Willamina’s Coyote Joe’s featured on ‘America’s Best Restaurants’ YouTube show
News & Features
Former employee sues McMinnville over termination
A former part-time McMinnville Police Department employee is suing the city for more than $500,000 on allegations she was wrongly dismissed nine days before going on pregnancy leave. Mikayla Hansen filed ...
County Parks prepared for ash borer threat
Yamhill County Parks Manager Travis Pease told the News-Register that the county has been preparing for the emerald ash borer since 2024, when the beetle was discovered near the northern county border. ...
Park brawlers scheduled in court
Several young McMinnville men charged with riot and assault stemming from an April 28 brawl at Joe Dancer Park have court proceedings continuing through the summer. On Thursday, July 2, three of the defendants ...
Lawmakers meet with transporation workgroup
Bipartisanship and earlier deliberations over transportation funding are a priority in the 2027 legislative session, a mostly Democratic group of lawmakers told the business and transportation experts tasked with vetting and recommending ideas to solve the Oregon Department of Transportation’s impending funding shortfall.
Yamhill Fire responds to clover field fire
In the late afternoon of Monday, July 6, the Yamhill Fire Protection District responded to a fire that burned approximately 1.5 acres of cut clover. “The fire is believed to have originated from ...
Lights, camera, comfort food
Willamina’s Coyote Joe’s featured on ‘America’s Best Restaurants’ YouTube show
John Desmarteau Sr. dies at 78
Longtime McMinnville businessman and community volunteer John Desmarteau died June 20 in Washington state. He was 78. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at St. Patrick Catholic ...
Quirk of the Week: North county whirl
Ankhs, horse rings and a thick pickin’ of ponderables in Yamhill, Carlton and Gaston The far north and south reaches of Yamhill County contain rich troves of Quirk. Greater Yamhill/Carlton/Gaston ...
Sheridan councilor may see charges dismissed
A Sheridan city councilor is expecting to have all misdemeanor charges dismissed once he renews his Oregon concealed carry permit. Ian Thomas Houston, 46, is facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession ...
Mac tool library seeks new digs
Following a successful first year of operations, the nonprofit McMinnville Tool Library is on the hunt for a new location that hopefully provides more space. The library opened March 1, 2025, at 1040 ...
Willamina surplus auction
The city of Willamina is accepting bids for surplus items until Tuesday, July 14. A list of equipment and items — including a Polaris Ranger ATV, riding and push lawn mowers, a generator an air ...
Board fills committee seats, excludes recent challenger
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners filled two vacancies on the budget committee Thursday, dismissing the recommendation of Bubba King to appoint recent board challenger and financial analyst John ...
Along the Street: Demolition permit filed for old bowling alley
The Walnut City Lanes bowling alley building will be razed soon to make way for Les Schwab’s new tire center for trucks. The city received a demolition permit June 30 and is reviewing the project. ...
Court Records: July 8, 2026
CIVIL FILINGS Discover Bank vs. Michelle S. Storm, Dundee: Renewal of $5,801.75 judgment. Asset Recovery Group, Inc. vs. Clay W. Thomas and Lorilee Thomas: Renewal of $6,201.62 judgment. Barclays Bank ...
Food truck serves beer, cocktails
Musician and retired Marine Nick Manzke is planning to transform a parking lot food truck pod into an entertainment hangout spot. “I hope people will come out, get a drink, get some food from the ...
Mac schools serving free summer meals
Free meals are available for those 18 and younger at several sites in McMinnville. McMinnville School District is hosting the federal free breakfast and lunch program. In other cities, school districts ...
Mac hospital, major insurer strike a deal
Willamette Valley Medical Center and UnitedHealthcare reached an eleventh-hour agreement Tuesday to continue in-network service for thousands of Yamhill County residents. The two sides were staring down ...
What in the Yamhill: The Wortman family
Like many pioneers, the Wortman family traveled west for a dream and ended up creating community in ways still visible in the fabric of modern-day life. For many McMinnville residents, a stroll or disc ...
Court Records: July 6, 2026
CIVIL FILINGS Bank Of America, N.A. vs. Teresa M. Emery: Granted $15,903.01 judgment. Pacific NW Federal Credit Union vs. Maribel Ortega: Granted $14,837.56 judgment. Bank Of America, N.A. vs. Sarah ...
History museum campus partly open
While remodeling work is continuing on the Yamhill County History Museum’s main building, other parts of the museum campus are open to visitors. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. A ...
