With homelessness crisis continuing, Oregon governor extends state of emergency

January 9, 2025

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday continued the homelessness state of emergency she declared on her first day in office for a third year as the state continues to grapple with the crisis of thousands of people living outside. Kotek’s executive order follows confirmation in a federal report released in late December that

Last of winter’s king tides are this weekend — so watch out!

January 9, 2025

Expect a few more beachgoers this weekend for the third and final king tide of the winter Friday through Monday. The last Oregon king tide took place Dec. 13-15. The high tides are around 8:15 a.m. Friday, 9:12 a.m. Saturday, 10:05 a.m. Sunday and 10:55 a.m. Monday. King tides are very high tides that generally happen during new and full moons

Five Oregon legislators, including Rep. Gomberg, protest BLM’s plan to kill barred owls

January 9, 2025

By COURTNEY SHERWOOD/Oregon Public Broadcasting The Biden administration appears to be doubling down on a plan to kill barred owls in order to protect the northern spotted owl populations in Northwest forests. But a group of bipartisan Oregon legislators – including Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis — says it’s a cruel and wasteful plan. They’re calling on the incoming Trump

High-speed crash kills Florence man Tuesday on Highway 126

January 9, 2025

FLORENCE – A 74-year-old Florence man was killed Tuesday, Jan. 7, when he lost control of his Ferrari GTB, crashed into a guardrail and overturned on Highway 126 eight miles east of Florence. Oregon State Police said that Victor J. Cianci was westbound at a high rate of speed about 3 p.m. when the Ferrari crossed the center line, struck

“Fiber Fest” celebrates artists’ work with two-month exhibition in four Newport galleries

January 9, 2025

By Oregon Coast TODAY Newport’s Nye Beach district is getting fiber festive with a new, four-gallery exhibition at the Visual Arts Center and the Olive Street Gallery inside the Newport Performing Arts Center, opening Saturday, Jan. 11. Opening receptions for all four exhibits will take place in both locations from 1-4 p.m. Saturday and will include artist introductions and

The rest of Oregon’s commercial crab fishery will open next week

January 8, 2025

NEWPORT – The remainder of Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open Jan. 15 from Manzanita into southwest Washington, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday. The area, officially designated as Cape Falcon to Klipsan Beach, Wash., had been delayed in opening to allow for crab to reach meat criteria for harvest, according to ODFW. The rest of

Northwest Forest Plan update continues, despite termination of national old growth proposal

January 8, 2025

By APRIL ERHLICH/Oregon Public Broadcasting For months, national forests in the Pacific Northwest were set to be protected under two major updates to forestry plans — but that changed Tuesday. That’s when the Biden administration abruptly terminated a months-long effort to create a new policy to conserve old growth forests across the country. This policy would have updated all forest

New state-required climate report says Oregon will become warmer, drier with more rain than snow

January 8, 2025

By MICHELLE KLAMPE/OSU News Service CORVALLIS – Oregon is becoming warmer and more prone to drought and will see less snow due to climate change, but people and businesses are also adapting to the challenges of a warming planet, the latest Oregon Climate Assessment indicates. The assessment, released Wednesday by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University, shows

State finishes second attempt of wildfire hazard maps, prepares new rules for high-risk properties

January 8, 2025

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon fire experts have finished their redo of state maps showing wildfire hazard areas, showing that about 1,600 tax lots are in high-risk spots that could be subject to new building and landscape codes. Those property owners, who hold about 6 percent of the nearly 2 million tax lots in the state, could

CCF&R and three other Lincoln County fire departments join Oregon strike force heading to LA wildfires

January 8, 2025

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews WALDPORT – Two Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue firefighters deployed Wednesday to help fight wildfires in Southern California. Central Coast firefighters John Townley and Shi Bucher are driving the district’s Type 3 brush truck, known as the workhorse of wildland firefighting, to the scene of wildfires that have engulfed thousands of acres, destroyed thousands of