Important to admit if 'unsure of obligations'
Misinterpreting Oregon’s public records/meetings law — as in a letter from county Commissioner Mary Starrett — can be a mild offense given the complexities of that law. However, we’ve ...
Jeb Bladine: Mixed implications of downtown parking
There is a mixed bag of implications from the creation of 26 new on-street handicapped parking spaces in downtown McMinnville. A first thought is that accessibility to important areas of the core city ...
Jeb Bladine: Regulatory costs strangle economy
Tunnel-vision regulations enacted by Congress and state legislatures are strangling our economy. Too many lawmakers either don’t understand or simply choose to ignore the extreme costs of their complex ...
'Disconnected' week puts focus on soccer
Women’s soccer was spotlighted this month with an exciting World Cup championship won by the United States, and there was much amazement at the disparity of payout for women versus men in that sport. ...
Jeb Bladine: July 4 tradition renewed
Kudos to Evergreen Museum and the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce for stepping into the void to produce a community celebration of the Fourth of July. If all goes well and organizers realize ...
Legalized pot has many rules, risks
We knew nothing about marijuana 50 years ago at high school graduation time. We never watched the 1936 propaganda movie, “Reefer Madness,” and we didn't know the federal Marijuana Tax Act of ...
Jeb Bladine: Salem rule-makers march in lockstep
There are 53 Democrats in the Oregon Legislature: 35 in the House and 18 in the Senate. This year, they have ruled the state from political and social perspectives more one-sided than I can remember in ...
Jeb Bladine: Fireworks memories include great one-liner
A new era for Fourth of July fireworks in McMinnville will burst across the skies above Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum at an event cosponsored by Evergreen and the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce. ...
Jeb Bladine: Change pending for modest growth rates
Growth means change, and change can create community angst. But be forewarned, the changes in Yamhill County due to population growth in the first half of this decade are nothing compared to what might ...
Jeb Bladine: Pay out the 'kicker,' then look at change
Most people agree it’s smart to set aside funds in a rainy day savings account. But, apparently, that good advice is lost on Oregonians as it relates to their state government. We already have a ...
Speed all-important in medical response
Sudden onset of serious medical symptoms associated with either heart attacks or strokes should be considered the starter’s gun that triggers a dash to emergency medical care. Thursday’s lead ...
PERS decision will drive budget talks
Oregon’s Supreme Court last week gutted 2013 legislative efforts to reduce costs of the Public Employees Retirement System, and it didn’t take long to see the results. One government official, ...
Jeb Bladine: Save us from the evil corporations
Want more evidence that the Oregon Legislature has degenerated into ultimately dangerous levels of partisanship? Look no further than Wednesday’s passage of the obscure HB 2832 by the House of Representatives. As ...
End quiet weekend with thankful check
Plenty of causes worth supporting to help ring in the holiday season
