Oregon
Video captures Coast Guard rescuing missing 64-year-old woman from Oregon state park
A 64-year-old woman who went missing in an Oregon state park for nearly two days was pulled to safety by the U.S. Coast Guard in a rescue caught on camera over the weekend.
The unnamed woman went missing on Friday evening in Shore Acres State Park after becoming separated from her group, according to a Coast Guard press release. The woman did not have survival gear on her when she became lost. That detail, paired with the approach of nightfall and concerns about rugged terrain, prompted the Oregon State Police to request Coast Guard assistance.
A helicopter was sent out to search for the woman using thermal imaging that evening but was forced to turn back due to inclement weather after finding no traces of her.
The following day, several agencies including the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and ground search and rescue parties, including K-9 teams, from the Coos County Search and Rescue Team joined the search.
Watch the rescue
Coast Guard joins rescue of missing woman in state park
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a 64-year-old woman who was missing in Shore Acres State Park in Oregon for three days.
When weather allowed, the Coast Guard again dispatched flight crews in search of the woman. Despite the use of Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras on the helicopter to detect heat signatures, again no one was found.
It wasn’t until Sunday when the searching parties, now joined by the California Oregon Regional Search and Rescue Task Force (CORSAR), discovered why the woman’s heat signature was not being picked up by the tech.
Woman found alive after nearly two days in state park
Around 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, members of a ground search party began hearing cries for help coming from a remote area of the park. Bushwhacking through the underbrush to follow the shouts, the team finally located the woman, who was showing signs of hypothermia and dehydration.
She had taken shelter underneath a log, blocking her heat signature from the infrared cameras. It was ultimately her calls for help after hearing helicopters flying overhead that led to her rescue.
Once found, the ground crew started a fire and covered the woman in blankets to keep her warm as helicopters prepared to hoist her from the park. A rescue member was deployed by 1:45 p.m. to place the woman in a hypothermic bag and set up the hoist.
In a video of the rescue captured by a Coast Guard member, the crew member is seen being lowered from the aircraft to the ground to prep the rescue. The woman was then moved via helicopter to Bay Area Hospital in North Bend where she was transferred to EMS.
“The Coast Guard and our partner agencies here on the Oregon Coast routinely train together to ensure we can execute coordinated search and rescue missions whenever we’re called upon,” said Cmdr. Jay Kircher, operations officer and one of the helicopter pilots at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, in the press statement. “It’s fantastic to see this teamwork in action and produce a successful outcome.”
Oregon
Only 2 U.S. spots are on BBC’s best places to travel list (and one is in Oregon)
BBC Travel has published its list of the 20 best places to travel in 2026.
The list of global destinations only includes two U.S. travel spots, and one is the Oregon coast.
The BBC write-up is glowing, calling Oregon’s coastline “one of the country’s bucket-list road trips” – and noting that Oregon is the only U.S. state where all beaches are free and public.
- 6 Oregon towns make list of ‘most adorable’ in PNW
Kaitlyn Brajcich of Sustainable Travel International contributed to the BBC’s article, praising the coast’s accessibility and sustainability:
“Mobi-Mats laid over the sand and free beach wheelchairs enable more visitors to enjoy the shore, as does a new partnership with Wheel the World that maps inclusive lodging and experiences.”
Brajcich also cited the easy availability of bikes, sustainable seafood and transit options as reasons to visit the Oregon coast.
The Oregon coast has racked up plenty of superlatives over the years” “most adorable” small towns, most beautiful landmarks, best campground and more.
If you’re planning to visit the coast this winter, Winter Whale Watch Week begins Saturday, Dec. 27 and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31.
“Trained Oregon State Park volunteers will be stationed at 14 sites along the Oregon Coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said in a news release, “to help visitors spot gray whales on their southward migration to the calving lagoons in Mexico.”
A map of the volunteer sites is available on the Oregon State Parks website.
Winter is also the best season to watch storms and view king tides at the coast, but remember to follow safety guidelines if you go.
- The 6 best places to witness king tides on the Oregon and Washington coasts this winter
The other U.S. location to make the BBC’s travel list? Philadelphia, where 2026 will see a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday, including art and museum exhibits, concerts and a variety of sporting events like the FIFA World Cup.
Oregon
USC Leads For Four-Star Recruit Danny Lang as Ohio State and Oregon Apply Pressure
Mater Dei junior defensive back Danny Lang has set a tentative commitment date and USC is firmly in the thick of his recruitment. The four-star junior, one of the top prospects in a loaded West Coast 2027 defensive back class, said he plans to make his college decision on in the summer after completing a final round of official visits.
