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

Man and woman rescued from Alsea Bay during storm Thursday

January 5, 2023

WALDPORT – A man and woman were rescued from Alsea Bay by Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue crews Thursday afternoon after their foot-powered paddle craft capsized about 3:30 p.m. in a heavy wind and rain storm. The couple’s identity was not released by COCF&R, but Chief Jamie Mason said they were staying at McKinley’s Marina and RV Park. The

Miller sworn in Tuesday as new Lincoln County commissioner

January 5, 2023

NEWPORT — Casey Miller, Lincoln County’s former public information officer, was sworn in Tuesday as the county’s newest commissioner. Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Sheryl Bachart administered the oath of office to several officials elected in November, including Miller, incumbent commissioner Kaety Jacobson, first-time county clerk Amy Southwell and returning treasurer Jayne Welch. Miller earned a plurality in his

Oregon faces sustained and novel risks and opportunities as climate changes, new assessment shows

January 5, 2023

BY MICHELLE KLAMPE/OSU News Service CORVALLIS – Oregon continues to face new and enduring hazards related to climate change, but opportunities for adaptation and mitigation are also expanding, the latest assessment released Wednesday by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute indicates. “In general, the qualitative climate projections haven’t changed appreciably,” said Erica Fleishman, director of the institute, which is housed

Trial for man accused of killing former Yachats resident scheduled Jan. 23

January 5, 2023

The man charged in the beating death of former Yachats resident Martin Baker is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 23 in California. Eugene Focarelli, 39, is facing first-degree murder and other charges in connection with an assault in February 2021 of Baker, a formerly homeless man who found shelter and friendship through Yachats Community Presbyterian Church. Baker died a

Two Lincoln County lawmakers receive assignments for 2023 Legislature

January 5, 2023

SALEM – The two lawmakers who represent Lincoln County in the Oregon Legislature have received their committee assignments for the 2023 session, which begins Monday. Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, has been appointed to the budget-writing Joint House-Senate Committee on Ways & Means and it’s natural resources subcommittee. He is also vice chair of the Ways & Means subcommittee on