The U.S. Coast Guard must immediately return a rescue helicopter to the city of Newport as a court case challenging the aircraft’s removal gets underway, a federal judge has ruled.

In an opinion issued Monday evening, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken found that the sudden relocation of the helicopter last month could imperil lives as crabbing season gets underway, and that the Coast Guard had not provided legally required notice before moving the aircraft nearly 100 miles south to North Bend.

While the federal government has yet to offer an explanation in court for its actions – and the Coast Guard has said it is still able to adequately respond to emergencies on the coast – Aiken wrote that “Newport fishermen and the community at large will face serious danger due to the lack of rescue hel

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