Oregon coronavirus report for Thursday, Oct. 28: 1,116 new cases overall, 15 in Lincoln County; vaccinations at 80 percent

October 28, 2021

Oregon reports 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 24 new deaths PORTLAND — There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,358, Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Oregon Health Authority reported 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total to

After two years, Lincoln County commissioners pass new short-term rental ordinance Wednesday, but have 90 days to finish details

October 27, 2021

BY QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Calling it a “giant step” toward addressing issues with vacation rentals in unincorporated areas of Lincoln County, commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday on a wide-ranging set of new rules governing their numbers and use. But proponents and opponents of a separate vacation rental measure on next Tuesday’s ballot were not impressed, calling the commissioner’s work either incomplete

Oregon health officials already gearing up for first round of vaccinations for children, age 5-11

October 27, 2021

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle State officials are gearing up for the next round of Covid-19 vaccinations, this time for younger children. About 330,000 children aged 5 to 11 in Oregon will be eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is currently under review by federal authorities. On Tuesday, a federal Food and Drug Administration committee recommended the vaccine. The FDA

Yachats man in Lincoln County jail on 11 charges after Oct. 7 road rage incident involving two motorcyclists

October 27, 2021

A 55-year-old Yachats man is in the Lincoln County jail with bail of $750,000 on 11 charges related to a road rage incident Oct. 7 that badly injured three motorcyclists on U.S. Highway 101 just north of Yachats. Dane L. Day of Yachats was booked into jail Monday, following an 18-day investigation by Oregon State Police Trooper Scott Severson. Day

Former NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof, now living in Yamhill County, launches campaign for Oregon governor

October 27, 2021

JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Longtime New York Times columnist Nick Kristof officially launched his campaign for Oregon governor on Wednesday, joining a crowded Democratic primary. Kristof, who grew up in Yamhill and returned to his family’s farm a few years ago, has been publicly considering a run for governor for several months. He resigned from the New York Times earlier this month

Lincoln County’s unemployment rate continues decline, but remains far above statewide rate

October 27, 2021

The unemployment rate in Lincoln County continues to tick downward, but remains significantly higher than Oregon’s overall rate. The Oregon Employment Department said Tuesday that Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September was 6.5 percent. It was 6.9 percent in August, 7.2 percent in July and 7.7 percent in June. The rate was 10.2 percent in September 2020. Oregon’s

Trick-or-treat Halloween activities for kids scheduled Friday night in Waldport and Saturday afternoon in Yachats

October 27, 2021

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com Ghoulies and ghosties and even long-legged beasties may be spotted in the area this week, but their presence is no cause for alarm. They’ll be afoot in Yachats and Waldport for two fairly new Halloween traditions. In Yachats, the city has teamed with Yachats Youth & Family Activities Program to plan a safe trick-or-treating event Saturday

Internet outage Monday moves city manager candidate online forum to Thursday

October 26, 2021

An online meeting for the public to question two Yachats city manager candidates has been moved to Thursday evening because of a widespread outage of Spectrum’s internet service Monday. The online session had been scheduled for Monday evening, but is now at 5:30 p.m. Thursday via Zoom. Helen Anderson will take questions for an hour starting at 5:30 p.m. and

Former Waldport resident with new home has different perspective on BM 21-203

October 26, 2021

To the editor: I’d like to share my perspective on Ballot Measure 21-303, the effort to restrict and eliminate short-term rentals in Lincoln County. I live in Eugene, so you can consider me an outsider if you wish … but please also consider the rest of my story when it comes to your vote on Measure 21-303. My parents and

Firefighters from three departments respond to re-ignited slash burn in Waldport late Sunday

October 26, 2021

WALDPORT – Firefighters from Waldport, Yachats and Newport stopped a slash burn that re-ignited during a wind and rainstorm late Sunday night from getting into trees near the Dahl Industrial Park. A large slash pile from a summer logging operation on property owned by Gene Dahl that was thought to be out re-ignited during Sunday’s windstorm. Embers then started spot