Three Oregon congressional members ask feds for more comment time on offshore wind energy sites

March 14, 2024

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Three of Oregon’s congressional members are pushing the federal government to extend the comment period on two proposed wind power projects off the southern Oregon Coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced last month it was moving forward with plans for offshore wind power installations off Coos Bay and Brookings. As a first step,

Arts council nears completion of years-long fundraising with offer to put your name in Newport center

March 14, 2024

By Oregon Coast TODAY As the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts nears completion of its ambitious capital campaign to renovate the Newport Performing Arts Center, the group is inviting the public to help outfit new backstage spaces — and even add their own names to this beloved community building. When the “Entertain the Future!” a campaign to expand

Looking for indoor activities for children? Three museums offer more kid-friendly displays

March 14, 2024

By GRETCHEN AMMERMAN/Oregon Coast TODAY Ironically, there were clear skies and mild temperatures the day I took my niece to explore some of the available options for keeping kids entertained on rainy days in the most central part of the central Oregon coast. In the past year, local museums have been lowering their standards, so to speak, to install

Wandering Pacific gray whale first seen off Florida coast in December now spotted in New England

March 14, 2024

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews A Pacific gray whale spotted off the coast of Miami in December has apparently made its way north to Massachusetts, where it continues generating headlines and stunned scientific reaction. Gray whales, after all, belong in the Pacific Ocean, where thousands make twice-annual trips to feeding and calving grounds off Alaska and Mexico, respectively. Where they aren’t

Deputies arrest man on charges of killing his mother in Siletz

March 13, 2024

SILETZ — A man accused of killing his mom Tuesday in Siletz told officials he did it because he thought she was a vampire, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday in Lincoln County circuit court. Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Robert B. Poe, 56, just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home on East Logsden Road in the

Oregon Coast CC announces community education class offerings

March 13, 2024

Oregon Coast Community College has released its lineup of community education classes for Spring term beginning this month and going through June. The schedule features more than 50 classes and workshops, including a first-time workshop series from Yakona Nature Preserve and the Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District. Also on the schedule – for only the second time in 10

Oregon Marine Reserves program gets boost by Legislature

March 13, 2024

To the editor: Ocean water in the Pacific Northwest has historically been pretty cold. Countless species, such as Dungeness crab and rockfish, have adapted and become accustomed to this in their native ecosystems. However, as the ever-present impacts of climate change continue to threaten natural spaces, oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) and ocean acidification are now things that these critters have to

Lincoln County sees slight increase in unemployment rate

March 13, 2024

For the first time since the pandemic ended, Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased – although only slightly – in January. The Oregon Employment Department reported that the county’s unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in January, nearly the same as the 4.1 percent rate in December. The unemployment rate a year earlier was 5.9 percent. Oregon’s unemployment rate was

Sheriff’s detectives investigating suspected homicide in Siletz

March 13, 2024

On March 12, at 9:27 p.m. the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 400 block of E. Logsden Road in Siletz on a report of a man stating his mother was deceased. Deputies arrived in the area and located a deceased elderly female near a motor vehicle who had injuries consistent with homicidal violence. Deputies detained the man who

5 Questions and a Secret: Mary Nulty, volunteer historian (and sleuth) at Heceta Lightstation Keeper’s House

March 13, 2024

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews Perhaps the most spectacular pullout on U.S. Highway 101 is just north of Sea Lion Caves, between Yachats and Florence. In addition to the stunning coastline, the star of the show is the Heceta Head Lighthouse Station, which features not only the lighthouse, but also the lighthouse keeper’s home. Mary Nulty is one of 12 volunteer