Starla Pointer
"Stopping By:" A reporter who knows that everyone has an interesting story to tell welcomes suggestions.
Stopping By: Beyond the call
Braids & Braves square dancers wouldn’t do-si-do without Leonard Snodgrass, the “caller” who tells them when to step forward or back, turn right or left, or spin their partners. “For ...
Stopping By: Hip to be square
The music might be “All About That Bass” or a Macklemore song, but the dance moves will still include sashays, pass-throughs and allemande lefts and rights, with a few do-si-dos sprinkled in. ...
Stopping By: One of a kin
A very special scarecrow greets visitors to Rhonda Robins’ McMinnville garden. Tall and smiling, the scarecrow resembles her late father, Milt, who joined her mother, Ruth, in starting the garden. ...
Stopping By: Tending the Castle garden
The “grandfather tree,” a venerable Douglas fir so large it would take at least half a dozen children to link their hands around it, stands watch over the Castle place. So do an array of native ...
Stopping By: A canine for Kaylee
YAMHILL — Shortly after Kaylee Williams was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she and her family visited some friends whose daughter also suffers from the disease. The older girl’s service ...
Stopping By: Flying for queen and country
On Dec. 10, 1972, a few days after arriving at his new base in India, Royal Air Force pilot Kurt Gibson-Zeigler heard a sound he’d never expected — the winding blare of a klaxon, just like ...
Stopping By: With an artist's eye
Busy with her technology job, artist Benita Cole didn’t paint much for a few years. Then, when she tried again, her paintings didn’t meet her expectations. “I thought I couldn’t ...
Stopping By: Nurturing creativity
Everyone can be creative, according to Sepha Nisbet, artist, teacher and catalyst for others’ creativity. “I want to spark fire in people,” said Nisbet, who refers to herself as a creative. ...
Stopping By: A full, happy life
Ted and Lynne Desel had demanding schedules when they were working, he as a professor of speech and drama, she as director of the Linfield Preschool. They thought they were busy then. Now that they’re ...
Stopping By: Banking on community
Although he officially retired more than two years ago, former First Federal CEO Rocky Wade remains busy with meetings, mostly associated with boards and organizations. He doesn’t usually wear a ...
Stopping By: ‘Bridge across a divide’
Mary Martin will tell you she’s no angel, no goody two-shoes. She’ll say, in her very straightforward manner, that the positive things she’s done in McMinnville aren’t that special. ...
Stopping By: We're walking, yes, indeed
Songwriters know the importance of walking, be it for fun, for breaking up and making up, or for getting and staying fit. Turn on the radio or YouTube, and it won’t be long before you’re ...
Path to healing
When Brad Pearson relocated to McMinnville three years ago, his body was contorted by stress, his movements were limited, and he had little energy, stamina or hope. “I was a wreck,” he said. Today, ...
Stopping By: Leading students together
McMinnville High School is a big place, with about 2,200 students in a building that sprawls over more than four city blocks. “It doesn’t feel that big,” though, to Maria Martinez, the ...
