Latest news with #WhaleWatchWeek
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
ODFW removes elephant seal from popular Oregon beach ahead of spring break
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Mammal Program captured and relocated an elephant seal pup that was resting at Neskowin's South Beach on March 19. Experts moved the elephant seal pup to a less popular beach, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Beth Quillian told KOIN. Sub-adult elephant seals, she said, inhabit Oregon beaches in the spring and summer and will molt and rest on the same beach for days or weeks at a time. 'The elephant seal was relocated to a more remote location to prevent disturbance from people,' Quillian said. 'We are not sharing the new location so that the seal remains undisturbed.' Killer whale pod makes rare appearance in Depoe Bay during Whale Watch Week The elephant seal pup arrived on Neskowin's South Beach late afternoon on February 24. The next day he moved to North Beach Neskowin and settled in on the cove next to Hawk Creek until March 19th. Marine Mammal Stranding Network volunteers Candice and Gregory Miller told KOIN that the elephant seal pup arrived in the area on Feb. 24 and ultimately settled near Hawk Creek. While elephant seal pups typically practice swimming and hunting before heading out into the ocean, this seal pup was practicing in the nearby creek. 'As is the pattern with elephant seal pups, they are weaned by their mother for 30 days,' the Millers said. 'After the weaning they spend the next two to three months fasting while going out to the ocean practicing their skills of swimming, diving, holding their breath and foraging for food. What was unique in this case was we don't get elephant seals here in Neskowin. Also this little pup, although practicing his skills, was practicing in the creek rather than the ocean.' Kotek: Feds holding up disaster money 'despite court orders' With spring break approaching, Jim Rice, the director for OSU Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and ODFW worked to relocate the elephant seal pup to a more suitable beach. Beachgoers are prohibited from touching any stranded marine mammals like seals, sea lions, whales or dolphins. If a marine mammal is spotted on the beach, beachgoers can report the animal to the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network by calling or texting (541) 270-6830. 'Spring is the season when young wildlife are abundant in the landscape,' Quillian said. 'If you come across a young animal alone, it doesn't mean that it needs to be rescued. The best thing to do is leave it where you found it. Please leave wildlife wild. If you come across an animal that appears sick or injured, report to OSP or ODFW.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon joins legal effort forcing Trump admin to unfreeze FEMA funds
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined a group of 22 other attorneys general on Tuesday seeking a court order forcing the Trump administration to unfreeze federal disaster relief. Even though several court orders blocked the Trump administration from freezing federal funds, the administration is still withholding millions of dollars in state grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Attorney General Rayfield — noting the blocked funding threatens life-saving emergency preparedness and recovery programs to help with emergencies from wildfires and floods to cybersecurity threats. 'The Trump administration's refusal to release this funding is not just dangerous – it's reckless,' Rayfield said. 'It will harm people, and we won't stand by while the federal government plays politics with people's lives.' 'No absolute certainty' Martin Family car found in Cascade Locks The attorneys general filed a motion on Tuesday to enforce a preliminary injunction from early March, which would require the administration to stop the FEMA funding freeze. The administration froze the federal funding through a mix of actions, including a January 27 memo from the Office of Management and Budget, which froze trillions of dollars in federal grants for states, nonprofits and community health centers. After the OMB memo was issued, states, including Oregon, reported issues accessing federal funding for programs such as Medicaid and Head Start. Killer whale pod makes rare appearance in Depoe Bay during Whale Watch Week Amid blocked FEMA funds, Rayfield says the Oregon Department of Emergency Management is among state agencies that have been 'greatly impacted' by the funding freeze, adding that the agency has filed a declaration of support of the motion filed by the attorneys general. According to Rayfield, OEM administers nearly 30 FEMA grants or lines of federal disaster assistance that have been frozen. Those grants would support disaster prep, along with response and recovery planning and training. On January 28, Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition filed their initial lawsuit against the administration's federal funding freeze and on Jan. 31, the court granted their request for a temporary restraining order that blocked implementation of the funding freeze until further instruction from the court. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now On Feb. 7, the attorneys general filed motions to enforce the preliminary injunction in order to stop the freeze. The group filed a second motion Feb. 28 seeking enforcement to stop the administration from freezing FEMA funds. On March 6, the attorneys general won the preliminary injunction to stop the federal funding freeze. As part of the injunction, the court ordered the administration to provide evidence that they unfroze FEMA funds by March 14; however, the funds continue to be unavailable, Rayfield said. Leading efforts in the funding freeze battle are the attorneys general representing California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Other attorneys general joining the effort include the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Oregon parolee convicted of rape, murder transferred due to 'public attention' The legal challenge comes one day after Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced Oregon is unable to access federal disaster relief after declaring a state of emergency in 10 Oregon counties following devastating flooding. 'We are, at present, looking at up to $450 million in federal funds that continue to be inaccessible despite court orders,' Governor Kotek announced Monday. Of that $450 million, Kotek's office said $129 million in FEMA funding is now out of reach because of pending orders from the Trump Administration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Little bandwidth': Portland's small businesses outline economic struggles in new survey