Sports
Wes Gabrielson helping to grow pickleball as a game for all ages
Listen closely while strolling along Park Drive in McMinnville, you might hear light pops and passionate grunts. Not to worry, it is just locals on the pickleball courts playing friendly games and working ...
Pirates' new play-caller prepared to carry on values of Dayton football
Dayton football will have a new head coach when the 2026 season begins, but the instilled traits that have made the Pirates successful are not lost on their new leader. Kiegan Schaan, the Pirates’ ...
Newberg teen qualifies for equine vaulting championship
Sarah-Anne House, a 17-year-old multifaceted gymnast and track athlete from Newberg, loves to perform pirouettes on the back of horses more than anything else. The incoming senior to Newberg High School ...
Mac's Findley claims links victory in Scotland
Mabel Findley, a soon-to-be senior and multi-sport athlete at McMinnville High School, took her golfing talents overseas June 20-28 to compete in the Scotland Junior Golf Invitational Coed Tour. The ...
Upon Further Review: Stepping through sneaker heaven
For my first job, I sat at the front desk of a gym in my oasis of a hometown. There, I spent my hours counting seconds as they passed, signing up new members and using Under Armour Icon services to make ...
Bears boys basketball inspiring leadership during summer play
McMinnville’s boys’ basketball team was hard at work over recent weeks. Between summer leagues, youth camps and an alumni game, Grizzly players soaked up as much as they could handle. Their ...
Mac's Duryee ready for next steps after varsity reps
Nerves rattled Jonah Duryee when he stepped onto the baseball diamond for his first varsity contest of 2026. The incoming sophomore received the call-up from JV on May 1 for a road bout versus Forest ...
Side-by-side short course racing makes Willamina Mud Drag debut
More than 70 vehicles competed in the Willamina Mud Drags on Saturday, June 27, as the city of Willamina raised funds for its Fourth of July celebration. Through spurts of heavy rain and sunshine, competitors ...
Top county softball teams recognized with all-state honors
The battle for the 3A softball crown ended in the semifinals for both of No. 4-ranked Yamhill Carlton and No. 3 Dayton, but each was awarded its fair share of All-State recognition. YC had five players ...
Lafayette Fourth of July feature special guests from POW Pro Wrestling
The Lafayette Fourth of July celebration is one of the oldest in the state and this year will feature special guests at the third annual hot dog eating contest. POW Pro Wrestling out of Eugene will have ...
Amity, Mac locals make their case at USATF Oregon Junior Olympics
The first rounds of the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympics unfolded seamlessly from June 25-28, with a large contingent of Yamhill County athletes competing at Mt. Hood Community College. Along ...
Mac, YC seniors represent squads on all-state teams
All-State recognition graced just one player from McMinnville in 2026, senior designated hitter Cameron Hyder. The Lower Columbia College commit led the Grizzlies in batting average (.432), OBP (.544), ...
Amity boys basketball going back to basics during summer league
Based on record alone, the Amity boys’ basketball team of 2025-26 was the best the program had seen since 2019-20. The varsity Warriors went 16-10 overall and 12-4 in PacWest Conference play. Amity’s ...
Photo Gallery: Past versus present
McMinnville alumni took on current Grizzly varsity players on Wednesday for the first of what hopes to become an annual basketball game between the school’s past and future graduates. In front of ...
Upon Further Review: Covering history at Hayward
In my travels across the nation to view athletics for both work and pleasure, few cathedrals of sport have attracted my gaze more than historic Hayward Field. Growing up in a family whose lineage had ...
Grizzlies taking a page from Wildcats' playbook
Those in charge of McMinnville High School football are always trying to find ways to improve, and after losing more than a dozen seniors and all but one game in 2025, the Grizzlies are taking every opportunity ...
Mac's Carpenter, Amity's Howard reach record marks at Nike Outdoor Nationals
Two McMinnville school records and an overwhelming personal best marked some of the praiseworthy performances by Yamhill County athletes during the Nike Outdoor Nationals annual track and field invite ...
Youth softball players, coaches learn from Portland's professional team
Professional softball players and the youth athletes they’re inspiring met for the first time in Hillsboro last weekend. The newly-founded Portland Cascade of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League ...
Willamina Mud Drags offering new SXS class
This Saturday, June 27, the Willamina Mud Drags are returning to the West Valley with a new event for spectators to enjoy and racers to partake. Outside of the usual Super Modified, Modified, four and ...
Grizzlies baseball star praises family, community for strength to battle adversity
When Cameron Hyder entered the ranks of McMinnville High School baseball, he was not projected to become the player he was during the Grizzlies’ most recent spring season. Hyder shined as an athlete. ...
