"Whatchamacolumn" by Jeb Bladine
The News-Register publisher writes about the community; people; local, state and national affairs; and sometimes whimsey.
Jeb Bladine: City council faces tough decisions on expenditures
McMinnville City Council — acting as governing body for both the city and its Urban Renewal Agency (URA) — faces some serious financial challenges in a series of upcoming meetings. Years of ...
Jeb Bladine: Take blindfolds off RB Rubber project planning
Let’s acknowledge up front that community development under Oregon’s urban renewal law is complex and confusing. But that doesn’t justify the city of McMinnville’s long-delayed ...
Jeb Bladine: Linfield goes full-public with private finances
Governmental and institutional budgets are going under the knife. And while federal government cuts have drawn maximum attention, public interest is turning to local financial emergencies. It’s ...
Jeb Bladine: Americans tortuously trying to ‘follow the money’
Americans are stunned by the explosion of controversial statements, policies, executive orders and vengeful actions radiating from the White House. So much so — intentionally? — as to distract ...
Jeb Bladine: It’s never too late to correct a factual error
Consider this column a much-belated correction impacting a current story that is generating local controversy. That story is the city of McMinnville’s prolonged plan to flip the former Ultimate RB ...
Whatchamacolumn: Career criminals play a role in budget deficits
McMinnville’s huge city budget deficit was on display this week, with officials trying to figure out why it evolved while grappling with how to respond. “I’m failing to understand,” ...
Whatchamacolumn: Commentary comes easily in a turbulent world
When it comes to commentary, we are living in a target-rich environment. Let’s start local: If people contact authorities about a hybrid wolf pack prowling school playground areas and killing neighborhood ...
Whatchamacolumn: Trump creating needed jobs in national media
As a news reporter, Donald Trump would be warned and monitored, then fired; as a newspaper editorial writer, he simply would be terminated for cause. But as president of the United States, he is creating ...
Whatchamacolumn: Yet another raid on legal notices in newspapers
It’s time for the annual raid on legal notices that have been published in Oregon newspapers for more than 150 years — the subject of a full-page display in today’s News-Register. In ...
Whatchamacolumn: Land use law ‘adjustments’ for housing projects
Many people were shocked to learn that a new Oregon law guarantees “adjustments” to local design and development standards for high-density residential developments. I was more shocked that ...
Whatchamacolumn: Businesses may close, but memories aren't lost
Change is inevitable. Businesses come and go. Entire industries fade from memory, from typewriters to phone booths, pagers to print encyclopedias, film photography to VHS tapes. While we embrace changes ...
Whatchamacolumn: Time for city to focus on a new aquatic center
New political leadership — as seen daily on the national scene — can bring new sets of eyes to challenges of best serving the public interest in a democratic society, and not always for the ...
Whatchamacolumn: City budget transparency faces information overload
A newly constituted McMinnville City Council took office on Tuesday, that following Saturday’s council goal-setting retreat. Along the way, discussion of the sprawling city budget produced an interesting ...
Whatchamacolumn: Scammers come at us every day in every way
Here’s a disquieting New Year’s thought: Every day, in every way, criminals are preying on vulnerable people via phone, mail, texts, email; all manner of print, digital, video and audio misrepresentations; ...
