A new era starts in the Oregon Legislature as lawmakers re-elect House speaker, choose a new Senate president and welcome legislators

January 9, 2023

Sen. Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, is the new president of the Oregon Senate. By BEN BOTKINand JULUA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Monday marked the start of a new era in the Oregon statehouse, as lawmakers elected a new Senate president and witnessed the inauguration of Gov. Tina Kotek. In about five hours, lawmakers set the framework for the 2023

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek sworn into office Tuesday with a promise to ‘make things better’

January 9, 2023

Tina Kotek (center) was sworn in as Oregon governor at the state capitol building in Salem, on Mon., Jan. 9, 2022. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian, pool) BY JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — As she took office as governor Monday, Tina Kotek promised to wake up every day with a mission: to take on Oregon’s biggest challenges and make things better.

Owner of embattled wrecking yard sues city of Waldport for $2.35 million, claiming it interfered with his business

January 9, 2023

By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews The owner of a Waldport wrecking yard who has been fighting with the city of Waldport for a year over its operations and cleanup, has filed a lawsuit against the city seeking $2.35 million in damages. Richard Fidlin of Waldport claims city officials used false allegations of nuisance and environmental violations to prevent him from developing

Wages rose 8.7 percent in Lincoln County during 2021, says new state report

January 9, 2023

The coronavirus pandemic apparently helped wages in Lincoln County increase much more than the rest of Oregon in 2021, according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department. That’s the good news. The bad news? Inflation in 2021 and 2022 will eat up much of that increase. The new report by regional economist Erik Knoder covers wages for workers

Merkley schedules town hall meeting Saturday in Lincoln City

January 9, 2023

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. has scheduled an in-person town hall for Saturday morning in Lincoln City as part of his first round of community meetings halls in 2023. Merkley plans to hold a town hall for each of Oregon’s 36 counties. The Lincoln County meeting is at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at Taft High School, 3780 S.E. Spy Glass Ridge Drive, Lincoln City.

Lincoln County commissioners take up vacation rental limits Wednesday

January 7, 2023

NEWPORT – The Lincoln County commission’s discussion Wednesday on vacation rental rules will focus entirely on the question of license caps in unincorporated areas. As commissioners enter their fourth year of work on vacation rental regulations, they’re tackling the most controversial aspect — whether and how much to limit the number of licenses according to area. Commissioners adopted their own

Watch your mail box! Oregon Treasurer will begin sending checks to people with unclaimed funds

January 6, 2023

The state Treasury will begin sending checks to current and former Oregonians with unclaimed property. (Getty Images) By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Keep an eye on your mailbox, Oregon – the state Treasury is planning to send checks of up to $10,000 to people with unclaimed paychecks, security deposits, tax refunds or other unclaimed property. Treasurer Tobias Read

Yachats city council holds first in-person meeting in two years, swears in mayor and councilor and hears from attorney

January 5, 2023

By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews YACHATS – In its first meetings of the new year — and the last return to in-person meetings for any public agency in Lincoln County — Yachats City Council got a 90-minute crash-course on the legalities of elected office and swore in a new mayor and councilor. Ross Williams of Eugene, the city’s contracted attorney, led

Oregon finally announces Jan. 15 opening of Dungeness crab season, but many commercial fishers say the damage has already been done

January 5, 2023

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery, after passing a new round of testing, will open Sunday, Jan. 15 from Manzanita to south of Coos Bay, state regulators announced Friday. The season will open Feb. 1 from Cape Falcon, which is near Manzanita, north to the state of Washington, in accordance with testing protocols established by an agency

Newport enacts one of state’s toughest ordinances on “to-go” food containers, but many restaurants have already adjusted

January 5, 2023

By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews To-go food is changing in Newport. Taking home that leftover salad from the cafe or burrito from the drive-through could look a lot different now for diners at Newport’s restaurants as the city enacts one of Oregon’s strictest bans on single-use plastic food containers. More coastal cities could be next. For many restaurants, the ordinance is