Oregon Coast Community College staff, board members, and supporters turned out on Friday September 11th for a ribbon cutting opening their new Arcadia East County Center to serve Toledo, Siletz, and rural students. College officials noted this was a long-overdue investment in rural students and working families on the east side of Lincoln County. Speaking at the event, OCCC President Dr. Marshall Roache said the college views access to education as a fundamental right, not a

Communities across Lincoln County and the nation are observing Patriot Day today, Sept. 11, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001. Patriot Day is observed annually in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Virginia and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Congress designated Sept. 11 as Patriot Day thr

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners are preparing to resume in-person public meetings after several months of holding sessions virtually after county officials said employees raised safety concerns. . During the Sept. 2 Board of Commissioners meeting, Chair Walter Chuck said county staff and the county’s insurer had previously recommended moving to online-only meetings after multiple complaints from employees who reported feeling unsafe during contentious public comment

Charlie Plybon providing public comment to the Newport City Council Newport residents and Surf Rider volunteers pressed the Newport City council during public comment, to act on persistent bacterial contamination at the Nye Beach stormwater outfall, warning that high levels of fecal indicator bacteria are an ongoing public health risk at one of the community’s most popular beaches. Speaking during public comment at the Newport City Council meeting, several members of the loca

Starting September 8, crews are returning to the area to wrap up minor work. You can expect daytime single lane closures Monday through Friday, as needed. Starting September 14, crews will start building the retaining wall near NE 1st Street and NW 2nd Drive. You can expect: Crews working during the day. Construction noise – expect loud machinery and large cranes driving in and out of the area. Southbound U.S. 101 traffic, south of NW 6th Street to D River, will shift to the

Explore dozens of local resources designed to help you live your healthiest life at the Healthier You Expo on Saturday, Sept. 12. More than three dozen community organizations, businesses and Samaritan Health Services departments will gather to offer wellness information, interactive activities and valuable resources during this free, family-friendly event. The expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Samaritan Center for Health Education, 740 SW Ninth St. in Newport

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends people avoid harvesting and consuming softshell and bay clams from Alsea Bay estuary after the Oregon Health Authority issued a recreational use advisory for Eckman Lake in Waldport. The OHA issued an August 28 advisory due to the presence of cyanobacteria and very high saxitoxin (paralytic shellfish toxin) levels. With Eckman Lake draining directly into the Alsea Bay estuary and that saxitoxins can cause paralytic shellfi

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners remained deadlocked Wednesday over its vacant third seat, despite Commissioner Casey Miller continuing to expand the number of people he said he would support for appointment. At the Sept. 2 meeting, Commissioner Walter Chuck again nominated Cristen Don. After Miller declined to second the motion, Miller proposed nine possible appointees. Chuck declined to second that motion and instead nominated Cathie Rigby. Miller declined to secon

Oregon State University’s PacWave South, a one-of-a-kind research facility critical to advancing the development of the wave energy industry, is officially open after more than 15 years of effort. PacWave, located south of Newport on the Oregon Coast, is the first pre-permitted, grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States. Its completion was marked with an Aug. 27 ribbon-cutting celebration attended by about 150 people. “PacWave represents the culmination of mor

Oregon’s new Blue Economy Task Force, established by Senate Bill 1525 during the 2026 legislative session, is beginning work to identify opportunities to strengthen Oregon’s coastal economy while protecting the health and resilience of the state’s coastal ecosystems. In addition to two legislative members, 16 community members have been appointed to the task force. The first meeting will be on September 2 at 1:00pm The task force is charged with taking a comprehensive look

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued a recreational use health advisory today for Eckman Lake due to the presence of a cyanotoxins above Recreational Use Value (RUVs). The lake is in Waldport. People should avoid swimming and other water activities with a high risk of swallowing water or inhaling water droplets in areas of the river, lake or reservoir where blooms are present. Ingestion or inhalation of water is the concern because toxins are not absorbed through the skin. Ho

Voters across Lincoln County will have a number of choices to make in the November 3 general election, with contested races for county commissioner as well as mayor and city council positions in several communities. Candidate filing for city races has now closed, giving voters a clearer picture of who will appear on local ballots this fall. The following focuses only on contested races within Lincoln County, rather than statewide or federal contests. Lincoln County Commission

The Lincoln County School District Board of Directors declared Zone 1 vacant during a special session on August 24 after accepting the resignation of Mitch Parsons. The board is now accepting applications from those interested in serving as an interim board member from the time of appointment through June 30, 2027. Parsons submitted his resignation to the board on August 12th citing that he is unable to commit the time and energy necessary to serve the community to the standa

Oregon private employers reported 45,400 job openings at any given time in the second quarter of 2026. This was essentially unchanged from the 45,300 job openings seen in the first quarter of the year, according to new data from the Oregon Employment Department’s Job Vacancy Survey. In research published today, senior economic analyst Anna Johnson reports that hiring demand remained concentrated in the private health care and social assistance industry, which represented ne

How the email entered the packet Public records show Lincoln County Counsel Kristin Yuille directed staff to add an anonymous email critical of Lincoln City Councilor Marci Baker to the Board of Commissioners’ April 30 meeting packet. The packet was updated less than 23 hours before the 9 a.m. meeting to fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Claire Hall’s Jan. 4, 2026, death. At 9:02 a.m. April 29, Yuille asked Public Information Officer Kenneth Lipp to search the Board’s

The Lincoln City Police Department will be utilizing grant funds to step up their enforcement efforts against drunk driving from now through September 7th. This additional Labor Day period enforcement is being conducted in conjunction with national crackdown efforts that are designed to curb impaired driving, decrease crashes, reduce injuries, and save lives. Many substances can impair driving. Alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs can impair the ability to drive because they

Lincoln County’s months-long stalemate over filling a vacant county commission seat is drawing criticism from both finalists for the appointment, who say the delay is hurting public trust and may discourage future candidates from stepping up to serve. Lincoln County commissioners again hit a dead end Wednesday over how to fill the long-vacant Position 2 seat, leaving the board operating with only two members more than seven months after the death of Commissioner Claire Hall.

Lincoln City police are investigating two separate crashes on Highway 101 that left a pedestrian and a bicyLclist injured after vehicles pulled out of private driveways into traffic. In the first crash, near the Wildflower Grill, police say around 1:30 pm they were called to a report of a driver leaving the restaurant and attempted to turn south onto Highway 101 and collided with a northbound vehicle. Sgt Burke with Lincoln City Police noted “The suspect vehicle was pulling o

Ocean Chinook salmon fishing has officially been closed as of August 17, affecting the waters from Leadbetter Point in Washington to Cape Falcon in Oregon. This decision comes as part of a strategic management effort to ensure the sustainability of salmon populations in the region. The closure is particularly significant given that the projected harvest of Chinook salmon in this area has approached the established quota allowance, prompting regulatory bodies to take action to

At the August council meeting the Waldport City Council held a tense public hearing to address multiple citizen complaints against City Manager Dann Cutter, centering on his social media activity, his communications with law enforcement and prosecutors, and his handling of a whistleblower-style allegation involving the Siletz tribe. After more than an hour of sometimes chaotic discussion, councilors did not discipline or dismiss the city manager. Instead, they voted to send t