By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau COVID-19 infections are rising in Oregon, putting two-thirds of all counties into what, for now, is the highest possible level of restrictions, Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday. The new county risk levels announced Tuesday include nearly a dozen special waivers granted under Brown to keep counties from going into […]
Archives for April 2021
Lincoln County adds 240 jobs in March, but unemployment rate stuck at 8 percent
Lincoln County added 240 jobs in March, but the area’s unemployment rate was stuck at 8 percent, among the highest in Oregon. The Oregon Employment Department on Tuesday said the private sector added 240 jobs and government employment rose by 40, making a total of 16,860 people on Lincoln County payrolls. The leisure and hospitality […]
Lincoln County commissioners to see revised short-term rental proposals next month
Lincoln County commissioners will have a lot of work to do next month to meet a self-imposed deadline of June 1 to complete work on new short-term rental regulations. County counsel Wayne Belmont told commissioners Monday that he and staff are still working through tweaks of proposed regulations following two workshops this year. The first […]
Oregonians get health help and locals-only RV rates in state Senate action
By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau With the end of a GOP slowdown in the Oregon House, the sluggish pace of bills moving between it and the Senate has turned into a torrent. The Senate added 64 House bills to its plate on Monday, raising the likelihood that more than halfway through the 2021 session, […]
Yachats suffers wave of car prowls over the weekend, but new resident recovering from cancer treatments was hardest hit
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Since moving to a new home in Yachats almost two years ago Karen Bertenthal has undergone two cancer treatments and six surgeries. But a car prowl early Saturday morning may have been the topper for Bertenthal and her husband, Dan. “We got hit really hard,” she said Monday. “We’re tired. It’s […]
Oregon’s state song — “Oregon, My Oregon” — is likely getting an official makeover after House vote
By PETER WONG/Oregon Capital Bureau Oregon’s official state song, nearly a century old, is about to get a makeover to remove words that advocates of change say reflect a racist past. The Oregon House has adopted and sent to the Senate a resolution that changes some of the words to “Oregon, My Oregon,” which the […]
Lloyd’s of London could once again pay for some Oregon wildfire costs if they go over $50 million
By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau With the prospect of a catastrophic 2021 fire season looming, Oregon will rely again on it’s one-of-a-kind $25 million wildfire risk policy with the world’s oldest continually active insurance marketplace. Lloyd’s of London, which traces its roots to a 17th century coffeehouse near the Tower of London, has insured […]
Oregon coronavirus report for Monday, April 19: 473 new cases, 3 in Lincoln County; 25,474 vaccinations, no new deaths
Oregon reports 473 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 0 new deaths PORTLAND — There are no new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, so the state’s death toll remains at 2,460, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Oregon Health Authority reported 473 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 […]
Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for April 15-18
OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP21097660 04/15/2021 09:24 Officer #53141 SEVERSON, SCOTT Traffic Crimes – All Except DUII Location 101, Mile post 140 140 NB, LINCOLN OR USA Narrative Summary On 4/15/21 at approximately 920AM I contacted a subject near milepost 140 of US Highway 101. Subject had been swerving slightly in his lane. Subjected was contacted and […]
As COVID-19 cases increase across Oregon, state health officials seek to eliminate vaccine disparities
By SUZANNE ROIG/Oregon Capital Bureau The Oregon Health Authority will deploy vaccination vans to hard-to-reach communities as a way to eliminate the disparities created between those with easy access to COVID-19 vaccines and those facing barriers. This comes at a time when daily case counts of COVID-19 have more than doubled in just over a […]