By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews Up and down the Oregon coast, harbor seal pupping season is just getting underway. And while the sight of the small, helpless seals is arresting all by itself, it portends another annual marvel – the increasingly visible return of killer whales to the state’s bays, inlets and near-shore coastal waters. The […]
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Community News
Yachats council gets an earful about potential homeless camping sites — but emphasizes no decision made
By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – Not in our neighborhood was the general tenor of testimony at the Yachats’ city council meeting Wednesday from residents opposed to a designated campsite for homeless people in the community. It was standing-room only at the meeting with more than 50 people attending in person and many more online. […]
Gov. Tina Kotek won’t veto millions for Oregon cities — including Siletz — as she initially threatened
By LAUREN DRAKE/Oregon Public Broadasting Earlier this month, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said she was considering vetoing seven projects approved by the state Legislature this year. Kotek said she wanted proof that $16 million in projects would eventually result in new housing, before agreeing to allow that portion of the legislation to be enacted. […]
Waldport and Yachats city councils considering sharing costs of expanded Lincoln County sheriff’s patrols
By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews Waldport and Yachats are considering a proposal to expand Lincoln County Sheriff’s coverage in the two cities by sharing costs and adding a third deputy to patrols. The idea comes as Waldport faces a 9 percent increase in its contract with the sheriff’s office and Yachats looks for ways to increase […]
Yachats Sip ‘n Stroll adds more wineries, businesses to second annual downtown event Saturday
By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews YACHATS — Sipping and shopping, wining and dining will be formally uncorked in downtown Yachats when the second annual “Sip ‘n Stroll” saunters into town Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. local shops and restaurants will host visiting wineries, a brewery and a distillery for customers to sample and buy […]
Symbols of perseverance and “Yachats spirit,” city officials, volunteers dedicate two pocket parks
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews YACHATS – More than 60 trails and parks supporters turned out Saturday to celebrate nearly three years of planning, overcoming obstacles and hours of volunteer labor to create two small city parks along Ocean View Drive. “Really, these parks are a story of perseverance by many people,” Mayor Craig Berdie said […]
Federal advisory group recommends curtailed Oregon ocean salmon fishing again; closing California season
By YachatsNews Recommendations for the ocean salmon seasons off the coasts of Oregon, California and Washington were made last week with some OK news for some fishermen and devastating news for those in California. Once again. The Pacific Fishery Management Council — which oversees fishing along the West Coast — voted unanimously Wednesday to […]
News Briefs
Oregon Coast CC president has Waldport forum Tuesday on $33 million bond
Oregon Coast Community College president Birgitte Ryslinge will be in Waldport on Tuesday evening for the third of four public sessions this month to discuss the college’s $33.2 million bond measure on the May 21 primary ballot. The college is asking voters to approve a bond that, if passed, would provide funds to construct a […]
Animal experts euthanize badly wounded Newport sea lion
A badly wounded California sea lion that had spent more than two weeks on the special public docks on the Newport bayfront after a suspected shark attack was euthanized Friday. A decision was made to euthanize the male sea lion after Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network coordinator Jim Rice monitored the animal and noted changes […]
Retired wildlife trooper indicted for shooting Toledo neighbor’s two dogs
A retired Oregon State Police wildlife trooper has been indicted by a Lincoln County grand jury on six charges of animal abuse four months after he allegedly shot two of his neighbor’s German shepherds that had wandered onto his property on Bay Road near Toledo. Greg A. Torland, 65, of Toledo was secretly indicted by […]
Five local fire districts win state grants for additional summer help
Five fire districts in Lincoln County were among the 191 fire agencies notified this week that they won grants to bring on additional firefighters or increase on-duty hours during the summer fire season The statewide grants totaled $6 million. Local districts receiving the grants were: Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue, $35,000; Yachats Rural Fire […]
The goal of Oregon Sea Grant’s “Quests” booklet is to get people out to explore the coast
By GRETCHEN AMMERMAN/Oregon Coast TODAY Like many kids of her generation, my niece spends a lot of time staring at screens, streaming videos and even looking ridiculous as she fights virtual gorillas while wearing her VR headset. So, when I plopped down a mere $12 for a set of activities that require no Wi-Fi […]
“Fiddler on the Roof” by Red Octopus Theatre Co. enters its second of three weekends of performances
By Oregon Coast TODAY “Fiddler on the Roof” is in the middle of its three-week run at the Newport Performing Arts Center with performances Friday and Saturday nights and a matinee Sunday afternoon. Co-produced by Red Octopus Theatre Company and Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, the beloved Tony Award-winning musical from Joseph Stein, Jerry […]
5 Questions and a Secret: Yachats bird group “SWIFTY” soars to help birds up and down the coast
