August 14, 2026
Elm Park Apartments is open, providing the area with 32 low-cost apartments, while next door, the Elm Park Early Learning Center will add nearly 80 childcare seats.
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The Wrights Spring Fire as seen on the afternoon of Friday, August 7 from Sprague River Road. ~ Photo from InciWeb
August 28, 2026
Oregon Journalism Project | Khushboo Rathore
Oregon’s unfinished fire season is the most destructive ever, burning more than 2.5 million acres and choking off clean air across the state.
At the same time, Oregonians may misunderstand some aspects of the wildfire crisis, which could leave communities unprepared as fire seasons grow longer and more intense year after year. The Oregon Journalism Project analyzed recent data updated Aug. 24 by the National Interagency Fire Center to dispel some misconceptions.
Read the full story…
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A view of data centers in Boardman, Oregon. ~ Photo by Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle
August 28, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Shaanth Nanguneri
Growing public backlash over data centers is becoming an issue for voters of both parties in the Oregon governor’s race.
A fissure between the candidates is emerging over data centers and the growing public backlash over the server farms in Oregon and nationwide. A late July poll by the Portland-based firm DHM Research found that 71% of Oregonians have a negative view of data centers
Read the full story…
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An electric vehicle charging at a station in a national park. Oregon’s popular EV rebate program is reopening through Nov. 4, 2026. ~ Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
August 25, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Alex Baumhardt
Oregonians planning to buy or lease an electric vehicle before Nov. 4 can get thousands of dollars from the state to help pay for it, according to an article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.
Officials at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday reopened the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which offers rebates of $1,500 to $7,500 on the purchase or lease of an eligible electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, depending on income. Motorcyclists through the program can get up to $375 back on the purchase of an electric motorcycle.
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August 25, 2026
KLCC | Zac Ziegler
Another Oregon news website is shutting down.
The Highway 58 Herald, an online news outlet that covered Oakridge, Lowell, Pleasant Hill and other communities along the scenic highway, will officially shut down in September.
Earlier this year, The News-Review in Roseburg announced a significant restructuring of its newspaper, ceasing its print edition and laying off 11 of 15 employees.
According to the Agora Journalism Center, 13% of Oregon’s newspapers have closed since late 20222.
Read more about the Herald’s closure…
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August 24, 2026
Press Release | Siuslaw National Forest
The USDA Forest Service is hiring for wildland firefighter positions on the Siuslaw National Forest.
Jobs include fire engine operators, assistant fire management officer, and entry-level firefighter positions. Applications are open Aug. 24 through Sept. 22, 2026
Click to see the job postings…
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August 21, 2026
The Oregonian/OregonLive | Jamie Hale
Buster Keaton’s classic film “The General” turns 100 this year. It was filmed in Cottage Grove and released in 1926.
This year locals will celebrate the anniversary with a special screening Aug. 29 at the Cottage Theatre. Tickets are available at cottagetheatre.org.
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This semi-truck was hauling hay when it caught on fire on July 25, 2026. The entire truck and trailer were consumed by flames, stalling traffic on Interstate 5 Northbound near Albany, Oregon. ~ Photo by Brian Bull/KLCC
August 20, 2026
KLCC | Brian Bull
Compost bins are a potential fire risk for homeowners. The enclosed space can’t easily dissipate the heat generated by composting, Mike Caven, Chief of Eugene Springfield Fire, said to KLCC.
Fires have erupted in gardens, hay trucks, and grain silos, sometimes explosively if pressure and heat exacerbated significantly. Caven said monitoring for moisture and tilling can help prevent such build-up.
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Read MoreMatsutake mushroom commercial permits will be available starting September 8, 2026, for use within the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and the Central Coast Ranger District. The Siuslaw National Forest announced.
Permits can be purchased in person at the Reedsport office starting on September 8 and then at the Waldport office as well, on a first-come basis. 100 commercial use permits will be available.
