Clarification to parking regulation should be starting point
It’s welcome news that the McMinnville City Council will be discussing downtown parking at its Tuesday meeting. It’s an issue that has garnered much interest as traffic and tourism grow around ...
Shoveling money in won't close PERS gap
Another budgetary storm is brewing in Oregon’s public pension system, according to figures shared last week with the pension system’s board and the five-member citizens’ panel that oversees ...
Pot operations test limits of regulatory
Marijuana used to be a banned psychoactive drug primarily associated with teens and hippies. Today, nearly two years after Oregonians voted to legalize its recreational as well as medicinal use, the drug ...
County public works spat much ado about very little
By his own admission, Public Works Director John Phelan made a mistake last summer when he had a pair of county shop employees stick around after hours to fix the air conditioning system on his truck. But ...
Targeted plan may breed new era of biz promotion
The résumé for McMinnville is robust. It features affordable land, cheap utilities, a skilled and educated workforce, strong development programs and a history of effective community leadership ...
Flint water contamination crisis sounds warning bell everywhere
As a state-directed economy move, the bankrupt, economically depressed Rust Belt city of Flint, Michigan, switched water sources in April 2014. In the process, it inadvertently set off something that promises ...
Abundance of dog-related calls one of many burdens for police
Pooch left in a hot car? Call the cops. Loose dog posing potential danger? Dial 911. Dog bite suffered on the street? Get officers to the scene ASAP. Canine issues have become a staple for local police ...
Citizens willing to act curb societal tragedies
The national news seems dominated by incidents of sick, evil or sadistic behavior on the part of someone somewhere. On better days, reports may be leavened with elements of mere graft, corruption and malfeasance, ...
Parks system has earned another round of support
Local residents have a track record, dating back to at least the 1970s, of supporting city parks and recreation measures. They have rejected only one in the memory of Parks Director Jay Pearson, whose ...
City gets the kick it needed to start moving in the right direction
Sometimes there’s nothing like a swift kick in the appropriate rears to set the mule train of city government in motion. McMinnville city officials must have known of serious problems in the neighborhood ...
Increasing police staff need not dictate fee, tax
The McMinnville police have been chronically underfunded and understaffed for at least a quarter of a century now. Chief after chief have made their City Manager Kent Taylor over the years, largely to ...
New development planned on historically controversial land
With news of a planned 500-home subdivision in McMinnville’s northwest corner, we can’t help but let our minds wander to the past, and wonder if McMinnville voters would have made a different ...
Steel sent hurtling down the highway never something to be
Drugs, alcohol, guns and fast cars seem to hold a sinister fascination for American youth. And that goes double or triple for the male component. Tuesday’s edition brought the fast car element home ...
Per-mile tax the future, not necessarily the now
Drivers should probably get used to the idea of a per-mile tax to one day replace the gas tax. But there’s much to debate regarding the effectiveness of such a plan in the short term. Often a pioneer ...
Landlords' urgency puts tenants in difficult spots
In early May, residents of McMinnville’s Mulkey RV Park, including low-income seniors stranded in units not suitable for relocation, were served with an eviction notice giving them until July 15 ...
