By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The state’s top wildfire responders say they are prepared for the approaching wildfire season, but they are concerned about adding staff and resources in the future amid expectations that wildfires will increase. At a news conference Wednesday, the leaders of the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon State […]
Lincoln City police arrest transient for murder Tuesday after assault near motel
On Tuesday, May 15 at approximately 8:05 p.m. the Lincoln City Police Department responded to a report of an assault in the parking lot of the Ashley Inn, 3430 NE Highway 101. Officers arriving at the scene found Jay Cole, 69, of Milwaukie, seriously injured and unconscious. Roland Evans-Freke, 30, a transient, was detained and […]
State allocates nearly $14 million for addiction prevention as part of $600 million in opioid settlement
By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle State officials charged with allocating $600 million from opioid settlement lawsuits decided in its latest round of funding to focus on prevention. At its May meeting, the Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Board approved a proposal by the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission to spend $13.7 million on increasing […]
Until highways reached the coast, rail passengers used Yaquina River ferries to reach Newport
Before highways reached the Oregon coast, ferries worked the rivers connecting inland rail stations to cities at the beach. The railroad from the Willamette Valley to the central Oregon coast ended in Yaquina City, four miles east of Newport, so rail passengers took the river ferry “Newport” the rest of the way. The ferry […]
ODFW, church hold kids fishing event Saturday at Eckman Lake
WALDPORT — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and First Baptist Church of Waldport are hosting a family fishing event at Eckman Lake from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18. The event is for youth ages 17 and younger. Each participant can catch two rainbow trout from a fish enclosure and fishing […]
Benfield has experience, professionalism to end DA’s office disarray
To the editor: We need Kathryn Benfield as our Lincoln County District Attorney. Our current district attorney’s office has been in embarrassing disarray. Public conflict with our county commissioners, sheriff’s office and other entities which make our court system work smoothly, has marked our current district attorney. The other candidate is closely associated with the […]
Sheriff’s deputies, Newport police arrest man after report of stolen vehicle, chase
About 6:02 a.m. Tuesday Willamette Valley Communications Center dispatch received a report of a vehicle stolen from the Siletz Valley Charter School in Siletz. The owner of the vehicle also reported that there was a firearm stored in the vehicle. Dispatch broadcast detailed information to the Newport Police Department, who had Officers on duty, in […]
A new hybrid non-native beach grass is spreading fast and hampering efforts to restore ocean dunes
By LAUREN ELLENBECKER/Columbia Insight Over a century ago, settlers altered the Pacific Coast’s natural shape with the introduction of two non-native grass species. Now, a new hybrid grass species is making headway, presenting challenges for dune restoration. A study published last month in the journal Ecosphere said two invasive, dune-building beachgrasses — European beachgrass and American […]
Newport hospital becomes first small, rural Oregon hospital to use robotic-assisted surgery equipment
NEWPORT – Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital has become the first, small rural hospital in Oregon to acquire and implement robotic-assisted surgery equipment in one of its operating rooms. The da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery system has been in use at the Newport hospital since April, the hospital said in an announcement, giving surgeons enhanced precision and […]
Oregon DOJ says no criminal charges in OLCC bourbon scandal, but ethics probe proceeds
By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The Oregon Department of Justice concluded that no criminal charges are warranted for the six former Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission employees who set aside bottles of in-demand bourbon for their personal use. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on Monday announced the conclusion of the investigation, which started […]