It’s time county tried looking forward instead of backward
Former Yamhill County Commissioner Kathy George sent a letter in today’s section taking Commissioner Rick Olson to task over a recent exchange with his colleagues. Olson has suggested the county ...
Starrett’s commitment deserves a re-election
It isn’t often we find ourselves aligned with Oregon Right to Life, the Oregon Firearms Federation, Oregonians in Action, the Taxpayer Association of Oregon and other outfits of such pronounced conservative ...
City can weigh study’s value by embracing its to-do list
When you visit the doctor, and receive a clean bill of health, how do you react? Do you applaud your good fortune or lament wasting money on tests turning up nothing of note? No matter what the doctor ...
Tap Primozich, Rojas for November runoff
All four candidates for Position 1 on the county board of commissioners are serious about their campaigns, reflected in a set of uniformly thoughtful and engaging editorial board presentations. We don’t ...
Republicans in House District 23 need Bledsoe’s radical moderation
The state of Oregon isn’t in a good place. It faces an ongoing Public Employee Retirement System financial crisis; some of the lowest high school graduation rates in the nation; repeat episodes of ...
Early start essential in a digital economy
The McMinnville School District’s expansion into pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds — now being offered at three schools, as detailed in a set of stories this week — represents ...
Let’s hear it for conversation without a screen to intervene
Are you comfortable with remote device-assisted communication substituting for face-to-face conversation? Think of all the aspects of a good conversation, including deeper focus, eye-to-eye contact and ...
Hillside deserves our support in facing challenges of change
McMinnville’s Hillside Retirement Community was buffeted by distressing news last week when the state barred its assisted living unit from accepting new residents, pending resolution of deficiencies. On ...
County, state, country must find way to accommodate solar
Fifteen years ago, renewable energy filled less than 8 percent of U.S. demand, with hydropower accounting for more than three-quarters. The most recent figures show renewable filling almost 15 percent, ...
A tidal wave of ballot filings buoys our faith in democracy
Yamhill County voters won’t lack for candidates on May 15. The lineup will, of course, vary by party affiliation and geographic location. However, in addition to partisan candidates, every ballot ...
Airport in need of new support, investment
McMinnville Municipal Airport, under city control since 1943, is about to mark two important milestones. The airport’s fixed-base operation — which fixes and fuels planes, rents planes and ...
What happened to states’ rights, once a staple of political thought?
Americans have been harping on states’ rights for a total of 241 years. Some latter-day Confederates go so far as to argue the Civil War was more about states’ rights than slavery — ...
Let’s stop letting the monied have their way
Virtually every American supports legislation to curb soaring prescription drug prices, and a majority to curb rampant gun violence. Virtually every Oregonian supports fixing unfunded liability in the ...
Reps never seem to run short of bad ideas to weigh in Salem
Expanding Democratic dominance has made the Oregon Legislature increasingly efficient. The amount of mischief it used to take six months to assemble can be compressed into a single month, now that those ...
Naysayers, step aside; willing hands at work
Cynicism about government has become a staple of political thought in today’s America. In the process, a proud tradition of can-do optimism has degenerated into an incessant clamor of can’t-do ...
