Rail work closes road between Blodgett and Eddyville 3 times this month

September 3, 2024

BLODGETT — Travelers who use Oregon Highway 180 between Blodgett and Eddyville should expect three different three-day closures of the highway this month. The Portland and Western Railroad is making repairs to three railroad crossings on the highway and is closing it to traffic for three days, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. During closures travelers will need to

With the help of Yachats and other coastal cities, PSU-led study will look at tourism’s effect on microplastics

September 3, 2024

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews Scientific studies have confirmed the ubiquitous presence of tiny particles of plastic up and down the ocean’s food chain in everything from tiny burrowing bay shrimp to massive gray whales. Now, with the help of Yachats and three other coastal communities, researchers are continuing their quest not only to document the scope of the microplastics in

Oregon county clerks raising concerns about ranked-choice voting measure on November ballot

September 2, 2024

By BRYCE DOYLE/Oregon Public Broadcasting Nearly half of county clerks in Oregon are raising concerns over a ballot measure that would establish ranked-choice voting for state and federal elections, saying their offices cannot support the measure as it’s currently drafted. Sixteen county clerks have endorsed a newly-formed political action committee called “Concerned Election Officials,” according to Klamath County Clerk Rochelle

The new Covid vaccine is out, but except for high-risk people you might not want to rush to get it

September 2, 2024

By KFF Health News The FDA has approved an updated covid shot for everyone 6 months old and up, which renews a now-annual quandary for Americans — get the shot now, with the latest covid outbreak sweeping the country, or hold it in reserve for the winter wave? The new vaccine should provide some protection to everyone. But many healthy

As economy rebounds, many Lincoln County residents still struggle to find adequate housing

September 2, 2024

By REBECCA HANSEN-WHITE/KLCC News Over the last 20 years, Marti Johnson has lived in a few small Oregon Coast towns, but she’s always considered Newport home. “Coming up here, especially the sign that Newport has that (says) ‘the friendliest?’” she said. “I’ve never met more friendly people in my life.” Johnson said her teenage son has been in the

Oregon coast’s charter fleet helps provide good fishing opportunity, fun for both locals and visitors

September 2, 2024

By HAZEL FIEDLER/Oregon Coast TODAY DEPOE BAY — The first fishing boat of the morning unloaded at 10 a.m. I walked with the fishermen as they hauled their buckets filled with rockfish, ling cod and salmon to the cleaning station. They were windswept and excited. A buzz of conversation and laughter filled the air as they recounted their time

Two days of rain in late August help forests from burning, streams from drying

September 1, 2024

Just when experts worried the state would burn down and the streams would run dry, a late August rainstorm calmed everyone down. Now if we can just get through September, another typically dry month. The Yachats-area received an above average amount of rain in August, but compared to most of the year it’s still a drop in the bucket, according

Drug possession is a crime again in Oregon. Here’s the basics of what’s happening

September 1, 2024

Portland Police Central Bike Squad officer Donny Mathew cuffs a man arrested while in downtown Portland. By Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon has ended its experiment with drug decriminalization. Starting Sunday, possession of small amounts of illicit substances are once again considered a misdemeanor crime. Earlier this year, state lawmakers rolled back key provisions of Ballot Measure 110, the voter-passed initiative

Federal plan to kill barred owls is wrong approach to saving forests

August 31, 2024

To the editor: Like many people in the Pacific Northwest, I celebrated the listing of Northern Spotted Owls as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The listing meant that logging would be restricted in the owls’ critical habitat — old-growth forests. At the time there was no other way to save those forests, which were disappearing at

More traffic, higher speeds and distracted drivers likely cause for “alarming” increase in Highway 20 fatalities

August 29, 2024

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews The Benton County Sheriff’s Office plans weeks of stepped up patrols and at least one warning sign on parts of Highway 20 between Newport and Philomath following a horrific double fatality last week and expectations of very busy Labor Day holiday traffic. The enhanced patrols in Benton County come after a steep spike in fatalities this