Father-son duo “The Acting Herds” of Waldport inspire each other on the stage and in life

August 8, 2024

By BARBARA B. COVELL/YachatsNews Gary Herd began acting in elementary school in Abilene, Texas and still remembers his lines and songs from the school’s annual Christmas show. “I acted through high school,” says Gary Herd, 51. “Then life happened and I stepped back.” It wasn’t until his son, Alex, then 10 years old, got a part in the 2017

Water tours give locals and visitors a chance to see bays and rivers from a different perspective

August 8, 2024

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews A rising wind piggybacks on an incoming tide and howls through the riggings of fishing boats docked on Yaquina Bay. Below the wind a gaggle of kayaks skitter across the water’s unruffled surface as they embark on a two-hour tour of Newport’s bayfront. “Besides kayaking being super fun, it’s a great way to explore Newport —

Lincoln County health officials say wastewater tests show “high risk” of local Covid virus exposure

August 8, 2024

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews Lincoln County health officials are advising the public to take precautions to guard against Covid-19 after indicators show the risk of catching and spreading the virus are “very high” across the county. The Centers for Disease Control is tracking growing outbreaks across the country including in Oregon where officials with the Oregon Health Authority say infections

Five more coast school districts joining Sitka Center’s rapidly expanding arts programs this fall

August 6, 2024

By LORI TOBIAS/Oregon ArtsWatch The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology’s youth art program has been a hit with Oregon coast school districts — from top administrators to kids doodling at their desks — enthused about the classes. It’s been so successful that the nonprofit is expanding it into five more districts this fall. Another measure of that success: Sitka

Alcohol-free dance party returns Saturday to Yachats, as it grows and connects with restaurants

August 5, 2024

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews YACHATS — Rock ‘n roll fans of all ages are invited to another alcohol-free dance party Saturday night at the Yachats Commons featuring the local band The Grey Wails. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the event, which will run from 7-10 p.m. Crowds have been growing since the first such booze-free bash launched last winter

Pay raises, parity highlight new three-year contract between Newport hospital nurses and Samaritan

August 5, 2024

By CHRISTIAN WIHTOL/YachatsNews Registered nurses at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport are looking at big pay raises in a tentative new contract. Capping five months of negotiations, Samaritan Health System management and the nurses’ union Friday reached the tentative three-year deal, which nurses must now vote on, the Oregon Nurses Association said. The proposed deal largely gives nurses

Oregon Coast CC board names three finalists to become college’s third president

August 1, 2024

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews The Oregon Coast Community College board has selected three finalists to come to campus in late August to go through two days of interviews to succeed Birgitte Ryslinge as the third president in the college’s 32-year history. The board met in special session Wednesday night to name three men as finalists: Joel Keebler, dean of science

Fall Chinook season opened Thursday in coastal rivers with “pretty good” returns expected again this year

July 30, 2024

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews The salmon should be there, it’s just a matter of whether the rains will cooperate this fall to allow for another reasonable fishing season on central coast streams. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife is forecasting “pretty good” fishing for fall Chinook on streams in Lincoln County as the season officially opened Thursday. Fishing for

Oregon newspapers continue to downsize, but the problem is especially acute in smaller towns

July 29, 2024

YachatsNews is a five-year-old nonprofit local news site providing local journalism for south Lincoln County. To support its efforts see the May 31 story about its third local fundraising campaign. By MIKE ROGOWAY/The Oregonian/OregonLive The 21st Century has not been kind to Oregon newspapers. The state’s papers have shed three-quarters their jobs since 2001 as readers and advertisers

Waldport accepting applications for mayor position and council seats; Holland not running again

July 25, 2024

WALDPORT — The city of Waldport is accepting applications for the position of mayor and three council seats for the Nov. 5 general election. Anyone wanting to run must fill out an application, complete the filing process and submit it to the Lincoln County clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m. Aug. 27. It is suggested mailed forms