Members of the BC Harleys drag-racing group roared up to the Willamette Valley Medical Center wearing Santa hats, their parade accompanied by the lights from McMinnville Police Department and Yamhill County ...


Commentary

 
Quirk of the Week: Wall full of mail in waffle haven of Amity

In Amity, waffles get a wall full of mail. Common Cup cafe upholds the old-school mail tradition of postcards. Owner Jeannie Coelho and staff encourage the community to keep in touch via postcard with ...

 
Barrett Rainey: These are just kids, or so it would seem

At my age of going on 90, it’s too late for a mid-life crisis. So, it must be a “late-life crisis,” coupled with occasional “senior interludes.”

 

 
Randy Stapilus: At college, is bigger better?

Willamette University is located across the street — State Street, in Salem — from the statehouse, and that has sometimes been a good metaphor for its status in Oregon.

 

Jeb Bladine: Before year in review, it’s still season of hope

Come New Years, media will look back at the most prominent stories of 2025, many of them disturbing reminders of sad news, bad weather, tragic events, and conflicts with local, state, national and international ...

Jonah Goldberg: Does either party want to win Senate race in Texas?

One of the worst features of the primary system in our polarized “Red vs. Blue” time is the tendency of primary voters to flock to the candidate they most want to see “destroy” the other party, not the candidate best positioned to do so.

 

Editorials

 
Leapfrogs and bookends mark local issues at the turn of the year

Resolution and reverberation offer different ways to define 2025 in Yamhill County. As we look at Yamhill County’s year past and year ahead, local issues often either bookended or leapfrogged: many ...

 
Good intentions gone awry leave Oregon in the lurch

It’s been a long time coming, but a sitting Oregon governor finally conceded earlier this month, at Oregon’s annual Oregon Leadership Summit, that business leaders have a point when they complain ...

 
Was top school choice hiding in plain sight?

To the casual observer, the McMinnville School Board’s unanimous Monday night embrace of Dr. Kourtney Ferrua as the next superintendent of schools here may seem the product of a whirlwind courtship. But ...

 
Time county dealt itself in on the lodging tax bounty?

Since coming into vogue in the 1970s, transient lodging taxes have become almost universal in the U.S. and more the rule than exception elsewhere in the world — particularly in countries with at ...

 
Recent ICE actions untenable, un-American and unacceptable

From the outset of President Trump’s second term, masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in unmarked cars have been permitted to scoop up potential immigration status violators and whisk ...

Letters

News-Register Letters Policy

The News-Register welcomes written opinions about issues of public interest and about the content of this newspaper. Letters from non-local writers are accepted only if they focus on local issues. This ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 19, 2025

Weak and damaged A malignant narcissist is defined as an individual with a personality disorder that includes these characteristics: profound lack of insight, extreme grandiosity, lack of empathy, sadism, ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 12, 2025

Insurance a basic need Democrats may have lost their fight to extend subsidies for purchasing health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, but their efforts have started ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 5, 2025

Ferrua best choice As a past long-time employee and board member in the McMinnville School District, I am writing in support of maintaining Dr. Kourtney Ferrua as school superintendent on a permanent ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 26, 2025

Time to stand up Ramming people’s cars is illegal. Assaulting people is illegal. Kidnapping people is illegal. Refusing due process for people — including immigrants — is illegal, and ...

News & Features

 
Special Delivery: BC Harleys group rolls Christmas joy into hospital

Members of the BC Harleys drag-racing group roared up to the Willamette Valley Medical Center wearing Santa hats, their parade accompanied by the lights from McMinnville Police Department and Yamhill County ...

PAC awaits ruling on trail ballot petition

Yamhill County trail advocates will find out Christmas Eve if they are getting what they want — petitions designed to preserve the Yamhelas Westsider trail approved by County Clerk Keri Hinton. Trails ...

Heavy rains lead to sewer overflows

High rain levels caused sewer overflows and mechanical failures in several cities across Yamhill County including McMinnville, Amity and Willamina. McMinnville had a sewer overflow from 3:10 a.m. to 10:10 ...

 
Stopping By: Enjoying the experiences

A native of Tunisia, Raghad Ben Ameur, known as Rae, is experiencing her first Christmas celebrations this year as an exchange student at McMinnville High School.

 

Planners give green light to McMinnville Landing overlay

The table is set for development on 190 acres of land off Highway 18, following the Planning Commission’s unanimous adoption of a development overlay for the planned McMinnville Landing. “This ...