The permits cost $200. No permit is required for non-commercial use, up to six mushrooms per day,
Similarly looking, poisonous mushrooms exist in the same areas as the matsutake, the Forest Service warns.
Click for more information…
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August 19, 2026
WotT | Will Yurman
Oregon is looking for public comment on the state’s transportation system. The governor has convened “The Rebuilding Our Transportation Vision Workgroup,” to offer recommendations by the end of the year.
The deadline for public comments is September 10.
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Measles rashes usually appear as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. ~ Photo by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
August 17, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Mia Maldonado
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that Oregon has seen a rise in measles cases this year, already ahead of the 2024 outbreak.
The State of Oregon requires that children receive two doses of the measles vaccine before entering kindergarten, though parents can request an exemption and opt out.
Vaccination rates for individual school districts are available from the Oregon Health Department online.
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~ Photo by Clinton Carpenter/Bonneville Power Administration
August 14, 2026
Washington State Standard | Aspen Ford
The Pacific Northwest will need a massive buildout of new energy infrastructure over the next six years to meet rising electricity demand, according to a draft regional power plan released Thursday, August 13, 2026.
Electricity demand could double in the next 20 years in the Pacific Northwest because of data centers, the increase in electric vehicles, and population growth, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council forecast last year.
The council released a draft of its Ninth Power Plan on Thursday, calling for the addition of 11,000 megawatts to the region’s grid — about a third of the electricity the Northwest uses at peak demand.
Public comment for the draft is open until Oct. 16.
Read the full story at the Washington State Standard…
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Firefighters meet outside the Florence Events Center before heading out to fight the Three Buttes Fire near Florence in this 2023 file photo ~ Photo by Will Yurman
August 13, 2026
Oregon Journalism Project | Khushboo Rathore
2026 has already broken the Oregon record for acres burned by wildfires, and we are still many weeks away from the fall rainy season.
As of Aug. 10, more than 1,400 fires of all sizes have consumed more than 2.3 million acres across the state–an area far larger than the once-record 2024 fire season at its completion. That is more acres than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
Read the full story…
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An undated photo of a sign near the eastern entrance to Lane Community College in Eugene. ~ Photo by Rachael McDonald / KLCC
August 13, 2026
KLCC | Rebecca Hansen-White
Lane Community College has received a warning from the body that oversees community college accreditation over concerns about its governance.
In a college-wide message Wednesday, LCC President Stephanie Bulger and LCC Board of Education Chair Jesse Maldonado said the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities found the college was out of compliance in a few areas.
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The Three Buttes Fire northeast of Florence on September 11, 2023. ~ File photo by Will Yurman
August 12, 2026
Press Release | Siuslaw National Forest
The Siuslaw National Forest is raising the fire danger level from moderate to high, effective August 13, 2026, they announced in a press release.
“Local firefighters have already detected and contained several small fires on the Forest this year,” said Anne Trapanese, Deputy Fire Staff Officer-Fuels with Northwest Oregon Interagency Fire Management. “With the hot and dry conditions in western Oregon, we want to urge the public to remain vigilant in preventing human-caused wildfires and follow all fire restrictions,” Trapanese said in the press release.
Read the full release…
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The 6:30 am briefing for fire fighters at the Three Buttes fire near Florence. ~ 2023 File Photo by Will Yurman
August 10, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Alex Baumhardt
In the final hours of work before members of Congress went on recess for five weeks, a bill backed by Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden to relieve natural disaster survivors from paying federal income taxes on their recovery settlements and lawyers’ fees passed against unexpected odds.
The bill also passed the House and will go to the White House for the president’s signature.
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An explosion of data center facilities, including the one pictured here in northeast Oregon on May 18, 2026, have been built along the Columbia River Gorge during the last few years. ~ Photo by Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle
August 9, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Alex Baumhardt
Data center construction in Oregon should be regulated but not stopped, an advisory committee to Gov. Tina Kotek said, according to an article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.
