MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — The message of Memorial Day is never far away when visiting a battlefield. That’s true whether it’s the sands of Iwo Jima, the beaches of Normandy or a battlefield from the Civil War.
Editorials
Schools can’t afford to just kick the can down the road
The last of the big local public agency budgets, that of the McMinnville School District, won final committee approval last week. And after a long, steep and steady enrollment decline, one that’s ...
Positives to take from county election, no matter the victor
As with any election, there was much to like and not like about the races for Yamhill County commissioner positions. It appears that Jason Fields has avoided a November run-off by receiving more than ...
Public needs to face up to cost of providing services
It’s budget time for cities, counties and special taxing districts around the state, as the July 1 start of a new fiscal year looms. And the dominant local refrain seems remarkably consistent — ...
Mounting SDC burden will stretch only so far
Oregon has pioneered an array of governmental and environmental approaches envied by, and frequently adopted by, other states across the country. It was the first to claim public ownership of its beaches, ...
Neyssa Hays best choice for commission’s Position 3
In the race for Position 3 on the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners, being vacated by term-limited Mary Starrett, we reached a clear consensus in favor of outdoor enthusiast and science educator Neyssa ...
Narrow nod to Johnston for county's Position 1
Who should serve the next four years in Position 1 on the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners is a tough call for us. Incumbent Kit Johnston has, during the last two years, given us a large measure ...
Nods go to Stephenson, Merkley and Brock Smith
We have three races on today’s endorsement menu, and in our estimation, the vast majority of you should be able to join us in making easy calls on them. In the non-partisan race for commissioner ...
Primary would best serve us by returning Kotek, Drazan
There are no fewer than 27 candidates for the Oregon governorship out on the hustings so far this year — 10 Democrats and 14 Republicans seeking major party nominations, one unaffiliated candidate ...
Depleted highway coffers demand a new infusion
Property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes and most other governmental taxes have one crucial element in common. They are based on percentage rates applied to ever-rising dollar volumes. That serves to ...
Bee-friendly pollinator garden a cause we should all support
So many national and international threats hanging over the heard of humanity these days seem so complex and distant as to defy meaningful impact at the local level. Fortunately, though, there is at least ...
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: May 29, 2026
Crazed and unstable A slush fund of $1.776 billion to give money to the Washington rioters who wanted to abolish our freedom? Why aren’t more citizens angry? How can one unstable man, our president, ...
Letters to the Editor: May 22, 2026
Out of this world! I attended the Second Winds Community Band concert at the McMinnville Community Center. The theme was Space, Galaxies and Aliens. It was a wonderful, uplifting concert, keeping our ...
Letters to the Editor: May 15, 2026
Fiscal responsibility The Yamhill County Fair is the oldest in Oregon with nearly 170 years of building community. Its site is centrally located, making it fully accessible to all. In addition to the ...
Letters to the Editor: May 8, 2026
More follow-through The News-Register’s endorsement of Kit Johnston identifies serious concerns, but stops short of the obvious conclusion: After nearly four years in office, Johnston still has ...
Letters to the Editor: April 24, 2026
Fiscal conservatism As the May 19 election approaches, I again review my choices. I collected signatures to get Measure 120 on the ballot, and it is an easy NO on higher gas taxes and fees. We are already ...
Letters to the Editor: April 17, 2026
Open and respectful I am following the 2026 Commissioner races with interest. Having served Yamhill County for eight years as sheriff and six as undersheriff, I am aware of what it takes to make county ...
Letters to the Editor: April 10, 2026
Out of ammo We’re about a month into the war with Iran. In that short time, we’ve started to run out of the interceptor missiles we and our allies rely on to defend against missile and drone ...
Letters to the Editor: April 3, 2026
Proceed with care Yes, McMinnville’s downtown needs major infrastructure work — and sooner rather than later. However, government and civic leaders need to understand the potential consequences ...
Letters to the Editor: March 27, 2026
All talk, no action I was reading about Mayor Morris’ new program, “We care about kids.” I hope it will be a program of action, not just words. Beyond the staged photo op with the mayor ...
Commentary
Jeb Bladine: Memorial Day Weekend merges fiction, reality
Memorial Day Weekend: flowers to the cemetery, a family barbeque, national mourning for military personnel who died in the line of duty, and opportunity for holiday escape into a marathon movie series. This ...
