Oregon has plenty of vaccine to give second boosters to elderly, immunocompromised, health officials say

March 30, 2022

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Health Authority said Wednesday that the state has enough vaccine doses to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents who now qualify for a second Covid booster shot. On Tuesday, federal officials approved a second booster for those at least 50 years old or residents between 12 and 49 who are immunocompromised. Federal approval

Lincoln County’s unemployment rate continues slow decline — but still above state average

March 30, 2022

Lincoln County’s monthly unemployment rate continues to tick down slowly – but still remains higher than Oregon’s or the national rates. The Oregon Employment Department reported this week that the county’s unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in February, down slightly from January’s rate of 5.3 percent. Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in February 2021. The statewide

Richard Allen Hess

March 30, 2022

Richard Allen Hess April 19, 1946 – March 12, 2022 Richard Allen Hess was born April 19, 1946 in Long Beach, Calif. to Ralph and Martha Hess. With brothers Roger and Thomas, he helped with the family grocery business while growing up and through high school. In 1967 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and specialized in data processing on

Newport fisherman and crew member from Depoe Bay perish when boat sinks Friday

March 30, 2022

FLORENCE – A well-known commercial fisherman from Newport is missing and presumed drowned and his lone crew member is dead after his White Swan III fishing vessel sank late Friday 35 miles west of Florence. Mike Morgan, 68, who was a well-known tuna and salmon fisherman and charter captain, died in the accident. A memorial service is 1 p.m. Friday

Alsea Elementary School principal sues district for $3.7 million, alleging harassment by former superintendent

March 30, 2022

By the Albany Democrat-Herald and Eugene Register-Guard CORVALLIS — Marc Thielman, Republican candidate for Oregon governor and former superintendent of the Alsea School District, ran the organization like a “boys club,” treating women unequally and subjecting them to sexual harassment, according to a lawsuit by the district’s elementary school principal. Alsea Elementary School Principal Shannon Rice is seeking more than

Yachats church thinks we all need to be a bit nicer, so it organizes “Spread Kindness Month” starting Sunday

March 30, 2022

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com YACHATS – Leaders at Yachats Community Presbyterian Church think we could all use a dose of kindness in April. “We’ve become so polarized as a nation, so ‘Us vs. Them’, that this campaign offers a way to meet in the middle,” said church Pastor Bob Barrett. “Kindness is contagious, and we need more of it now.”

Are modular apartment buildings a partial solution for workforce housing? Medford project may be a test case

March 29, 2022

By JULIET GRABLE/Jefferson Public Radio In the fall of 2020, just after the Almeda Fire had devastated the Rogue Valley, Tom Cody traveled through the burn zone. Driving along Highway 99, he witnessed block after block of destruction — homes, businesses, apartments, and RV parks reduced to ash and rubble. Cody, founder and managing partner at Project^, a Portland-based real

Oregon will no longer require people to be residents to use assisted suicide law

March 29, 2022

By The Associated Press Oregon will no longer require people to be residents of the state to use its law allowing terminally ill people to receive lethal medication, after a lawsuit challenged the requirement as unconstitutional. In a settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing

Estuary expert will speak at April session of watershed council

March 29, 2022

The April “community” meeting of the MidCoast Watersheds Council will feature a presentation on the past and future of the Yaquina Bay estuary. The online meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7 via Zoom. Registration is required via this Zoom link. “We will travel through time so you can visualize the estuary’s past, how it has changed, and its potential

Yachats’ La de da is set for Monday, July 4 as other organizations begin to plan their holiday events

March 29, 2022

YACHATS — Well, the big events are now set for Yachats’ Fourth of July celebration so now the rest of the three-day weekend needs filling in. The Yachats Chamber of Commerce announced this week that the La de da Parade will kick off at noon Monday, July 4. The chamber had been debating the best day to hold