Zika: Accord marks new dawn of new era in Oregon forestry

After nearly a year of scientific review and negotiations, timberland owners and environmental groups have reached an historic agreement to overhaul Oregon’s forest laws and create significant new protections for salmon habitat in Oregon’s private forests.

Bladine: Don't just shop local; think, act and be local

Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — long has been the day our annual “Shop Local” promotion leads off the Viewpoints section. In this 32nd year of that campaign, we want to start with the epilogue of our 2020 installment:

Barton: Safety a fundamental right in need of citizen advocates

I received a phone call not long ago from a young woman. The call was unexpected, as was the question she asked — “Do you remember me?”

As the district attorney for Washington County, Oregon’s second most populous county, I have interacted with tens of thousands of people over the course of my career. So I cannot honestly say that I remember each of them. But I absolutely did remember her.

Koehler: It’s time we faced truth about America’s history

By ROBERT KOEHLER When you’re losing the game, summon the Commies. And conservative white America has been losing for quite some time — losing control of the future, that is. The good old ...

AFSCME pledges its support for Newberg staff and students

By STACY CHAMBERLAINExecutive Director, Oregon AFSCME As one of Oregon’s largest labor unions, Oregon AFSCME is proud to be an effective advocate for the more than 33,000 workers we represent. This ...

Bladine: Winding road to Bayou renovation

In a strange way, the late Del Smith had a hand in current plans to refurbish Bayou Golf Course and remodel the stately Colonial-style mansion. After all, Smith’s creation of the Evergreen Museum ...

Mark Davis: Growth isn’t paying its way

The continuing population growth in McMinnville comes with costs. More residents demand more infrastructure (water, sewer, stormwater, street, sidewalk, power and transportation systems), expanded public amenities (park, library pool and community center facilities) and more public employees (police, firefighters, librarians and parks maintenance staff). 

Enticknap: Not a matter of if, but when

Cascadia Zone megaquake is coming, likely bringing unprecedented devastation with it

Bladine: Breakthrough stats defy easy analysis

It was clear from the beginning – about 6 months ago – that any investigation of COVID-19 “breakthrough” cases would not only be a moving target, but soon would become a statistical ...

Croman: Times are a-changin’, and not everyone’s OK with that

By ZOE CROMANSheridan resident Another fall time change has now come and gone, but the semiannual grousing about it still lingers. So do the arguments for keeping it — or not. The U.S. Department ...

Bladine: Note to self, staff: triple-check names

Every year — without any kudos received, or deserved — we publish thousands of correctly spelled names in the newspaper. But if your name gets misspelled, you likely consider us careless verging ...

Rae: Fire threat calls for a better battle plan

Guest writer Rusty Rae is an award-winning photojournalist, writer and photo educator. He’s worked for the News-Register for the last five years, as sports editor, photojournalist and associate editor ...

Hays: Political retribution taints community’s core values

By LINDA HAYSSecond-Generation Downtown Merchant This week, my downtown toy store, Hopscotch, has experienced a rash of one-star reviews, negative comments and unsubscribes from its newsletter. If it ...

Back, and forth: Courting a new place via mostly-solo ‘Hoops Tour’

Gritty or ground-up asphalt courts, loose rims and bedraggled nets, tree branches as shot-blockers and some cosmic bounce-backs only begin to describe my six-month Yamhill County Hoops Tour. I started ...

French: A whiff of civil war in the air

Last month, the University of Virginia released polling results that should shock exactly no one who closely follows American politics and culture. A majority of Trump voters (52 percent) and a strong minority of Biden voters (41 percent) strongly or somewhat agree that it’s “time to split the country.”