“A lack of sales tax, generous property tax incentives for industrial development and relatively cheap electricity over the years has made Oregon a hot spot for data centers,” the Chronicle reported.
The committee agreed that the state should require more transparency from data companies and local governments regarding tax incentives and other agreements, but that on the whole, the state can benefit economically from the centers.
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Siuslaw High School Principal Mike Harklerode gives a tour of the school in 2025. ~ Photo by Will Yurman/WotT
August 8, 2026
Oregon Journalism Project | Khushboo Rathore
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Be prepared for road construction starting Monday on Rhododendron Drive, from 9th Street to Wild Winds Street.
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A 2024 file photo of the Siuslaw Public Library ~ Photo by Will Yurman
August 5, 2026
WotT | Will Yurman
Warm temperatures and poor air quality are in the forecast for all of Lane County including the coast.
In Florence and Mapleton, the library is a cooling center. The DHS office in Florence is as well.
Read the story to get the full list.
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August 5, 2026
National Night Out at Miller Park Tuesday night, courtesy of the Florence Police Department. The red sun was courtesy of wildfire smoke that drifted into our area.
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The Carl G. Washburne State Park campground along U.S. Highway 101 between Yachats and Florence is closed for at least a month so a contractor can replace two culverts damaged by a heavy rainfall in December 2023, the Lincoln Chronicle reported.
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An undated file photo of smoky skies over Eugene. ~ Photo by Karen Richards/KLCC
August 3, 2026
KLCC
Take care if you’re traveling towards Eugene over the next few days.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the southern Willamette Valley for Monday from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. The warning area includes Eugene, Albany, Springfield and Cottage Grove.
The agency said the smoke should arrive by Monday afternoon and linger in the area through at least Wednesday.
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A “closed” sign sits at a counter at the DMV office in Albany. Since Jan. 1, 2026, there have been 34 full day office closures across Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle division offices because of staffing shortages. ~ Photo by Mia Maldonado/Oregon Capital Chronicle
August 2, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Mia Maldonado
Inflation and declining gas tax revenues are the primary causes of the predicted $200 million budget gap in Oregon’s Department of Transportation budget, according to this article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.
Without new revenue, the agency will need to eliminate almost 550 positions, according to agency deputy director Travis Brouwer. Cuts will be felt in road maintenance, and in DMV offices around the state, the article reports.
Read MoreThe Siuslaw National Forest has proposed fee increases to nearly two dozen recreation sites in the national forest area. Click to see the full list of sites, and the proposed fee changes.
The public is invited to comment, and the Forest Service has extended the comment period through September 18. See the press release for how to submit your comments by mail, email or online.
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The Blue Basin in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, in 2024. ~ Photo by Will Yurman
July 29, 2026
WotT | Will Yurman
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Screenshots of similar videos from Connected Ohio, Oregon Connects, Pennsylvania Connects and North Carolina Connects. The groups were founded by leaders at the Data Center Coalition, a nonprofit data center advocacy group backed by large tech companies. (Collage by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
July 28, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Alex Baumhardt
Recent ads promoting data centers in Oregon were paid for by Oregon Connects, a non-profit funded by an industry group that includes Microsoft, Google and Meta, the Oregon Capitol Chronicle reported in this story.
Nearly identical ad campaigns are being run in more than half a dozen states around the country.
Tax incentives in Oregon will save data centers $85 million in property taxes this year.
Read MoreSafeway and Fred Meyer were among the most-listed employers on Oregonians’ applications for Medicaid in 2025, according to a report by the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.
More than 5,000 people receiving Medicaid listed Safeway/Albertsons as their employer and just over 4,000 listed Fred Myer/Kroger.
This comes as cuts to the federal program in 2025 could cost Oregon more than $9 billion in Medicaid funding over the next ten years, according to The Oregon Health Authority, the Chronicle reported.
