Interested in local news? Here’s a 2021 update about YachatsNews’ operations, plans for the future — and a request

September 28, 2021

To readers of YachatsNews: My last update on the news site was eight months ago, so it is time to offer an update on the efforts to bring local news to south Lincoln County – and make a request for support. I started the news site as a community service project in January 2019 with little idea how it

Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for Sept. 23

September 27, 2021

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP21271952 09/23/2021 05:25 Officer #50607 TUCKER, BRIAN Crash – Non-injury Location 20 HWY, Mile post 25 25, LINCOLN OR USA Narrative Summary ***E-CRASH*** On 09/23/21 at approximately 3:30 AM, a single-vehicle versus elk crash occurred on US-20 around milepost 25. Westbound Vehicle #1 (blue CMV tractor-trailer combo) crashed into two elk in the westbound lane of travel, rendering

Oregon coronavirus report for Monday, Sept. 27: 3,606 new cases since Friday, 35 in Lincoln County

September 27, 2021

Oregon reports 3,606 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 27 new deaths PORTLAND — There are 27 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,709, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Oregon Health Authority reported 3,709 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total

State Treasurer Tobias Read enters 2022 Democratic primary race for Oregon governor

September 27, 2021

By KELCIE GREGA/Oregon Capital Bureau State Treasurer Tobias Read has officially entered Oregon’s gubernatorial race. The former Beaverton lawmaker announced his bid in a campaign video Monday highlighting his personal stake in the COVID-19 pandemic as not only a politician but a father. “I’m tired of adults who think their version of freedom allows them to endanger children,” Read said,

New Oregon poll indicates that 66 percent of residents feel there’s little chance of stopping climate change

September 27, 2021

By ZANE SPARLING/Oregon Capital Bureau We’re doomed. That’s the pessimistic point of view espoused by the two-thirds of Oregonians who believe there’s a slight chance, or no chance at all, that humans can solve climate change in time to stave off the worst of its effects, according to a new poll. The data comes from the nonprofit Oregon Values and

Florida man spends 10 hours in ravine south of Yachats before rescue early Sunday

September 27, 2021

A 70-year-old man from Florida spent more than 10 hours trapped in a coastal ravine before rescuers from Yachats and Lincoln County were able to lift him to safety Sunday. Mark W. Hicks was taken to Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport on Sunday morning for treatment of injuries that were believed not life threatening. Hicks and his wife were staying

Yachats Fire property tax request Nov. 2 too high for people on fixed incomes

September 24, 2021

To the editor: Recently, I received a mailed correspondence from the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District for its proposed local option tax measure on the Nov. 2 ballot. What a joke. The YRFPD wants us to pay additional property taxes for their mismanagement of the current property taxes, bestowed on all of us. The “nicely put” information makes it appear

Bystanders who tried to save California man at Devils Churn ask for after-action review

September 23, 2021

To the editor: We were among a small group of bystanders who attempted to rescue Steve Allen on Thursday, Sept. 9, at Devils Churn, located in Siuslaw National Forest and within the jurisdictions of Yachats Rural Fire Protection District and the Oregon State Police. We are writing to urge a review of this incident that resulted in Allen’s drowning. We

Appointments being taken for first Lincoln County booster clinic Friday in Newport, with clinics to follow in Yachats and Lincoln City

September 23, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Lincoln County is ready to offer booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine next Friday if a federal agency and a consortium of western states follow a recommendation it be given to people over 65 and those with long-term health issues. The shots would be offered at mass vaccination clinics initially in Newport, similar to what

Waldport cartoonist draws on her unconventional past, views of the world and off-beat ideas to make people laugh

September 23, 2021

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com WALDPORT — There’s a woman in Waldport who sees the world differently than most — a slightly cockeyed view rooted in her funny bone, honed by an unconventional past, and manifested in decades of creating cartoons. Theresa McCracken has an offbeat perspective known to many on the central Oregon coast from her monthly cartoons created for