YachatsNews wraps up October fundraising campaign with contributions from 128 readers

November 14, 2024

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Thank you once again for your help and support. We weren’t sure what to expect when a YachatsNews supporter suggested an October effort to seek more donors willing to make small, regular contributions to help fund our month-to-month operations. So he and his employer issued a challenge – they’d match donations up to $10,000 –

Wildfire survivors press Oregon, Idaho senators to get them federal tax relief on any settlements

November 14, 2024

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Western wildfire survivors are calling on Congress to stop playing political football with a bill that would relieve them of federal income taxes on recovery settlements and lawyers fees. To press their point, they’ve sponsored billboards this month in Oregon and Idaho that directly appeal to the two leaders of the U.S. Senate

Commissioners fix ordinance allowing deputies to cite long-term roadside campers

November 14, 2024

Lincoln County commissioners have fixed a hole in county ordinances to give law and code enforcement officials a way to help clear campers off county or any other public roads. Until last week, sheriff’s deputies or county code enforcement officers could not cite people for camping on county roads or their right-of-ways. Commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 6 to allow campers

CoastBusters raises nearly $55,000 with its Newport, Florence walks

November 14, 2024

CoastBusters, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting breast cancer patients in Lincoln and Lane counties, raised nearly $55,000 during its annual CoastBusters Walks in Sept. 28 in Newport and Oct. 5 in Florence. “Hundreds of pink-clad participants turned out to walk in solidarity, raising essential funds to provide financial relief for local breast cancer patients,” the organization said in a

Yachats couple open unusual fitness and dance studio in Newport featuring silks and hoops

November 14, 2024

By GRETCHEN AMMERMAN/Oregon Coast TODAY NEWPORT — The sight was immediately arresting — broad swaths of silk in bold colors cascading from the ceiling in the foreground, large hoops, or lyra, in more color combinations hanging in the background. When the kids began to arrive, the ArtFit Oregon Studio in Newport took on an almost kinetic energy. I happened

Siletz tribe holds 47th annual Restoration Pow-Wow Saturday at Chinook Winds

November 14, 2024

By Oregon Coast TODAY The public is invited to join the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians on Saturday, Nov. 16, as it holds its annual Restoration Pow-Wow at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City. American Indian vendors with jewelry, beadwork and other items for sale will be available throughout the day, leading up to the Grand Entry at

The winner of very tight Lincoln County commission race won’t be determined until Thanksgiving week

November 14, 2024

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Lincoln County voters – and Claire Hall or Rick Beasley – will not find out for another two weeks who will hold Position 2 on the board of commissioners in January. The fourth round of vote counts released Tuesday night shows Hall, who has been a county commissioner for 20 years, with a 99-vote lead over

Oregon School districts, employees face $670 million increase in payments to public pension system

November 13, 2024

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon school districts are projected to pay $670 million more to the state’s public employee pension program over the next two years, potentially wiping out all increases to school funding proposed by Gov. Tina Kotek. The increased tab, more than 10% for some districts, follows lagging returns in investments of the Public Employees Retirement system

300 Benton County union employees go on strike Wednesday, cutting many services

November 13, 2024

By NATHAN WILK/KLCC News A union of Benton County employees went on strike at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. AFSCME represents more than 300 workers at the county, spanning multiple departments. That’s over half of all Benton County employees. The county has said the walkout will cause some service reductions and closures. An update posted to the Benton County website says the county

Mental health struggles and Marine Corps celebration end in a tragic hail of bullets in Waldport

November 12, 2024

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews WALDPORT – What began Sunday afternoon as a private celebration to honor the U.S. Marine Corps ended tragically for a Waldport woman with mental health issues after she confronted and then was shot and killed by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy. Virginia L. Morris, 38, a disabled Marine Corps veteran, posted multiple times on social media