By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews Voters in several small cities and unincorporated areas of Lincoln County will have a chance to decide whether to help keep library services going in the May 21 primary election. The Lincoln County Library District is asking voters to renew a levy of nine cents per $1,000 assessed property value for […]
OSU researchers using artificial intelligence to help study threatened coastal seabirds
By APRIL ERHLICH/Oregon Public Broadcasting Artificial intelligence tools are helping Oregon wildlife researchers study hard-to-reach threatened species like the marbled murrelet. Researchers with Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service collected millions of hours of audio from federal forests in Washington and Oregon between 2018 and 2022. “We cannot physically review all the […]
Newport voters deciding whether to increase gas tax to 5 cents
By KLCC News Newport city officials say they don’t have the resources to repair the city’s aging roads – so they’re asking voters in the May 21 primary to weigh in on a higher, year-round gas tax. For decades, Newport drivers have paid 1 cent a gallon at the pump in the winter and spring […]
Who will become Lincoln County’s next district attorney? Wallace, Benfield have similar goals but different backgrounds
Lincoln County chief deputy district attorney Jenna Wallace, left, and Newport defense attorney Kathryn Benfield are seeking election as district attorney in the May primary. By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Jenna Wallace hadn’t anticipated seeking election to become a district attorney. Not yet, anyway. Wallace has been a prosecutor in the Lincoln County district attorney’s office […]
Watch the mail for your May primary ballots, there’s a bit of everything for Lincoln County voters
There’s a little bit of everything on the May primary ballot for the more than 41,000 registered voters in Lincoln County – choices for political office and a handful of pocketbook issues. During a presidential year primary that includes races for low-profile statewide offices, there’s a bit more to chew on for Lincoln County voters. […]
Democrats vie for Oregon state treasurer nomination to face Republican state senator in November
By CONRAD WILSON/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon’s next state treasurer will take the reins on an office with big tasks already at hand. They will manage the state’s $98 billion Public Employees Retirement System and its $28 billion unfunded liability. They will inherit outgoing state Treasurer Tobias Read’s plans to divest in fossil fuels and […]
Hall faces four challengers as she seeks sixth term as Lincoln County commissioner in May primary
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Lincoln County voters have a wide array of choices – five to be exact — in the May primary to decide who occupies one of three seats on the board of commissioners — or if two candidates go to a runoff in November. Claire Hall is seeking her sixth, four-year term […]
Four candidates square off in May primary race for Oregon attorney general to replace Rosenblum
Left to right top: Republican Will Lathrop and Democrat Dan Rayfield, and left to right bottom: Democrat Shaina Maxey Pomerantz and Republican Michael Cross are running for Oregon attorney general in the primary election May 21. By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle Four candidates are running for Oregon attorney general and hope to get their party’s […]
Two Republicans competing for 4th Congressional District nomination hope to unseat Hoyle
Amy Ryan Courser, left, and Monique DeSpain are vying for the Republican nomination in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. BY ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle A lawyer and Air Force veteran and a marketing consultant and former Keizer City councilor are vying for the Republican nomination to represent Oregon’s 4th Congressional District in the May 21 primary. […]
Lincoln County Historical Society hires Syrop as executive director
NEWPORT — The board of the Lincoln County Historical Society has hired Jeffrey Syrop as its new executive director to replace Susan Tissot, who retired Tuesday. Tissot had led the organization the past two years. The nonprofit organization oversees and operates the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center and the Burrows House Museum in Newport. Syrop worked […]
College’s bond request just renews rate, doesn’t mean an increase
To the editor: I am writing in support of Measure 21-224 on your May primary ballot, which would renew the bond for Oregon Coast Community College. If passed, this measure would renew the college’s bond at its current rate, meaning no increase in the tax rate for Lincoln County property owners. But the benefits for […]
Crash into Alsea River on Wednesday leads to two driving citations
WALDPORT – A 60-year-old Waldport man who drove his truck into the Alsea River on Wednesday and needed a specialized rescue team to get him to safety has been cited by police for drunk and reckless driving. Oregon State Police cited Ricky A. Woosley on the two charges after he was taken to Samaritan Pacific […]
New $30,000 reader board at Yachats Commons designed to improve safety, communication for everyone
By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – Beginning soon passersby the Yachats’ Commons will see a high-resolution nod to modernity with the debut of an electronic reader board. Safety concerns triggered the upgrade from the old board with its manually-maneuvered individual block letters. “We will be able to change the wording on the new one from […]
April rainfall was slightly below normal, but 2024 amounts still very high
Even though rainfall for the year is running quite a bit above average, central Oregon coast weather in April was pretty unremarkable. Even YachatsNews’ weather watchers described it as “ho hum.” Maybe that’s a good thing for spring. “We did have a stretch of very nice weather in the middle of the month,” said weather […]
Demand for electricity in Northwest projected to grow 30% in decade, triple previous estimates
By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, or about 5% more than estimated last year and triple the prediction three years ago, industry experts said in a new report. Large data centers, an increase in high-tech manufacturing and growing electrification in […]