News & Features
City moving forward with new Alpine site partner, affordable housing focus
The city of McMinnville will vote next week to continue the Alpine Avenue redevelopment project with former finalist development team Guardian, after first choice Palindrome withdrew from an agreement ...
Commissioners postpone rural B&B ruling
A more than three-year argument over a home occupation permit will take another week to resolve — at least at the county level. The Board of Commissioners requested more time to decide a case that ...
Scam targets county planning applicants
A recent scam targeting residents has been sending fake Yamhill County Planning Department emails and requesting permit fees be paid over wire transfer. The first reported incident was in November. A ...
Plans to house Blackhawks at airport developing
Black Hawk helicopters could soon be whirring out of McMinnville Municipal Airport. City staff informed Airport Commission members Tuesday that plans are proceeding for timber company Weyerhaeuser to ...
Sheridan city council in favor of food carts
The Sheridan Planning Commission is tasked with creating standards for food carts following a vote by city councilors during a Monday, Jan. 6, meeting.The council previously discussed adding a food cart ...
Icy roads impact commute, delay schools Thursday
Icy roads led to numerous minor crashes Thursday morning, along with school delays to allow buses more time to reach students in hilly areas around Yamhill County. McMinnville, Yamhill Carlton and most ...
Senior services agency hopes to boost attendance to in-person meal sites
Along with its Meals on Wheels deliveries to homebound seniors (see related story), NorthWest Senior and Disability Service offers in-person dining several times a week in McMinnville, Sheridan and Newberg. Anyone ...
Vintage N-R/Memory Lane: Jan. 9, 2026
10 Years Ago -- Many locals will find the rebuilt McMinnville Public Library plaza a sentimental journey. People who donated to the library’s plaza enhancement project could have large bricks ...
Arrests & Citations: Jan. 9, 2026
Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Christopher William Melka, 47, McMinnville, Dec. 30, parole violation; held in the Yamhill County Jail without bail. Alfonso Jesus Radilla, 41, Newberg, Dec. 30, ...
Protest, vigil planned in Newberg
Progressive Yamhill is organizing a protest of the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Newberg flagpole, 1003 E. First St. Maduro ...
Dayton may relocate city hall employees after flood damage
The city of Dayton is considering moving employees out of city hall following the December basement flooding that renewed concerns about black mold. Flooding occurs annually in the building’s basement, ...
Third person indicted on charges related to Newberg car prowling
Travis Michael Weddle was indicted Dec. 11 on eight charges connected to summer car prowling in Newberg. Weddle’s charges include theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft. On Oct. ...
Meals on Wheels volunteers hit the road to help seniors
Outside the McMinnville Cooperative Ministries building, where the local Meals on Wheels program is located, Daryll Alt of McMinnville loaded his car with dozens of packaged lunches on New Year’s ...
Hazelnuts are a bright spot for Oregon agriculture
While many Oregon farmers pull back amid tariff worries, low crop prices and a difficult labor market, Jeff Newton plans to invest in new hazelnut trees at Christensen Farms near Amity in Yamhill County. Newton, along with other Oregon hazelnut growers, is waiting for a final tally of the volume of nuts they sold in 2025. But acreage and preliminary data show that hazelnut farming is booming in the Willamette Valley.
Democratic state AGs will lead opposition to Trump this year
PORTLAND — One year into President Donald Trump’s second term, Democratic attorneys general have filed 71 lawsuits against the administration.
‘Ice’ rink skates through second holiday season
Nearly 3,000 people circled the artificial ice of the Glide & Gather skating attraction during the holiday season, according to the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce. The skating rink, set up inside ...
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” ...
Construction starts on new boutique hotel
Construction of a new boutique hotel on Alpine Avenue began today, following months of planning. Owners Tim Wade and Carole Lundgren said they expect the Piquette hotel to open in early 2027. It will ...
Library book sale Saturday
Friends of the McMinnville Library will host its first book sale of the year from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, in the library’s Carnegie Room. Adult books will sell for $1, children’s ...
Sports
Linfield outwits Whitman, surrenders to Whitworth at home
Emotions ran wild over the weekend as Linfield mens basketball team (3-8, 1-2) split a pair of Northwest Conference matchups at home to Whitman College (6-7, 1-3) and Whitworth University (10-3, 4-0). The ...
Wildcats topple Pirates, conquer Blues
What makes the Wildcats roll is their connection to one another. Under head coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, Linfield’s womens basketball team (10-2, 2-0) has turned into a formidable foe in the Northwest ...
Busy weekend of wrestling produces 10 Yamhill County champions
Yamhill County was a wrestler’s paradise on Saturday, Jan. 10. Over 20 Oregon schools competed on the mat at either the Bob Bishop Invitational in Willamina or the Mike Henry Memorial duals in Dayton. Boys ...
