stanek, anticipation of the protest drew a throng of students - much larger than normal - to the commons area in the lobby of the building Friday morning, between the students' first and second periods.

"It was as if they wanted to see what was going to happen," said Stanek.

The sit-in also drew administrators, including school district officials. When they told students they were going to begin taking names, much of the crowd dissipated, Stanek said.

Sophomore Amanda Lantis said that she was in the second-floor hallway when the thunder of footsteps arose from the stairwell.

"We knew something had happened because we almost got knocked over," said Lantis.

About 150 students remained in the commons for the 90-minute protest.

"As most of the others left, the ones that planned to stay just sat down in the commons," said Stephanie Brundidge.

During the time of the protest, students sat at tables and talked and read aloud an open letter from the sit-in organizers. Students also read excerpts from the student handbook.

Josh Egner, one of the protest organizers, said that about half of the students participating were politically motivated, but he conceded that the other half were probably drawn to the idea of skipping class.

"We were trying to have a quiet demonstration, and some students were going out of their way to make us look like hooligans," said Egner.

The students who were there to make a point impressed their peers with how aware they were of the situation.

"It was amazing to see people take it so seriously and take the time to know what they were talking about," said sophomore Emily Cary.

Students were asked not to take photographs or record the event, but some students with small cameras did so anyway without being detected.

"On the whole, students were respectful and the staff handled everything well," said Parshall.

One of the protest organizers, Cameron Haider, said school officials took him to a room away from the protest, where he remained during the event. He was still suspended for four days.

Haider said he helped organize the sit-in after watching his teachers "work to their contract" and discussing the situation at home. Teachers at both McNary and other Keizer schools have staged work-to-contract days in which they enter the school building at 7 a.m. and leave promptly at 3:15 p.m.

Haider's father, Laer, said that he doesn't feel that the consequence was warranted by his son's actions.

"I do believe that he should be punished and that he should accept those consequences, but I think that a four-day suspension is excessive," said Laer Haider.

He also said that a political demonstration is in line with the goals of the district to "demonstrate civic, global and environmental responsibility."

Another student was ousted from the chorus of the school's production of "Les Miserables: School Edition" for the final two shows.

Parshall contended that the punishment did fit the students' actions, although he wouldn't comment on specific cases. He also said that individual teachers have the authority to exclude students from school activities.

"Most of the students will receive detention for their actions, which is the normal penalty for skipping a class," said Parshall.

Cary, whose mother is a Salem-Keizer school teacher, said that if that's what happens to her, she'll gladly pay the price.

"I'll sit in detention with a red shirt on and a smile on my face," said Cary, referring to the color chosen to show solidarity with the teachers' union.

Senior Max Breedlove said that he was happy that the students' voices were heard.

"The point of all this was to make sure people knew we cared about the state of our teachers' contract. We also want to encourage them to attend the next Salem-Keizer School Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8," Breedlove said.

The district and teachers' union will begin contract mediation next Tuesday.

McNary Protest, Pt. 2

Published Jan. 28, 2005, in the Keizertimes

Students at McNary High School say they've always been aware of the various cliques at their school, but during last Friday's protest about 150 of them discovered that they were all part of one big McNary clique.

Students gathered in the commons during second period for a sit-in protest in support of their teachers who have been working without a contract since the beginning of the school year.

"We had people from almost every group within the school," said junior Emily Rodriguez. "We even had freshman girls sitting with us at our table."

Students sat at tables during the 90-minute protest and read aloud from an open letter written by four of the protest organizers and excerpts from the student handbook.

The four organizers - Cameron Haider, Max Breedlove, Josh Egner and Josh Lopez - began organizing the protest almost two weeks before it was held after having conversations with each other over why it was necessary.

They began circulating fliers about a week before the protest and enlisted the help of friends to make signs. Lastly, they drafted a one-page letter explaining the reasons for the protest.

Reasons included the proposed sunset of the district's early retirement incentives and the district's offer of a 2 percent pay raise after teachers agreed to freeze their salaries in order that school days would not be sacrificed in the 2003-2004 school year.

Haider, Breedlove and Lopez were kept away from the protest for its duration, as well as through their lunch and third period. Egner was the only one to participate in the sit-in.

