Former OLCC director files lawsuit notice, claims governor fired him because of pot company owner

July 31, 2023

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting The former head of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission says Gov. Tina Kotek fired him earlier this year at the behest of a controversial cannabis entrepreneur. Now Steve Marks has served notice he might sue Kotek and the state for wrongful termination, defamation and other claims. The former longtime state official filed a tort

Siuslaw National Forest bans fires everywhere except designated campgrounds

July 31, 2023

Three months of hot, dry conditions has led the Siuslaw National Forest to ban all campfires — charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires, or any other open fires — outside of designated campgrounds. There are exemptions for sand camping campfires in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Sand Lake Recreation Area. Portable cooking stoves and lanterns using liquefied or

Yachats wins $100,000 state grant to help make it more energy resilient when emergencies occur

July 31, 2023

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – Preparing for emergencies big and small is just common sense – whether at the household level with Band-Aids in the medicine cabinet and a spare tire and jack in the car – or at the municipal level with somewhere for community members to shelter during a catastrophe. With that in mind, the city of

Dick Anderson, GOP senator from Lincoln County plans to file for re-election

July 30, 2023

There are 67 weeks until the November 2024 election, but some campaigns have set their alarm clocks extra early. The Oregon Senate Republican Caucus said three senators who did not miss 10 or more floor sessions this legislative session plan to file for re-election. They are Dick Anderson of Lincoln City, David Brock Smith of Port Orford, and Fred Girod

Oregon governor indicates Friday she will let legislation allowing self-service gasoline to become law in early August

July 28, 2023

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting After five decades, Oregon’s ban on self-serve gas is about to come to a close. Gov. Tina Kotek on Friday gave notice that she plans to veto two bills and four budget items passed by lawmakers in the frenetic final days of this year’s legislative session. Most notably, the governor’s veto pen is targeting $600,000 that would

Is a drug and alcohol rehab facility a good fit for Bayshore? More than 100 residents say “no” during special HOA meeting Wednesday

July 27, 2023

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews BAYSHORE – A Colorado company considering buying the Alsi Resort and transforming it into a drug rehabilitation facility ran into a united wall of “not in our backyard” during a special meeting of the Bayshore Homeowners Association Wednesday evening. If the missing welcome mat left any doubt how the standing-room only crowd felt about having Sunshine

Samaritan’s two Lincoln County hospitals emerge from pandemic in strong financial shape, but face persistent staffing issues

July 27, 2023

By CHRISTIAN WIHTOL/YachatsNews With the pandemic over and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport back to regular operations, the four-year-old facility is proving stunningly popular with record numbers of patients. That has turned the landmark campus just off U.S. Highway 101 into a strong financial engine — at least for now — for its nonprofit owner, Samaritan Health Services.

There’s no Bronny James in these parts, but Yachats — and maybe Waldport soon — is installing defibrillators around town

July 27, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews When – not if – someone in the Yachats Commons has a cardiac arrest they now have a better chance at survival thanks to a recently-installed defibrillator in the hallway outside the multipurpose room. And there will be four more placed soon in city facilities – and maybe even one in a downtown Yachats business to

Threatened snowy plovers having a very successful nesting season — so far — on the central Oregon coast

July 27, 2023

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews Lincoln County’s narrow beaches can make life difficult for western snowy plovers, those diminutive, long-endangered birds that nest in small crevices along the sand. Take last year, for instance. Volunteers counted a total of 29 nests scattered between Newport and Yachats. After torrential rains hit in June, during peak nesting season, only five surviving nests produced

Kotek celebrates new housing laws but says more work needs to be done; stays mum on self-service gas legislation

July 27, 2023

Gov. Tina Kotek signs housing bills in Salem on Thursday. By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The Oregon Legislature made progress this year on addressing the state’s housing crisis with new policies and $1.2 billion in new spending on housing and homelessness but more work needs to be done, Gov. Tina Kotek said Thursday. Flanked by legislators and homeless