Colleen Nickerson — Waldport’s expert on area’s history and genealogy — passes away Sept. 24

September 27, 2023

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews WALDPORT — Colleen Nickerson, a longtime Waldport resident, founder and curator of the Waldport Heritage Museum and president of the Alsi Historical and Genealogical Society, died Sept. 24, 2023 after a short illness. She was 82. Born Colleen Ruth Cochran on Nov. 26, 1940, in Twin Falls, Idaho, she moved to Waldport as a teen-ager with

Timber conference in Portland draws industry, investors, climate protestors — and some broken windows

September 27, 2023

Demonstrators began to gather Tuesday evening at the World Forestry Center in Oregon to protest a large timber industry conference called “Who owns the forest?” By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle An annual conference of international timber industry leaders will focus this week in Portland on the ownership and development of Northwest forests while protestors gather and hold their own conference

Yachats bird group expanding its successful swallow nesting program to Lincoln County parks, purple martins

September 27, 2023

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews YACHATS — Since their start two years ago, a group of Yachats bird-lovers have aided hundreds of migrating species with specially constructed nesting boxes. Now, their success has prompted the Lincoln County Parks system to ask for help too. SWIFTY – the acronym for Swallows in Flight to Yachats – recently issued an end-of-season report on

Modern folk-rock band The Sweet Remains will perform one night show Friday in Newport

September 27, 2023

By Oregon Coast TODAY Better act fast, it’s unlikely there will be any tickets left over when The Sweet Remains take to the stage at the Newport Performing Arts Center on Friday, Sept. 29. One of the most sought-after modern folk-rock bands, streamed more than 50 million times on Spotify, The Sweet Remains have a sound that has been

Central Coast Fly Fishers offer two Saturdays of (limited) fly-tying classes

September 27, 2023

If you’re not tied up this weekend, the Central Coast Fly Fishers has just the thing — free fly-tying classes aimed at beginners. The classes are designed for fly anglers who would like to tie their own flies, whether just for the fun of it, or the challenge of learning a new skill. Fly tying also can be an

Kotek will send Oregon state troopers to Portland to help crack down on fentanyl distribution

September 26, 2023

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon State Police plan will send new resources to Portland in a bid to disrupt open air fentanyl dealing that has taken root downtown under a plan unveiled Tuesday by Gov. Tina Kotek. The so-called “strategic enforcement and disruptive initiative” will see state troopers teaming up with Portland police and engaging in high visibility shows

Firefighters wrapping up efforts on two blazes in Siuslaw National Forest

September 26, 2023

Firefighters in the Siuslaw National Forest are wrapping up their work on two fires started by lightning in late August. The agency said Tuesday that the 119-acre Three Buttes fire northeast of Florence has not increased in size in over a week and is 56 percent contained. Since Saturday, the area has received nearly four inches of rain, the agency

Oregon rent increases will be capped at 10 percent in 2024

September 26, 2023

By Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Landlords subject to Oregon’s rent control law can increase rents 10 percent in 2024, the Department of Administrative Services announced Tuesday. That’s the maximum allowed under a new law passed this year that sought to prevent most double-digit rent increases in years of high inflation. A 2019 law capped rent increases at 7 percent

ODFW warns central coast beachgoers to stay away from sick sea lions

September 26, 2023

NEWPORT – Public calls reporting sick or dead sea lions on the coast typically increase in the early fall as male California sea lions leave California breeding grounds and move north along the West Coast in search of food. Each fall, some California sea lions die of leptospirosis on Oregon beaches, according to a news release from the Oregon Department

State rests case in Oregon gun laws trial; judge expected to rule within 60 days but appeals are likely

September 25, 2023

By JONATHAN LEVINSON/Oregon Public Broadcasting A six-day trial over the constitutionality of recently approved Oregon gun laws ended Monday after lawyers for the state Department of Justice ended three days of tense testimony. Witnesses for the state faced direct scrutiny from Harney County Circuit Court Judge Robert Raschio, who will decide if the voter-approved Measure 114 is legal under Oregon