The Conversation: High elevation burns pose new threat to environment
By MOHAMMAD REZA ALIZADEH Of Boise State University As wildfire risk rises in the West, wildland firefighters and officials are keeping a closer eye on the high mountains — regions once considered ...
Fuji Kreider: Eastern Oregon power line irresponsible, unsustainable
The Oregon Public Utility Commission has ruled in favor of the 500-kilovolt Boardman to Hemingway power transmission line, which would run 275 miles through five Eastern Oregon counties, then another 25 ...
Whatchamacolumn: West Coast losing athletic traditions
The 2023 word for college athletics is realignment. Let’s start with some history of the Pac-12 Conference, now in final disintegration stages of a cultural embarrassment. West Coast college athletics ...
PeaceVoice: China's rise hits a wall, opening doors for U.S.
By MEL GURTOV Of Portland State University Over the last decade or so, the tendency among China watchers has been to see China’s rise as an endless upward progression. The same thing happened ...
Curious Kids: If humans went extinct, what would Earth be like?
By CARLTON BASMAJIAN Of Iowa State University As part of The Conversation’s Curious Kids series, open to questions from children at curiouskidsus@theconversation.com, I’d like to respond ...
The Conversation: Ravages of aging resistant to reversal
By ELLEN QUARLES Of the University of Michigan You likely know some folks who seem to age slowly, appearing years younger than their birth dates suggest. And you likely have seen the opposite — ...
Gary Conkling: Stay the course with our two-party system
A third major party wouldn’t end America’s political polarization. It would just muddy our political waters. We should have more faith in the two-party system to help us lurch forward. Even ...
Whatchamacolumn: Time to advise city on taxes, services
August is history; school has started; Labor Day weekend will soon be gone. There is, however, one great season-ending activity available — the ninth annual Walnut City Music Festival, live this ...
Back, and Forth: Despite turnout, town hall maintains traditional spirit
There’s an irony to the term “town hall,” as it can refer to both a gathering and a building. “An event at which a public official or political candidate addresses an audience ...
Offbeat Oregon: 'The Rolls-Royce Guru’ came to Oregon / Part 4, Unraveling
After the election, the new formerly homeless residents of Rajneeshpuram were the most pressing problem for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers. They cost a lot of money to feed and house, and they ...
The Conversation: Why a federal judge blocked Tennessee's drag show ban
By MARK SATTA Of Wayne State University The drag shows will go on — at least for now. Earlier this summer, Judge Thomas Parker, a Trump-appointed federal judge, ruled Tennessee’s Adult ...
Randy Stapilus: Lessons from the Klan's reign in Oregon
"A Fever in the Heartland” is one of the most pertinent new books this season, especially for Oregon, where extremism is on the rise. It is a thoughtful history, and an engrossing if disturbing ...
Whatchamacolumn: Political courage to fight polarization
It seems that partisan politics will dominate national public discourse for the foreseeable future. As evidenced this week, eight Republican presidential candidates were asked if they would support Donald ...
Back, and Forth: Bouncing around those moments of meaning
Hoops is my hobby, and I plan to keep weaving as long as I can. After a long time away, I’ve gotten back into playing against other guys — competing, sometimes. No matter what happens between ...
Offbeat Oregon: ‘The Rolls-Royce Guru’ came to Oregon / Part 3, Occupation
In the courtyard at the Antelope Post Office today, there stands a large bronze plaque attached to the base of a flagpole. It reads, “Dedicated to those of this community who throughout the Rajneesh ...
