Students off to strong start with expanded Kindergarten
The tide inexorably carrying the nation toward full-day kindergarten, up from half-time, has finally washed across the West Coast. And to that we say, better late than never. We would much rather invest ...
State of the City address lacking vision for future
In his State of the City address last week, delivered at a McMinnville City Club luncheon, Mayor Rick Olson presented more rosemary-flavored trimmings and less main course meat than we might have hoped. Of ...
High times for pro pot agenda
Pro-marijuana forces have been saying for decades that it’s not a matter of “if” the psychoactive drug will be legalized, but rather “when” and “how.” That thought ...
Careful reflection leads Wyden to back arms treaty with Iran
After initially voting no, Oregon’s senior U.S. senator, Ron Wyden, switched sides to help President Obama collect the 60 votes needed to enact a sweeping new trade pact earlier this year. So it ...
Diversified farming the eldest of region's epicurean trifec
The roots of Yamhill County’s epicurean culture, planted long ago, continue to blossom. These days, the fruits of that sowing are being measured not just in tourism dollars, but also in celebrations ...
Imposing moral values on others is neither Christian nor Am
While a culture wars case was making national and even international headlines this week in Kentucky, a case raising similar issues was making a less ostentatious but equally riveting stir in Oregon. The ...
Pot not the only drug deserving a spotlight
The state of Oregon — and much of the nation, for that matter — has been wrapped up in discussion of pot. Unfortunately, that’s diverted talk from the drugs that actually continue to ...
Causes of conflagration clear, but solutions won't come eas
One of the worst wildfire seasons in history has struck Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the continental U.S. The heat of August seemed to herald the eruption of a wall of fire along their westerly reaches this ...
Thinking bigger about our water conservation
With water resources drying up all along the West Coast, it’s time to become proactive instead of just reactive in our everyday efforts to conserve water. One successful method, water harvesting, ...
Many signs that the public is tired of partisanship politic
It’s a definite sign of national frustration when Donald Trump, ooozing with bombast and arrogance, takes a double-digit lead in Republican polls. On a lesser scale, we see that identical frustration ...
Sorry outcome to cap series of bad choices
Yamhill County is prone to controversy under its current crop of commissioners, which makes for riveting political theater. The city of McMinnville shows occasional flashes of puzzling behavior itself. ...
Takes spark imagination, carry on spirit for future generations
It’s natural to fear treasured traditions may be lost on future generations. With Millennials growing up in tech-dominated times, classics, antiques and oral histories face uncertain fates. But ...
Independent Party needs infusion of citizen support
There is nothing more toxic to the political process than partisanship, and Oregon is rife with it. The Republican Party’s nationwide rush to the right — it has shifted 22 points toward the ...
Ordinance won't move needle, will draw ire
Last week, the McMinnville City Council passed an ordinance placing as much restriction on carrying guns in public as Oregon law allows. We’re sure councilors had their hearts in the right place, ...
Alpine 'festival street' can bolster development
From more wheelchair accessible sidewalk corners to landscape-changing capital projects, work tied into McMinnville’s transportation bond will have a lasting effect on the city. But one project ...
