Lincoln County’s reliance on an outside private investigation firm has prompted renewed scrutiny over taxpayer spending and the administration's handling of internal personnel disputes. At the center of the inquiry is the county’s retention of Ferraris Investigations & Consulting LLC to review county staff. One ongoing case involves a legal assistant in the District Attorney’s office, who has been on paid administrative leave since Oct. 12, 2025, with a hearing scheduled for

U.S. 101 south of Neskowin has fully reopened after two landslides damaged the highway during the December 2025 storms. Travelers can once again use all lanes through this section of the Oregon Coast Highway. The slides occurred between mileposts 102 and 103, where the ground beneath the highway failed after heavy rains saturated the hillside. The road cracked and dropped several feet, forcing crews to stabilize the slope below the highway before they could rebuild the road a

If you’ve received text or email messages claiming to be from Oregon DMV saying you owe money, you’re not alone. This nationwide scam, which began as a toll phishing scam, has been targeting drivers in several states for nearly two years. Oregon DMV will never send you notices, warnings or payment requests by text or email. DMV transactions should only be completed online at DMV2U, in person at a DMV office, at a self-service Express Kiosk or by mail. What to look for These f

A citizen group in Waldport is moving forward with a recall effort targeting all six city councilors, citing long-running concerns about transparency, financial oversight, and the council’s deference to City Manager Dann Cutter. Recall organizer Tony Thimakis says the core issue is that councilors act in concert without open discussion, appearing to follow direction rather than critically reviewing city business. This recall effort follows the prior recall attempt in November

May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and Benton and Lincoln counties are partnering to launch a coordinated campaign encouraging residents to take steps now to prevent wildfires and prepare their homes and families. With current conditions across Oregon, fire experts are predicting a potentially difficult wildfire season. Local officials say early action and community awareness are critical to reducing risk and protecting lives, property and natural resources. The campaign brin

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden announced he will hold an open-to-all town hall for Lincoln County on Thursday, May 7, at the Oregon Coast Community College campus in Newport, starting at 4:30. Heading into this town hall at the community college (400 SE College Way, Newport), Wyden has held 1,163 open-to-all town halls statewide in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. “I made my town hall pledge because all Oregonians deserve o

By Molly Rosbach Jack Barth This year, Oregon State University recognized oceanographer Jack Barth and coastal engineer Dan Cox as University Distinguished Professors, highlighting the real-world impacts of their work from sea to shore and celebrating their long-term commitment to teaching. Barth was an early adopter of using underwater gliders to take measurements at sea and uses the robots to study ocean phenomena like marine heat waves and hypoxia. Cox joined OSU as the di

Governor Tina Kotek has proclaimed April 12–18, 2026, as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Oregon , recognizing the critical contributions of the state’s public safety telecommunicators and 9-1-1 professionals. Each year, hundreds of skilled telecommunicators across Oregon answer nearly 2 million emergency calls, providing life‑saving assistance to residents and visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. These professionals are often the fi

ODFW is excited to announce that Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) has been officially approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This milestone marks the final step in adopting the 2026 SWAP, a science‑based roadmap to maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations, prevent further declines of at‑risk species, and reverse existing declines where possible. ODFW has also updated the user‑friendly SWAP website, designed to be a one-stop location for information ab

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management brought its Tsunami Roadshow to Lincoln County as part of a broader push to help coastal residents better prepare for disasters. The roadshow, which traveled down the Oregon coast , making stops in every coastal county, featured subject-matter experts in tsunami science and earthquake preparedness. In Lincoln County, the team delivered two identical presentations on April 2 – one at 11:30 a.m. in Newport and another at 6 p.m. in

Gone are the days when US Post Offices stayed open late on Tax Day. No more lines of cars in the Post Office driveway after dark. The late local news no longer features live interviews with taxpayers explaining why they waited until the last minute to file. Don’t be fooled, however. Taxpayers still wait until the last minute and it’s almost here. “As much as we wish it wasn’t, it’s normal for nearly half of returns to come in the last two weeks,” said Megan Denison, Persona

For many performing artists who grow up on the Oregon Coast, the pathway to a successful career on the stage seems to lead away. Bigger cities. Bigger stages. More opportunity. The Oregon Coast becomes something you carry with you, not something you expect to return to in a professional capacity. But for Livanna Maislen, an actor, dancer, and yogi based in San Francisco after years of work in New York’s theater ecosystem, returning to the Oregon Coast to appear in the upcomin

On the central Oregon Coast, art is no longer a scattered curiosity tucked between souvenir shops and fishing docks. Today it forms a collaborative ecosystem of galleries, artists, authors, and community spaces that draw visitors year-round—a transformation closely tied to Talley Woodmark. When Woodmark first arrived in Depoe Bay, few galleries existed and the artistic community lacked cohesion. What she found instead was potential: a small, supportive town capable of nurturi

Workers at Rogue Brewery showed up to work on Friday morning, November 14th to find out that the company had closed its operations. The company started in 1988 by Jack Joyce , Rogue’s founder and started out in Ashland, and then relocated their brewery to Newport. Rogue has been behind in their lease payments to the Port of Newport for the last year and owes the Port over $500,000, and is also behind in their property taxes. The port has been working with Rogue management ove

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners took steps to maintain county operations and align its management structure in the wake of ongoing leadership transitions. Faced with the vacancy of the County Administrator position, the Board voted by 2 to 1 vote to continue to empower the current Board Chair, Claire Hall, to assume the administrator's responsibilities temporarily. This move is designed to ensure that continuity of operations occurs for the county during the recruit

On Friday October 31st, Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Amanda Benjamin sentenced 47-year-old Tyson Kay to 18 months in prison for killing Daisy, a 6-year-old black labrador retriever in the back with a shotgun full of birdshot. Daisy was the neighbor's dog, who was known by several neighbors and described as a happy, playful, and loving dog. Daisy was primarily an inside dog, but that day had gotten out, and she wandered to the neighbor's yard. Kay was found guilty of on

The recall effort led by Christine Jamison targeted county leadership turned in their signatures to the county clerk's office. The recall started when Jamison spoke during public comment and asked questions regarding the budget and asked why Commissioner Miller was not being allowed to do his job in the county offices. After the meeting, Jamison said she was pulled aside along with Barbara Davis by the County Council who reportedly put down several county employees. At the ne

Lincoln County Circuit Court presiding judge Sheryl Bachart sentenced Emerson Cromwell of Lincoln City to life in prison after he had been found guilty of two counts of murder in the second degree of his 15-month old daughter. In August of 2022, Cromwell was arrested by the Lincoln City Police and charged with two counts of second-degree murder by abuse, two counts of second-degree murder and single counts of first- and second-degree assault. Judge Bachart stated that the 15-

By Don Gomez In a day and age colored by divisiveness, with Americans hardly able to agree on economic policy, social issues, and the practices which define good government, the stage at the Newport Performing Arts Center has become a rare kind of public square. Here, in this small coastal town, far from the nation’s power centers, theatergoers are gathering not for a debate, but for a play— What the Constitution Means to Me , Heidi Schreck’s acclaimed reflection on our natio

By Kiera Morgan During the October 1 Board of Commissioners meeting, Lincoln County District Attorney Jenna Wallace spoke during public...