Minimum wage in Lincoln County increases to $15.05 per hour Tuesday

June 30, 2025

Oregon’s minimum wage rises by 35 cents an hour Tuesday, with Lincoln County’s increasing to $15.05 per hour. The state raises the minimum wage each July 1. This year’s standard increase is 2.4 percent — the smallest since 2015. That was the year before the Oregon Legislature approved seven annual increases in the minimum wage and mandated further increases

July 4 fireworks on Washington’s ocean beaches ignite debate over tradition, tourism and damage

June 30, 2025

By GREGORY SCRUGGS/Seattle Times LONG BEACH, Wash. — Like the opening salvo of the First Gulf War. That’s how Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright describes the annual Independence Day scene that plays out on the beach in front of this Pacific County seaside town. Tens of thousands of Northwesterners descend on the Long Beach Peninsula annually because the public can

Central Lincoln PUD will break ground this fall on new $26.5 million Newport headquarters building

June 30, 2025

By QUINTON SMITH/Lincoln Chronicle NEWPORT – Central Lincoln People’s Utility District has signed contracts to design and construct a new $26.5 million headquarters building adjacent to its current office along U.S. Highway 101. Recent decisions by the utility’s board to award architect, engineering and construction manager/general contractor contracts ends a nearly nine-year process to replace its 44-year-old headquarters. The

Lincoln City tourism agency awards $76,511 in grants to six groups

June 29, 2025

LINCOLN CITY — The city’s tourism destination organization has awarded $76,511 to six organizations as part of its annual grants for tourism projects that emphasize stewardship, accessibility and inclusion. The 2025-2026 Community Partnership Fund repeats the theme of prioritizing projects that emphasize stewardship, accessibility and diversity. This year’s recipients are: Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative received $21,385 to fund a series of

Want to teach others what you know? OCCC offering you that chance

June 29, 2025

If you’ve ever considered teaching a class based on a skill, favorite subject, passion, or hobby, now’s the perfect time to give it a shot. Oregon Coast Community College is seeking proposals for its fall Community Education classes from artists, tinkerers, and everyday experts eager to share what they love — with no teaching experience required. Selected classes will be

Only a fraction of bills made it through the meat grinder of the 2025 Oregon Legislature. Here’s a taste of some that failed

June 29, 2025

By AIMEE GREEN/The Oregonian/OregonLive This is a list no state lawmaker wants their work to end up on: Bills that failed. But it is a reality of the job. For 158 days — from January to June — Oregon senators and representatives toiled to try to push through a record 3,400-plus pieces of legislation. Only a fraction of their efforts succeeded.

Oregon Gov. Kotek slams ‘disappointing’ inaction on road funding, may call special session before layoffs

June 28, 2025

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek had plenty of blame to dole out Saturday, a day after the surprising and dramatic collapse of her party’s signature transportation funding bill. In a meeting with reporters in Salem, Kotek accused Republicans of being unreasonable by refusing to waive legislative rules that might have allowed at least some new funding for the

Oregon Legislature adjourns 2025 session late Friday night as Democrats’ transportation plans stumble

June 28, 2025

By Oregon Public Broadcasting staff SALEM — In the end, Oregon lawmakers did grapple with the biggest questions before them this year. All it took was six months of work. The 2025 legislative session ended at 11:15 p.m. Friday after a marathon day packed with more drama and uncertainty than any session in recent memory. With the final gavels, lawmakers bid

Too dry on the coast? Lack of rain means Lincoln County is first in Oregon to seek drought declaration

June 26, 2025

By GARRET JAROS/Lincoln Chronicle Rocks in the Siletz River — usually submerged until sometime in August — are already breaking the surface. The nearly 70-mile-long river supplies water to municipalities as well as farmers and set an unwanted record last week – the lowest level ever recorded for that date. The Siletz was flowing at just 22 percent of

See all those brown spruce needles on the ground? You can blame the work of aphids months ago

June 26, 2025

By DANA TIMS/Lincoln Chronicle YACHATS — Joanne Kittel could only stand and watch recently as Sitka spruce needles rained down onto the driveway of her forested property on the edge of Cape Perpetua just south of Yachats. “I knew that aphids were causing the problem because I’ve had them before,” Kittel told Lincoln Chronicle. “But nothing like this. It’s