Two Port of Alsea incumbents fend off challengers critical of port operations; Seal Rock fire levy passes

May 16, 2023

Voters in the sprawling Port of Alsea district kept the current five-member board intact Tuesday, re-electing two commissioners to office over two challengers who had been highly critical of operations and its manager. With 97 percent of ballots counted countywide as of Wednesday evening, Port of Alsea commission chair Rob Bishop of Waldport, who has been on the board since

Siletz woman and son fined and sentenced for killing two bear cubs last October

May 16, 2023

By the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife SILETZ — Poachers who shot two bear cubs near Siletz last October must pay $15,000 in damages, lost hunting privileges for three years and will be on bench probation for 60 months, according to Lincoln County Court documents. Gail F. Freer, 52, and her son, Corey D. Loving II, 29, both of

Lincoln City residents help police catch and subdue graffiti vandals Monday

May 16, 2023

Downloadable file: Graffiti_Spree_Photo.jpg On Monday, May 15, 2023, at about 6:10 PM, LCPD Officers were dispatched to Lock & Key Adventurer’s Guild, located at 3026 NE Highway 101 on a reported graffiti call that turned into a physical disturbance. As officers were responding, updated information was that victims had chased the suspect to the area behind Starbucks where a physical altercation

YachatsNews hires Garret Jaros as its new full-time reporter

May 16, 2023

Garret Jaros, who has worked at and written for a wide variety of newspapers in Oregon and Colorado, is YachatsNews’ newest full-time reporter Jaros replaces Kenneth Lipp, who left April 21 to become the public information officer for Lincoln County. Jaros comes to Yachats from the Durango (Colo.) Herald. Jaros grew up in Eugene, attended the University of Montana and

Curry County’s computer system ‘starting from scratch’ after ransomware attack

May 15, 2023

By JANE VAUGHN/Jefferson Public Radio Curry County in southern Oregon is struggling to function after a ransomware attack left it unable to access any of its digital information including any of its online files and email. “Everything that relates to county operations that was online is now gone. So our computers have to be completely wiped clean, and everything’s got

Republican-led walkout creates gridlock in Oregon Legislature as three senators hit 10 unexcused absences

May 15, 2023

The Oregon Senate meets on Monday, May 15, 2023, and fails to reach a quorum needed to conduct business for the 10th day of the GOP-led walkout. By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The state Senate impasse deepened on Monday with no Republicans showing up and three senators who’ve participated in the GOP-led walkout now banned from serving new

Alsea River brush fire on record hot day leads ODFW to suspend cormorant hazing contract with fishing group

May 15, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews WALDPORT – The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife on Monday suspended its contract with a Waldport-area fishing group after one of its members set off a brush fire Sunday evening while hazing double-crested cormorants during a day of record-high temperatures. The fire four miles up the Alsea River took place in a grass field across

With just a few tweaks, Yachats budget committee sends recommended 2023-24 spending plan to city council

May 14, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews YACHATS – Yachats’ Budget Committee has finished its work on the city’s proposed spending plans for fiscal 2023-24, making few changes but foreshadowing a few potential city council decisions in June. The budget committee – made up of five residents and five council members – spent nearly seven hours over two afternoons painstakeningly going over the

Just south of the Oregon border, the old lumber port of Eureka preps for new life as an offshore West Coast wind hub

May 14, 2023

By EDVARD PETTERSSON/Courthouse News Service EUREKA, Calif. — Eureka’s halcyon days as the timber capital of California are long gone, but the deepwater port city 100 miles south of the Oregon border may see its fortunes turn as the hub of the state’s first foray in offshore wind energy. Located on Humboldt Bay at a particularly windy corner of the

Plaintiffs in class action lawsuit against PacifiCorp blame executives for Oregon wildfire inaction

May 13, 2023

By ANTONIA SIERRA/Oregon Public Broadcasting The lawyers representing a group of Oregonians suing PacifiCorp are fighting a battle on two fronts. The first is at the ongoing trial at the Multnomah County Courthouse: 17 named plaintiffs representing residents from across Western Oregon are suing the parent company of Pacific Power for its alleged role in the 2020 Labor Day fires.