Bystanders describe desperate attempt to rescue California man who drowned Thursday at Devils Churn on Cape Perpetua

September 10, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Bystanders trying to rescue a California man Thursday from the depths of Devils Churn had him briefly on a makeshift line and then a life ring for 10-15 minutes before the cold surf and an apparent head injury swept him away. Steve Allen, 67, of Walnut Creek, Calif. is missing and presumed drowned after frantic bystanders

Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for Sept. 3-9

September 10, 2021

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP21252198 09/03/2021 17:12 Officer #53134 KOLACZ, BRYAN Crash – Non-injury Location 20 and PIONEER TRAIL, OR USA Narrative Summary E-Crash: A Toyota Tundra was stopped WB on US-20 positioned to turn left onto Pioneer Trail waiting for a gap in traffic when a WB Volvo sedan did not stop in time and crashed into the rear end of

Oregon coronavirus report for Thursday, Sept. 9: 2,437 new cases, 18 in Lincoln County as numbers level off

September 9, 2021

Oregon reports 2,437 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 21 new deaths PORTLAND — There are 21 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,394, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Oregon Health Authority reported 2,437 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total

Window to run for Oregon elective offices in 2022 opens, but few jump in on first day of official filings

September 9, 2021

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau Thursday was the official political opening day in Oregon. After months of rumors and announcements, the secretary of state officially opened the window for candidates to file to run for office in 2022. Governor. U.S. Senator. Judges. District attorneys. County commissioner. A chance for incumbents and the politically ambitious to sign up for just

There’s a COVID-19 vaccine clinic — and free testing — Monday at Sea Note in Yachats

September 9, 2021

The Lincoln County Health Department is returning to Yachats on Monday with COVID-19 vaccines to give shots to anyone over the age of 12 still desiring them. The agency also announced Friday that it is adding free COVID-19 testing at all of its vaccine clinics. The clinic will be from 3-7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Sea Note

Public begins weighing in on Oregon’s legislative and congressional redistricting — but will it matter?

September 8, 2021

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau A video diaspora of lawmakers, an alphabet soup of proposals, echoing audio, dead air and a buzzer that cut off testimony at three minutes marked the first day of legislative hearings on 2021 redistricting plans Wednesday. The House and Senate redistricting committees held back-to-back-to-back hearings Wednesday to take online testimony on eight proposals for

The 2022 general election may be more than a year away in Oregon, but jockeying for position — and money — has started

September 8, 2021

By GARY WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau Ready or not, Oregon, the 2022 election season is here. Labor Day weekend of odd-numbered years is the traditional kick-off of serious campaign activity aimed at the ballot voters will mark in 14 months. If anything, 2021 has a running start. The busy summer needs a primer to catch up on what’s happened and what’s

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown suggests that curtailing some school activities to speed drop in COVID-19 cases

September 7, 2021

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau Schools should cancel or curtail some extracurricular activities to help Oregon maintain what appears to be the beginning of a decline from record high numbers of COVID-19 infections, Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday. Multiple forecasts over the past week showed a peak in the two-month surge of infections driven by the highly contagious delta

Fatal crash on Highway 101 eight miles north of Florence

September 7, 2021

FATAL CRASH ON HWY 101-LANE COUNTY News Release from Oregon State Police Posted on FlashAlert: September 7th, 2021 12:34 PM On Friday, September 3, 2021 at approximately 12:20 PM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a four-vehicle crash on Hwy 101 near milepost 182, eight miles north of Florence. Preliminary investigation revealed a Dodge 1500 pickup, operated by

Cleaner but still struggling, Yachats Post Office gets spruced up — but customers urged to contact Congress to help restore staff

September 6, 2021

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com A small band of Yachats residents turned out over the Labor Day weekend to perform housekeeping duties at the Post Office, but their vacuums and cleaners can’t fix the service’s persistent staffing problems. “I thought, ‘Let’s do a good deed; everyone is missing Angie so much,’” said Catherine Whitten-Carey, referring to longtime clerk Angie Bagby. Bagby