Former wildlife trooper pleads guilty to shooting neighbor’s two dogs

July 3, 2024

NEWPORT — A retired Oregon State Police wildlife trooper pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree animal abuse for shooting and killing his neighbor’s two German shepherds in a plea agreement with prosecutors. As part of his plea, Greg A. Torland, 65, of Toledo agreed to pay the dogs’ owner, Ace Garrison, a total of $13,000, complete an animal

Waldport receives $130,000 to help pay for Southworth Park playground

July 3, 2024

WALDPORT — The Noble Carlton fund has donated $130,000 to the city of Waldport’s Louis Southworth Park to help pay for the rubberized playground surface. “As a group of educators and parents, we feel that this gift will have a lasting effect on the community,” said a release by the fund. “The playground and park will bring the community together

Highway 20 crash Monday evening kills two men east of Eddyville

July 3, 2024

EDDYVILLE – A Newport resident and a Portland man were killed Monday evening when an unsafe attempt to pass another vehicle resulted in a three-vehicle crash 10 miles east of Eddyville, Oregon State Police said Wednesday. State police said their preliminary investigation indicated that Jose M. Zapata, 29, of Portland was headed west in a Toyota Rav4 when he attempted

Oregon is getting hotter. This week’s first Willamette Valley heat wave could break records

July 3, 2024

By MONICA SAMAYOA/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon’s first extreme heat wave of the summer may break records, according to a state climate official. Some areas of the state will reach more than 100 degrees starting Thursday, and the heat is expected to increase through at least Saturday. The abnormally high temperatures, part of a multiyear warming trend in Oregon, are prompting

5 Questions and a Secret: Reba Ortiz’ high school project leads to visitor center leadership

July 3, 2024

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews Every once in a while a high school senior project works out perfectly. As a senior at Waldport High School, Reba Ortiz volunteered for a year at the front desk at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center, and when the year was over she had decided she was going to return to work there full time once

Lincoln County Fair’s musical lineup continues focus on local performers beginning Thursday

July 2, 2024

By Oregon Coast TODAY The lineup of live music at this year’s Lincoln County Fair continues to focus on local talent. The three-day event running from Thursday through Saturday, July 4-6, in Newport, leads off each day at 10 a.m. with Ronnie Jay Pirrello, a popular, blues-oriented south county singer-guitarist-harmonica player. Hitting the stage Thursday will be the unplugged

Downtown Toledo galleries open this weekend for special monthly shows

July 2, 2024

By Oregon Coast TODAY Head to Toledo on Saturday and Sunday, July 6-7, to celebrate the arts community with a unique look at local galleries and a chance to connect with the artists behind the work. The Yaquina River Museum of Art is exhibiting a collection of paintings that reflect the light and colors of the summer season. The paintings

June rain mostly fell early in month as central coast begins dry spell

July 2, 2024

The first week of July is warm and dry – and expected to get hot this weekend — but the month of June was normal for rainfall in the Yachats area while the total for the first six months of 2024 is running ahead of last year. Don Tucker, who lives two miles north of Yachats and has been keeping

Oregon expands free Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands more people

July 2, 2024

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle After two years of planning, Oregon is officially expanding its Medicaid program to give tens of thousands of more people access to the free health insurance program. The Oregon Health Authority announced on Monday the launch of its OHP Bridge Plan to those who earn more than the federal limits for traditional Medicaid. The Oregon Health Plan,

July 3-4 fireworks may be fun, but the July 5 hangover leaves biggest beach headache of year

July 2, 2024

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews The spectacle of bombs bursting in air is a staple of Fourth of July fireworks celebrations across the country, and this year will be no exception. Along Oregon’s coast alone, no fewer than a dozen nighttime aerial displays will thrill and awe tens of thousands of residents and visitors, many of whom also bring their own