Renters in small Waldport apartment complex search for places to live after new owner says they will become vacation rentals

March 16, 2023

By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews WALDPORT – One apartment is occupied by a single mother with a 9-year-old. Another apartment is home to a disabled couple. A married couple with three children lived in the third. They all rely on some sort of rent assistance to live in the modest four-unit apartment building on Southwest Corona Court. The three households shared

Oregon Coast CC pulls $32 million bond off May ballot after it discovers $8 million in state match is no longer available

March 16, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Oregon Coast Community College, which had planned to ask Lincoln County voters in May to approve a $32 million bond to build a trades building, announced Thursday it is pulling the measure off the ballot. Thursday was the deadline for candidates to file for election or local governments to seek money measures in the May 16

Tidewater woman dies Wednesday in head-on crash near Seal Rock

March 16, 2023

SEAL ROCK — A 32-year-old Tidewater woman was killed Wednesday afternoon when her car collided head on with a truck on U.S. Highway 101 south of Seal Rock. Oregon State Police said Ashlee C. Hayden was driving south when her car crossed into the northbound lane and collided with a box truck driven by Victor Loreza, 40, of Salem. Hayden

Killer of former Yachats man sentenced Thursday to at least 23 years in prison

March 16, 2023

The man found guilty last month of killing former Yachats resident Martin “Marty” Baker was sentenced Thursday to 23 years, eight months to life in California prison. A judge in San Diego County Superior Court imposed the punishment on Eugene “Gene” Focarelli, 39, following a jury’s guilty verdict Feb. 1 on charges that included second degree murder. Baker, 49, a

Yachats council authorizes city manager to try to acquire 8-acre property near water treatment plant

March 16, 2023

YACHATS — The Yachats city council has authorized the city manager to pursue acquisition of land next to the water treatment plant. Purchase of the 8-acre parcel on Yachats River Road has been discussed for years. During the council’s March 3 meeting, water treatment plant operator Rick McClung delivered a report on water security that included developing the site as

California crabber sues Pacific Seafood for what he alleges is price fixing on Dungeness crab harvests

March 16, 2023

By ERIC BURKETT/Courthouse News SAN FRANCISCO — An Oregon seafood processor, the country’s largest, faces an antitrust class action over what the lead plaintiff says is an egregious case of price fixing in the West Coast’s increasingly unstable Dungeness crab market. Fisherman Brand Little of Auburn, Calif., filed a putative class action Monday accusing the $945 million company with fixing the

Road show to commemorate Women’s History Month takes the stage Saturday night in Lincoln City

March 16, 2023

By GRETCHEN AMMERMAN/Oregon Coast TODAY All are welcome to celebrate women in music at “She’s Speaking – LIVE,” hitting the road in March to commemorate Women’s History Month. Eight singer-songwriters, backed by a great band, will present this dynamic and joyful new show at the Lincoln City Cultural Center on Saturday, March 18. ” ‘She’s Speaking – LIVE’ celebrates

Artist behind “Portraits in Red” exhibit will discuss the project twice next week

March 16, 2023

NEWPORT — Both beautiful and impactful, the ongoing exhibit “Portraits in Red: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project” features images of 40 victims and activists created by Nayana LaFond, a full time multidisciplinary indigenous artist and activist from Massachusetts. On display at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center through May 7, the exhibit will come to life Thursday, March

DEQ pausing electric vehicle purchase rebates because program is running out of money

March 15, 2023

By OREGON CAPITAL CHRONICLE A cash rebate program rewarding purchasers of electric vehicles is running out of money and will temporarily be suspended after April 30, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday. The department advised residents to apply for a rebate by then. If the program runs out of money before April 30, people who apply for a

Oregon House passes $200 million for housing and homelessness Wednesday, calls it a start

March 15, 2023

Jean Hendron has set up a makeshift tent across the street from the Oregon Capitol, trying to catch the attention of lawmakers to talk about the human toll of homelessness. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle) By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon is on track to spend $200 million to help homeless residents move into houses, give people who