Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for July 7-9

July 12, 2021

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP21189654 07/07/2021 14:03 Officer #55167 WERTZ, DAVID Crash – Non-injury Location 101, Mile post 130 130 NB, LINCOLN OR USA Narrative Summary (ecrash) On 7/7/21 at approximately 2:03 pm I was dispatched to a multiple vehicle crash on US 101 near mile post 130. Vehicle 1, a blue Ford 150 (YHS196) was stopped in the northbound lane waiting

Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission extends protections – but makes them voluntary – for coastal marbled murrelet

July 12, 2021

By DAVID STEVES/Oregon Public Broadcasting A seabird that depends on coastal old-growth forests has been designated for greater – but voluntary — endangered-species protections in Oregon. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to reclassify the marbled murrelet’s status from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. The decision comes five years after a 2016 petition to

Delayed (officially) by the pandemic, the Corvallis to the Sea Trail is now open (informally) to hikers. Here’s is one trekker’s review

July 12, 2021

By PAUL LASK/For YachatsNews.com There is nothing in Oregon that quite compares to the Corvallis to the Sea Trail, also known as the C2C. As advertised, the 62-mile route links the Willamette Valley to the Pacific Ocean, traveling through national forest, small towns, active logging stands, farms, ranches and wetlands. The trail was conceived in the early 1970s but

Newport man gets 1 year in federal prison for pirating movies, evading taxes

July 11, 2021

EUGENE — A Newport man was sentenced Friday to a year in federal prison for pirating thousands of copyright-protected movies and television shows, illegally distributing them on the internet and evading taxes on his profits from the multimillion-dollar scheme. Talon White, 31, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years’ probation after being convicted of

Oregon coronavirus report for Friday, July 9: 265 new cases, 6 in Lincoln County; 2 more deaths, 6,920 vaccinations

July 9, 2021

Oregon reports 265 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths PORTLAND — There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,792, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Oregon Health Authority reported 265 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing the state total

Not surprised to hear about sewage leaking onto beach in Seal Rock

July 9, 2021

To the editor: I’m not surprised to read Friday that fecal bacteria is entering the ocean from failed septic systems at Seal Rock and elsewhere along the beaches of Lincoln County. A public health division rule clearly states, “Sewage and wastewater must be disposed of into a public sewerage system in a manner approved by the Department of Environmental Quality.”

To deter a thief, think like one: In wake of Yachats car prowls, police offer tips to protect yourself and your belongings

July 8, 2021

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com For the criminally-minded, the recent travails of a Yachats couple set up a “perfect storm” of opportunity. As warmer weather boosts those opportunities and brings more people and vehicles to the area, police along the central Oregon coast offer prevention tips that boil down to “Think like a thief.” That thinking eluded Dan and Karen Bertenthal

Yachats chief says firefighters will not not respond to incidents inside Yachats Brewing, re-igniting 7-year-old building permit controversy

July 8, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats Rural Fire Protection District has announced it will not respond to fires or medical calls inside Yachats Brewing because it lacks building permits and a certificate of occupancy, re-igniting a dispute over a popular brewery and restaurant operating without permits for seven years. Fire district administrator Frankie Petrick sent a letter to the city

As COVID-19 cases hit the unvaccinated, Lincoln County Public Health pushes smaller clinics into low-vaccinated areas

July 8, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com TIDEWATER — Shelby Johnson fit perfectly the type of person the Lincoln County Public Health staff was looking for Thursday to get a COVID-19 shot – young, busy, lives in the Tidewater area. Although Lincoln County has one of the highest vaccination rates in Oregon at more than 70 percent, it is lagging in the 18-49

Administrative changes looming for Lincoln County as its top lawyer and “de facto administrator” retires on Friday

July 8, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Wayne Belmont’s last official day as the top lawyer and de facto administrator for Lincoln County is Friday and his departure – delayed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic and wildfires – is creating a ripple effect among county leadership. Belmont joined the county in 1986, soon becoming county counsel and then as the unofficial