“I’m most likely going to commit on July 2,” Lang told Rivals. “That’s my birthday so I think that would be a good time to lock it in.”
Lang, rated the No. 193 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, has emerged as a key target for several national powers. He spent his first two high school seasons at safety before transitioning to corner as a junior, a move that showcased his range, instincts, and positional flexibility.
USC’s Position with Lang
Lang confirmed the USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Ole Miss Rebels, and Oregon Ducks will receive official visits. The Trojans, however, already hold one of the strongest relationships in the race.
“USC of course is in there,” Lang said to Rivals. “I’ve been there a lot already and have a really strong comfort level and I like what USC is building. My relationship with T-Reed (Trovon Reed, DB) is very strong.”
That track record matters. Lang has visited USC multiple times across the last two years, including two unofficial visits in 2025. The Trojans also offered early and are the only program to host him more than once. Because of this according to Rivals, the Trojans are an overwhelming favorite to land the hometown star with a 95.5 percent chance.
Lang’s game fits the modern college secondary. At 6-foot-1, he can play corner or safety, allowing staffs to match him to multiple roles. As a sophomore he totaled 33 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Those numbers reflect both physicality and a knack for creating turnovers, traits that translate well across alignments.
MORE: Lincoln Riley Gives USC Roster Updates Ahead of Alamo Bowl vs. TCU
MORE: Should USC Quarterback Jayden Maiava Enter the NFL Draft or Return to School
MORE: What Four-Star Elija Harmon’s Commitment to Oklahoma Means for USC Recruiting
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A Deep 2027 DB Class USC Wants to Control
The broader context heightens USC’s urgency. The 2027 recruiting cycle on the West Coast is unusually strong at defensive back, and the Trojans are in the mix for several national names.
Aaryn Washington, ranked No. 50 overall, recently named a top two of Georgia and USC, with the Trojans positioned as a legitimate contender. Should he commit, he would become USC’s first defensive back pledge in the 2027 cycle. Duvay Williams, ranked No. 40 nationally, is another priority target. The Gardena native is already polished in press coverage and consistently erases opposing receivers. He is widely viewed as a lean toward USC.
Lang fits cleanly into this picture. He is ranked No. 56 overall and No. 9 at corner, giving USC a chance to land three top-60 national defensive backs from Southern California alone. Honor Fa’alave-Johnson and Gavin Williams also remain high on the Trojans’ board, forming what could become the strongest defensive back haul of the Lincoln Riley era.
Why It Matters for USC
Landing even two of these prospects would reshape USC’s secondary pipeline. Adding three or more would qualify as a foundational class for the program’s long-term defensive rebuild. The Trojans’ staff has put themselves in a competitive position early in the cycle, particularly with local players who have repeatedly visited campus and built trust with the current defensive staff.
Lang’s July decision timeline gives USC a clear target window. His official visits will shape the final stretch, but the Trojans’ familiarity, development pitch, and strong connection with Trovon Reed ensure they will remain a major player until the end.
Oregon
Readers respond: Don’t sap Oregon economic development funds
Gov. Tina Kotek’s commitment to boosting prosperity through economic development is encouraging, and I hope her efforts are successful, (“Oregon’s governor unveiled a ‘roadmap’ to business prosperity. Here’s what’s at stake,” Dec. 2). Too often, Oregon’s leading industries and businesses hear platitudes on the importance of economic development only to witness actions that dilute economic development funds, which provide high returns on investment.
Oregon hospitality and leisure is the third-largest private employer sector, creating more than 200,000 jobs and generating $14 billion in annual economic activity – driven in part by state and local lodging taxes.
The state’s 1.5% lodging tax raises approximately $40 million a year and is reinvested in economic development, including tourism promotion and related infrastructure. But some state lawmakers are trying to increase the tax and divert the additional revenue for things without economic benefits – things which should be paid for with general funds. Worse yet, there are efforts to change how county and city lodging taxes are distributed.
State and local lodging taxes are designed to be an economic development tool, and the current system has proven itself – a $40 million investment at the state level and hundreds of millions at local levels for a $14 billion return.
The economic headwinds facing Oregon’s economy are fierce. We should be laser focused on creating the strongest multiplier effect we can with these finite economic development resources. If lawmakers care about Oregon’s economic prosperity, they will abandon these harmful proposals in the upcoming session, and the governor should rebuke any efforts contrary to the goals of her economic development roadmap.
Jason Brandt
Brandt is president and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association
To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
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