Starla Pointer: Alone with my thoughts, invited to record them
For the first time in ages, I could pay attention to the voices in my head — a very good thing. Instead of being distracted by daily life or my work — which I love; don’t get me wrong ...
Whatchamacolumn: Actual numbers belie claims of ‘massive mandate’
It was no surprise to see protest rallies nationwide on Presidents’ Day, or as activists proclaimed, “Not My President’s Day.” Demonstrations, including those in Portland and Salem, ...
PeaceVoice: China facing battery of economic warning signs
By MEL GURTOV Of Portland State University China’s economy has probably peaked in size and performance. The era of investment and credit expansion seems to be over. As Bloomberg recently reported, ...
Offbeat Oregon: Former town marshal protested his firing by murdering the new marshal
Everyone in the tiny Harney County town of Westfall knew something bad was going to happen after City Marshal Asa Carey was fired for the second time. Carey had been an odd pick for city marshal, but ...
Investigating the Bible: You are what you speak
In the Reader’s Digest Katheryn Lyons wrote about an elderly man who was very wealthy and very deaf who she helped purchase hearing aids. He returned two weeks later for a follow-up. He reported ...
Eric Schuck: Interest rates raise red flag we can't afford to shrug off
The endurance of certain cultural references never ceases to amaze me. For example, while “The Princess Bride” hit theaters 38 years ago, students — or at least enough students — ...
Whatchamacolumn: Land use law ‘adjustments’ for housing projects
Many people were shocked to learn that a new Oregon law guarantees “adjustments” to local design and development standards for high-density residential developments. I was more shocked that ...
PeaceVoice: Two different approaches to the world around us
By LAWRENCE WITTNER The recent whirlwind of Trump administration foreign policy measures — many reversing those of the Biden administration — illustrates the sharply different opinions Americans ...
Offbeat Oregon: Epic wagon-road swindle made headlines nationwide
A few years after Oregon became a state, some of its leaders participated in what might actually have been the biggest non-Indian-related land-grab swindle in U.S. history. That’s putting it a bit ...
Investigating the Bible: Striving for peace
Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democrat Speaker of the house, Tip O’Neill, were political foes. To help build a bridge of friendship, Reagan and his wife hosted O’Neill and ...
Quirk of the Week: Quietly observing the ‘nut case’ and other charms of the Atticus
Quirk of the Week checks into Atticus Hotel this week. The seven-year-old establishment at Fourth and Ford in McMinnville brings a number of unusual examples to the discussion of Quirk. Some may recall ...
Ken Dollinger: A life-long love affair with local newspapers
It was just one failure too many. As a 1963 freshman at Oklahoma State University, I chose chemistry as a major, hoping to please my chemical engineer father while ignoring my unsuitability for science. Late ...
Whatchamacolumn: Businesses may close, but memories aren't lost
Change is inevitable. Businesses come and go. Entire industries fade from memory, from typewriters to phone booths, pagers to print encyclopedias, film photography to VHS tapes. While we embrace changes ...
The Conversation: Can feds compel cooperation with immigration crackdown?
By CLAIRE WOFFORD Of the College of Charleston President Donald Trump has begun to radically change how the U.S. government handles immigration, from challenging long-held legal concepts about who ...
State sanctuary law protections
State sanctuary laws, codified in ORS 180.805, 180.810 and 181A.820 to 829, bar Oregon public bodies and law enforcement agencies from inquiring about immigration status or aiding in federal immigration ...