Bird named to CSC Hall of Fame class of 2026
Linfield University’s Athletics Marketing and Events Coordinator, Kelly Bird, will join the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame class of 2026 and be inducted on Monday, June 8, in ceremonies ...
Mac swimmers run roughshod over Liberty
In their final dual meet against Liberty High School before the Falcons transition to 5A, the Grizzlies’ swim teams dominated at the Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center in Hillsboro, ...
3A/2A Girls Basketball: Warriors keep winning, Tigers rebound
Jan. 9 Amity 56 Santiam Christian 29 Yamhill County’s highest-ranked basketball team, the Class 3A No. 2 Warriors (10-2, 4-0), maintained its momentum with a 56-29 win at No. 27 Santiam Christian ...
3A/2A Boys Basketball: Pirates, Tigers victorious with double-digit dousings
Jan. 9 Amity 47 Santiam Christian 74 No. 20-ranked Amity (6-6, 2-2) fell back to even on the season on Friday as they were on the wrong side of a road palindrome, 74-47. Amity led No. 9 Santiam Christian ...
Mac Basketball: Boys, girls fall short in battles with top-15 foes
McMinnville’s No. 35-ranked boys varsity basketball team (5-6) proved a difficult out in a 69-63 loss to No. 13 Sunset (10-2) on Friday in Hillsboro. The Grizzlies trailed 23-14 after one ...
Mac Boys Basketball: Grizzlies ride first-quarter wave to even season record in Aloha
A 29-5 first quarter propelled the No. 36-ranked Grizzlies (5-5) to their second-largest margin of victory this season as they toppled No. 49 Metro League foe Aloha (0-10), 69-45, on the road. Sophomore ...
Mac Girls Basketball: Grizzlies steal Blues' rhythm in first home victory
The Grizzlies’ record (3-6) is not indicative of their true potential. Head Coach Sean Coste has seen nearly everything in his time on the sidelines, but an 0-6 start to the season was a first in ...
Linfield has eight placers, Willamina alumni return at Mat Cat Open
Grapplers from all walks of life competed in the Mat Cat Open on Sunday, Jan. 4, inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, with 35 teams taking the mat. The host Wildcats had eight combined placers across men’s ...
3A/2A Girls Basketball: Pirates feast from range in win over Bulldogs
The basket seemed five feet wide for the No. 21-ranked Dayton Pirates (9-3, 3-1) Wednesday night as they outshot No. 38 Willamina (1-8, 0-2) en route to a 53-26 victory. Dayton slowed their pace over ...
3A Boys Basketball: Pirates, Bulldogs crash to overtime ending in battle for first PacWest win
Two teams vying for life in the 3A PacWest Conference duked it out Wednesday night, needing to play an extra four minutes of basketball inside the Dayton High School gymnasium to crown a victor. After ...
Wrestling is for girls
As I’ve written before, I’m one of the luckiest guys in the county. I get paid to see the impact of athletics on the county’s students. Friday, I had the assignment of covering ...
Girls 3A standouts rise to the top at McMinnville
Dayton’s Aliyah Sauceda proved it’s not about school size, but heart, as the 3A wrestler defeated 6A metro opponents to claim the 170-pound championship at McMinnville’s Mac Storage wrestling ...
Grizzlies, Bulldogs steamroll through boys invite at Mac
The McMinnville High School gymnasium was drenched in blood, sweat and tears on Saturday, Jan. 3, while some of the region’s top boys grapplers collided at the McMinnville Your Space Storage ...
3A Boys Basketball: Warriors outpace Pirates in Crusader Classic final
Turnidge Gymnasium was lively on Saturday as Salem Academy High School hosted the Crusader Classic and an unplanned Yamhill County rivalry matchup. Each hoping to begin 2026 with an unblemished ...
3A Girls Basketball: Warriors fall to Vikings in potential playoff preview
A battle of top dogs commenced Saturday inside Turnidge Gymnasium at Salem Academy High School. The scene introduced No. 2 Amity (7-2, 1-0) to another tough task in what has been a gauntlet of an early ...
Gurash steps up, but Lincoln’s Novy-Hildesley too much as Mac falls 71-57
McMinnville’s varsity boys (4-5) traded buckets with No. 18-ranked Lincoln (5-3) on Friday, but the Grizzlies were outmatched, allowing too many open looks at the rim in a 71-57 loss to the Cardinals ...
Middle schooler Tanner Rauch battles for first while Grizzlies tackle western might in Reno
Tanner Rauch, an eighth grader at Patton Middle School, was the lone McMinnville representative to place at the 2025 Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno, Nevada, from Dec. 29-30. Rauch competed as part of the ...