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A new survey indicates that Portland's small business owners have noticed a slight decline in vandalism, while other hurdles like rising costs and a lack of foot traffic have persisted. The , the Portland-based advocacy group for small companies, shows that 57% of participating businesses had experienced at least one incident of vandalism or a break-in throughout 2024. Killer whale pod makes rare appearance in Depoe Bay during Whale Watch Week About 60% of respondents had the same answer the prior. And in said they had experienced vandalism at least once — with 62% of those businesses saying they had been hit on more than one occasion. Although the threat of vandalism appears to be slowly dropping for the participating entrepreneurs, Bricks Need Mortar Founder Sarah Shaoul noted that the latest report garnered a total of 96 responses. The group has more than 800 small businesses in its directory, and typically collects 'well over 100' responses for its surveys. 'We attribute the lower response rate to the fact that our small businesses have little bandwidth due to economic factors,' Shaoul wrote in an email. 'Small business owners are lowering their payrolls and wearing more hats in their businesses than ever before.' When entrepreneurs were asked what would be their 'biggest challenge' of 2025, many named rising costs, the 'uncertain political climate' and weather — which was a major hurdle for local small businesses following the January 2024 winter storm. Oregon bill would let hotel guests sue over photos, videos taken in private spaces Downtown Portland respondents also cited their location as a challenge. Although the area saw a from 2023 to 2024, its businesses they were still struggling financially. According to Bricks Need Mortar's report, small companies are looking to cut expenses to help boost profit. Some have done this by reducing payroll, prioritizing their busiest locations and hoping 'that nothing else breaks.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mayor Wilson pauses demolition of Columbia Pool to explore funding options
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Days before a beloved community pool was set to be demolished, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson announced a pause on the construction. Residents in the community are thrilled there may be a chance to save the Columbia Pool — once upon a time called the 'Jewel of the North' —- that has been here for nearly a century. Oregon bill would let hotel guests sue over photos, videos taken in private spaces Local parents say they like having a place for their kids to go cool off during the summer months. It's also a space for families to teach their children water safety. 'I think any parent who has kids in Portland knows it's very difficult to get into swimming lessons,' Community member Alyson Emmett said. 'And, you know, having one less pool available to us makes it just that much harder.' The city closed the indoor pool in 2020, initially due to Covid-19 restrictions. But in 2021, after an inspection, the building was deemed unsafe due to life-safety hazards and diminishing structural integrity 'We've had a lot of deferred maintenance at Columbia Pool for decades,' Portland Councilor Sameer Kanal said 'It's come to a breaking point where the pool is unusable, so the plan had been made under the previous former government to demolish the pool.' Killer whale pod makes rare appearance in Depoe Bay during Whale Watch Week But Mayor Wilson has chosen to pause the demo for one year — giving the city additional time to explore potential funding sources though it faces a near-$100 million budget shortfall. Portland Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said the city doesn't have the funds to reopen this pool on its own. 'My goal with the pause is to see if we can find a partnership to get it reopened,' she said. Oregon parolee convicted of rape, murder transferred due to 'public attention' Kamal said the relatively small project will not require hundreds of millions of dollars, adding, 'We're talking about, you know, in the low double digits.' Meanwhile, community members around the park say this is worth the investment. 'I think it is absolutely important that those opportunities are still available to the kids today,' Conni Haffey said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Oregon State Police searching for suspect who poached 2 blacktail deer
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public's help catching the person or people responsible for poaching two juvenile blacktail deer in Clatsop County. On March 17, Fish and Wildlife troopers were called to the North Fork Wolf Creek Recreational Shooting Lanes in the Tillamook State Forest, 35 miles east of Seaside. At the scene, troopers found two deer, which they suspect were killed by poachers. Killer whale pod makes rare appearance in Depoe Bay during Whale Watch Week 'Anyone who was at the shooting range near this time frame and saw anything or has any information that could assist with this investigation, please contact OSP Senior Trooper Greg Schuerger or Senior Trooper Dave Herman through the Turn in Poachers hotline,' OSP said. In January, Oregon State Police also announced that investigators are looking for a suspect or suspects responsible for the poaching of a wolf in Union County. Poaching tips can be sent to TIP@ or by calling (1-800) 452-7888. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
