Marcus Larson/News-Register 
 ## Katie Porter visits the McMinnville Aquatic Center, where she swam while growing up and coached as a young adult. Hearing fellow swimmers talk about injuries inspired her to pursue physical therapy.

Stopping By: Making a world of difference

When physical therapist Katherine “Katie” Porter started swimming as a child, she didn’t realize she was beginning to train for her future career. If she became a therapist or ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register ## Gerardo Partida holds the first gift he ever gave to his mother, a postcard with his picture on it. He made it in May of 1972, when he was an 11-year-old boy in Campo General, Mexico.

Holiday traditions: The gift of education

One of the best gifts Gerardo Partida ever received was a bicycle — not because it was something to play with, but because it made getting to school not only easier, but possible. The bike ...

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Ollie Johnson and his wife, Ramona, both can speak some Norwegian, the language of his heritage. His parents wanted him to speak English as a child, but he studied Norwegian in school. She learned a little from a roommate of Norwegian heritage, she said, but not words she can repeat in public.

Holiday Traditions: ‘Jul’ is more joyful these days

  Christmas wasn’t much of a celebration during the Great Depression in North Dakota. But when Olaf “Ollie” Johnson was a little boy, his mother managed to prepare some ...

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Traveling the world one conversation at a time

During my first December in McMinnville, in 1978, a Saturday stretched ahead of me. My Linfield College roommate was on the way to Portland, along with several other residents of Grover Hall, so ...

Marcus Larson / News-Register## The Martins family -- Meghan, Gabriela, Gisele and Murilo -- decorate their tree for Christmas. They sometimes see snow during the holidays in McMinnville, something Murilo would never have experienced in his native country, Brazil.

Stopping by: Swimming through the holidays

When Murilo Martins was a boy, Christmas meant asking Papa Noel for gifts, partying into the night with his grandparents and swimming in the surf a few blocks from his home. The ocean was always ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register ## The Hartzell family’s formal dining table is set with neutral decorations, topiary and eucalyptus leaves for the Christmas season.

Decorating for family and friends old and new

For Rori and Ryan Hartzell, Christmas is about getting together with family and old friends. This year, they’ll open their home to many new friends, as well, as they take part in the annual ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register ## Natalia Novikoff shows off the favorite of her paintings, “Late Motherhood,” which depicts her cousin with her newborn. Novikoff has painted many scenes of her family and homeland since moving from Russia in 2010.

Holiday traditions: Snow in Russia, art in America

Artist Natalia Novikoff misses snow — real, Russian snow, the kind that once nearly covered her grandmother’s house or fell on the ice castles and slides her town built for the winter ...

Rusty Rae/News-Register ##
Laurie Lewis and Lynn Van Horn, wearing one of the jean jackets she’s turned into wearable art, sit in the studio Lewis built beside her Carlton home.

Stopping by: Birds of a feather

  Artists Lynn Van Horn and Laurie Lewis use their creative talents to make all sorts of things, from upcycled clothing to lampshades and whimsical sculpture. Their most important creation, ...

Rusty Rae/News-Register ##
Chief Kevin Martinez is all smiles as he takes a breakfast order from a  student. Police visit the school frequently so students know them as friendly faces.

To protect and to serve breakfast

As soon as Yamhill-Carlton Elementary School opened its front doors last Tuesday, students rushed in and lined up for breakfast. Eighty to 85 children usually eat the morning meal at the 360-student ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register ## Science teacher Levi Grabner prepares to pedal home from Duniway Middle School. Before starting his first year of teaching, he spent 34 days riding on a solo cycling trip.

Stopping by: Cycling 101

Teacher takes time to pedal the coast In June, Levi Grabner was finishing his master’s degree studies and student teaching. He already had a job lined up for fall: in a science classroom ...

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In the process of running marathons in all 50 states, Linfield College economics professor Randy Grant accumulated piles of T-shirts and awards, including a plaque commemorating his accomplishment.

Stopping by: A matter of miles

Economics professor Randy Grant marked 26.2 years at Linfield College in September. He celebrated by running 26.2 miles in Hartford, Connecticut. The impressive distance wasn’t a stretch ...

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Carol and Duane Qualey show off some of the handicrafts they made for the annual Harvest Festival sale at their church. She sewed zippered bags and jackets like the one she’s wearing; he turned picture frames into earring holders.

Stopping by: Crafting behind the scenes

  No wonder Duane Qualey likes to make and fix things. “When you work on a farm, there’s a lot of stuff to do, taking care of equipment, cars, everything,” the former McMinnville ...

Rusty Rae/News-Register ##
Tony Meeker stands with the hazelnut harvester invented in 1940 by a Newberg farmer. It make it easier to clean the nuts of dirt and debris. Meeker loves how the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center shows the evolution of farming.

Stopping By: an Appreciation for the past

If Tony Meeker had been born in the mid-1800s, he probably wouldn’t have the time to volunteer at his local history museum or serve in state government. He’d be too busy working from ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register ## Lyne Breault uses a sword called a rudong to help her focus during one of her daily qigong sessions. Practicing this form of martial arts has relieved stress and improved her health, she said. She teaches qigong and tai chi in McMinnville.

Stopping by: Meditation in motion

  Lyne Breault loved working as a pharmaceutical research scientist in Boston. But she found herself stressed and uncomfortable by the traffic, noise and busyness of life in a big city. “I ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register
## Teresa Shelton looks over her stash of beads in her home studio, which doubles as an office for telecommuting to her job as an engineer. She’s always looking for more beads in more colors, she said.

Stopping by: A big world of tiny beads

Teresa Shelton is part of a worldwide community of artists who turn tiny beads into three-dimensional works of art. Shelton patiently strings seed beads using a technique called “contemporary ...

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