New Oregon Covid-19 forecast expects infections to increase as new version of omicron spreads

March 28, 2022

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau An upswing in COVID-19 cases in Oregon is expected to hit in the coming weeks, driven by infections of the hyper-contagious BA.2 version of the omicron variant, according to a new state report. The forecast from the Oregon Health & Science University shows a much lower peak for the new wave of cases, topping

Interested in starting a child care business? OCCC program resumes April 6

March 28, 2022

NEWPORT – If the Lincoln County economy is to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s going to need more childcare providers to help take care of kids while their parents are working. Oregon Coast Community College’s small business development center, with support from Northwest Oregon Works, launched its first four-part workshop for new child care businesses in October 2021. The

After years picking trash along Highway 101 and in Florence, man on a mission turns his attention to Highway 126

March 28, 2022

LOUIS KRAUSS/Eugene Register-Guard FLORENCE — Take a drive from on Highway 126 east out of Florence and you’ll see something strange — trash bags tied to the metal reflector posts, hundreds of them, spray-painted with distressed, cartoony faces. Some of the faces look anguished, others enraged and some of the bags are just emblazoned with the word “care.” On

OSU’s Marine Science Day returns online Saturday, April 9

March 27, 2022

NEWPORT – The annual Marine Science Day sponsored by the Hatfield Marine Science Center is returning – virtually – from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9. This year’s theme is “Local Research, Global Impact.” The free event is open to the public and no registration is required. The event can be accessed online. The Marine Science Day site

Oregon Coast CC board seeks applicants for open position

March 26, 2022

NEWPORT — The governing board for the Oregon Coast Community College is seeking applicants to fill a vacant position by the resignation of Cliff Ryer of Seal Rock. Ryer was first elected to the board in May 2015, re-elected in 2019 and resigned March 16. The college board is elected or appointed by zone. The vacant zone 6 position includes

Get ready for a bigger and better Waldport Beachcomber Days June 17-19

March 26, 2022

To the editor: The 66th Waldport Beachcomber Days “Sea of Dreams” is just around the corner. This year’s event is June 17-19 and promises to be a fun-filled family-centered celebration lots of activities for all ages, including a two-day timber show. Anyone can join the fun by entering in the parade, vendor fair or by participating in the car or

Did Central Oregon Coast fire board back off firing their chief last week? In public meeting, two Seal Rock board members say yes

March 24, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH and JORDAN ESSOE/YachatsNews.com Two members of the Seal Rock Fire District board last week said their counterparts on the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue board intended to dismiss Chief Jamie Mason when they met in a closed meeting the night before, but then backed off that decision. The comments in a public board meeting Thursday,

Fleets of lighted boats return to chase “market” squid off the central Oregon coast as fishery adapts to changing ocean

March 24, 2022

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com and NICHOLAS TURNER/The Seattle Times Those brightly lit boats working just off offshore can mean only one thing – market squid have just returned to Oregon’s coastal waters. The lights, used for night fishing, transfix the small, fist-sized squid, which are then rounded up in nets. The commercial viability of the market squid fishery, which has

For the first time in more than a year, Yachats city hall was fully staffed this week as new workers learn and train

March 24, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com YACHATS – For the first time in more than a year, Yachats city hall was fully staffed this week. Although the office will remain closed to the public until April 4, this week a receptionist was answering the phones and sorting emails and the planner was planning. A new events coordinator was getting familiar with the

Longtime Oregon women’s writing nonprofit honors Newport author and publisher for her decades of work

March 23, 2022

A Newport author, poet and founder of the Nye Beach Writer’s Series has been honored with the 2022 Soapstone Bread and Roses Award for her decades or work helping sustain Oregon’s writing community. Carla Perry, a former Yachats resident, was selected for the annual award by Soapstone, a 30-year-old Oregon nonprofit that supports women writers. Soapstone said it selected