Along the Street: Park & Main changing owners

Park & Main founders Dustin and Maryfrances Wyant are selling their restaurant in downtown Carlton to The Ground, which operates The Pub and Grounded Table in McMinnville, along with Stillwater Event ...

About one-tenth of total McMinnville UGB represented in study area

McMinnville City Council and Planning Commission gave feedback last week on three concept plans for a 640-acre area of unincorporated land that could be annexed into the city in the coming years. The ...

 
Local pizza chain adds another slice with Mandie's in Lafayette

After 27 years in the pizza business, it is no wonder Mike Howard sees slices of savory pie everywhere he looks. When he and his wife, Mandie, were painting the century-old building to become the latest ...

 
Mac Fire battles blazes

The McMinnville Fire District battled two structure fires this week, including a three-alarm blaze at UFP Industries on Highway 18. Firefighters were dispatched to 1726 OR-18 at 11:30 p.m. Friday, and ...

Amity man drowns in flood waters, body recovered

Hector Ramirez Aldaco, 52, of Amity drowned the morning of Friday, Dec. 19 near Ballston. At 7:40 a.m., Yamhill Communications received a 911 call from an individual stating they saw a vehicle drive around ...

Lafayette to accept bids for wastewater screens

Lafayette City Administrator Branden Dross expects new screens to the city’s wastewater plant headworks and engineering will use most of the city sewer budget for the year. “We’re probably ...

 
Vintage N-R/Memory Land: Dec. 24, 2025

10 Years Ago -- While locals are nestled all snug in their beds this Christmas, the cadets of McMinnville’s Civil Air Patrol squadron will be watching the skies. Lt. Cathe Frederic, the squadron’s ...

Newberg man accused of stabbing father

A Newberg man was taken into custody during the early morning of Monday, Dec. 22, by Newberg-Dundee Police Department. NDPD responded to the Newberg residents for a report of an assault with a knife. “Officers ...

 
Photos: Remembering Mike

Friend, family, colleagues and community celebrate the life of Mike Hughes 

 
Cards, crafts, cooking equate to holiday cheer for Rotunno family

One way Nancy Rotunno makes Christmas special is by creating her own holiday cards. Rotunno, a former educator, thinks about the design for months. In September, she starts making the cards — it ...

 
Photo Gallery: The Joys of Giving

A few scenes of locals volunteering their time and talents to help others during the holiday season.

 
Quirk of the Week: Wall full of mail in waffle haven of Amity

In Amity, waffles get a wall full of mail. Common Cup cafe upholds the old-school mail tradition of postcards. Owner Jeannie Coelho and staff encourage the community to keep in touch via postcard with ...

 
Offbeat Oregon: Portland was shanghaiing capital of the world in 1890s

As of the time of this writing, there is some disagreement over the status of Oregon’s largest city. It all came to a head last month when the President of the United States referred to it as “war-ravaged ...

Mac agrees to $98k settlement with YCAP

McMinnville City Council agreed to a $98,000 settlement payment Wednesday to close the door on the AnyDoor Place Navigation Center project that was fraught with delays and construction issues. In exchange ...

 
Stopping By: Christmas in a cold climate

Christmas meant snow, ice and traditional foods when Mark Björnson of rural Amity was growing up in North Dakota. His great-grandparents had settled there after they emigrated from Iceland in the ...

Sports

 
3A/2A Boys Basketball: Tigers stave off Warriors

Yamhill Carlton’s boys varsity basketball team (3-3) fended off a lethal team from the field on Tuesday night in the Tiger Dome. The Tigers were victorious, holding out for a 57-54 victory ...

 
Wildcat Roundup: Mens and womens basketball have weekend success, Smolt named NWC POTW; volleyball awarded for academic achievements

Womens Basketball Linfield’s womens basketball team (6-2, 1-0) picked up two victories over the weekend in non-conference play against NAIA Simpson (Calif.) and No. 22 NAIA Corban. The ’Cats ...

Depweg breaks own record in season opener

McMinnville High School varsity swimmers began the season with impressive results over Newberg in a dual meet at the McMinnville Aquatic Center on Thursday, Dec. 11. The Grizzlies completed a total team ...

OSAA finalizes 2026-30 reclassification and districts for high school athletics

Beginning the fall of 2026, the 3A West Valley League will return to the high school sports scene after being absent since the 2018-19 scholastic athletics season. The Oregon School Activities Association ...

