Yachats area gets only a little rain in July, but water supply in very good shape

August 1, 2022

YACHATS – It rained just a tiny bit in July – as usual – but prodigious spring rains has the city’s water supply in very good shape for the driest months of the year. Rain measured by six local weather watchers ranged from .01 inches to .29 inches in July. But the flow of the Yachats River, which does not

Tidewater man dies Saturday after car crash near Mapleton

August 1, 2022

A 24-year-old Tidewater man died Saturday at a Lane County hospital following a two-vehicle crash Thursday on Oregon Highway 126 near Mapleton. Oregon State Police said that Timothy Cooper died of his injuries Saturday at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield. State police said the accident occurred about 3:55 p.m. Thursday when Cooper’s car rear-ended a westbound pickup truck as

Team of scientists, including one from OSU, says breaching Lower Snake River dams would aid salmon recovery

August 1, 2022

By SEAN NEALON/OSU News Service CORVALLIS – A team of scientists, including one from Oregon State University, concluded in a recent paper that breaching four dams in the Lower Snake River Basin in Washington provides the best and only reasonable opportunity to promote recovery of key fish species, including salmon and steelhead. The paper, published in the journal Water Biology

New state audit outlines myriad problems of Oregon Employment Department before and during pandemic

August 1, 2022

A job center in North Portland run by the Oregon Employment Department. An audit from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office details OED’s numerous problems as it struggled to keep up with historic numbers of jobless claims during the pandemic. By KATE DAVIDSON/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon’s unemployment insurance system experienced a litany of problems during the pandemic, a new audit

Mystery group — likely from Georgia — sending anti-Democrat mailers to Oregon voters but hasn’t filed state reports

August 1, 2022

Oregon voters received mailers like this one shared by a source that attack legislative Democrats. (Submitted) By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Earlier this month, some Oregon voters began receiving glossy mailers blaming Gov. Kate Brown and the “Democrat-controlled state Legislature” for “soaring gas prices” and the “out-of-control cost of living.” A website with two short videos claiming policies passed by legislative Democrats

Fall Chinook fishing expected to be good on central Oregon coast bays and rivers — and could include short coho seasons

August 1, 2022

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Anglers on the central Oregon coast may be in for “good to very good” fishing Monday when coastal bays and streams open for salmon fishing. While river systems on the north and south coasts undergo some closures or restrictions, the three streams that make up the bulk of salmon fishing in Lincoln County are expected to

Oregon’s electric utilities submit final plans to prevent wildfires, shutoffs as season ramps up

August 1, 2022

Oregon’s electric utilities submitted first-ever plans for mitigating wildfire risks and protecting public safety. (Flickr) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Nearly all of Oregon’s 41 electric utilities have submitted their final plans to the state for preventing wildfires and managing shutoffs, according to the Public Utilities Commission. Most were submitted this month as the beginning of Oregon’s wildfire season

Unusual three-way race for Oregon governor is already generating a pile of campaign cash

August 1, 2022

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau A $100,000 check from a longtime conservative Oregon political donor to Republican Christine Drazan. One for $100,000 to Betsy Johnson’s insurgent campaign from a construction industry group. Two liberal political action campaigns top off at the same level in their total giving to Democrat Tina Kotek. The top candidates for governor continue to pile