Jeb Bladine: Old memories of playing with Yogi
Yogi Berra died this week, and a generation of Baby Boomer sports fans paused to remember their childhoods. The occasion transported me back to 1960-61, taking my best batting stance in the corner of ...
Jeb Bladine: If you don't support Trump, you're fired!
When there’s an elephant in the room, it’s surprising when no one seems to notice. But that’s my take on this week’s second debate among Republican candidates for president. Donald ...
Jeb Bladine: Story pace leaves no time for outrage
There is so much deplorable news these days we scarcely have time for outrage about one shocking story before another takes its place. Maybe that’s why so many just ignore it all; maybe that’s ...
Jeb Bladine: Nation's unsettling teacher shortage
Our nationwide shortage of teachers — a trend mirrored in Oregon — is unsettling as America’s children return for another school year. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president ...
Jeb Bladine: Reunions a fresh look at who we are
It’s high school reunion time — in McMinnville, throughout Yamhill County, all across America. Our newspaper reunion calendar reports that two weeks hence, there will be reunions of the Yamhill-Carlton ...
Jeb Bladine: Fire safety requires public responsibility
“Your help,” implored Oregon State Forester Doug Decker on Wednesday, “is critical in preventing the next wildfire.” The words scarcely had left his computer when yet another wildfire ...
Jeb Bladine: Stories stay alive in lawsuit after lawsuit
Sad stories don’t just go away; to the dismay of many, they play out again and again in the courts. That observation received several exclamation marks this week, ensuring that some of the most ...
Jeb Bladine: A sorry tale of the lost state tax credit
Oregon Legislature Democrats were so desperate to raise taxes this year that their end-of-session ploy was too toxic even for some of their political brethren. Still, they managed to sneak through one ...
Important to admit if 'unsure of obligations'
Misinterpreting Oregon’s public records/meetings law — as in a letter from county Commissioner Mary Starrett — can be a mild offense given the complexities of that law. However, we’ve ...
Jeb Bladine: Mixed implications of downtown parking
There is a mixed bag of implications from the creation of 26 new on-street handicapped parking spaces in downtown McMinnville. A first thought is that accessibility to important areas of the core city ...
Jeb Bladine: Regulatory costs strangle economy
Tunnel-vision regulations enacted by Congress and state legislatures are strangling our economy. Too many lawmakers either don’t understand or simply choose to ignore the extreme costs of their complex ...
'Disconnected' week puts focus on soccer
Women’s soccer was spotlighted this month with an exciting World Cup championship won by the United States, and there was much amazement at the disparity of payout for women versus men in that sport. ...
Jeb Bladine: July 4 tradition renewed
Kudos to Evergreen Museum and the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce for stepping into the void to produce a community celebration of the Fourth of July. If all goes well and organizers realize ...
Legalized pot has many rules, risks
We knew nothing about marijuana 50 years ago at high school graduation time. We never watched the 1936 propaganda movie, “Reefer Madness,” and we didn't know the federal Marijuana Tax Act of ...
Jeb Bladine: Salem rule-makers march in lockstep
There are 53 Democrats in the Oregon Legislature: 35 in the House and 18 in the Senate. This year, they have ruled the state from political and social perspectives more one-sided than I can remember in ...