 
Mac Boys Basketball: Grizzlies fight through foul trouble to oust David Douglas 54-46 at home

McMinnville’s boys variety basketball team (3-2) found itself in a familiar scenario on Tuesday inside their home gym. The Grizzlies’ opponent, the 6A Mt. Hood Conference David Douglas Scots ...

Mac Girls Basketball: Grizzlies lose lead to hot-shooting Cardinals, fall 50-44

McMinnville’s girls varsity basketball team (0-4) showed promise on Tuesday at Lincoln (2-1), but ultimately fell 50-44. “There are moments when we look really good and move the ball crisply…we ...

3A/2A Girls Basketball: Tigers defeat Bulldogs; Pirates keep sailing

Willamina 27 Yamhill Carlton 35 The Tigers (6-1) were on top of a low-scoring affair in the West Valley, defeating the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-1) 35-27 on Wednesday night. Williamina’s recent struggles ...

 
3A/2A Girls Basketball: Dayton, Hughes wins for family after father's passing

Dayton’s varsity girls (4-1) played for more than basketball over the weekend. On Wednesday, Dec. 10, news of the death of Michael Hughes, a vice principal and special education director at Willamina ...

 
3A/2A Boys Basketball: Pirates topple Tigers

For the first time since Dec. 15, 2023, the Dayton and Yamhill Carlton varsity boys basketball teams met for a non-league game at the Dayton Tournament. Two winters ago, Dayton handled the Tigers, ...

 
Turnovers cost Grizzlies in 49-37 loss to South Salem

Friday’s contest against the South Salem Saxons (3-0) was a vast measure of improvement for the McMinnville girls varsity basketball team (0-3), but turnovers were costly and neutered an otherwise ...

 
Overtime Odyssey: Ferrua heats up for 31 points in 71-67 win over McDaniel

Falling to the ground, sophomore forward Xander Gurash lunged for a ball that clanged off the iron. It was his eigth and final rebound of a long night that also saw him score 18 points. He chucked the ...

Tiger wrestlers dominate mat in opening bouts; Amity, Dayton, Mac see improvement

Yamhill County grapplers were out in full force over the Dec. 12-13 weekend. Wrestlers from McMinnville, Amity, Dayton, Willamina and Yamhill Carlton took the mat, and many had top five worthy ...

 
Bulldogs wrestling ready to battle, replicate state success

The Willamina High School wrestling room has molded Bulldogs athletes for years. The orange and black walls are a training ground where athletes are pushed to their limits and challenged to rise and exceed ...

 
Warrior wrestlers grappling for growth in 25-26 season

Amity Wrestling is typically a small program, but with a roster of about 19 kids, turnout is way up for the Warriors. “We’re a young team, but growing,” Amity Head Coach Paul Betts ...

 
Wildcat Roundup: Mens and womens basketball suffer losses; mens wrestling introduces new faces to mat at Clackamas Open

Womens Basketball The Wildcats womens basketball team (4-2, 1-0) was handed their largest loss of the season so far on Friday, Dec. 5 at Ted Wilson Gymnasium. Facing No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh ...

 
Mac boys unable to slow North Salem offense in 77-59 test of endurance

It can be frustrating when the offense does not tally up. Connecting with the hoop and seeing the ball meet net is a skill, even an art for some. Zealots on both sides would argue that offense or defense ...

 
Grizzlies pressure Foxes but can't get shots to fall in 51-23 loss to Silverton

On Tuesday at the McMinnville High School gymnasium, development and chemistry continued to be built for a Grizzlies varsity girls basketball squad (0-2) finding their way in a new look offense. The Grizzlies ...

3A/2A Boys Basketball: Bulldogs off the schnide

Amity 69 Regis 82 The Warriors (0-3) dropped their third straight game on Monday, falling to 2A Regis (2-0) 82-69. Amity was put to bed by Regis’ 6-foot-4 senior guard Eli Silbernagel, who scored ...

3A/2A Girls Basketball: Tigers stay hot at home

Dayton 36 Westside Christian 50 The Pirates (1-1) dropped their first game on Tuesday, falling to undefeated Westside Christian (4-0) by a score of 50-36 at Dayton High School. Dayton played a tight ...

Wrestling: Mac, Dayton boys grapplers see top 10 finishes to start season

The season for grapplers is upon Yamhill County, with many wrestlers taking some of their first turns on the mat at the Perry Burlison Invitational at Cascade High School on Saturday, Dec. 6. McMinnville ...

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