Waldport High staff honors school’s 34 seniors as state extends classroom shutdown for remainder of the year

April 9, 2020

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com WALDPORT – Steve Cooper hit the switch at exactly 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, lighting up the grandstands and the football/soccer field at Waldport High School. Except for a volunteer with a drone to record the event and a reporter, no one else was around. Cooper, the school’s athletic director and assistant principal, wanted to show the 34

Oregon cancels school for rest of year to limit coronavirus spread; Lincoln County district readies online programs

April 8, 2020

By DICK HUGHES/Oregon Capital Bureau Oregon school buildings are closed for the rest of the academic year. Schooling will continue through online courses, video chats and other forms of distance learning. Seniors who were on track to graduate before the state initially closed schools last month will receive passing grades and are assured of graduation. Gov. Kate Brown made the

Slumping Oregon economy could jeopardize big infusion of money, programs for Lincoln County schools

April 2, 2020

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com An Oregon economy expected to be devastated by the coronavirus pandemic could also delay or derail the infusion of $4.5 million into Lincoln County schools. School districts around Oregon, including the Lincoln County School District, have been working for months on how to use an anticipated windfall in state money under a new initiative called the

Coronavirus stories: How communities and people are reacting, reaching out to help each other

March 26, 2020

By CHERYL ROMANO and QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The group stopped making quilts and learned to make cotton masks. A grocery store manager changed her routine to help an elderly couple. More than 25 volunteers show up regularly to help distribute meals to school kids and their families. A neighbor walked her streets to set up a phone tree to help keep

Keep exercising – even if you can’t go to class

March 25, 2020

I help lead the 10 a.m. exercise class in the Yachats Commons. I know how hard it is to get motivated — that’s a big reason the classes in the Commons are so popular. But we can’t do it right now, and it would be foolish to let ourselves deteriorate physically. Exercise has so many benefits — besides the obvious

Help hospitality workers by hiring them for jobs

March 23, 2020

I am a vacation rental owner. One of my best-booked years ever has ground to a halt with cancellations. I am happy that I am able to ride this out but I’m very concerned about the cleaning people we hire who are now out of work. I have scheduled some maintenance cleaning at the same rate I pay for house

Will a little humor help get us through this staggering pandemic?

March 23, 2020

I’m curious if we can mitigate the staggering effects that the pandemic is having on our lives with some mirth and whimsy? It might be a touch of tonic to help us through. The one thing that we can do to help slow the spread of the disease is social isolation. But with that, what tasks are we going to

Beach walks will be missed if state closes day-use areas

March 23, 2020

My husband and I live on the Alsea River in Waldport and have been watching the Waldport Facebook page regarding the extra influx of visitors this weekend. The panic is real and I worry about a portion of the population who might turn to vigilantism. That said, I mourn the closing of the state’s day use parking lots because we

An act of kindness, tears of gratitude

March 23, 2020

Two days ago a truck pulled up in my driveway. A couple got out, a young couple I know from Eugene. They are friends of my youngest daughter who lives in Los Angeles. The couple talked to my daughter a few days ago and told her they were coming to Yachats to stay in their home for a couple of

Social distancing doesn’t exist at grocery stores

March 23, 2020

After changing my lifestyle to accommodate social distancing, I was struck a few days ago by the difficulty of following advisory guidelines while making a necessary visit the grocery store. It’s pretty hard to stay six feet apart in an aisle that is not much wider than that. I was also struck by the huge potential for transfer of germs