"Whatchamacolumn" by Jeb Bladine
The News-Register publisher writes about the community; people; local, state and national affairs; and sometimes whimsey.
Jeb Bladine: Snippets of useful news at the end of summer
Here’s another occasional episode of “News You Can Use” (NYCU) – snippets of information sprinkled with small bits of gratuitous comment, offered during this annual transition time ...
Jeb Bladine: New systems identify and track moving vehicles
Thirty-year-old technology designed to help police identify license plates has evolved into controversy over allegations that vast, warrantless databases of vehicle movements amount to continuous surveillance ...
Jeb Bladine: City council gets to make final housing decision
One of democracy’s most memorable quotes – too often ignored – came from American abolitionist Wendell Phillips in 1852: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever ...
Jeb Bladine: Blockbuster AI stories and hypothetical surveys
Every week seems to produce another blockbuster story about artificial intelligence, while we beginner, amateur and semi-pro practitioners try to navigate the giant web of AI opportunities and issues. This ...
Jeb Bladine: Legislature tosses transparency, citizen rights
Sometimes, I wonder if state legislators care about law-making transparency, or even bother to read proposed bills before voting on them. As evidence, look no further than the 2026 legislative session. Locally, ...
Jeb Bladine: Scientists restore access to climate data
Decades ago, a NASA scientist told a U.S. Senate committee that human-caused “global warming” had begun, launching a wave of forums, programs and civic discussions focused on future risks. ...
Jeb Bladine: Changed America shares McMinnville birthday
Happy Birthday, America. My, how you’ve changed! I remember when you were a youthful 200 years old. Who could forget your 1976 McMinnville birthday party: huge parade with downtown streets packed ...
Jeb Bladine: A time for public opinion on housing projects
Complex issues drive the development of McMinnville. Housing is one prominent topic these days, with complexities that extend to housing types and locations, traffic flow and safety, downtown parking ...
Jeb Bladine: A worthy holiday delays newspaper delivery
We newspaper folks keep track of many, many things: Deadlines, for example; election dates; court schedules; names and numbers of local officials who return phone calls, and those who commit themselves ...
Jeb Bladine: A good time for the occasional sports column
This is a sports column. I’m a long-time basketball fan. My earliest years of home TV coincided with Boston Celtic NBA championships in 1957-59-60-61-62-63. Celtic star Bob Cousy inspired those ...
Jeb Bladine: Local health insurance fight just the beginning
Health insurance in America is unstable and becoming more so. Insurance companies are cancelling unprofitable policies, creating narrower service networks and tightening benefits. There are nationwide ...
Jeb Bladine: Memorial Day Weekend merges fiction, reality
Memorial Day Weekend: flowers to the cemetery, a family barbeque, national mourning for military personnel who died in the line of duty, and opportunity for holiday escape into a marathon movie series. This ...
Jeb Bladine: Trump wins complex negotiations with himself
Books will be written about the 2026 Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund Settlement. My 500-word limit makes a full summary impossible, but here’s a thumbnail. President Donald Trump, his two sons and ...
Jeb Bladine: History urges strong response to youth violence
To be clear, there’s no public evidence the April 28 melee in Joe Dancer Park was gang-related. But if it was, historic lessons have taught us as a community to act quickly and vigorously. Last ...