"I had about 700 copies of the letter and I was trying to get them passed out to everyone as quickly as possible," said Egner.

Egner said that the number of students who seized the opportunity to skip class was likely equal to the number who were there for political reasons.

Overall, the experience for the politically minded students was a positive one. In addition to a newfound unity with their peers, students found that their actions had consequences - some expected, others not.

Haider and Breedlove both received suspensions for their participation, another student Marcus Pellico was booted from the final two performances of the school play.

Unlike many students who talked about their experience in the protest, Pellico did not have his parent's permission to participate.

"It was something I thought over before doing and I don't regret participating. If it's the difference between this or a strike, then this was much less disruptive," said Pellico.

Several students, including sophomore Emily Cary, did have their parents' permission to participate in the protest.

Cary's mother is a teacher at a school in the Salem-Keizer School District and the contract talks have had a profound impact on her life outside school.

"Maybe we didn't have the entire school participating, but we had enough students to make a point," said Cary.

She said that she was amazed at how seriously many of her peers also felt passionately about the subject.

"Our teachers go out of their way to allow us to take part in special projects even if it means paying for it themselves, and this is one way we are able to give back," said Rodriguez.

"I love my teachers and I don't think they are being treated fairly," said Stephanie Brundidge.

Students also learned about the strength of numbers.

"It made it easier to know hat there were others who felt the same way I do," said sophomore Mary Carter. "People may not agree, but it's important to be heard."

Egner and Breedlove said that after the protest ended they felt a "huge rush of accomplishment."

"Our point was to make ourselves heard and to get people talking," Breedlove said. "We definitely did that."

Students don't know if the protest could have an impact on the larger issue of the teacher contracts, but at least one teacher at McNary expressed gratitude in an anonymous note given directly to students.

"The administration takes the position that today was a disruption of the learning process," it states. "Because you were not in class you were not learning. I believe just the opposite ... I think today was a teachable moment. I think today you seized the moment and showed how much you understand the political process and your right to be involved."

Christmas Without Keizer Station

This one won for Best Coverage of Business and Economic Issues in the 2006 ONPA contest.

Published December 26, 2005, in the Keizertimes

Keizer retailers are preparing to close the books on another year – and a holiday sales season that draws rankings from subpar to above average.

“It’s been a mediocre season,” said Dennis Blackman, owner of Copper Creek Mercantile at 4415 River Road N.

Blackman said people generally don’t have a lot of discretionary income, and they seemed to be stretching each dollar as far as possible.

Against that backdrop, businesses like his are trying to secure their niche. Earlier this year, Blackman remodeled the interior and exterior of the store as well as expanded its offerings.

“We’re trying to reinvent ourselves to better serve our existing customer base better,” said Blackman.

As the year draws to a close, many businesses on River Road are staring down the barrel of a loaded gun in Keizer Station, the 237-acre shopping center under construction at the Interstate 5 and Chemawa Road Northeast.

The first major retailer, Lowe’s, is slated to open its doors Jan. 13, followed by Target in March.

Keizer True Value could be one of the hardest hit retailers with the opening of Lowe’s, and it could be jolted again when a new Home Depot opens on the Salem side of the Salem-Keizer Parkway soon after.

“We don’t know how it’s going to impact us,” said Jackie Hove, manager of the True Value at 5014 River Road N.

Hove said she and owner Chuck Frank have discussed plans for coping with the added competition, but they are waiting to see how the big box home improvement stores affect their business.

“We’ve already had a slow season, but there’s nothing specific we can point to,” said Hove.

Uptown Music, a Keizer mainstay on River Road, experienced a surge in business since moving to its new location at 3827 River Road N. a few months ago.

“We’ve been up 15 to 20 percent each month,” said Jim Nardi, owner.

Holiday sales have been running close to what the store experienced last season, he added.

“We started out slow, but we’re only running a little behind,” Nardi said.

Unlike some other businesses, Uptown thus far faces no direct competition from the store that have announced plans to open at Keizer Station.

“Our biggest competition is direct mail and the Internet. My wife did all her shopping on the Internet this year, and I told her she was killing business like ours,” he said.