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Members of the Yakama Nation harvest Pacific lamprey at Wilumpt, or Willamette Falls, near Oregon City on June 24, 2026. The lamprey are an ancient and culturally significant species for many Northwest tribes. Fishing would have been banned under an initiative that failed to gather sufficient signatures to make the November ballot. ~ Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle
July 25, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Julia Shumway
Initiative Petition 28, an effort to dramatically expand the state’s animal cruelty laws, won’t be on the ballot in November. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office announced the petition did not have enough valid signatures to qualify.
The Oregon Capitol Chronicle reported that, “none of the other 88 initiatives Oregonians proposed this year submitted enough signatures, so this will be the first general election in decades without a citizen-led initiative on the ballot.”
Read the full story at the Oregon Capitol Chronicle by clicking on this post.
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The Heceta Head Lighthouse in a 2023 file photo by Will Yurman
July 24, 2026
Lincoln Chronicle | Dana Tims
The lighthouse is back online after five months of repairs, according to this story from the Lincoln Chronicle. A $35,000 project replaced and repaired part of the mechanism that rotates the 10-foot-tall lens.
“Everything is fully restored and it all looks beautiful,” said Hylah Furnish, park manager for the state-managed property that includes the 132-year-old lighthouse. “We’re all really excited.”
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Volunteer Dale Gray hands out rings for the brass ring game at the Albany Carousel on July 13, 2026. ~ Photo by Kendra Schertell/KLCC
July 24, 2026
KLCC | Kendra Schertell
The Albany Historic Carousel and Museum is celebrating National Carousel Day on July 25th with free rides for visitors. Hours and pricing are on its website.
The Albany Carousel includes a greyhound named Neil who is missing a toe. As are most of the wooden animals in the carousel, Neil is modeled after a real pet, a former greyhound racer who lost a toe and had to stop racing.
All of the animals have been crafted by hand by a team of 30 or so active artists. It took four years to carve Neil, appropriately the fastest carving ever for the museum.
Click to read the whole story on the KLCC website.
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Arrive Executive Director Dana Shepherd Fuller, left, with tenured board member Mike Shcrader and Arrive Founder and Former Executive Director Peg Malloy. ~ Photo Courtesy of Arrive
July 22, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Mia Maldonado
Arrive, an Oregon non-profit, helps people on a low income buy a home.
Formerly the Portland Housing Center, Arrive helps marginalized Oregonians achieve homeownership with counseling and lending services. In 2025, it expanded its lending services statewide to support Oregonians living outside the Portland area.
A one-time $99 fee provides access to a housing counselor and finance, homebuying and homeowner classes such as plumbing 101 or estate planning.
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The "Vertigo" ride was one of the options at the 2025 Lane County Fair. Photo by Kendra Schertell / KLCC
July 22, 2026
KLCC | Hannah Bush
The Lane County Fair opens July 22 and runs through the 26th.
As KLCC reports, the fair has new attractions and events, including “Canine Stars” and a BMX bike and acrobatics show. The fair runs Wednesday through Sunday, July 22 at the Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave In Eugene.
For tickets and information, go to atthefair.com.
Read MoreAccording to a Siuslaw National Forest press release, “Sutton Lake Boat Ramp and day use facilities will be closed for construction from August through November 2026 to replace the deteriorating boat ramp and floating docks.”
The facilities will close August 3.
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July 18, 2026
Bay Street was closed from Laurel St. to the bridge for the annual Block Party.
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Oregon Department of Aviation director Kenji Sugahara operates a drone at the Toketee State Airport. (Photo by Oregon Department of Aviation)
July 14, 2026
Oregon Capitol Chronicle | Mia Maldonado
In 2013, the state passed some of its earliest regulations regarding the public use of drones. Today, the state police, and the departments of forestry and transportation are among the Oregon State agencies using drones as a standard part of the job.
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Interviews with Siuslaw seniors, class of 2026, and kindergartners, class of 2038
