By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Will the city of Waldport end its contract to have Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies stationed in town? Will a disagreement between Waldport and Lincoln County derail an experiment by Yachats to pay for a deputy in the city? Or, are county officials correct in saying that a Waldport-Yachats proposal for three […]
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Community News
Yachats prohibits camping at Little Log Church as group recommends taking other city sites off potential list
By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – A group advising Yachats on homeless issues is recommending the city add four sites where camping would be banned — sites originally identified as the only city-owned property where camping might be allowed. These include properties next to water reservoirs in neighborhoods east of Highway 101 and a previously […]
County commissioners select contractor for new animal shelter in Waldport, construction could start in July
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Lincoln County hopes to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in late June for its new animal control shelter in Waldport and have a Salem-based contractor moving dirt by mid-July. If all goes well – not a given in any coastal construction project – the $5 million shelter in the Waldport Industrial Park […]
Yachats fire district has first cash carryover in years after financial struggles erased by levy approvals
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews YACHATS – Voter-approved tax levies in 2022 and 2023 are making the job of the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District’s budget committee much easier. After five years of needing loans to make ends meet between infusions of property taxes, the fire district’s budget committee learned Monday that the district should have […]
Want your May primary ballot to count? Make sure you meet 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline
OK, now you have a deadline if you want to have your May primary election ballot counted. Ballots need to reach the Lincoln County clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday. To ensure they get counted, it’s probably best to drop them off at secure drop boxes at all city halls in the county or […]
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 […]
Waldport council OKs seeking contractor to install specialty (and costly) playground surface at Southworth Park
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews WALDPORT – The city of Waldport is taking another small but expensive step to develop the playground centerpiece of Louis Southworth Park. The city council last week authorized city manager Dann Cutter to seek contractors to purchase and install a surface specially designed to go underneath a massive playground structure in […]
Yachats budget committee wades through — and OKs — much of 2024-25 city spending plan
By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – The city of Yachats’ finances are in good shape with several long-awaited projects about to begin and future plans – including a possible contract deputy from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office – accounted for in the proposed 2024-25 spending plan that its 10-member Budget Committee reviewed Thursday. In a […]
News Briefs
Lincoln County Master Gardeners holding 23rd annual plant sale Saturday
Plants that have been started with a masterful touch will be on sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday during the Lincoln County Master Gardener Association’s 23rd annual plant sale at the Oregon National Guard Armory in Newport. There will be more than 25 varieties of tomatoes, vegetable starts, herbs, native plants, perennials and […]
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 […]
Tidewater woman killed Saturday in Highway 20 crash near Blodgett
BLODGETT – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office says it is investigating the cause of a two-car collision Saturday on U.S. Highway 20 that killed a Tidewater woman driving one car and a passenger in the second vehicle. Sheriff’s investigators said Elizabeth L. O’Neill, 52, of Tidewater died about 11 a.m. Saturday when her eastbound Ford […]
Oregon Coast CC opens applications for medical assistant program
Applications for Oregon Coast Community College’s medical assistant program for the 2024-25 academic year are now open. The comprehensive, entry-level program offers students a foundation to begin their journey into the health care industry. Designed for aspiring health care professionals, the medical assistant certificate program provides training in clinical and administrative skills including patient care, […]
“Bloom Newport” stages third annual event Saturday at Performing Arts Center
By Oregon Coast TODAY Visitors can experience the creativity, culture, cuisine, community and commerce of a thriving coastal town at Bloom Newport from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Newport Performing Arts Center. Now in its third year, the event features everything from live entertainment to community organizations, artisans, vendors, food, the ever-popular […]
Lincoln City theater group opens five-week run of thought-provoking comedy “Bakersfield Mist”
By Oregon Coast TODAY Theatre West of Lincoln City will tackle deep topics with a lighthearted touch when it presents “Bakersfield Mist,” opening for a five-week run Thursday. Written by Stephen Sachs and directed by Bonnie Ross, the hilarious and thought-provoking comedy asks vital questions about what makes art and people truly authentic. “From […]
5 Questions and a Secret: 11 years on the road for Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Scott Severson
By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews How do those flashing red and blue lights atop an Oregon State Police cruiser make you feel? Dismayed if you know you’ve been speeding. Relieved if you are waiting for help for any reason, especially if there’s been an accident. Oregon State Police troopers are on the road every day to […]
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 […]
Letters from Readers
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 […]
Library support is crucial in rural areas like Lincoln County
To the editor: Love your community library? If so, it’s a definite yes on Measure 21-222 on the May 21 primary election ballot that you received in the mail. At nine cents per $1,000 assessed property value, it’s one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to help our community. Where else can you find […]
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 […]
Law school colleague supports Wallace in DA’s race
To the editor: I’ve known Lincoln County deputy district attorney Jenna Wallace for over a decade since we first met in law school. During those years I watched Wallace begin to develop her affinity for justice and integrity. Since that time I have litigated cases against Wallace, and while I don’t always agree with her […]
Oregon News
Oregon elections officials straighten out post office issue that affected some Lincoln County ballots
By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon’s House Republican leader sent state election officials scrambling this week after he used a minor delay in delivering mailed ballots to clerks in two counties to raise doubts about the integrity of the state’s voting system. The short delays county clerks in Douglas and Lincoln counties experienced […]
Oregon’s got jobs, but could use workers to fill critical positions, according to new report
By TIFFANY CAMHI/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon has lots of jobs. In some ways, too many. Jobs are especially abundant in Oregon’s healthcare, manufacturing and childcare industries. But the workforce to fill these jobs is lagging and employers — businesses, community organizations, higher education institutions and state agencies — will have to work together to shore […]
Oregon wildfire agencies prepared to respond to fire season but will need more staff in future
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Leaders of Oregon’s largest school districts ask state to address “education funding crisis”
By ALEX BAUNHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Superintendents in four Oregon school districts, including the two largest in Portland and Salem, are calling on state leaders to boost funding for public education, calling the state of school funding a “crisis.” In a video posted to district YouTube accounts on Monday, the leaders of Portland, Salem-Keizer, Bend-La Pine […]
Legislators say Optum will let Eugene doctors who left Oregon Medical Group treat local patients
By JAKE THOMAS/The Lund Report A pair of Eugene lawmakers say that health care giant Optum, Inc. has agreed to release its former doctors from non-compete contracts that critics said had blocked area patients from receiving needed care. Rep. Nancy Nathanson and Floyd Prozanski announced Thursday that physicians and other clinicians previously employed by Optum […]
Warm Springs tribe asks ODFW to repeal licensing agreement with Grand Ronde over Willamette Falls issue
By NIKA BARTOO-SMITH/Underscore News The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is asking the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to repeal a state agreement with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. In August, the Oregon Department of Wildlife approved an agreement affirming the right of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to issue hunting and fishing licenses […]