Longtime Keizer family business Boucher Jewelers has met its expectations for the holiday season, thanks in part to a resurgence in the popularity of diamonds, said Randy Moseley, manager.

While retailers appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach, the city has charged the River Road Renaisance Advisory Committee with investigating beautification projects to improve the look and business climate on Keizer’s main street.

Banners delineating districts along River Road were an initial step to “let the businesses know something bigger was coming,” said Brandon Bay, committee chair and president of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce.

Earlier this month, the committee directed city staff to investigate improvements to the Lockhaven Drive/River Road intersection, but the feasibility of the committee’s wish list of improvements will not be known until February.

The list of improvements included low-sitting walls on both the northwest corner of the intersection and the island that separates the westbound right turn lane from the other lanes of traffic, a possible water feature on the southwest corner, improved crosswalks and moving the sidewalks about eight feet back from the road.

The goal would be to encourage foot traffic along entire shopping district.

While business owners wait for the improvements to reach their section of River Road, Moseley said the team at Boucher’s is sticking to what they know has worked the for the past 53 years.

“That’s our customer service, and making ourselves a destination store,” Moseley said.

Unintended Consequences

I used my daughter as a model for a photo illustration to go with this story, it can be found here. The Monday after the story was published an assistant DA called me to as if the child in the photo needed foster care. I think that means it worked.

Published Dec. 16, 2005, in the Keizertimes

Last week, the Oregon Department of Human Services removed two children from their Keizer home as the result of a heroin bust.

The situation is far from rare, officials say. Marion County leads the state in removing kids from their homes, more than 1,000 this year, according to statistics from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Most of these cases are the result of drug busts.

“Two years ago we started the No Meth Not in My Neighborhood program, and this has been one of the unintended consequences,” said Chuck Lee, Keizer city councilor.

No Meth Not in My Neighborhood encourages awareness among individuals and businesses about the growing problem of methamphetamine abuse. This has led to increased arrests and more displaced children.

To combat the growing crisis in the foster care system, Lee is issuing a challenge for the residents of the city: Find room in your hearts and homes for Keizer’s foster children.

“The numbers are alarming,” said Lee.

Within a three-mile radius of Claggett Creek Middle School, there are 386 foster children and only 56 certified foster homes. Around Whiteaker Middle School, there are 224 foster kids and 37 homes. However, there is some overlap between the two areas.

While the reasons for a child entering foster care are varied, the system has been hemorrhaging largely because of the increased crackdown on methamphetamine abuse.

Nearly half of the children removed from homes are 5 years old or younger.

To meet the needs, the Marion County branch of the Oregon Department of Human Services wants to add 100 more certified foster homes to the system by the end of the year.

However, adding more homes won’t remedy one of harshest aspects of the foster care system.

“These kids aren’t only losing their parents, homes, schools and neighborhoods. They’re often losing siblings as they get divided by the system,” Lee said.

Preventing the break-up of siblings is the core goal of a receiving home run by Catholic Community Services.

“Siblings are taken to the receiving home for up to a week while the social workers look for foster care or more permanent placement that would allow brothers and sisters to stay together,” said Mary Marshall, communications director of Catholic Community Services.

CCS is currently looking for space and funds to build another receiving home to meet the increasing demand.

While Lee and his wife, Mary, are not currently foster parents, he is no stranger to the system.

“When I was growing up, my mother provided foster care for newborn babies that would stay with us for up to a year or two. By the time I was 17, I had 71 foster brothers and sisters,” he said.

Lee’s family adopted the 72nd one, his sister, Joanie.

“We got tired of seeing them go,” he said.

For more information or to begin the process of becoming a certified foster home contact the Oregon Department of Human Services at 503-378-6800.

Where's the Library

Published Dec. 2, 2005, in the Keizertimes

Jan Deardorff had never lived in a city without a public library. Then she moved to Keizer.

“I didn’t realize how much I took libraries for granted,” Deardorff said, a former librarian herself and now director of Keizer’s Reading Connection. The Reading Connection, run by volunteers, has a donated collection and is not connected with the larger public library system that serves the Salem area.

Newcomers like Deardorff may be surprised that Keizer, a town of nearly 35,000, lacks a library. The reason for that lack is a tangled web of historic and political issues, as well as current concerns about minimum library requirements and the potential difficulty of getting voters to approve funding for a library.

