5 Questions and a Secret: Jeremy Likness searches space for stars and teaches others how to as well

August 12, 2025

Remember the 1980s when the world of cell phones and Wi-fi was just beginning? Most of the world was just learning to adapt to personal computers back then, but Jeremy Likness was beginning his journey toward mastering them. Now, the Newport resident is a principal project manager at Microsoft and an avid astrophotographer.

Undersea volcano 300 miles off the Oregon coast could erupt this year — but don’t worry, there’s no danger

August 12, 2025

Bill Chadwick expects an undersea volcano 300 miles west of Newport to erupt in the next 4-6 months, but it won’t create a tsunami and send Oregon coast residents scrambling for safety. Instead, the first eruption of the Axial Seamount volcano in 10 years should help give geologists like him more insights into predicting eruptions – be they deep under

Oregon governor says Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will cut $15 billion in federal money to the state

August 11, 2025

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon stands to lose more than $15 billion in federal funding for health care, food assistance and other purposes in coming years, under the sweeping spending bill congressional Republicans passed earlier this year. That’s the preliminary conclusion by Gov. Tina Kotek’s office, which in recent weeks asked state agencies to crunch the numbers for what

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse gets its light back Tuesday as $1.8 million restoration nears completion

August 11, 2025

The Oregon coast’s only wooden intact lighthouse was reunited with its lantern Tuesday, as the $1.8 million restoration of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse nears completion.

Like to sing? Coastal chorus staging “vocal introductions” in Newport

August 11, 2025

Potential members of the Coastal Voices community chorus may try for a spot in the line-up when “vocal introductions” — not auditions — take place Saturday, Aug. 23 and Tuesday, Aug. 26 in Newport. In preparation for the fall season, anyone interested in joining the choral group is invited to attend the sessions at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at Southwest

Ranger district accepting matsutake mushroom harvest applications

August 11, 2025

WALDPORT – Applications for matsutake mushroom collection permits are being accepted for the Central Coast Ranger District of the Siuslaw National Forest. Every year, 100 commercial use permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Any person wishing to obtain a commercial matsutake collection permit should complete a request form by Aug. 25. Commercial use permits are $250 and are required for individuals gathering more than six matsutake mushrooms per

Tennessee-based company’s controversial purchase of Coos Bay hospital is called off

August 10, 2025

A controversial effort by Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay to turn over its operations to a private equity owned firm has ended with the news that Quorum Health has pulled out.

Here’s how misinformation gets accepted as fact — and twice helped kill Oregon’s proposed wildfire map

August 10, 2025

By ROB DAVIS/ProPublica This is how misinformation gets accepted as fact. A year after Oregon endured its most destructive fire season on record in 2020, state lawmakers ordered a map estimating the wildfire risk for every property in the state. It’s the kind of rating now available on real estate sites like Zillow. The state wanted to use the

Oregon Coast CC announces new dean of academics and CTE

August 10, 2025

Oregon Coast Community College has hired Sarah G. Whiteford as its dean of academics and career and technical education. She comes from Oregon State University, where she worked for OSU’s Ecampus. Prior to moving to Oregon, Whiteford lived in Tennessee and taught at Austin Peay State University, the college said in announcing her hire. Whiteford has 19 years of teaching

Toledo hires a new city manager after first choice decides against job

August 10, 2025

TOLEDO – The city council’s first choice for its new city manager fell through last week, but councilors quickly pivoted to another candidate and filled the vacant position after a tumultuous year. Toledo has had unstable leadership since city manager Doug Wiggins was placed on administrative leave last September and fired in February. The city saw turnover with interim city