Answers don’t come easily in torrent of child sex cases
Gut-churning acts of child sexual abuse seem to have become all too common. Our files are chock full of examples, even though we reserve fuller accounts for the worst of the lot. Christopher Lewis, who ...
Successes can keep piling up with full-time fair manager
If you’re in need of an uplifting story of government in action — especially one steeped in rural Americana — peruse recent archives of the Yamhill County Fair. It turned a corner with ...
Homeless issues not just the government’s problem
People sometimes enter McMinnville City Council chambers as it were the grand hall of the Great and Powerful Oz, seeking solutions they hope can be magically bestowed. Unfortunately, councils cannot be ...
Bills improve public records, but fix needed to move ahead
Public records bills recently passed allows Oregonians to believe their elected officials are serious about systematically improving their constituents’ access to government information. Unfortunately, ...
Oregon wise to warn Big Brother not to spy
A house somewhere in the area may or may not have been burglarized recently, but the Neighborhood Watch commander has a plan to keep everyone safe nevertheless. He wants all the neighbors to provide him ...
Odds grow longer against Riverbend expansion plan
When the 87-acre Riverbend Landfill embarked on an expansion bid almost 10 years ago, its Texas overseers had no idea what they were getting into. We did. That led us to contend, “You’re too ...
Metro West should pull over in county lawsuit
Consumers should have the choice between Coke and Pepsi or Cap’n Crunch and Lucky Charms. Such is the free enterprise system. Ambulance service, however, is not the same as breakfast cereals. Perhaps ...
Affordable housing pilot project could lead to creative solutions
The McMinnville City Council last week discussed a package of state laws passed last year to combat the shortage of affordable housing plaguing Oregon, particularly in rural areas. Among them was a bill ...
State care facility reporting is nowhere near up to snuff
Nursing homes are pretty much all the same, right? How much difference could it make, really? Well, consider this: In the last 10 years, the 37-bed Brookdale McMinnville Westside has received 125 complaints ...
Agri-tourism issue not fully settled, but case-by-case system is working
The recent application of the Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery for on-site tasting approval fostered some oh-so-common opposition, much of which can be tossed aside, but also positive and useful big-picture ...
Responsibility for racist hate runs to the top
The fatal act of white supremacist terrorism perpetrated on a Portland train Friday will not soon be forgotten, at least not by anyone who can muster an ounce of compassion. The horror will reverberate ...
Set a summer goal to experience the variety of community events
This just in for the summer: Yamhill is expecting more hot July nights. Sheridan is a small town with big dreams. Carlton has a serious case of the blues on the horizon. But don’t feel bad for Carlton. ...
Good intentions run amok in OR Medicaid expansion
There is a disheartening similarity to the revelations of government fraud and waste arising periodically in Oregon. Typical elements include the sudden creation or massive expansion of a well-intended ...
Time to expose GOP blinders on universal health care coverage
The United States’ founding document deemed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” inalienable rights. Former president Barack Obama must have had this in mind as he sought ...
Reorganization shouldn’t curb Mac’s disaster prep efforts
There is some subtle irony in the public objections raised in response to McMinnville’s decision to cut its half-time emergency management coordinator position. After all, isn’t one ...
