It always pays to keep one eye on the ocean and one eye on the sand when you’re walking along the beach at the Oregon Coast, a lesson reinforced by some Cannon Beach beachcombers who discovered a rare deep-sea angler fish known as a Pacific football fish (Himantoliphus sagamius) south of town.
In a press release, Seaside Aquarium said the fish, which used a phosphorescent bulb attached to its forehead to attract prey, is believed to be the first of its species to ever be found in Oregon. Only 31 other specimens have been recorded around the world, in places like New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Hawaii and California.
Pacific football fish live at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet in the Pacific Ocean. Because food is scarce at that depth where sunlight cannot reach, the fish has evolved to eat anything that it can lure into its mouth.
Not much is known about this species that lives in the very dark depths of the ocean, but according to the Seaside Aquarium, “Only females actively hunt as the males are actually more like parasites.”
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The male fish are 10 times smaller than females and to survive, must fuse themselves to a female. There, they lose their eyes and internal organs, the aquarium said, and get all their nutrients from the female, while providing her with a dependable source of sperm.
– Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com or @lizzzyacker
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May 20, 2026 5:59 a.m. Updated: May 20, 2026 6:04 a.m.
Nordyke took a notable lead, particularly in Marion County, in the race to run Oregon’s capital city Tuesday.
Julie Hoy, left, has served as Salem’s mayor since 2024. Hoy is challenged by Vanessa Nordyke, a Salem city councilor and lawyer who previously worked for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Courtesy of the candidates
Salem voters are deciding who they want to lead Oregon’s capital and second-largest city.
Early returns Tuesday night show Vanessa Nordyke, a current city councilor and former lawyer at the Oregon Department of Justice, in the lead, roughly 14 percentage points ahead in Marion County and seven points ahead across the Willamette River in Polk County.
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She’s competing against incumbent Julie Hoy, a restaurant owner who previously served on the Salem City Council.
Hoy’s campaign team, after the 8 p.m. returns, told OPB “the night isn’t over,” as they waited to see where things would land.
Following the 10 p.m. updates, Nordyke said, “This campaign is proof that grassroots candidates can beat big money.”
Hoy promised voters safer neighborhoods, cleaner public spaces, more housing and homelessness services, and no new taxes without voter approval, among her campaign priorities.
Meanwhile, Nordyke promised to expand mental health services, open a sobering center, push for affordable housing options, and support library funding and youth-friendly programs.
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That’s just one race in a busy election night in the capital.
Four of Salem’s eight city council positions are up for election.
Preliminary results showed two incumbents leading, including Linda Nishioka with the largest lead of any of the council races — about 30 percentage points — against Manny Martinez for Ward 2 in central Salem.
Micki Varney was narrowly ahead, holding on against challenger Chris Cummings for Ward 8 in West Salem.
Incumbents were losing in races for two other council seats. Dave Inbody was leading against incumbent Deanna Gwyn for Ward 4 in South Salem. And for Northeast Salem’s Ward 6, Betsy Vega took a roughly six-point lead against incumbent Mai Vang.
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As for Marion County commissioners, incumbent Republican Kevin Cameron and Democrat Sara Duncan are the two candidates for Position 1.
Incumbent Republican Colm Willis and Democrat Maria Hinojos Pressey are running for Position 2.
Each ran unopposed in their party for the May primary. As reported by the Statesman Journal, a Democrat hasn’t won an election to the Marion County board since 1979.
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Oregon secretary of state, AG say election system is safe and secure
Oregon’s secretary of state and attorney general spoke on Election Day, assuring voters that the state’s election system is secure.
Oregon’s secretary of state and attorney general said on Election Day the state’s election system remains secure and accurate.
Secretary of State Tobias Read said Oregon’s landmark vote-by-mail system remains the gold standard for election security and accessibility despite cuts to federal funding and operational changes that have affected support for elections.
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“Your voice matters, your vote matters,” Read said. “I want to reassure you that Oregon’s elections are secure, Oregon’s elections are accurate, Oregon’s elections are fair and you should feel confident that our system is the gold standard for elections.”
He pointed to steps the state takes to keep elections safe, accurate and secure like tracking ballots with a unique barcode system and verifying signatures. The state’s ballot-counting machines are never connected to the internet and undergo public testing before and after elections, Read added.
Read criticized President Donald Trump and the federal administration’s actions that he said have weakened election security infrastructure. He specifically highlighted cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which Read has repeatedly expressed concerns about.
He said Oregon has worked to offset losses by forming partnerships with the Oregon Titan Fusion Center, the Oregon Military Department and county election officials to strengthen cybersecurity protections and emergency preparedness.
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And Read said the state is working to add more drop boxes in the future (there are currently 321 across the state) in response to delays in mail processing.
Rayfield also spoke, saying Oregonians should remain confident in the state’s election integrity despite misinformation surrounding election administration.
“The amount of misinformation that is being spewed across our country within this state is at an all-time high,” Rayfield said. “We have attacks on the integrity and the administration of our elections from elected officials going all the way up to the President of the United States.”
Rayfield said his Department of Justice is “pushing back” and has filed multiple legal challenges in the past year to stop “unconstitutional actions” by Trump. On May 19, a panel of Ninth Circuit judges in Pasadena, California heard oral arguments in one case related to the administration’s efforts to collect voter roll information from Oregon and California.
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Voters have until 8 p.m. May 19 to return their ballot. Election officials encouraged Oregonians to use drop boxes to return their ballots on time.
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.comon X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 18 drawing
04-13-34-61-65, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 18 drawing
1PM: 5-2-3-7
4PM: 9-9-5-4
7PM: 1-1-6-6
10PM: 6-1-5-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Win for Life numbers from May 18 drawing
26-50-61-74
Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from May 18 drawing
07-08-11-31-32-41
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.