Suspect in man’s 2022 disappearance jailed on corpse abuse charge

December 30, 2024

NEWPORT – An apparent suspect in the disappearance of a Newport car dealer three years ago is being held in the Lincoln County jail on $500,000 bail on accusations of abuse of a corpse after investigators dug up his back yard Friday. Jack D. Baird, 60, was arrested after investigators from the Newport Police Department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s office

Lincoln County jobless rate stays at 4.8 percent in November

December 30, 2024

Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 4.8 percent in November, unchanged from October’s rate but half a percentage point higher than the year before and higher than Oregon’s statewide rate of 4.1 percent. The national rate was 4.2 percent in November. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment increased by 30 in November to 18,680 jobs, said regional economist Shaun

County jail inmate died of medical condition, police say

December 30, 2024

NEWPORT – Investigators announced Monday that a 53-year-old Lincoln County jail inmate found dead in his cell Dec. 22 died of natural causes related to a chronic medical condition. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said last week that Steven P. Riley of Lincoln City was found unresponsive in his single-occupant cell about 11:45 a.m. Dec. 22 during routine meal service.

Three other tribes sue to stop approval of Coquille casino in Medford

December 28, 2024

By JUSTIN HIGGINBOTTOM/Jefferson Public Radio The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Karuk Tribe and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior and Biden administration officials to halt approval of the Coquille Indian Tribe’s proposed casino in Medford. The on Dec. 23 complaint alleges a favorable final environmental impact study for

15th annual Yachats New Year’s Day peace hike commemorates native suffering and resilience

December 28, 2024

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews YACHATS — A bedrock local event returns New Year’s Day when the 15th annual Yachats Peace Hike commemorates both the suffering of coastal indigenous people and the resilience of their descendants. Starting at the pavilion behind the Yachats Commons and leading to the Amanda gathering area along the Amanda Trail, the hike highlights the memory of

Investigators work to unravel two shooting deaths, one by police, on remote Five Rivers farm

December 27, 2024

By YACHATSNEWS FIVE RIVERS – A team of police investigators from Lane County is trying to sort out two shooting deaths Thursday night and Friday on a remote farm deep in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. Everett S. Fuller, 55, who lived with his wife and son in one of the several homes on Prindel Creek Farm,

Happy holidays: YachatsNews and its staff are taking a bit of a break until Jan. 3

December 24, 2024

To our readers: YachatsNews is going to take a break from daily news gathering chores from Monday, Dec. 23 until Friday, Jan. 3 to celebrate the holidays and also catch up with some administrative chores, long-range planning and complete some bigger stories. That is, of course, unless a whale washes up on the beach, or a council or

U.S. House fails to reauthorize 20-year-old bipartisan bill to help fund Oregon’s rural schools, communities

December 23, 2024

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Schools in 30 of Oregon’s 36 counties — and schools in other Western states — will receive less federal funding in 2025 after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to reauthorize a 24-year-old bill that typically pays up to $80 million a year for schools and roads in Oregon along with wildfire prevention and conservation work.

Police underage luring stings lead to arrests of two more men

December 22, 2024

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln City Police Department continue to ramp up their child luring stings of local men during online decoy operations this month. Seiji M. Button, 28, of Newport is being held in the Lincoln County jail on $200,000 bail after his arrest Dec. 11 on charges of luring a minor and online sex corruption of

County’s new Lincoln City homeless shelter is now open

December 22, 2024

A second winter overnight homeless shelter operated by Lincoln County opened at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23 in Lincoln City after weeks of renovations needed to make it habitable. The county changed locations for its first shelter in Lincoln City, deciding not to remodel a warehouse-like building it purchased in the Oceanlake area and instead buying a building in a