By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday they have reached a tentative deal to create a new type of misdemeanor that would give defendants no jail time for drug possession and another chance to enter treatment programs. The charge, hammered out near the mid-point of the 35-day session, will be folded […]
Archives for February 2024
Newport will ask voters in May to increase gas tax to 5 cents a gallon
NEWPORT — Citing increased traffic and cost, Newport’s city council will ask voters in May to approve a higher, year-round gas tax. The measure would increase the gas tax to 5 cents a gallon year round. Currently, drivers pay 3 cents a gallon at the pump in the summer and fall, and 1 cent a […]
Junction City woman rescued Sunday from ocean at Bob Creek would like to thank the hero who saved her
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Corinne McElroy knows one of the men who rescued her from the ocean Sunday. He’s Mike, her husband of 45 years. Now she’s looking for the other one. “I think his name is Andrew,” McElroy told YachatsNews on Wednesday. “I would love to find him just to tell him ‘Thank you […]
Return of sea otters could help reduce green crab invasion
To the editor: In the past decade, Oregon’s European green crab population has exploded. This invasive species devastates our coastal and nearshore areas. Green crabs prey on countless critters, such as oysters, snails, and juvenile fish, that call our ocean home. They also destabilize our shorelines by ripping apart the root systems of eelgrass meadows, which […]
State police plan Newport saturation patrols during seafood festival
NEWPORT — Oregon State Police is stepping up patrols along the central Oregon coast Thursday through Sunday during the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, which can draw up to 25,000 visitors to the area. Nine troopers from the agency’s “high visibility enforcement unit” will augment troopers from the Newport patrol office, city of Newport officers […]
Siuslaw forest officials sign management agreement with Coos tribes
The Siuslaw National Forest and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have signed an agreement giving the tribe a larger voice in the management of the federal forest. The two entities this week said the agreement emphasizes the shared goals of the tribe and the Forest Service regarding the use and […]
Oregon Marine Reserves hires new project leader
NEWPORT – The Oregon Marine Reserves Program has hired Sarah Klain as its new human dimensions project leader. Klain is a former Utah State University professor of ecosystem services who began her career on the Oregon coast in 2003 interviewing commercial fishermen before the reserves were established. She will continue the human dimensions work of recently retired […]
Siletz Tribe’s charitable fund distributes $428,000 to 28 nonprofits and others
The Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund distributed nearly $428,000 to 28 organizations in February as part of its quarterly donations to nonprofit groups in Lincoln County and 10 other counties in its service area, the tribe announced this week. Overall, the tribe has distributed more than $21.9 million through the charitable fund and other tribal […]
Volunteers built Yachats’ Little Log Church in 1927 — and major repairs could start this spring
The Little Log Church in Yachats was built with donated labor and materials in 1927 and was officially dedicated in the early 1930s. The logs were floated down the Yachats River and hauled to what is now the corner of West Third and Pontiac streets in downtown Yachats by teams of horses. Records show […]
Up to 20,000 visitors expected for 47th Newport Seafood & Wine Festival beginning Thursday
By Oregon Coast TODAY Every year, thousands of fans eagerly await the return of the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, which celebrates its 47th year on the central Oregon coast this weekend. The festival attracts foodies and wine aficionados from throughout the Northwest. It brings together Pacific Northwest wineries, locally harvested seafood and artisans […]