The Conversation: Roads could push rainforest past final breaking point
By ROBERT WALKER Of the University of Florida Conservationists breathed a sigh of relief when Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential election in the fall of 2022. His predecessor, ...
Guest Commentary: Yes, there are solutions to homeless problem
By MATT BORDONARO Of Harbor of Hope In 2015, Homer Williams visited San Antonio, Texas, on a business trip to consult on an urban development project that needed some expertise. During this trip, ...

Sal Peralta: Kotek initiative fuels hope on homelessness in Oregon
The rise in homelessness in the United States, especially since the housing crisis of 2008, is one of the most frustrating issues I have ever had to work on as a policymaker. In part that’s due ...
Whatchamacolumn: Packaged races in District 40 election
Conservatives should be commended for their transparency in seeking more ideological control of McMinnville School District with three high-visibility campaigns running in absolute lockstep. Governance ...

Back, and Forth: Linfield campus plaques keep history grounded
Not all archives are dusty documents in some closet or digital files stored in the cloud. Some archives you find at your feet, in the form of brass or marble markers, and when it comes to Linfield University’s ...
The Conversation: Wolf restoration suggests we are rethinking our role
By CHRISTOPHER PRESTON Of the University of Montana From sports to pop culture, there are few themes more appealing than a good comeback. They can happen in nature, too. Even with the Earth losing ...

Letter to readers: Feline fine when readers remind us
Thank you, Joyce S., and other readers, for reminding me that I’d failed to report on how well Stevie Ray, the blind cat, did in the America’s Favorite Pet online competition. I may grumble ...

Casey Kulla: Accountability starts with clear expectations
‘What do county commissioners do?” That was the most frequent question when I ran for Yamhill County commissioner in 2018. Admittedly, I had to do some research in order to give folks the ...
Whatchamacolumn: Mandates end, but masks still in play
Nearly three years of mask mandates mostly ended this week in Oregon when those requirements were eliminated for patients, workers and visitors in health care settings. It’s a relief for many, but ...
Domingo Morel: School takeover triggered by politics, not education
By DOMINGO MOREL Of New York University When the state of Texas took over Houston’s public school district on March 15, it made the district one of more than 100 experiencing state takeovers ...
Scott Montgomery: Drivers in federal approval of new Alaskan drilling
By SCOTT MONTGOMERYOf the University of Washington For more than six decades, Alaska’s North Slope has been a focus of intense controversy over oil development and wilderness protection, with no ...
Benjamin Park: Two centuries of hits, misses color LDS view on investing
By BENJAMIN PARK Of Sam Houston State University During the first weekend of April, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City. Tens ...

Letter to Readers: Bridge makers bear a heavy responsibility; give them a minute
I’m sure many of you were inconvenienced for a few minutes this past week as you were stopped either on your way in or out of town by construction on the Three Mile Lane Bridge. I was there making ...

Eric Schuck: In seeking sources of ongoing global inflation, look to Putin rather than pandemic
Teach long enough, and eventually it feels a little like the instructions on a shampoo bottle: rinse, lather, repeat. I say the same things over and over again. A lot. Yet with the passage of time, something ...
Whatchamacolumn: Follow the trail for just a few 'minutes'
Please second my motion in praise of minutes. This week, minutes saved me hours, perhaps days, in reviewing activities of the Yamhill County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Those hours and days ...