Oregon State Police/Newport: Activity log for Jan. 23 to Feb. 3

February 6, 2020

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP20022929 01/23/2020 12:23 Officer #41617 ESKRIDGE, BRIAN Crash – Non-injury Location 20, Mile post 17 17, LINCOLN OR USA Narrative Summary ***eCrash Report*** On 01/23/2020 at approximately 12:00 PM, a silver, 2013 Porsche Boxster was eastbound on US Highway 20 near milepost 17 in heavy rain conditions. As the driver attempted to change lanes, he lost control of

Best Bets for the week of Feb. 21-29

February 6, 2020

Newport: Seafood Wine Festival The annual Newport Seafood and Wine Festival started Thursday night at the South Beach Marina in Newport. The festival, in its 43rd year, has become a four-day extravaganza that attracts 20,000 to 25,000 people and features commercial and amateur wine competitions, culinary professionals offering a tasty variety of seafood delights and regional artisans showcasing their craft.

This weekend’s Yachats art quilt show treats old practice in a new way

February 6, 2020

By KATHERINE LJUNGQVIST/YachatsNews.com The Yachats’ Commons will be transformed into an art gallery for three days starting Friday with the return of the Yachats’ Art Quilt Show. Some 45 artists from four countries will be sharing pieces inspired by this years’ theme “Gems of the Ocean II”. The mastermind behind this impressive display of artistry is Ruth Bass of

Oregon whale license plates generate $300,000 for OSU marine research in first year

February 5, 2020

NEWPORT – Nearly 10,000 Oregonians have purchased gray whale license plates since they went on sale a year ago, providing critical support for Oregon State University researchers studying gray whales that frequent Oregon’s waters. The license plate, with the image of a gray whale mother and her calf, went on sale at Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle offices on Feb.

Initiative to limit grocery store self-checkout moves to signature gathering

February 5, 2020

SALEM — Are grocery store self-checkout lanes an annoyance? A convenience? Do they reduce the number of grocery store jobs? A federation of Oregon unions wants voters to issue a verdict on the self-checkout kiosks becoming more prevalent at grocery stores. After the Oregon Supreme Court certified the attorney general’s description of the measure last week, a petition to limit

Oregonians line up to tell lawmakers what they really think of cap-and-trade legislation

February 5, 2020

By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — A hay farmer, a high school student and a physicist each strode up to a modest hearing room table Tuesday evening to give lawmakers a piece of their mind. That table was their stage for two minutes, their platform to tell policymakers to their faces what they thought of the Legislature’s ambitious

Last of winter’s King Tides are this weekend

February 5, 2020

The last of this winter’s King Tides are this weekend. The King Tides are caused a few specific times during the year when the moon is closest to the earth. King Tides – when normal high tides are higher than usual – occur once a month during the winter and summer. The first of the winter King Tides occurred in

Lincoln County School District seeks comments on how to use $4.6 million in new funding

February 5, 2020

The Lincoln County School District wants to hear from Waldport and Yachats-area residents on how it should spend $4.6 million in additional state money because of a new tax on large businesses that took effect Jan. 1. Called the Oregon Student Success Act, Gov. Kate Brown signed the legislation into law last spring. It will create an estimated $2 billion

Oregon and U.S. officials offer reassurance on election security

February 4, 2020

By SAM STITES/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — The state’s top elections official wants voters to know Oregon is doing everything possible to ensure the security of the state’s elections by working with county and federal agencies. “There was some polling that took place a couple weeks ago that said 43 percent of the public don’t think elections administrators are doing

Oregon Legislature starts quietly Monday, but tensions simmer just below surface

February 3, 2020

By SAM STITES, JAKE THOMAS and CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — A contentious proposal to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions dominated political chatter in the weeks before the 2020 legislative session began. So much so that observers expected “sparks” when lawmakers convened Monday, Feb. 3, said Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas. But sitting in his office Monday, wearing