Oregon Gov. Brown issues executive order to have state agencies begin work on climate issues

March 10, 2020

By Jake Thomas/Oregon Capital Bureau Gov. Kate Brown Tuesday directed state agencies to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions through more stringent standards for fuels, new buildings and consumer appliances, imposing by order what she couldn’t get from the Legislature. Her order doesn’t exempt any portion of the state from her mandates, a considerable change from legislation that would have spared rural Oregon and some

Hundreds of bills died when Oregon Legislature ended Sunday; here’s a look at what didn’t get done

March 10, 2020

By Claire Withycombe, Jake Thomas and Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Disagreement and stalemate over a single bill has killed upwards of 200 pieces of legislative and left more than $665 million in requested state money on the table as the clock officially struck midnight on Oregon’s 2020 Legislative Session Sunday. Bills representing solutions to a wide swath of

Funding for coastal early-warning earthquake system once again dies in last days of Legislature

March 10, 2020

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com For the second legislative session in a row, a bill with money to complete an early warning earthquake-alert system along the Oregon coast has failed. The failure was especially bitter for coastal lawmakers and others, since it was one of Gov. Kate Brown’s legislative priorities for the recently completed 35-day “short session,” and because it had drawn

Legislative emergency board allocates money for flood relief, coronavirus help

March 10, 2020

By SAM STITES/Oregon Capital Bureau Following a feeble end to the short 2020 legislative session, members of the emergency board convened Monday to allocate money for emergencies throughout the state. With Republicans away from the Capitol in a boycott over a bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lawmakers were unable to pass critical spending bills to address flooding in the

Reconstruction of Newport hospital enters last phase with demolition of 1951 Building

March 10, 2020

NEWPORT – The three-year construction project that is remaking Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital entered its third and final phase this week. The hospital structure known as the 1951 Building closed to patients and visitors this week as workers begin the process of tearing it down. The building was a former nursing home used as the original hospital. Samaritan Health Services finished the

Yachats library commission selects consultant for community study, expansion plan

March 10, 2020

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats Library Commission has found the consultant to help it find out what the community wants, what an expanded library might look like, how its various constituencies might be organized – and then hopefully find more money to do all that. The short-handed commission voted 3-0 last week to negotiate a contract with consultant Penny Hummel

Cape Perpetua speakers series cancels March talks over coronavirus fears

March 9, 2020

The Cape Perpetua Speaker’s series has cancelled its talks for the rest of March over concerns with the coronavirus outbreak. The Cape Perpetua Collaborative, which is a program within the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, made the decision under guidance from the Forest Service, which runs the Cape Perpeta visitors center. The Forest Service is concerned about the coronavirus

Oregon officials ban visits to long-term care facilities to help stop spread of coronavirus

March 8, 2020

By LES ZAITZ/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — State officials on Tuesday mandated a stop to visits to the 30,000 Oregonians in long- term care facilities to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus that has proven especially deadly for the elderly. That means, for now, no more time with parents, grandparents and others in licensed facilities except in special circumstances. “Our number

Wednesday coronavirus update: Six more cases bring total to 21 statewide

March 8, 2020

The Oregon Capital Bureau The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Oregon increased to 21 after the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday announced six new cases in scattered parts of the state, including two elderly men in a veterans nursing home in Linn County. The Health Authority confirmed two cases in Linn and one individual in each of Polk, Marion, Umatilla and

Award-winning bluegrass musician scheduled for Yachats performance cancels West Coast tour

March 8, 2020

UPDATE, TUESDAY, MARCH 10 The Missy Raines Quartet on Tuesday, March 10 cancelled its visit to Yachats and its West Coast tour after venues in Portland and Seattle decided to cancel performances to help curb the potential spread of the coronavirus. The quartet was scheduled to play at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 in the Yachats Commons. The performance