Oregon commercial crab season could get off to its earliest start in 7 years, if weather and price negotiations go smoothly

November 22, 2021

By DANA TIMES/YachatsNews.com There could be crab for Christmas. For the first time in seven years, Oregon’s $60 million commercial Dungeness crab fishery could start on time. Two unknowns – weather conditions and an as-yet-to-be negotiated price per pound – could still disrupt the fleet’s launch this week and first pulling of pots Dec. 1. But at this point,

Beverly Beach State Park in Lincoln County will get major electrical upgrades next year as part of $50 million Oregon bond program

November 21, 2021

By LES ZAITZ/Oregon Capital Chronicle The electrical system at Beverly Beach State Park just north of Newport hasn’t kept pace with the ever-growing size of RVs pulling into the campground. When a circuit blows, repairs aren’t easy. “You can’t just go fix one site,” said park manager Jered Mangini. “You have to turn off power for from six to

Lincoln County commissioners likely to let their vacation rental license moratorium expire as ballot measure rules take effect

November 21, 2021

NEWPORT — Lincoln County commissioners will let a moratorium on issuing new vacation rental licenses expire for at least a day once the 20-month-old freeze expires Tuesday. County counsel Kristin Yuille said Wednesday that commissioners could let the moratorium expire Nov. 30 because the county will begin following regulations within a newly passed ballot measure that prohibits new short-term rental

Yachats “Swifty” group offering Dec. 4 workshop on how to make bird boxes

November 21, 2021

Want to encourage bird life in the Yachats area? Then join a “Christmas Bird House Celebration and Workshop” from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. That’s when SWIFTY — Swallows in Flight to Yachats — will lead participants in assembling kit homes for swallows or chickadees. The boxes can double as bluebird homes for those living in the Willamette

State hospital annex in Junction City has added 24 patient beds with 24 more on the way

November 20, 2021

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon State Hospital’s annex in Junction City has added a new 24-bed unit and plans to open a second 24-bed unit early next year to take pressure off of the Salem campus, which has long been under judicial orders to admit more patients. The annex, which opened six years ago as a secure facility for

Yachats council approves commission’s request to seek design/engineering proposals for makeover of city field

November 18, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com A potential makeover of the big grass field behind Yachats City Hall is on to its next phase. After a discussion over money and staff time, the Yachats City Council on Wednesday gave city staff and the Parks & Commons Commission approval to seek landscape and engineering proposals for a redesign of the field. The approval

By re-thinking how to reach new students, Oregon Coast CC sees strong post-pandemic turnaround in 2021 enrollment

November 18, 2021

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com The coronavirus has taken huge bites out of Oregon’s coastal economy, affecting everything from restaurants and hotels to stores and child care availability. Less visible, but no less profound, was the hit taken by Oregon Coast Community College, which saw its enrollment numbers plummet from 939 full-time equivalent students before the pandemic to 516 in 2020

State senator who plans to seek governorship as an independent, reports $2.2 million in campaign contributions

November 18, 2021

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Since she launched her independent run for governor a month ago, Betsy Johnson has accomplished two things no other candidate has yet — raising $2 million and securing large contributions from a broad swath of the state’s business community. The $2.2 million reported in Johnson’s campaign finance account is more than double the $1 million

Oregon communities devastated by September 2020 wildfires to get $422 million from feds for rebuilding

November 18, 2021

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon will receive more than $422 million from the federal government for rebuilding from the 2020 wildfires that were among the worst in state history. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is distributing $2 billion in disaster recovery and resiliency funds among nine states and Puerto Rico. Oregon

Lawyers for 21 Lincoln County vacation rental owners file notice they will challenge new license restrictions to the state

November 18, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The first in what is expected to be a salvo of legal action against new restrictions on vacation rentals in unincorporated Lincoln County came Wednesday when lawyers for one industry group gave notice they will appeal a recently-passed ordinance to the state Land Use Board of Appeals. Attorneys for Via Oregon filed the notice Wednesday in