“We don’t want to go to the voters with a big bond measure they’ll turn down,” said Richard Walsh, a Keizer city councilor and chair of the city’s library task force.

The task force headed by Walsh is the third formed by the city in recent years. The previous two exhausted their charter before a solution could be found.

City councilors have said they will not send to voters a library ballot measure without being able to ensure interlibrary loan and other services currently provided to area libraries by the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service (CCRLS).

But so far Keizer has been unable to produce a library plan that meets the standards required by CCRLS. The cooperative requires levels of staffing and inventory that would make even a threshold library too expensive for Keizer, some residents and city councilors say.

A threshold library is one that would meet the minimum standards of the CCRLS, with the requirements calculated by size of the population served.

Space also is a concern for CCRLS representatives.

“Libraries are a touchstone in a community. They are community space. Where is the community space in Keizer now?” asked Greg Nelson, CCRLS director.

That’s a question the city would like to answer with the construction of a new civic center. The city plans to spend some urban renewal money to replace the existing city hall and seek voter approval of a bond measure to finish the job.

If approved, the new center could include up to 10,000 square feet of space for a library.

The city would ask voters to approve a separate measure to operate the library.

However, the city won’t seek a library measure without the guarantee of participation in the regional library system.

Nelson said there is room for a Keizer library within the system, but “there are costs to add a library. Additional user licenses for software, staff time to set up accounts and train local library staff, etc.”

To remedy that problem, the city managers of Keizer, Dallas, Woodburn and Salem met and brainstormed an alternate library plan. The plan would allow Keizer to set up a library that does not meet the CCRLS’ minimum requirements and pay for interlibrary loan services not on population, but on use. The cost of the lending system would be offset by materials loaned out from the Keizer library.

Even members of the Keizer library task force agreed that plan could mean additional expense for Keizer’s library.

“We would need to encourage people to use our library instead of going to Salem. That means we would likely have to have a popular collection rather than a balanced one,” said Walsh, at the task force meeting last month.

Still, task force members agreed they would like to pursue further investigation of the alternate library plan.

The city manager’s plan was submitted to the board of the CCRLS Wednesday, Nov. 16, but the board tabled its discussion to give members more time to review the proposal. It is expected to take up the issue at its Jan. 25 meeting.

Meanwhile, Keizerites contribute about $100,000 in property taxes each year to CCRLS because the city – library or no – lies within the district.

In exchange, Keizer residents receive limited service provided by the area’s other libraries. Adults can check out one item at a time, while children can check out up to 25 items.

For full library services, a Keizerite must buy a $60 library card, good for one household for one year.

Critics of a library tax measure contend that the number of residents who buy the cards is low, supporting their argument that Keizer doesn’t need its own library.

About 4,000 Keizer residents have one-item, non-resident cards, another 700 have full-access, fee-cards, and 2,500 Keizer kids have youth cards, according to estimates provided by CCRLS.

Proponents say Keizer still needs a library to serve families that can’t afford the cards and youths and others without ready transportation to the libraries in the region. In addition, they worry that the price of the cards will go up, pushing them out of reach for even more families.

Regardless of CCRLS’ decision on the alternate library plan, the final word will be rest with Keizer voters.

“None of this lifts off the ground without the passage of a bond levy,” said Eric Meurer, a member of the library task force.

As for Deardorff, she’s gotten over her surprise at Keizer’s lack of a library. Today, she is determined to be part of the solution.

“There’s a whole group of literary Keizer residents who aren’t being served by the (Salem) public library. I also know that if the alternate plan doesn’t work, we’ll find another opening to try to enter through,” she said.

Out of Breath

This story will always hold a special place in my heart, I've written better ones since, but as far as capturing the whole of a person, I still love this one. It was featured on boingboing (I bow to Cory's headline-writing skills on this one) and Playboy even did a quick blurb about Shawn after this story ran in the paper.

Published Nov. 18, 2005, in the Keizertimes

Belly up to the bar, Shawn Lortie whips out two long balloons, pink and blue, inflates them and goes to work.

A few seconds later, he's finishing up and calls out, "Hey Setiva."

