Quirk of the Week: Fun-sway, you could say, and the quirk of cork

With six weeks left in 2025, we are rounding out the second year of this column. As promised, a Thanksgiving smorgasbord of local Quirk awaits below. First, it feels like a good time for a sort of orientation: ...

Jonah Goldberg: Ours is a system of checks and balances

The president can do this or that, but the courts and Congress can put a stop to it, depending on the circumstances and relevant rules.

Jeb Bladine: Annual messages help launch holiday season

We’re helping official launch of the holiday season with this Thanksgiving-eve News-Register “print issue” for the first time in many years … thus, it’s a good time for some ...

John Charles Jr.: The Oregon Museum of No Business & Industry

About the writer: John A. Charles Jr. spent eight years as director of environmental policy with the Cascade Policy Institute, a free-market think tank, before being named CEO there in 2005. He previously ...

Jeb Bladine: AI gives partial thumbs-up to op-ed commentary

This week’s column is built around information from artificial intelligence (AI) — intertwined (hopefully) with splashes of human intelligence (“HI”). In today’s unprecedented ...

Jonah Goldberg: Has Trump already lost Latino vote for the GOP?

For generations, foreign policy eggheads debated the question, “Who lost China?” I’m wondering if election analysts might soon ask, “Who lost the Latinos?”

Randy Stapilus: The mayor and his mission with Portland's unhoused

Approaching his first anniversary in office, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, who ran most prominently on grappling seriously with the city’s homelessness, just made a major course shift. It may — and should — indicate more to come.

Mel Gurtov: Is military action being eyed as diversion from home woes?

Analysis of why countries go to war sometimes argues that leaders are motivated by problems at home. They attack another country to divert attention from an economic crisis, an unlawful act, or, as in the Robert De Niro movie Wag the Dog, a sex scandal.

Investigating the Bible: When to be thankful

Fred Lockley interviewed a pioneer woman named Valeda Smith Ohmart in 1934. She remembered a story about Tabitha Brown, the founder of Oregon’s Pacific University. Mrs. Brown was a devout and s

Quirk of the Week: Mac’s Ford Street takes a strange turn

In keeping with Thanksgiving, next week’s Quirk will be a smorgasbord; more straight-ford is this week’s. This week, we look at a single Quirk. It involves strips of yellow paint, on Ford ...

Quirk of the Week: Hands up if you like interesting side streets

Kirby Street, no relation, is one of those odd ones in town. It has two stretches of two to four blocks each, separated by a dozen or more blocks. Same with its neighboring Northeast Logan, Irvine and ...

Jeb Bladine: Who won, or lost, the national game of chicken?

Our national game of chicken paused Wednesday night when Congress and President Trump approved a compromise plan to fund the government for another 79 days. I don’t work for the federal government, ...

Leland Thoburn: Acts of kindness can prove catching in the community

In 1998, volunteer organizations from around the world joined together to designate Nov. 13 as World Kindness Day and celebrate it annually.

Janice Allen: Citizen support critical for footbridge project

Attention nature lovers: Please attend an open house Wednesday, Nov. 19, to show your support for a walking bridge across the creek at Ewing Young Park.

Jonah Goldberg: Can socialism ever be more than just a passing fad here?

Here we go again.

Socialism is making a comeback, according to friend and foe alike.