Jonah Goldberg: Maybe it’s the product and not the packaging
There’s an ancient almost surely apocryphal story about a dog food company executive convening a big sales meeting. A very short version has the exec running through all of the company’s advantages — the best sales team, the best advertising, the best packaging and so forth — then irately asking, “So why aren’t we selling more dog food?”
From The Conversation: Young Latinos are shaping future of Catholic Church
On Ash Wednesday, two Roman Catholic priests and a religious sister entered an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, to celebrate Mass with detainees inside.
Ellie Gunn: Sharing the Linfield experience on eve of another graduation
A great deal happened during my time as circulation manager at Linfield University’s Northup Library from 1985 to 1989.
Investigating the Bible: The value of consequences
Meg Faville wrote in The Reader’s Digest about her family’s experience in Okinawa when a Fourth of July was celebrated. The military base always hosted a spectacular fireworks display. They ...
Quirk of the Week: A street well met
“Get your own Quirk, easy installments!” If this were a cheesy commercial it wouldn’t come with “Operators standing by — order right now!” (Remember the old “late-night-TV” ...
Jonah Goldberg: Founding Fathers would have gotten rid of Trump long ago
In 1788, Virginia convened a convention to debate ratification of the new U.S. Constitution, promulgated in Philadelphia the previous year, and presidential pardon power proved to be a sticking point for some delegates.
Rusty Rae: Land of the free, home of the brave
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — The message of Memorial Day is never far away when visiting a battlefield. That’s true whether it’s the sands of Iwo Jima, the beaches of Normandy or a battlefield from the Civil War.
Jeb Bladine: Trump wins complex negotiations with himself
Books will be written about the 2026 Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund Settlement. My 500-word limit makes a full summary impossible, but here’s a thumbnail. President Donald Trump, his two sons and ...
Investigating the Bible: The important first step
In 1950, the 45,000-ton battleship Missouri ran aground in Chesapeake Bay. The captain was brought before the Naval Board of Inquiry tasked with determining the cause of the costly and embarrassing mistake. ...
Quirk of the Week: ‘No two shelters are the same’
Quirk has focused in the past on small roadside shelters including, recently, the tall one-person shelter on Hillside Drive near Newberg. Since then, shack examples have emerged in explorations in other ...
Jacqueline Smith: Hegseth forcing Stripes to toe Pentagon PR line
A recent opinion column I wrote as the Stars and Stripes ombudsman began with this: “Pete Hegseth doesn’t want you to see cartoons in this newspaper anymore.”
Randy Stapilus: Hill steepens for GOP in Oregon’s 5th District
In 2022, after Oregon’s new map for congressional districts was set in place, the state emerged with a high number of competitive U.S. House districts:
Jonah Goldberg: Cory Booker guilty of shameful demagoguery
I wish “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker had asked Sen. Cory Booker if he’s qualified to represent New Jersey, given that nearly nine out of 10 of his constituents are not Black.
Jeb Bladine: Time to start celebrating Mac’s historic birthday
Aliens are already here, with more arriving for Saturday’s annual UFO Festival parade. As usual, this popular McMinnville affair launches an extensive schedule of community events. This year, that ...
Investigating the Bible: Agree to disagree
Acclaimed actress Katharine Hepburn reportedly said, “Enemies are stimulating.” However, when adrenaline flows and blood pressure rises, conflicts are unsettling. A serious disagreement ...
Quirk of the Week: Lafayette, beyond the leaping squid dogs
Sheridan and Willamina had their turns, as did Dundee, in recent Quirk of the Week tours. As promised, now a little love for Lafayette. (Dayton had its moment a year or so ago, with forthcoming revisits ...
Jeb Bladine: History urges strong response to youth violence
To be clear, there’s no public evidence the April 28 melee in Joe Dancer Park was gang-related. But if it was, historic lessons have taught us as a community to act quickly and vigorously. Last ...
Christine Bader: Chemeketa/WOU partnership creates rich new opportunities
For Bobby Garibay, post-secondary education wasn’t in the cards. “I didn’t really care about high school,” he says, and it showed in his grades. “I really let them drop because I didn’t see myself going to college.”
