Oregon
Razor clam harvest ban lifted for northern Oregon coast amid shellfish toxin scare
Oregon fish and wildlife officials reopened the northern Oregon coast for razor clamming last week while keeping a prohibition in place south of Yachats and continuing a coastwide ban on harvesting bay clams and mussels.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had closed the entire coast to shellfish harvesting earlier this month because of a potentially deadly toxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, that had sickened at least 20 people who had eaten Oregon coast mussels.
No one is reported to have died in the outbreak, but some were hospitalized, according to Oregon health officials. Naturally occurring marine toxins are not eliminated by cooking or freezing.
Officials said Friday that two consecutive tests had shown razor clams in the newly reopened area were below the threshold at which harvesting is banned due to biotoxins. They said the earlier closure was precautionary, and that testing had not detected biotoxin levels above the closure threshold.
However, razor clamming is closed from the Yachats River to the California border, where tests have detected high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid.
Harvesting bay clams and mussels remains prohibited along the entire Oregon and Washington coast.
The state also has reopened commercial oyster fisheries in Tillamook Bay and Netarts, while the Umpqua River/Winchester Bay commercial oyster fishery remains closed. Crab harvesting is open for the length of the Oregon coast.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture operates a toll-free shellfish biotoxin hotline 800-448-2474 and maintains a list of closures on its website.
— Elliot Njus edits business news. Contact him at enjus@oregonian.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — As the five year anniversary of the tragic 2021 heat dome in Oregon approaches, lawmakers will hear from advocates about the need to renew funding for programs to help cool homes for people that cannot afford it.
The anniversary of the month that saw triple-digit temperatures for multiple days in a row and took the lives of over 100 people comes amid one of the season’s first heat waves in the metro area.
“Beyond the immediate impact to individuals, there’s also other impacts of extreme heat to our economy, our infrastructure, the broader environment. We’re here today to say, ‘hey, look, we are already facing breaking, record breaking temperatures this summer. We’re on track to be the second warmest sort of year on record and we need to prepare our homes, our buildings, our communities for this extreme heat,’” said Ben Brint, Senior Climate Program Director at Oregon Environmental Council ahead of the Tuesday hearing.
He noted that the informational hearing will be a way to call lawmakers attention to the issue and raise awareness about some climate programs that have either already expired or are set to.
“Lawmakers should feel really good about responding to that heat dome and passing really impactful state programs like a community and rental home heat pump program, community resilience hubs, a healthy homes program. And what these all do are offer, you know, basically incentives to say, ‘let’s get this lifesaving technology in your home,’ or ‘let’s give you a place to go for your community. If you need to go cool down, or maybe you don’t live in a home or have access to cooling, here’s a central place that you can go to.’ And so we’re here saying, please, please reinvest in these programs,” Brint said.
The community and rental home heat pump programs are both set to expire.
You can watch the full hearing using this link or below:
Portland brought home awards in both national and regional categories 2026 James Beard Awards gala on Monday, June 15. Popular subterranean bar Scotch Lodge clinched a win in the Outstanding Bar category, while Ryan Roadhouse of multi-course Japanese restaurant Nodoguro snagged the medal in the Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific category.
“Without sounding like Tony Robbins, if you can dream it, it can happen,” Roadhouse said during his acceptance speech. “So never stop dreaming. If you stop dreaming, it’s time to die.” Nodoguro emerged as a pop-up in 2014, and that same year, Roadhouse was named a Rising Star Chef by Portland Monthly. The pop-up eventually settled into a restaurant space before relocating to a new address in 2022. Roadhouse, who was also under consideration in the category in 2025, was joined in the regional category by fellow Portland-based chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly of pan-Asian restaurant Gado Gado.
Overall, the mood on Monday evening was celebratory. Many speeches throughout the night championed the achievements and contributions of immigrants and women within the hospitality industry. Portland Monthly was up for a media award on Saturday evening, but the category ultimately went to Roads & Kingdoms.
When Scotch Lodge’s team took the stage on Monday night to accept their award in the national category, one of the group noted emphatically, “We’ll see you at karaoke afterward. The gauntlet’s been thrown down.”
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
EUGENE, Ore. — A crash has shut down a stretch of Highway 126 west of Eugene, and transportation officials say the closure could last for an extended period.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said OR 126 is closed 1 mile west of the intersection with Beltline Highway because of the crash.
Drivers are urged to use an alternate route and expect delays.
Crash closes Hwy 126 near Beltline Highway
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ODOT recommends checking TripCheck.com for updates.
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