Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for Aug. 18-21

August 23, 2021

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP21235388 08/18/2021 11:56 Officer #50607 TUCKER, BRIAN Crash – Injury Location N FRASER RD and N US HIGHWAY 101, OTIS Narrative Summary Ecrash: Unit #1, a 1997 Ford Expedition, made an unlawful, unsignaled left turn across the northbound lane of 101 and was involved in an angle crash with Unit #2, a 2016 Volkswagen Passat, that was proceeding

Yachats council approves $12,000 to weatherize Little Log Church, but wants community discussion on much bigger cost for repairs

August 23, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats City Council has approved up to $12,000 to weatherproof the city’s deteriorating Little Log Church & Museum for the winter. But once that is done, council members indicated last week they want a wider community discussion on the future of the two buildings before deciding whether to spend an estimated $575,000 to repair them.

Interesting in political map-making? Try your hand at re-drawing Oregon’s House and Senate districts

August 22, 2021

By GARY WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau It’s a new video game that comes with a big prize. It’s not streaming on Twitch or play on an Xbox console. It’s on OLIS, which is not a gaming company, but the acronym for the Oregon Legislative Information System. The point of the game is to design a new political map of Oregon —

Repurposed school bus hits the road in Lincoln County hoping to bring art programs to 800 children in rural areas

August 22, 2021

By Oregon ArtsWatch For kids living in rural areas, an art program only miles away may still be too far. Even shorter drives can be time consuming — assuming there’s transportation — and news of the event doesn’t always reach beyond urban boundaries. When it does, it’s never a given the money for fees will be there. The Oregon Coast Council

Oregon coronavirus report for Friday, Aug. 20: 2,187 new cases, 32 in Lincoln County and state surpasses 3,000 deaths

August 20, 2021

Oregon reports 2,187 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths PORTLAND — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,012, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Friday. “Today, we mark another sad milestone in the pandemic: Our 3,000th COVID-19 related death,” said OHA Director Patrick Allen. “We grieve

Fire early Wednesday destroys Dairy Queen restaurant in Florence

August 20, 2021

FLORENCE – The popular Dairy Queen restaurant at the north end of the Siuslaw River bridge is a total loss after catching fire Wednesday. Firefighters arrived to the restaurant on the west side of Highway 101 about 1:30 a.m. and found fire extending to the roof and called in a second alarm. “We went to a defensive fire position immediately,”

Oregon State, University of Oregon announce vaccine or negative COVID-19 test results for all events beginning Monday

August 20, 2021

The Eugene Register-Guard The University of Oregon and Oregon State University will require people attending their events to show they have been vaccinated or got a recent negative COVID-19 test. Both universities start the new policy Monday. The policies apply to people 12 and older. “This decision was made in partnership with public health authorities and peer institutions in the state to help keep

Rapid deteriorating whale carcass moves out of cove early Sunday, floats into bay for a bit — and high tide is taking it out to sea

August 19, 2021

By DANA TIMS and QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The rapidly deteriorating carcass of a juvenile gray whale that washed ashore this week in Yachats moved out of a rocky cove below Ocean View Drive overnight Sunday, floated into the Yachats River bay at low tide — and then was washed out to sea during high tide Sunday afternoon. The carcass began breaking

Despite departure of popular Chubby’s from downtown Waldport, city hopes to create a pod of 4-6 food carts to expand dining options

August 19, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com WALDPORT – The departure of a popular food cart in downtown Waldport isn’t deterring city officials from trying to establish a “pod” of 4-6 such outlets within the next year. After 7½ years, Michelle and Pat O’Neil are closing their Chubby’s food cart Aug. 28. It’s not because business is slow – they sell out regularly

Yachats’ Post Office is not closing, but struggling with staffing issues like many other coastal and rural post offices

August 19, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats Post Office, which shut Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday, is not closing but is struggling like most post offices on the Oregon coast with staffing issues. Yachats Postmaster Jeff Davis retired July 30 after 10 years in Yachats and nearly 35 years with the Postal Service. Chanda Wall, who works at the Waldport Post