Jeb Bladine: Taking a deep dive into the city budget pool
Statewide, citizens are taking deep dives this month into proposed municipal budgets for 2025-26; in McMinnville, the 14-member Budget Committee may scrape a few knees on the bottom of the pool. Their ...
Quirk of the Week: Space oddities abound in Mac
“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” – Carl Sagan The words of the late great astronomer stand on a board in the window of Oregon Stationers, one of many businesses again ...
Casey Kulla: Prioritize local roads and bridges over expressways
About the writer: A former Yamhill County commissioner, Casey Kulla lives on Grand Island with his extended farm family. He is known for stubbornly insisting that trails, bikes and kids are all awesome. The ...
Jeb Bladine: City council faces tough decisions on expenditures
McMinnville City Council — acting as governing body for both the city and its Urban Renewal Agency (URA) — faces some serious financial challenges in a series of upcoming meetings. Years of ...
Investigating the Bible: A day to honor mothers and mothers-in-law
May 11 this year we honor mothers. However, mothers-in-law often get bad press. Marjorie Manson Telford wrote in the Reader’s Digest about a visit to her parents with her new husband, who was a frogman in the Navy. During their visit, her husband took her aside and said, “I don’t think your mother likes me. I explained to her that I can’t wear my wedding ring when I dive in the ocean because barracudas are attracted to shiny things and might bite off my finger. Your mother said, ‘Well, can’t you wear it on a chain around your neck?’” In the Bible, one mother-in-law was a woman of great love.
Kirby Neumann-Rea: Embrace of sports gambling puts NBA on a perilous path
So, sports fans, what’s the role of the NBA in this era of codified sports gambling?
Jeb Bladine: Take blindfolds off RB Rubber project planning
Let’s acknowledge up front that community development under Oregon’s urban renewal law is complex and confusing. But that doesn’t justify the city of McMinnville’s long-delayed ...
Investigating the Bible: Victory after death
Author Peggy Noonan wrote about a child of missionaries in Russia, whose parents enrolled her in a Soviet public school. The young girl shared her beliefs with classmates and was surprised they knew much about Jesus, nodding in agreement as she told them of his life. When she mentioned the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, they all shook their heads: “No, no, no,” the students said.
Quirk of the Week: Hub and stone mark history and community in county’s SE corner
Tucked in the far southeast corner of Yamhill County are two different landmarks, both with firm foundations rooted in history and tradition. And, for fun, Quirk this week examines one stick-in-mud thing ...
Jeb Bladine: Linfield goes full-public with private finances
Governmental and institutional budgets are going under the knife. And while federal government cuts have drawn maximum attention, public interest is turning to local financial emergencies. It’s ...
Jeb Bladine: Americans tortuously trying to ‘follow the money’
Americans are stunned by the explosion of controversial statements, policies, executive orders and vengeful actions radiating from the White House. So much so — intentionally? — as to distract ...
Karleen Booth: Our students deserve better
About the writer: Guest writer Karleen Booth taught K-5 English Language Learner students in the McMinnville School District for a number of years. Prior to that, she spent 12 years in Monmouth’s ...
Investigating the Bible: Overcoming Discrimination
In the late 1800s American women were fighting for the right to vote. Those opposed had bizarre reasons.
Dyana Mason and Mirae Kim: Federal fund freeze threatens nation's social safety network
Nonprofits partner with the government to deliver social services, such as child care for low-income families, housing for people experiencing homelessness, and job training and placement. These partnerships can form with local or state governments, as well as with the federal government, with this collaboration mostly taking place through grants and contracts.
Quirk of the Week: Strange stop-and-go scenes found on side streets and main road in Dundee
Dundee, with its unique dual reputation for winery stops and stop-and-go traffic, is the territory for this week’s flight of Quirk. Mixed among the tony tasting room facilities of Dundee is a collection ...
