LATEST NEWS
Ballots being mailed this week
Ballots for the May 21 Primary Election are being mailed out this week by the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office. Voters will be choosing candidates for federal, state and local offices. For partisan races, the top vote getters in each party will face off in the November General Election. Locally, there are only two contested races on the ballot — Lincoln County Commissioner Position 2 and the office of Lincoln County...
Letter: Vote Jenna Wallace for district attorney
No matter how many times Katherine Benfield mourns the good old days of good old boys, the class of deputy DAs she misses were mediocre at best. I literally volunteered my time as a prosecutor because the office back then lacked trial attorneys competent to prosecute violence. Lanee Danforth successfully recruited a highly skilled staff. Jenna Wallace is at the top of that class. There are fundamental differences in both background and approach between the two candidates for Lincoln County District Attorney. Benfield is a...
Fire destroys Florence residence
Fire personnel had to revisit a house fire in Florence a few times April 19th due to roofing additions that trapped heat inside the components. Western Lane Fire and EMS responded to the area of Shorecrest Drive and North Lane, north of Florence at about 10:25 a.m. to find a double-wide mobile home heavily involved.
Who will become Lincoln County’s next district attorney? Wallace, Benfield have similar goals but different backgrounds
Lincoln County chief deputy district attorney Jenna Wallace, left, and Newport defense attorney Kathryn Benfield are seeking election as district attorney in the May primary. Jenna Wallace hadn’t anticipated seeking election to become a district attorney. Not yet, anyway. Wallace has been a prosecutor in the Lincoln County district...
Stolen Lincoln County transit bus recovered
On April 28, 2024 at about 1148 hours, Newport Officers responded to the Lincoln County fuel pumps for a report of a stolen Lincoln County transit bus. Officers spoke to a transit bus driver who advised they had parked at the Lincoln County fuel pumps and went inside to use the bathroom. The bus driver stated when they came out of the bathroom, the bus was gone. Newport Police, with the assistance of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, began checking the area for the stolen...
Newport-area community celebrates 67th Loyalty Days and Sea Fair Festival with three days of events
NEWPORT — Started in response to a proclamation signed by President Eisenhower in 1958, Loyalty Days events began popping up around the country. Now in its 67th year, the Newport event continues to salute veterans while also honoring and remembering members of the local fishing industry. This year’s Loyalty...
Rollover traffic crash in Newport
On Wednesday, April 24th, 2024 at approximately 4:35 PM Newport Police, along with Newport Fire, were dispatched to the intersection of Hwy 101 at Olive Street (Hwy 20) in Newport on the report of a two-vehicle traffic crash. The crash was reported as a two-vehicle crash, with injuries, and one vehicle being “flipped”. Responders arrived and discovered a black pickup with heavy front-end damage and a white pickup lying on its driver's side, both in the intersection. Further investigation revealed the black truck, which was...
Siletz man killed in Friday head-on collision just east of Newport
NEWPORT – A 62-year-old Siletz man was killed and his passenger seriously injured Friday evening when their small pickup was struck head-on by a car that crossed into their lane of U.S. Highway 20 a little more than a mile east of Newport. Oregon State Police said in a...
Letter: Thank you Siletz Tribe
The Siletz Valley Grange is the recipient of a grant from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Charitable Contribution Fund. We are so excited and thankful to the STCCF for awarding $8,933.06 so that we can make extensive repairs to the interior east wall of the kitchen and replace the rotted cabinets. Thank you again STCCF. Michelle Schaffer Grange President
Alaska man accused of racist threats against a Newport church
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A man with a history of making threats is now accused of a second-degree bias crime against the Four Square Church in Newport. According to court documents, on Feb. 11, 2023, a security worker at the church contacted police after receiving a graphic, threatening and racist voicemail left on the church phone.
Parking fees now active on Newport Bayfront
As of today (Wednesday, May 1), the city of Newport’s new pay-to-park program on the Bayfront is up and running. Newport Public Works employees were busy last week installing 10 new pay stations, along with new signage — regulatory signs, text-to-park signs, parking lot identification signs — to help inform motorists of the new system. There are around 240 signs in total, officials said. The fee for parking will be...
Oregon Coast Community College seeks approval of bond for trades education center
Lincoln County voters are being asked to approve a $33.1 million bond levy to build a Trades Education Center at Oregon Coast Community College in Newport. Dave Price is the Vice President for Engagement at OCCC. He said people are always telling him the region needs more skilled trades workers.
Stephensen to speak at Midcoast Watershed meeting
MidCoast Watersheds Council's May 2 meeting will be hosting Shawn Stephensen from the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, who will discuss seabirds in Oregon. Stephensen has a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from Utah State University and a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from University of Alaska Anchorage. He has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 34 years as a Wildlife Biologist. He spent four years with Fish and Wildlife Enhancement in Salt Lake City, Utah conducting contaminant studies, 14 years with Migratory Bird Management in Anchorage, Alaska conducting seabird studies and database management, and 16 years with the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Newport, Oregon conducting seabird studies and refuge management.
Letter: Kathryn Benfield for district attorney
I had the distinct pleasure of working for Kathryn Benfield at her law office in Newport, and it was one of the most impactful experiences of my professional career. I first met KB in the courtroom, while working for the Honorable Paulette Sanders. There I witnessed firsthand Kathryn’s masterful professionalism while passionately advocating for her clients — both adult and juvenile — during hearings and trials. Kathryn is a lifetime local, and her parents were well-respected members of the Lincoln County community. Kathryn herself has...
Historical display shows how coastal Native Americans used shaped rocks, wood and bones to fish
These three objects, two sinker stones and a wood and bone hook, are part of the Lincoln County Historical Society’s collection and are on display at the Burrows House Museum in Newport. The smaller sinker stone with a drilled hole was likely used to weigh the bottom edge of...
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