By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews Three years ago, two Yachats men started building birdhouses for migrating swallows. Today, their organization — Swallows In Flight To Yachats, SWIFTY — is … [Read More...] about 5 Questions and a Secret: Yachats bird group “SWIFTY” soars to help birds up and down the coast
The Condor — a “little underdog of a boat” — finally met its Yaquina Bay demise in 1912
Mariners and historians estimate there have been more than 3,000 shipwrecks along the Oregon coast and in its bays and harbors. The most infamous might be the New Carissa, which ran aground … [Read More...] about The Condor — a “little underdog of a boat” — finally met its Yaquina Bay demise in 1912
Letters from Readers
Yachats council should raise concerns about Starker forest spraying
To the editor: I am a retired teacher and elementary school principal and I think that if every economic and political decision were made with kids in mind, we’d be living in a better world. I encourage Yachats citizens to be individually and collectively assertive when it comes to preventing further destruction of watersheds in […]
15neighborhoods group supports Hall in commissioner race
To the editor: 15neighborhoods is full-on behind Claire Hall for re-election to Position 2 on the Lincoln County board of commissioners. Read her statement on short-term rentals at https://www.voteclairehall.com/short-term-rentals Yes, Hall voted to license short-term rentals throughout unincorporated Lincoln County, including residential zones in 2016 but advocated a one-year review by the sheriff’s business licensing office […]
Former Oregon Coast CC president urges yes vote on $33 million bond
To the editor: In May, Lincoln County residents have the opportunity to vote “yes” on a trades education training bond for Oregon Coast Community College. The need for trades education is not new but has become more pronounced. Workers skilled in trades such as welding/fabrication, construction, maritime engineering and other trades will help meet local […]
Organizer seeks support for Waldport transitional housing
To the editor: I want to publicly thank the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for purchasing a building in Lincoln City for a winter homeless shelter. I’m asking the public to consider donating a house in south Lincoln County so that we can do transitional housing. Our work is to assist people to regain employment, locate […]
Oregon News
Oregon GOP woman legislators blast OSAA policy allowing transgender female athletes to compete as girls
By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle All 12 women Republican lawmakers in the Oregon Legislature are calling on the head of the Oregon School Activities Association to change its policy allowing transgender girls to compete as females in school sports. The 2016 policy, which allows students to compete in the category of their “consistently asserted gender […]
Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality is significantly understaffed and underfunded, state auditors find
By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon’s environmental regulatory agency needs more staff and funding to keep up with growing demand for its services as climate change escalates, according to a new state analysis. Auditors from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, who published their findings Wednesday, said Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality is understaffed and […]
Oregon’s annual wolf report says population steadied at 178 animals due in part to killings
By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon’s gray wolf population did not increase last year due in part to a large number of wolves killed by people, causing concern among conservationists and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials. The latest Annual Wolf Report found the population remained steady at 178 wolves, marking the first time in eight […]
Police arrest 52 pro-Palestine protestors Monday who blocked I-5 in Eugene for two hours
By KLCC News EUGENE — Oregon State Police say they arrested 52 people after a protest shut down Interstate 5 in Eugene for two hours Monday morning. Police say the demonstration began around 10 a.m. and affected the southbound lanes between Beltline and Interstate 105. Traffic was re-opened by noon. The action was part of […]
Oregon agency’s study finds no link between Covid-19 vaccine and cardiac deaths
By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle During the pandemic, reports linked the COVID-19 vaccine to cardiac deaths, especially among young people, but a new study by the Oregon Health Authority found no connection between the two. The study, published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examined nearly 1,300 deaths among Oregon adolescents and […]
New study on medical pay says nurses in rural Oregon may be doing better than big city counterparts
By JAKE THOMAS/The Lund Report Registered nurses take home smaller paychecks working in rural Oregon, but effectively have higher wages than their Portland area counterparts because of the lower cost of living. That finding is billed as an unexpected one in a new study released by the Oregon Center for Nursing. Based on a survey late last […]
U.S. District Court judge sides with city of Medford in homelessness case
By ROMAN BATTAGLIA/Jefferson Public Radio A U.S. District Court judge recently sided with the City of Medford in a lawsuit over its public camping regulations. Medford was facing a lawsuit filed in 2021 on behalf of six homeless residents, who claimed their rights had been violated by the city’s laws that restrict where and how […]
Lane County patients turned away from Oregon Medical Group in possible corporate pinch
Oregon Medical Group’s Southtowne Clinic closed in March. Optum, the organization’s parent company, says providers and staff have been moved to other locations. By REBECCA HANSEN-WHITE/KLCC News Thousands of patients in the Eugene Springfield area say they’ve been dropped by health care provider Oregon Medical Group, leaving them without primary care. They fear decisions made […]