Setiva, dressed only in lingerie, sidles up to Lortie. He presents her with a balloon flower.

"Awwwww," she fawns.

Setiva says thanks and returns to the other side of the bar with two other dancers. Before she gets there, the other dancers say, nearly in unison, "Awwww."

"It spreads like that. That's what I love about it. Within five minutes of meeting someone I can make them laugh, give them something special and change their entire day," said Lortie.

Lortie, 35, of Keizer took up balloon sculpting 20 years ago, but on Sunday, Nov. 13, he added a new notch to his belt.

He set a new world record for inflating and tying the most balloons in a single hour. The previous record, held by Great Britain's Andy Simpson, was 370, 60 cm balloons. Lortie inflated and tied 520 slightly shorter balloons, still more than enough to shatter the record.

Monday morning, Lortie couldn't tie his own shoes.

"My fingers were swollen from tying balloons," he said.

Unfortunately, Lortie never got the chance to see what 520 balloons look like all piled up.

"We were letting the kids take them as I blew them up. The pile never seemed to get any bigger," he said.

The feat was performed at Mo's Seafood Restaurant in Lincoln City, where he moonlights as "Sir Chocolate Milk" from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

"While I was blowing up balloons another guy sat down at one of their tables and ate 200 crackers. He kept yelling out, 'You're inspiring me, man,'" said Lortie.

While attempting the new record, he collected donations for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, which taps volunteers to speak for children or their parents in court proceedings.

"If even one person picked up a flier and helps a kid somewhere down he line it will have all been worth it," he said.

Lortie is an entertainer. As much as he blends in with the other performers in the din of the adult club where he is a day manager/deejay/bouncer in North Salem, he also stands out. And not just because of his 6-foot-2 stature.

His charisma flows so easily that once he gets rolling, the ladies dancing behind him are all but forgotten. Lortie is part clown and part magician. He can make balloon sculptures, but given time, most people could learn the skills to do it.

He knows the secret to impressing even the most dour audience is misdirection. His magic lies in his ability to keep you talking, laughing or crying because your laughing so hard that by the time you come up for air, he's handing you a balloon shaped like a poodle, a cactus, a spouting-whale hat, or even Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing – like magic.

Lortie was juggling by the age of 15, but soon discovered it was a spectator sport.

"People might slip you a buck or two, but there definitely wasn't anywhere to go with it. So my friend and I started making balloon figures," he said.

Over time he's used the skill to work for the likes of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus organization.

While he's able to make a living at it during tourist season, he pays the bills the rest of the year by working at the club. He's there six days a week.

"Sunday is my church day," he said.

His skills come in handy at the club. When couples come in he keeps the females happy with balloon flowers and other creations. The only problem is when someone starts trouble. If it escalates, he risks hurting his hands.

"I don't want to do that. I'm like a straight Liberace," he jokes.

When he's not busy working he can be found volunteering his time as either an entertainer or, when the season is right, as one of Santa's helpers.

Lortie prides himself on the time he's given to others. But breaking the world record was a gift to the special girl in his life – his daughter, Chelsi, 9.

"I wasn't there for her during the early years. I am now and this is my way of leaving her a legacy. Years from now she'll be able to open the 2007 Guinness book and say, 'That was my Dad,'" he said.

Aside from staples of the art form, such as dogs and fish, most of Lortie's creations are of his own design. His Schwarzenegger is a Lortie original.

"People who come up with their own designs are secretive. One guy wouldn't tell me how he made a sculpture until he found out that I live in Oregon and he lived in New York," he said.

Lortie also finds new twists on old standbys. His fish often come attached to a rod and reel.

"I make money from it, but it's also a way to express myself as an artist," he said.

Of course, that doesn't stop people from attempting to confound him. "The worst are the combinations. Someone will ask for a heart with a monkey in a palm tree," Lortie said.

Another person might roll his eyes at such a challenge, but that's when Lortie tuns on the charm and turns them into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with a couple of twists and pulls of rubber.

Over the years, Lortie has found the best compensation comes in forms other than money.

"The positive energy I spend doing this always seems to come back to me in some way. I'm thankful God has given me the ability to do this and I want to share it," he said.