April weather was wet — and coldest in at least 10 years

May 2, 2023

Weather watchers for YachatsNews have confirmed what anyone who lives on the Oregon coast felt about April – it was cold and wet. Rainfall for April was above twice the average in several places and two weather watchers said the average high temperature for the month – just under 52 degrees – was the coldest in 10 years of record

High toxin levels close recreational crabbing on the southern Oregon coast

May 2, 2023

NEWPORT — Two state agencies have ordered the closure of all recreational crabbing in the ocean, bays, and estuaries on the southern Oregon coast from eight miles north of Winchester Bay to Cape Blanco near Port Orford. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon Agriculture Department said Monday that tests show the marine toxin, domoic acid, is above

After 6 hours of emotional debate, Oregon House passes bill Monday night ensuring access to abortion and gender-affirming health care

May 1, 2023

By PETER WONG/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon House, after a six-hour debate that resulted in a lot of emotion but changed no minds, passed legislation that builds on the state’s 2017 law ensuring access to abortion and other reproductive and gender-affirming health care. The vote Monday night, May 1, was 36-23. One Republican, Charlie Conrad of Lowell, joined

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan apologizes, resigns from her $10,000 a month cannabis consulting job

May 1, 2023

Shemia Fagan told reporters during an online news conference Monday that her $77,000-a-year Secretary of State position is not enough to pay all her bills. By BEN BOTKIN and JULIA SUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced Monday she has resigned from her $10,000-a-month consulting side job and tearfully apologized for her “poor judgment” in

Economic development group’s “Fail Fest” hopes entrepreneurs can learn from mistakes

May 1, 2023

It’s OK to fail. Especially if you can recover and learn from it. That’s the lesson the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County hopes to get across to business owners and entrepreneurs during its inaugural “Fail Fest” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11 at the Newport Performing Arts Center. The alliance says the gathering will feature business owners and entrepreneurs

How do you measure non-economic value of Oregon Marine Reserves? ODFW hopes to find out

May 1, 2023

By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews Traditional economic surveys are usually very straightforward. If you want to know how workers are employed in Oregon’s salmon-fishing industry, for instance, all you need to do is track down the employers and report the numbers. Now, a first-of-its kind survey is attempting to assess how state residents view the non-economic values and benefits of Oregon’s

DEQ fines OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center for water quality violations

April 29, 2023

By the Albany Democrat-Herald NEWPORT – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Oregon State University $6,800 for dumping water into Yaquina Bay that potentially contained up to 12 times the amount of fish-killing chlorine derivatives allowed under its state permit. The state’s environmental regulator found OSU failed to safely treat water cycling out of aquariums at Hatfield Marine Science

Oregon Secretary of State’s office cannabis audit released amid questions, and now investigation, about industry consulting job

April 29, 2023

By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The Oregon Secretary of State’s office released an audit of the state’s regulation of the cannabis industry Friday on the heels of revelations that the agency’s head, Shemia Fagan, accepted a side job as consultant to a cannabis company in February. Fagan’s consulting work with Veriede Holding, an affiliate of La Mota cannabis

Two contested races for Port of Alsea commission seats rile up usually quiet May 16 special election

April 28, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews WALDPORT — Quiet times for the Port of Alsea are a thing of the past. Issues brought up by some people upset with new retail operations, the location of a 2-year-old crabbing-only area, and apparently lots of pent-up personal animosities have led to rare challenges for two Port board positions in the May 16 special election.

OSU researchers studying injuries among crab boat deckhands find “banger bar” can help prevent issues

April 27, 2023

By MOLLY ROSBACH/OSU News Service Dungeness crab fishermen are at high risk for on-the-job injury, but having a metal bar to bang crab pots against as they work at sea can help prevent them, an Oregon State University study found. The study sought to determine whether the fishermen-designed “banger bar” actually improves worker safety aboard crab vessels. The metal