Bees go to summer school
Two large colonies relocated from McMinnville middle school
(Marcus Larson/News-Register) Beekeeper Khalen Dunn removes a colony of bees from the wall of the Patton Middle School gym in McMinnville. Bees had been entering the gym this spring, said Vicki Williams, director of facilities for the school district. In an attempt to find the source, workers removed the covering from the top of the exterior wall and discovered two huge colonies. The district called in Dunn to relocate the hives.
Now that's a show
Event literally offers something for everyone
(Starla Pointer/News-Register) If you're a good showman, you can show anything.
No one knows that more than Owen TenBrook, a 13-year-old middle schooler from Newberg. He wowed the judge and the audience at the cat and small pet show Wednesday afternoon and took home the top prize in his category, which I'm guess you'd have to call "other."
Owen showed a rock.
More precisely, Owen showed a pet rock named "Rocky 'The Destroctor' Jefferson." He tied a bandana around Rocky's head, a la Keith Richards, and plopped him down behind a drum kit built from cardboard tools.
Canning makes the heart 'ping'
Time is ripe for preserving local fruits, vegetables
(Starla Pointer/News-Register) What's the most welcome sound of summer?
For many of us, it's the "ping!" that marks the sealing of a canning jar just lifted from its hot water bath. The ping rewards you for doing everything right and means your jam, tomatoes, applesauce or other product will keep safely through the winter.
Yamhill County has such wonderful produce. It's delicious fresh, of course -- can anything beat a salad of tender young greens topped with homegrown tomatoes, or freshly picked corn on the cob, or blueberries, peaches or other fruits you've picked yourself?
Enjoy it now. But also take some time saving some of the bounty for later by canning, pickling, freezing or drying that beautiful harvest.
Local organizations offer places to escape heat
High temperatures expected through the week
(News-Register staff) As the hot weather continues, there are several places in McMinnville where people can enjoy a cool environment. Hours vary, with some extending their opening times on particularly hot days.
In McMinnville, the Yamhill Community Action Partnership has a resource room and conference training room offering air conditioning, restrooms and water; the McMinnville Public Library offers a place to escape from the heat; Champion Team has their drop-in center for those who identify as having had challenges with addictions, mental illnesses or other disabilities; McMinnville Cooperative Ministries has two spaces available – one not air conditioned and the other, a hallway with restrooms and a drinking fountain that is maintained about 78 degrees.
In Newberg, the Youth Outreach offers a cooling center for those ages 11-21; in addition, there is Newberg Public Library, Zion Lutheran Church; and the Chehalem Senior Center which offer cooling space.
McMinnville, McMinnville
Several similarities between the W.T. Newby's hometown and the town he founded
(Starla Pointer/News-Register) My story about the visit Chuck and Lorraine Biederman’s history group paid to McMinnville, Tennessee, brought back memories for longtime McMinnville resident Ray Fields.
Fields has been a member of the McMinnville Rotary Club for many, many years, since the days he owned the local radio station. And in 1971, he was among Rotarians greeting a group of visitors from the McMinnville, Tennessee, Rotary Club.
“They sent people here in May for our 50th anniversary,” he recalled.
McMinnville in final round for 'America's Best Main Street'
Voting in the Parade magazine contest ends tonight
It was a close competition, but by 8:59 Tuesday night, McMinnville had won over Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to make it into the final round of Parade magazine's "America's Best Main Street" competition.
It now is matched against Collierville, Tennessee, for the final round with voting open until 8:59 p.m. tonight, July 2. The winner will be featured in an article in Parade later this summer.
To vote, visit the website www.parade.com/mainstreet.
McMinnville makes it to semi-final round for 'Best Main Street'
Four cities vie for title, summer article in Parade magazine
(News-Register staff) Downtown McMinnville is in the semi-final round for Parade magazine's "America's Best Main Street" competition. It won in online voting over Placerville, California, and Georgetown, Texas, to make it into the top four.
To vote, visit the website at www.parade.com/mainstreet. Voting in this round will continue until 8:59 p.m. tonight, Pacific time.
In this round, McMinnville is battling Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
Gamer solutions
Video games could provide venue for exploring sustainability concepts
(Michelle Klampe/Oregon State University) Could playing video games help people understand and address global sustainability issues such as pollution, drought or climate change? At least two researchers believe so, outlining their argument in a concept paper published in the journal “First Monday.”
Video games have the potential to educate the public and encourage development of creative solutions to social, economic and environmental problems, said Oregon State University’s Shawna Kelly, one of the two authors of the article.
McMinnville is contestant for ‘Best Main Street’
Online voting will determine winner to be featured in Parade magazine
Parade magazine received thousands of submissions when it asked for people to nominate America’s Best Main Street — and McMinnville not only made it into the top 16, it had won over Placerville, California, on Sunday to move to the top eight with voting continuing until 9:59 p.m. tonight, Monday, June 30.
To vote, visit the website at www.parade.com/mainstreet.
Designed like a sports bracket, McMinnville is pitted against Georgetown, Texas. Also making the top eight are Holland Michigan vs. Siloam Springs, Arkansas; Rockland, Maine vs. Ellicott City, Maryland; and Collierville, Tennessee vs. DeLand, Florida.
Hiding under the desk gets harder with age
A few notes from this week's school shooter drills
(Starla Pointer / News-Register) As an education reporter, there’s nothing I like more, nor find more valuable in my reporting, than experiencing just what the kids are experiencing. I attend assemblies, listen to teachers read stories, observe science experiments and — my favorite — work math problems in my reporter’s notebook during math classes.
Naturally, when I was invited to attend a joint school district and police department mock shooting exercise, I wanted to take part in an active way. So, like many other adults and high school students, I accepted an assignment to play a youngster whose normal school day was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire.
