Kotek calls special legislature session Dec. 12 to cover Oregon’s summer firefighting costs

November 26, 2024

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle The 2024 fire season cost Oregon emergency response agencies nearly $350 million, and the state leaders are struggling to find a way to cover outstanding bills. Gov. Tina Kotek announced Tuesday following reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting that she’ll call a special session of the Legislature on Dec. 12 to appropriate at least $218 million from the state’s general

News Release: Lincoln County grand jury finds 3 Lincoln City officers justified in Oct. 19 shooting

November 26, 2024

NEWS RELEASE Date/Time of Release: Monday, November 25, 2024 From: Jenna Wallace, District Attorney Details: Officer Involved Shooting October 19, 2024 On November 19, 2024, a Lincoln County Grand Jury found that Lincoln City Police Officers Cody Snidow, Jaylan King and Joshua Lane were each justified in their use of deadly physical force against Francisco Campos, 36, on October 19,

Latest count of gray whale calves along West Coast shows them at a near-record low, NOAA researchers report

November 25, 2024

By NOAA News Service The number of gray whale calves migrating with their mothers along the West Coast this year was one of the lowest on record, NOAA Fisheries researchers have found, but the overall whale population is still recovering after a die-off between 2018 and 2023. Although the eastern North Pacific gray whale population that migrates annually along the West

Churches, Legion Post, tavern all pitch in to offer free, community Thanksgiving meals beginning Wednesday

November 25, 2024

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews How many people are you serving for Thanksgiving dinner? Four, six or 12? Ralph and Wanda Janes oversee the free, community Thanksgiving meal at the American Legion Post 116 in Newport and expect to serve 300 to 400. The Legion is one of several organizations around Lincoln County offering free Thanksgiving meals Wednesday and Thursday. Providing

Florence man killed Saturday night attempting to cross Highway 101

November 24, 2024

FLORENCE – A 40-year-old Florence man was killed Saturday night when he tried to cross U.S. Highway 101 a mile south of the city and was struck by an SUV, Oregon State Police said Sunday. Police said Garrick Wall was wearing dark-colored clothes and walking south in the northbound shoulder of the highway when he attempted to cross an unlighted

Oregon tribes prepare for upheaval after feds OK off-reservation casino in Minnesota, and likely one in Medford

November 24, 2024

By NIGEL JAQUISS/Willamette Week On Nov. 8, three days after Democrats lost the White House, President Joe Biden’s administration approved an off-reservation casino in Minnesota. Leaders of two Oregon tribes greeted that decision with dismay – saying it could radically alter the landscape for gambling in Oregon, on reservations and off. That’s because the Biden administration is also considering a

State parks buys 32 acres in Beaver Creek natural area

November 24, 2024

The Oregon Parks & Recreation Commission voted last week to buy a 32-acre property to add to its Beaver Creek natural area in Brian Booth State Park north of Seal Rock. The purchase price is $357,000. The property, owned by Barbara Wichman, consists of a section of South Beaver Creek, about 13 acres of wetlands and upland forests. There

Amazon wants nuclear reactors to power its Eastern Oregon data centers. Here’s why

November 24, 2024

By ANTONIA SIERRA/Oregon Public Broadcasting Amazon is betting heavily on nuclear energy. In October, the e-commerce and tech giant announced it was investing in nuclear technology to sustain its growing data business, Amazon Web Services. The corporation’s effort includes a project in the Tri-Cities region of southeast Washington, but its intended target is its extensive operations in Eastern Oregon. Amazon

Oregon congresswoman who lost re-election bid nominated by Trump for Labor secretary

November 23, 2024

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who cultivated a closer relationship with some labor unions than most Republicans and narrowly lost her bid for a second term in Congress earlier this month, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Labor Department. Trump on Friday praised Chavez-DeRemer, the daughter of a Teamster who sought

Lincoln County jobless rate rises to 4.8 percent in October

November 23, 2024

Led by the seasonal loss in tourist-related jobs, Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up to 4.8 percent in October, nearly a full percentage point higher than the statewide average The statewide unemployment rate was 4 percent in October; the national rate was 4.1 percent. A year earlier, the county’s unemployment rate was 4.3 percent. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll