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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2026

Brookings, Oregon

Oregon Historical Society Celebrates 100 Years of Highway 101 with New Exhibition, Special Photography Showcase

Oregon housing bill tries to reduce rental barriers for older adults BY: ROBIN LINARES

Oregon Capital Chronicle

Portland, OR — This Friday, take a scenic drive up the coast when 101 at 100: The History of Oregon’s Most Iconic Highway opens at the Oregon Historical Society in downtown Portland. On view through October 11, this interactive installation explores a century of transportation, culture, and coastal life shaped by one of Oregon’s most beloved roads. Stretching 363 miles along the Paciﬁc Coast, U.S. Highway 101

has connected communities from Astoria to Brookings since its designation as a federal highway in 1926. 101 at 100 traces the road’s evolution from Indigenous travel routes to a vital corridor for commerce, tourism, and daily life. “Having grown up on the Oregon Coast in Reedsport, Highway 101 was a constant presence in my life,” said OHS Boyle Family Executive Director

Kerry Tymchuk. “This exhibition invites visitors to discover the rich diversity of Oregon’s coastal communities and to appreciate the remarkable feat of engineering that made Highway 101 possible.” In conjunction with the main exhibition, visitors can also see From Highway 101: Images of Oregon’s Most Iconic Highway, a supporting photographic exhibition by local photographer

Peter Marbach. This visual celebration offers contemporary views of life along the coast — from majestic bridges and misty shorelines to the vibrant communities that line the highway — serving as a love letter to the road on its centennial. The Oregon Historical Society’s museum is open daily in downtown Portland, from 10am to 5pm Monday through SaturPlease see HWY 101 Page 3

Out of Howard's Head at Chetco Pelican Players

Join us at the Chetco Pelican Players theater in Brookings, for OUT OF HOWARDS HEAD, three original one-act plays by Crescent City and Brookings Theater Mogul, Howard Patterson Howard Patterson is one of our most accomplished and long-term actors and is a wellknown director and dramatist. In Southern Oregon and Northern California, we lay claim to Howard as ‘one of our own.’ This trio of stories will more than capture the imagination and the entire cast are eagerly enthusiastic about the prospect of bringing Howard’s characters and their stories to life on the Chetco Pelican Players’ stage. We’re proud indeed to present for you…“Out of Howard’s Head.” Please see HOWARD'S Page 6

If the bill passes, renters could have the option of paper housing applications and payment methods A clerical error on an online rent payment portal nearly led to one Milwaukie renter losing her home — and that’s just one example of housing advocates’ increasing concerns as online portals become more standard for ﬁnding housing and paying rent. Mistyping one piece of personal information on her apartment’s online portal meant Beth Walker didn’t realize her rent payment hadn’t gone through until after her landlord applied a late fee and prepared to start an eviction ﬁling. “It ultimately took hours of frantic communication and a forced day off work just to ensure the process wasn’t initiated the following morning,” Walker wrote in legislative testimony. “The digital divide isn’t just about internet access — it’s about making sure that people who lack access to or familiarity with technology like smartphones and electronic portals can still meet their fundamental needs, including housing.” Walker is one of dozens of Oregon tenants, landlords and housing advocates who urged lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1523, which would require landlords to accommodate renters by giving the option to use a paper application, pay by check or other non-digital methods and have non-digital keys to access rental spaces. The Senate Housing Committee advanced the bill Tuesday. Advocates say it’s a way to stop technological advancements from limiting housing access for older adults, low-income renters, renters with disabilities and those otherwise technology adverse. While smartphone ownership has drastically increased over the past decade, data from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center shows roughly 1 in 10 adults — and approximately 1 in 4 for seniors 65 and older — don’t own one. Sybil Hebb, director of legislative advocacy at the Oregon Law Center, told lawmakers that some of her clients have nearly lost their housing because of technological mishaps from tenant portals that made rent payments appear late or even missing. These concerns are exacerbated among low-income Please see HOUSING Page 3

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