Unfortunately, “Schoolhouse Rock!” never covered the Federal Reserve.

Then again, if it had, it might not have made for terribly compelling TV. After all, the ideal song for monetary policy should be a lullaby — soft, calming and familiar, guaranteed to soothe and stabilize.

Editorials

 
Let us all come together to bridge the gaps that divide

The nonprofit Unidos Bridging Community, prominently featured in a story in last Friday’s News-Register, has been providing support services to Yamhill County’s large and diverse Latino population ...

 
Those who covet power must first earn out trust

For the first 150 years of its statehood, Oregon limited regular legislative sessions to odd-numbered years. As governance turned increasingly complex and contentious, it became one of only a handful of ...

 
Can we all join in standing for what we know is right?

During his first term, Donald Trump’s ravenous crusade to bend the world to his will was at least partially restrained by people holding key elective and appointive posts. Not so this time around, ...

 
Schools face crisis point; course correction needed

Public school enrollment has been declining for the last 10 years in McMinnville, punctuated by a precipitous plunge during the pandemic followed by a limited recovery in succeeding years that seems to ...

Let's lower our sights and cut deal on Alpine project

Palindrome’s $80.5 million proposal for redevelopment of Alpine Avenue’s former RB Rubber site stood out for one clear reason: It was the most audacious and ambitious of the eight submissions. ...

 
A lot to like in the result, a lot less in the process

Celebrated English playwright William Shakespeare coined the oft-quoted phrase, “All’s well that ends well,” to serve as the name of a play he wrote and produced in 1623. And even then, ...

All signs point to another year of trail controversy

Yamhill County — where public park development has not been a high priority — has park projects drawing high public interest going into 2026. County leaders are planning to eliminate the expansive ...

 
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 ...

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: Feb. 13, 2026

Get a real Republican This moderate Republican has praised the News-Register many times and still thinks we are lucky to have a newspaper, left-leaning though it may be. I have a criticism, though. It ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 6, 2026

Vote them out Under President Trump, the United States is inching closer and closer to becoming a tyranny, a totalitarian state where a lawless government’s power is exercised by one man, according ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 30, 2026

Where’s the leadership? Physical impotence can damage relationships and mental health, which is why billions are spent every year on treatments for erectile dysfunction. Lately, we’re seeing ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 23, 2026

Building bridges I was surprised to learn from the News-Register that at the last city council meeting, Councilor Chris Chenoweth criticized Unidos Bridging Community, saying “an organization that ...

Letters to the Editor: Jan. 16, 2026

Poor example I attended the city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to learn if the City was going to respond to recent ICE activity, and if so, what the response would consist of. It was clear there ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 9, 2026

Follow the money We are watching the biggest wealth transfer in history. Wealth that is moving from ordinary Americans to the richest people on Earth. Our middle class is the last repository of wealth ...

Letters to the editor: Dec. 31, 2025

No moral compass I can understand how a person of Christian faith would be encouraged by this president’s remarks during the lighting of the national Christmas tree. Even though I am not affiliated ...

 
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 ...

Commentary

Investigating the Bible: Strength in weakness

Franklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian organization providing aid to those in crisis around the world. One of the ministries of the Samaritan’s ...

 
Christine Bader: Flag football push proves inequity persists in sports

About the writer: Christine Bader coaches the local Valley Panthers Girls Rugby Club — and, in her spare time, teaches in Linfield’s Master of Science in Business program and serves on the ...

 
Jonah Goldberg: Why do the Trumps always get a pass?

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently joined ABC’s “This Week” to defend or explain a lot of controversies for the Trump administration — the Epstein files, the events in Minneapolis and so forth.

 

George Cassidy Payne: Don Lemon, the DOJ, and the chilling of press freedom

When federal agents arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in connection with a protest inside a Minneapolis-area church, many commentators framed the incident as a straightforward defense of sacred space.

 

 
Quirk of the Week: Fence adornments provide both humor, nostalgia

Good fences make good neighbors, or so goes the oft-misused Robert Frost quotation. Sometimes neighbors make good fences. We celebrate three in this edition, ones that blend car culture, popular humor ...

 
Eric Schuck: Don’t let discordant notes mar symphony of the Fed

Unfortunately, “Schoolhouse Rock!” never covered the Federal Reserve.

Then again, if it had, it might not have made for terribly compelling TV. After all, the ideal song for monetary policy should be a lullaby — soft, calming and familiar, guaranteed to soothe and stabilize.

Jonah Goldberg: Trump’s brand of globalism stands to impoverish us all

I’m not sure what to call the new era we seem to be entering. But I am sure it will make people poorer.

Let’s start with some basics.

Jeb Bladine: Challenges in a new chapter of city government

McMinnville, now embarked on a new chapter in city government, has challenges galore in areas of finance, operations, special projects and community trust. It begins with planning for a new budget year, ...

Investigating the Bible: Thinking bravely

Sociologists call “groupthink” the tendency of cohesive social groups to never question group decisions. In 1980, financially struggling Bill Gates offered to sell his computer operating system ...

 
Quirk of the Week: By the ways, here are a few odd sightings

This week’s Quirk collection we could call “the traffic report.” All involve roadside … sightings. “Attractions” is not quite the word. Also, this being the week of ...

 
Jonah Goldberg: Facts of Pretti's death undeniable

The killing of Alex Pretti was unjust and unjustified.

 

Jeb Bladine: Minneapolis could become a flashback of history

Time will tell if the 2026 shootings of ICE protesters in Minneapolis will be a turning point for America. Public response to the killings was deeper and more far-reaching than reactions to other Trump ...

 
Haley Cox: County fumbling precious recreational opportunity

What a complete mess Yamhill County has managed to make of the Yamhelas Westsider Trail issue.

 

Investigating the Bible: Attack with love

There’s an old church joke, which can be retold variously depending on which religious group is favored. Fictitious denomination names are used here. A remote rural village had one church, the First ...

Jeb Bladine: It's a target-rich environment for commentary

Every day, timely commentary becomes more difficult as new issues and events multiply at unprecedented rates. This week helps prove that point. Consider a few local meetings on Thursday — all past ...

 
William Koenig: The county expands access to substance use screening

Substance use continues to negatively impact individuals and families throughout the Yamhill County community.

 

 
Quirk of the Week: Up Newberg way, old boats and an odd booth

They can be seen on certain roadsides: small homemade structures big enough for perhaps two people to sit down and wait for a bus. Seen on Hillside Drive a few miles north of Newberg is an unusual example ...

Jonah Goldberg: Trump would rather be feared than honorable

A decade ago, a famous and successful investor told me that “integrity lowers the cost of capital.” We were talking about Donald Trump at the time, and this Wall Street wizard was explaining why then-candidate Trump had so much trouble borrowing money from domestic capital markets.

 

Investigating the Bible: Biblical teamwork

Archie Griffin is a former professional football running back and the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy (1974-1975). At 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 189 pounds, he wasn’t exceptionally big.

 
The Conversation: New opportunities for women opening up in Orthodox Judaism

By MICHAL RAUCHER Of Rutgers University When people picture a rabbi, they may imagine a man standing in front of a congregation in a synagogue. But the term “rabbi” means much more than ...