Vollmer may overreach, but so does the sanction
Stories raising issues about when it may be appropriate for public officials to engage in the public process outside their core duties — and when that may seem disruptive, political, intimidating ...
Celebrating the good will still alive and well locally
For many people in Yamhill County — including, perhaps, most of the 49% who opposed presidential re-election of Donald Trump — the first few weeks of his new term have proven a disaster on ...
New fire district seems off to a sure-footed start
No social, commercial or governmental function remains static for very long, given the exponentially accelerating pace of today’s world. And that certainly includes the closely allied public safety ...
We can't just spend our way out of public defender crisis
Back in 2022, then Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, fed up with Oregon’s pathetic patchwork of a public defense system, sounded a cry of alarm over the resulting lack of criminal ...
City and county looking to state and federal partners
Cities and counties routinely seek help from their state and federal big brothers with larger projects for the constituencies they serve. And with new legislative and congressional sessions getting underway, ...
Oregon has lost its way on the educational front
A series of national public school learning assessments released recently paint a bleak picture for Oregon, despite an 80% increase in funding since state test scores peaked in 2013. Driven by such a ...
Rec plan review needs to reflect what's gone before
It was encouraging to see the way the reconstituted post-election city council came together to pause work on a major new municipal recreation complex for some soul-searching reassessment. The council ...
We need to all pull as one to solve our housing crisis
Oregon has been caught in the grip of an escalating housing crisis for at least 10 years now. As a result, it has become one of the least-affordable states in the nation for both home ownership and apartment ...
Trying to draw some lessons from Robert Pamplin demise
It’s easy to celebrate the downfall of a liar, cheat, bully and philanderer — an evil force setting out to trample anyone getting in the way of his wanton plundering. But Robert B. Pamplin ...
Dayton Landing transfer would best serve public
For centuries on our nation’s Eastern Seaboard and Midwest Heartland, cities tended to treat rivers as gritty industrial alleyways out back instead of scenic recreational boulevards out front. And ...
Record revenue projected, but record need lies in wait
Oregon’s December revenue forecast — which the Legislature will be using as a budgeting guide during the long odd-year session set to convene 11 days hence — promises to support a $39.3 ...
Looking back instructive, looking ahead constructive
In Monday’s news space, we indulged in the deeply rooted newspaper tradition of looking back on the past year to assess its challenges, breakthroughs, warnings and revelations after the fact, in ...
Oregon's new laws call more for fine-tuning than retooling
Every new year ushers in a gusher of new laws, all across the country, from West Coast to East. It just comes with the season, as surely as pumpkins at Halloween and turkeys at Thanksgiving. Like New ...
Danger signals on rec bond suggest a pause to reassess
There’s always a good time to lock up land for future development, and it’s always right now, as far in advance as possible. If you don’t, you’ll inevitably find on down the road ...
County's OMI purchase promises big dividends
The lead headline on last Friday’s front page, “County to buy OMI campus,” serves to answer an editorial call we’ve been sounding for more than 20 years now. If we had to reduce ...
