After decades of no self-service gasoline, Oregon Senate passes bill Wednesday to allow drivers a choice

June 21, 2023

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — Oregonians, get pumped. If you’re so inclined. After more than seven decades of banning drivers from pumping their own gas, Oregon lawmakers on Wednesday voted to boldly enter the self-service era — where every state but New Jersey has been waiting. If signed by Gov. Tina Kotek, House Bill 2426 will enable retail

Oregon lawmakers put more than $1 billion toward last-minute budget needs — including three Lincoln County projects

June 20, 2023

Oregon lawmakers on Tuesday added $1.1 billion in state funding to the end-of-session budget bill. By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon lawmakers on Tuesday tucked $1.1 billion into an end-of-session budget bill, a move that pumps last-minute cash into purposes ranging from preparing for natural disasters to helping people seeking citizenship. The proposal, called the “Christmas tree bill”

Police ask for help identifying Heceta Head lighthouse vandals

June 20, 2023

Oregon State Police are seeking the public’s help to identify four people who vandalized portions of the historic Heceta Head lighthouse the night of Wednesday, June 14. The vandalism – spray painting and breaking a window – on the lighthouse building is expected to cost $10,000 to $20,000 to repair, according to Oregon State Parks ranger Burke Martin. The vandalism

Survey focused on rural voices shows Oregonians worry about housing and homelessness

June 20, 2023

BY JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregonians in every county worry about a lack of affordable housing and rising levels of homelessness, and while many said they appreciate the state, some people of color and LGBTQ residents said they felt uncomfortable in their communities, survey data released Tuesday showed. The Oregon Voices survey, a joint project from The Ford Family

Heading to the valley this week? Highway 34 closed at Maltby Creek starting Friday

June 20, 2023

WALDPORT – The repair of a bridge 35 miles east of Waldport on Oregon Highway 34 will disrupt traffic between Philomath and the central Oregon coast much of this week. The Oregon Department of Transportation has hired a contractor to replace the wooden deck of the bridge over Maltby Creek. The work had been delayed for two years because

For victims still recovering from Oregon’s 2020 Labor Day wildfires, millions in legal damages offer some hope

June 20, 2023

Bill Edge lost his home in Gates during the Santiam Canyon Fire in 2020. Now living in the home he rebuilt, he says it doesn’t feel like home anymore. Edge is one of 17 named plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against PacifiCorp for causing some of the 2020 fires. Story by CASSANDRA PROFITA photos by KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF Oregon Public

After years of frustration, the simple idea of “pocket parks” along Ocean View Drive in Yachats finally taking shape

June 19, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews YACHATS – What seemed like a simple idea almost three years ago took root – literally – this weekend when dozens of volunteers painstakenly planted hundreds of native plants in two small “pocket parks” along Ocean View Drive. Members of the city’s Parks & Commons Commission, the Yachats Trails Team and other volunteers spent much of

Waldport council OKs “Good of the City” ordinance changes to allow city manager leeway on some fines, rules

June 19, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews WALDPORT – The Waldport city council has amended an ordinance giving the city manager more leeway – with some reporting and accounting oversight – to waive some fees or fines and pause a time limit on some zoning or permit applications. City manager Dann Cutter said a week does not go by during which someone forgets to

Waldport man already on probation for theft arrested again — for theft

June 18, 2023

WALDPORT – A 38-year-old Waldport man already on probation for thefts in 2022 and 2023 has been arrested again on accusations he stole five gas tanks for boats from Alsea Bay Power Products on June 10. Christopher S. Schwender is charged with four counts of second-degree burglary and theft and one of criminal mischief, according to Lincoln County circuit court

Latest interim Yachats city manager gives his assessment of issues — they’re both troublesome and promising

June 18, 2023

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS — After 10 days on the job, Yachats’ new interim city manager Rick Sant dove headlong into the deep end of the municipal pool with a no holds barred assessment of the city’s state of affairs during last week’s city council meeting. There was no sugar coating or varnishing of opinion as Sant delivered his