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CRAB CAKES
OREGONIANS URGED TO ‘RETHINK THE DRINK’ THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON: ANGEL BALL, FESTIVAL OF TREES
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Coast Life
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
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Lincoln County, Oregon
Newport business works to reduce Oregon’s fish waste MIA MALDONADO Oregon Capital Chronicle
of an unspecified project that would have significant environmental
Each year, Local Ocean Seafoods buys 100,000 pounds of fresh whole fish from the fishing vessels across its street along Yaquina Bay. The Newport restaurant opened in 2002 in the town’s historic bayfront. It has become a local staple known for serving locally-caught seafood to tourists visiting Oregon’s Central Coast. But in 2025, the
See ICE, page A4
See WASTE, page A4
Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport crosses the Yaquina Bay estuary, where fishing charters pass daily to catch halibut, tuna, salmon, rockfish and crab. (Mia Maldonaldo / Oregon Capital Chronicle )
Incoming Newport ICE action revealed: ‘Something’s going on,’ Gomberg says SHAANTH NAAGUNERI Oregon Capital Chronicle
A federal contractor representing U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Oregon officials in late November that they are preparing an analysis
Frozen fish scraps held in a freezer by Local Ocean Seafoods in Newport. (Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Holiday toy, food drive is a labor of love JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
The Lincoln City Eagles Lodge and the North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District have partnered again this year for the annual holiday toy and food drive. For insight into this caring event the Lincoln County Leader spoke with NLF&R District #1 Deputy Chief Operations/Fire Marshal Cody Heidt. The Leader: NLFR has been involved with the Toy Drive for years. Why is this project important to you and your team? Cory Heidt: North Lincoln Fire & Rescue’s mission extends beyond emergency response — we’re here to serve our community in every way we can. The annual Toy Drive is one of the most rewarding ways we get to do that. Our crews see firsthand how difficult the holidays can be for some families. This project gives us a chance to bring a little hope and comfort to our neighbors while strengthening the community bonds that make our district such a special place to live and work. See TOY, page A2
Donated toys and clothing items fill a large room at St. Peter the Fisherman Lutheran Church Activity Building in Lincoln City during a previous holiday collection campaign. (Photo by Jeremy C. Ruark)
Newport resident sentenced to 10 years in child sex abuse case A Newport resident faces 10 years in the Oregon Department of Corrections following his conviction for disseminating child sexual abuse material, more commonly known as child pornography, in 2024. Lincoln County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart sentenced 36-year-old Kurtis Fegulia, Jr. following his plea of guilty Nov. 25, according to a release from the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office.
BACKGROUND In August 2024, the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a social media user had uploaded files that contained videos of child sexual abuse material on a social media platform. Investigators were provided with information regarding the user’s identity and tracked the location of the uploads to Newport, Oregon. The case was then assigned to the Newport Police Department
and investigated by Detective Darren Cicerone. Through a series of extensive investigative tools, Detective Cicerone was able to identify Fegulia, Jr. as the individual responsible for uploading multiple videos through the social media platform. Fegulia, Jr. later admitted to uploading child sexual abuse material and indicated the ages of the children involved in the videos were as young as five. On November 25, 2025, Fegulia, Jr. entered a guilty plea to 5 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree,
felony sex crimes, for knowingly disseminating a visual recording of sexually explicit conduct involving a child while knowing the fact that the creation of the visual recording involved child abuse. Over the course of the investigation, the Newport Police Department received over 33 CyberTips linked to Fegulia, Jr.’s residence, which showed over 700 videos of child sexual abuse material were disseminated by Fegulia, Jr. online in 2024 and 2025. Prior to imposing the 10-year prison sentence, Judge Bachart emphasized that these types of cases are not just videos. “The State classifies these cases as a person crime because they involve real children,” Bachart said. “Even
though you did not touch them, these children are being abused, and you watch the abuse and are aroused by it.” Bachart stressed that if there was not a demand for these types of videos due to people like Fegulia, Jr., the abuse would not happen. This case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jenna Wallace and investigated by Newport Police Department Detective Cicerone. “The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Detective Cicerone for his commitment to investigating crimes against children and for prioritizing the dissemination of child sexual abuse material to protect children from predators living in our community”, the release states.