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Council reviewing options for Big Creek Dams JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
The Newport City Council is now reviewing multi-million-dollar options to deal with the safety of the city’s water reservoir’s two dams. The city of Newport’s main water supply comes from the Big Creek Reservoirs, but over the years concerns have heightened about the safety of the reservoir’s two dams. “The dams have
been deemed potentially unsafe by the state dam engineer,” City of Newport Communications Officer John Fuller said in a published interview with The Lincoln County Leader April 1. “The most critical issue is seepage in the upper dam spillway, and we are working to address that in what may be a much longer-term fix.” In 2025, the Newport See DAM, page A7
A Google Earth graphic shows the Big Creek Reservoir proportionate to north Newport and Highway 101. (Courtesy photo)
The Lincoln County Animal Shelter is located at 220 SW Dahl Avenue in Waldport. (Courtesy photos)
County animal shelter opens JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Lincoln County’s new animal shelter, located at 220 SW Dahl Avenue in Waldport officially opened April 14. The shelter hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. A ribbon cutting and public tours of the new shelter were conducted March 5. In a published interview with the Lincoln County leader in March, Animal Shelter Manager Marie Gainer said the state-of-the-art facility will improve public safety through effective stray control and enhance animal shelter welfare by providing proper care to the
animals. “Our new shelter will serve as a community hub for education, reducing the burden on local law enforcement while fostering community engagement through volunteerism and philanthropy,” Gainer said. “The environments we create will be healthier, significantly reducing stress for animals thanks to proper ventilation and dedicated quarantine spaces that are essential for rehabilitation.” Gainer explained that a major advantage of the 5,195 square-foot shelter is the inclusion of a surgery suite. “Which will enable us to increase our See ANIMAL, page A6
The Lincoln County Animal Shelter team.
School district moves to clear projected $5M budget shortfall JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
A minivan is stuck after flooding along Tualco Road near Monroe, Wash. on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. President Donald Trump approved disaster funding for Oregon and Washington following the historic winter storms. (Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard)
Trump approves Oregon disaster declaration over severe winter storms ALEX BAUMHARDT Oregon Capital Chronicle
President Donald Trump approved a
disaster declaration for Oregon following winter storms that brought record rainfall and caused flooding, landslides and mudslides in eight counties. The decision announced in a news release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Saturday will allow individuals,
nonprofits and state, tribal and local governments to tap federal financial assistance for recovery efforts, including low-cost loans and grants for temporary housing, home and building repairs. The announcement did not include any See DISASTER, page A6
The Lincoln County School District (LCSD) Board of Directors and the district’s budget committee are preparing to deal with a projected $5 million shortfall for the 2026-27 school year. The financial gap has been caused by declining enrollment and rising expenses, according to LCSD Communications Representative Susan Schuytema, who said plans have been developed to clear the budget shortfall. “The District plans to reduce discretionary funds by 15%, and reduce 10 teaching positions, 3 administrative positions and 6 central office positions,” she said. “The goal is to repurpose open positions
The Lincoln County School District faces a project $5 million shortfall. (Jeremy C. Ruark / Lincoln County Leader) by reassigning staff to fill open positions and not filling vacated positions if possible.” When asked by the Lincoln County Leader what the overall impact to students would be with such budget adjustments, Schuytema replied: “Our strategy is focused on shielding our
students from the brunt of these changes. We are doing that by prioritizing our students and staff in order to focus on teaching and learning. As we continue to right-size our budget now, and in the coming years, our commitment to providing See SCHOOL, page A7