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 ...
Editorials
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 ...
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 ...
Bond deserves another go with centerpiece retained
At this writing, a final, official reckoning is still not yet available for the $98.5 million parks and rec bond appearing on McMinnville’s November general election ballot. The most recent tally ...
Ending shutdown just a start on restoring American values
At this writing, we finally appear poised to close the books on the longest federal shutdown in American history, exceeding that even of the 35-day closure marking the first Trump presidency. But in addition ...
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: 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 ...
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 ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 21, 2025
Yes on Yamhelas Trail I am now a senior rider, after decades of being a cyclist for both recreation and transportation at different periods in my life. And I feel much safer on a trail away from the increasingly ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 14, 2025
It’s on us I want to thank each and every one of you for participating in marches against the man in the White House. With the help of the Supreme Court, he created a hopeless atmosphere of despair ...
Commentary
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 ...
The Conversation: Buddhist nuns win access to advanced degree
By DARCIE PRICE-WALLACEOf Northwestern University In August, 161 Tibetan Buddhist nuns from religious institutions across India and Nepal — a record number — gathered at the Dolma Ling Nunnery ...
Bladine: Immigration enforcement war needs a solution
Tracking national news these days is an exhausting mental labor. This week alone, among others, we’ve been confronted with high-octane controversies related to Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Mark Kelly, ...
Goldberg: Mamdani's call for collectivism dead on arrival
By JONAH GOLDBERG The day before the Trump administration captured and extradited Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, many on the right, including yours truly, had a field day mocking something newly ...
Investigating the Bible: The edited life
E.B. White’s short book, “The Elements of Style,” has elementary rules of composition to improve English usage; these are too often broken, yours truly included. Some violations ...
Letter to Readers: How much rain did we get? Too much
Rain, rain, go away, local residents chanted in December, but that didn’t deter a couple of “atmospheric river” storms from passing over Yamhill County. Rain fell, swelling rivers, filling ...
Quirk of the Week: The fragrant and the fleeting
This week, Quick Quirks: seven morsels to consider. What might tie them together are a couple mini-themes of the olfactory and obsolete varieties. - Getting a mention awhile back was the temperature ...
Investigating the Bible: When a church is led by a bully
Ray Stedman (1917-1992) was the pastor for forty years of the Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and the church continues with a strong ministry today. With this anonymous rhyme, he recognized ...
Jonah Goldberg: GOP facing big questions as Trump passage looms
“Are the Republicans going the way of the Whigs?”
During President Trump’s first term, this question was asked a lot. The answer then: No.
Cyrus Javadi: Universal healthcare not viable without cost control
At some point in any failing enterprise, someone in the room finally asks the most dangerous question: “Are we actually making enough money to run this thing?”
Jeb Bladine: Rise of AI deep fake imagery has many victims
Here’s a new acronym for 2026 that deserves to become a clarion call against new combinations of human deviance and artificial intelligence run amok: NCSI. No, it’s not another spin-off of ...
Quirk of the Week: Par-don the puns you’re about to read
Indoors or out, anywhere golf is enjoyed, the duffer will find twists and turns. Now that the weather has turned, a place with its share of twists provides a warm indoor place for “wood-be” ...
Kirby Neumann-Rea: '6 7' becomes digital era touchpoint
News item: “In-N-Out Burger has eliminated use of ‘67’ for orders in its restaurants, due to a viral meme causing disruptive outbursts when the number is called.” The list grows. We ...
Jeb Bladine: Step up in the resolution game: Adopt a cause
It has been a rare — and fleeting — opportunity to write columns in back-to-back print newspapers published on Christmas and New Years eves. Last week’s “Season of Hope” messages ...
Quirk of the Week: Operator, give us a number of year-end oddities
This year’s-end grab bag of revisits and newly found Quirk might give new meaning to “phoning it in.” Plenty of cool indoor items deserve a look this week, starting with an elephant. There’s ...
Commentary: Thanks where thanks is due
By LES HOWSDEN Things I have not been thankful for in 2025: - Blanket clemency for the almost 1,600 individuals convicted or awaiting sentencing in the Jan. 6 insurrection. - DOGE, which destroyed ...
Jonah Goldberg: How can we solve our scourge of crackpottery?
Candace Owens has a very popular internet show in which she trots out deranged conspiracies. Among other things, they include the demonic nature of Jews, the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk ...
Investigating the Bible: Big decisions
The new year brings new choices and resolutions for change. The gospels include a story about a big decision in the life of a young, rich ruler. It demonstrates three steps needed to follow Jesus. ...
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.”
