Remote Surveillance Trailer in Coos Bay, OR

Train noise is already a serious issue in Eugene — and now a port project planned for Coos Bay could bring even more freight trains through the city in the coming years. Ben Botkin reports.

A survey of about 1,400 Eugene residents shows respondents are satisfied with their own neighborhoods and quality of life, but have growing concerns about homelessness and jobs. Grace Chinowsky got the survey results from the city.

Ducks writer Tyson Alger crunched the numbers, and Oregon football — with road games at Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers and Iowa — will log the most travel miles of any major contender in college football.

Speaking of Tyson, last week he admitted he didn’t know who pop singer Madison Beer is. Meanwhile, our arts and culture writer, Annie Aguiar, admitted she didn’t know who Justin Herbert is. Now that Herbert and Beer are rumored to be dating, Annie and Tyson got together to educate each other — and the resulting video made me laugh. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

In case you missed these stories published Thursday…• Prep sports preview: Highlanders, Axe revive crosstown football rivalry• Food Scene: Drink beer for science, Springfield food drive• Springfield man suspected of $50,000 theft from youth football league, police say

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A ship-to-rail project would increase freight trains passing through Eugene. For now, officials planning the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project say much work lies ahead, including outreach in Lane County communities.

About 1,400 Eugene residents completed a survey this summer. Affordable housing and personal safety were top concerns, with notable gaps between their importance to residents and the city’s delivery.

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The Sunset Bay Astronomy Festival makes a landing on the south Oregon coast's Shore Acres State Park, September 25–27, bringing three nights of stargazing and science to Sunset Bay and this mega-cool attraction near Coos Bay. The annual event blends hands-on exploration with celestial storytelling, offering a lineup of guided hikes, interpretive programs, and nightly star parties.

“Places like Sunset Bay and Shore Acres offer visitors a chance to see the natural world not only during the day but also at night. They’re special because they show us what the sky looked like everywhere before light pollution. Seeing the night sky in its full brilliance is powerful and, for many, even emotional,” said Park Manager Lee Ricci.

Each of the three evenings, NASA Ambassador Jennifer Godfrey will lead talks at Shore Acres Gardens, diving into topics such as ancient navigation, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the nature of exoplanets. Her presentations will be followed by star parties, where those behind telescopes help visitors explore the night sky. Organizers recommend attending the talks beforehand to allow time for eyes to adjust to the dark.

Thursday’s programming centers on constellations from around the world. Friday’s events take a more imaginative turn, inviting participants to view Earth through the lens of an alien visitor.

There's also some hiking involved in the stunning state park.

“Imagine you’ve just arrived on Earth with your guide and find all kinds of life here,” said organizers. “But what is it and how does it work? How does our ecosystem function and what makes it unique? Meet at the Interpretive Center and walk the Bog Trail with a ranger.”

Thursday Activities: 10 a.m.: Our Star, The Sun JR Ranger Program at Sunset Bay Interpretive Center 6 to 7:30 p.m.: Night Sky Photography Workshop. Sign-up required via Kenneth.Page@oprd.oregon.gov 7:30 p.m.: Navigating by The Stars program at Shore Acres Gardens 8 p.m.: Star Party with telescopes at Shore Acres

Friday Activities: 10 a.m.: Constellation Station Junior Ranger Program at Sunset Bay Interpretive Center 12–2 p.m.: Solar Viewing with special telescope at Shore Acres Observation Building 6–7 p.m.: Jellyfish: The Alien Next Door guided hike (meet at Shore Acres Observation Building for 1-mile hike) 7:30 p.m.: How to Talk to Aliens Even if You’re Shy evening program at Shore Acres Garden 8 p.m.: Star Party with telescopes at Shore Acres

10 a.m.: Guided hike (meet at Interpretive Center at Sunset Bay Campground for 1-mile hike) 12–2 p.m.: Solar Viewing with special telescope at Shore Acres Observation Building 7:30 p.m.: Imagining Other Worlds Night Program at Shore Acres 8 p.m.: Star Party with telescopes at Shore Acres

A $10 parking permit is required per vehicle to park in the Shore Acres day-use lot. For complete daily schedules, see THIS SUNSETY BAY ASTRONOMY FESTIVAL 2025.

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COOS BAY, Ore. — Legislators and business leaders in Coos County are hailing a historic $100 million investment in the Port of Coos Bay, a move expected to transform the region’s economy and create thousands of jobs.

The funding, approved by the Oregon State Legislature, will support channel modifications and infrastructure improvements at the port, allowing it to accommodate larger vessels and strengthen its role as a critical shipping hub. Upgrades to rail lines from Coos Bay to Eugene will streamline shipping to markets across the Midwest.

