After Supreme Court ruling Friday, governors of Oregon, Washington and California pledge to maintain access to abortions

June 24, 2022

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington on Friday pledged to maintain access to abortions and other reproductive health care following the U.S. Supreme Court decision radically revising the Roe v. Wade ruling. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the 6-3 decision handed down Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs

Developers of proposed motel say they will re-think plans after Yachats commission unanimously rejects conditional use permit

June 23, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com YACHATS – In the end, there were too many unresolved issues. Some 11 months after an original application and eight months after a previously scheduled hearing, the Yachats Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday evening to turn down a conditional use permit to allow a hotly debated motel project along Yachats Ocean Road. There was little debate

Doug Sestrich and fellow Oregon coast beach rangers are “eyes and ears and the boots on the ground” for Oregon State Parks

June 23, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Doug Sestrich’s job often depends on the ocean’s tide — and sometimes the weather. Two or three days a week, he drives miles of shoreline from Yaquina Bay to Carl Washburne State Park in an Oregon State Parks off-road vehicle looking for everything from trash, to snowy plovers to illegal activity. “My goal is to be

Skyrocking cost to rebuild 540 foot section of East Second Street in Yachats puts project on hold — again

June 23, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com YACHATS – It’s back to the drawing board for a long-awaiting project to rebuild a 540-foot long portion of East Second Street. The project, which has been advocated by neighbors along the steep narrow city street for years, has been delayed again because construction bids came in 62 percent higher than expected. The main impetus for

Oregon starts sending $600 checks to 136,000 low-income taxpayers

June 23, 2022

By Oregon Capital Chronicle More than 236,000 Oregon families will each start receiving a $600 payment this week under a new state law that aimed to aid low-income workers. Direct deposits or paper checks are going to people who lived in Oregon for the last six months of 2020 and claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break for low-income

Lincoln County commissioners ask feds to slow and broaden wind energy plans

June 23, 2022

NEWPORT — Lincoln County commissioners have joined a growing number of public and private groups in asking the federal government to either slow or augment plans to build wind-energy farms off the Oregon coast. The three-member board unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday that makes several specific requests, including one calling for “a robust, scientifically driven” planning process that includes commercial

Many health insurers are not following Oregon law requiring free reproductive health care, new state audit says

June 23, 2022

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon’s governor, lawmakers and state agency officials have often touted the state’s reproductive rights law as one of the most comprehensive and equitable in the country. But there’s a problem: Many insurers providing coverage to more than 1 million Oregonians are not following the regulations. That is one of the findings of an

Lincoln County unemployment rate finally drops below 5 percent

June 23, 2022

Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate finally dipped below 5 percent in May — inching down to 4.9 percent, according to the Oregon Employment Department. The county’s unemployment rate was 5 percent in April and 7.3 percent in May 2021. The county’s rate is still much higher than the Oregon and national unemployment rates in May, which were 3.6 percent.

Lincoln County commissioners will hold special meeting next week to appoint one COCF&R board member

June 23, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com WALDPORT – Eight people have expressed interest in being appointed by Lincoln County commissioners to an open seat on the troubled Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue board — a selection that will have to be made in a special meeting next week because a recalled fire board member refuses to resign. To be considered for

Oregon State Police/Newport activity log for June 17-23

June 22, 2022

OREGON STATE POLICE DAILY MEDIA/DESK LOG SP22149010 06/17/2022 23:53 Officer #61660 KANBARA, MITCHELL DUII – Alcohol Location SE 48TH PL and 101, LINCOLN CITY Narrative Summary On 6/17/22 a silver Nissan Altima was stopped for a traffic violation on US 101 near milepost 117 in Lincoln City. After an investigation the driver was arrested for DUII. The driver was taken to the Lincoln City