Aboard the Bell M. Shimada: Scientists try unraveling mysteries of the Pacific to aid salmon and understand marine life

June 28, 2022

First of three parts. Tuesday, July 5: Watching for whales By COURTNEY FLATT/Northwest Public Broadcasting NEWPORT — At least twice a year, a team of scientists on the research vessel Bell M. Shimada survey waters along the Washington and Oregon coast. Near the edge of the coastal shelf, off the shore of Grays Harbor, Wash., a 10-foot-long net the

Julie Elizabeth Davies

June 27, 2022

Julie Elizabeth Davies Julie Elizabeth “Jooge” Davies of Yachats left this earth free from pain on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 with her son, Daniel Orange, by her side to comfort her. She was 61. Julie was very special to anyone that crossed her path. She was born with the gift of writing and loved singing and creating masterpieces of

Supreme Court’s ruling on abortions will have little immediate impact in Oregon, except to create influx of patients

June 27, 2022

By JULIA SHUMWAY and LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a nearly 50-year-old right to abortion has little immediate impact in Oregon, where the state Constitution guarantees reproductive rights, including free abortions, that aren’t touched by the ruling. Still, the landmark decision issued Friday in Washington, D.C., will affect Oregon. Reproductive health care providers have

Northwest electric utilities — including Central Lincoln — begin to push back on Snake River dam removal ideas

June 27, 2022

By HAL BERNTON/The Seattle Times Northwest power utilities have poured more than $2 million into a public relations campaign to convince the region’s residents that breaching four hydropower dams on the Lower Snake River is a bad idea. Dam proponents are concerned they have not done enough to counteract other campaigns by environmentalists, tribes and salmon advocates making the case

Yachats physician dismayed at Supreme Court’s abortion ruling

June 27, 2022

To the editor, As a practicing physician I am dismayed at the assault on healthcare and privacy by a far-right religious minority intent on imposing its own narrow views. This is largely from white, Christian, bigoted males with no medical training. They try to be more extreme than each other to win the next primary, with selfish disregard for human

Oregon health officials now rely on wastewater testing to get a better picture of Covid spread

June 27, 2022

By AMELIA TEMPLETON/Oregon Public Broadcasting Last month, a new COVID-19 variant from the omicron family spread across Oregon, causing a seventh wave of infections. On paper, this seventh wave hasn’t looked particularly impressive, peaking in late May at about 1,500 new cases reported per day. But data from sewage samples collected at wastewater treatment plants across the state suggests that

Oregon tribe and ODFW agree to historic management agreement to help save salmon in Coquille River watershed

June 27, 2022

By CHRIS AADLAND/‍Underscore News and Indian Country Today An Oregon tribe and state leaders have agreed to co-manage fish and wildlife across a large swath of southwest Oregon, in what they say is a monumental arrangement and the first of potentially more comprehensive management partnerships between the state’s wildlife agency and tribal nations. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on June 17 unanimously agreed

Report on Lincoln County income shows it keeping up with increases across Oregon, but remains far behind state’s overall wages

June 27, 2022

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com A new state economic report provides both good and bad news for Lincoln County, as well as four other northwest Oregon coastal counties. The upside of the report, compiled by regional economist Erik Knoder of the Oregon Employment Department, is that average wages in Lincoln County increased nearly 50 percent from 2011 through 2021. That figure

Planned Parenthood of Oregon says it will increase staffing in eastern Oregon clinics following Supreme Court ruling

June 26, 2022

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Planned Parenthood is increasing staff at Oregon clinics, boosting telemedicine programs across the state and opening a clinic in Ontario in eastern Oregon, the organization has announced. Anne Udall, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette in Portland, said the measures respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn Roe V.

Central Lincoln PUD manager warns customers of supply chain issues

June 26, 2022

To the editor: Like utilities nationwide, Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District is being greatly challenged by supply chain delays, material shortages, and massive cost increases for delivered materials. Demand for electrical supplies is robust, while transportation bottlenecks and raw material constraints are causing us significant concern over our ability to meet construction timelines. As we address these issues, Central Lincoln