“This project reflects the kind of bold, future-focused investment that Oregon needs,” said Melissa Cribbins, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project. “For too long, rural communities like those on the South Coast have been left behind. This project gives us a path forward — grounded in good jobs, sustainable freight infrastructure, and long-term community stability.”

Rosey Thomas, Executive Director of the Oregon Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, said the PCIP project represents a major opportunity for the county.

“It’s an awesome project with unique bipartisan support from both administrations," Thomas said. "This gives us opportunities for more Oregon products to get overseas… it could change the direction of our entire county. We need this kind of economic diversity."

The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, or PCIP, is a public-private partnership designed to create a modern ship-to-rail container terminal connecting Southwest Oregon to international markets. With the addition of federal funding already secured, the project is expected to generate more than 2,500 permanent direct jobs, 2,600 construction jobs, and up to 8,000 total jobs across construction, logistics, warehousing, and small business sectors once fully operational.

Lawmakers stressed that the $100 million investment is just the beginning.

“Supply chain infrastructure requires significant investment, but these projects benefit not just the present, but future generations,” U.S Representative Val Hoyle said.

With the PCIP project, Coos County leaders are aiming to create sustainable economic growth while ensuring transparency, community engagement, and environmental stewardship remain at the forefront of development.

A potential deal between private-equity owned Quorum Health and Bay Area Hospital is dead.

Tracy Sweely of Coos Bay loves to ski. In winter, she usually spends much of her time in Bend, more than four hours to the east, using the area’s cross-country trails. That wasn’t the case this year.

“I didn’t ski at all this winter because we were working every day for multiple hours,” Sweely said. “We were working on trying to stop this Quorum deal from going through.”

The deal she referred to would have allowed Tennessee-based Quorum Health to operate Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. In 2024, the hospital’s board signed a nonbinding letter of intent to negotiate with the private equity-owned company.

The letter was met with backlash from residents who said they were afraid of losing local control over the 172-bed facility, the only major health care facility on the Southern Oregon coast.

Sweely and her mother helped lead a grassroots campaign to oppose the takeover. They worried that Quorum would shutter Bay Area Hospital if it continued to lose money, as the company has done with other struggling rural hospitals.

“A group of concerned citizens just kind of gravitated together,” Sweely said. “We started meeting once a week, and we just decided that we were not going to let it happen.”

The group sent letters to officials, wrote op-eds in the local paper and supported four candidates opposed to the deal in the hospital district board election. Those candidates, with from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, won their races.

Last week, Bay Area Hospital announced it had ended its letter of intent with Quorum.

“When we saw that the Quorum deal had ended, it was just the best feeling because we have worked so hard,” Sweely said.

The end of negotiations came amid leadership changes at the hospital. Besides new board members, last month. Kelly Morgan, former president of Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, was appointed interim CEO.

Although residents like Sweely are celebrating, the hospital’s future remains uncertain.

Bay Area Hospital must repay a $47 million loan from the Bank of Montreal, on which it defaulted in March. A state bill that would have provided $10 million to the hospital failed during this year’s legislative session.

And like other health care facilities, the Bay Area Hospital is preparing for federal , which are expected to disproportionately impact rural areas, such as Coos Bay.

Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with . This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our .

COOS BAY, Ore. — Accessibility just got a boost at the Coos Bay Visitor Center: David’s Chair Outdoor Mobility Systems has delivered an electric all-terrain track chair to be stationed at its “Tow & Go” location there.

Users can reserve the chair online and tow it behind a vehicle to nearby outdoor destinations, such as trails or beaches. The chairs are engineered with tread systems (like a tank) that allow them to navigate uneven terrain, sand, snow, and trails– terrain that standard wheelchairs cannot handle.

It’s housed at the Coos Bay Visitor Information Center, making it a visible, central access point for both residents and visitors. The chair is now available for anyone to rent free of charge.

At its unveiling, representatives from David’s Chair trained staff and local volunteers, such as members of the American Legion, Lions Club, and Coos Bay staff, on how to operate, transport, and maintain the chair. These local organizations also agreed to coordinate pick‑up, drop‑off, and basic upkeep after use.

David’s Chair is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to making outdoor spaces accessible to people with mobility challenges. They operate two models:

Reservations for use are handled through the David’s Chair website, and there is no cost to users.

David’s Chair was founded after a man named David Hatrick, originally from Eagle Point, was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). To help him maintain mobility, friends raised funds to purchase a track chair. That idea later expanded into the nonprofit so that many others could use similar chairs in natural settings free of charge.

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