It may be the end of the road for this Oregon quirk
Oregon has many oddities embedded in state statute. One of the oddest — and most unusual, as it remains on the books elsewhere only in the East Coast enclave of New Jersey — prohibits the ...
Cutting county out of picture not necessarily a bad thing
Our initial reaction to county termination of its contract with the Salem-based Strategic Economic Development Corporation, known as SEDCOR, was all cloud and no lining — silver or otherwise. But ...
Political blinders keep county from finding its way forward
Our Yamhill County commissioners seem obsessed with the word “trail.” Even the word “road” seems to send shivers rippling up and down their spines, on grounds a road might prove ...
Deadly fentanyl epidemic demands serious response
When Belgian physician Paul Janssen developed the potent synthetic opiate fentanyl in 1960, it represented one small step for sedation and analgesia in medical settings. Sadly, it also turned out to represent ...
Water crisis calls for local coordination, starting now
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan last week sounded an alarm over water issues in Oregon, releasing an audit that summarizes how Oregon has failed to adequately address its growing water crisis, and how ...
Council on right track in suspending tax authority
The city of McMinnville and McMinnville Rural Fire Protection District now have all the wheels in motion for a May 16 merger election. It would create a new McMinnville Fire District with its own taxing ...
Support your local newspaper; our democracy depends on it
Jackson County’s Medford Mail Tribune ended more than a century’s reign as one of Oregon’s biggest and best daily newspapers last fall when it announced it was ceasing print publication. Earlier ...
Rich stew of local cultures worth accepting, embracing
Yamhill County’s almost 110,000 residents will get a chance to help their Asian-heritage neighbors celebrate the Lunar New Year Saturday at the Mac Market, cornerstone gathering place in McMinnville’s ...
Let's make this the dawn of a new political day here
The Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes, written in Hebrew some 180 to 450 years before Christ, or more than 20 centuries ago, asserts there is nothing new under the sun. That certainly rings true for ...
Editorial: Oregon's public defense system need a top-to-bottom overhaul
Oregon has been caught in the ever-tightening grip of a public defender crisis for decades, but has failed to address the issue in any meaningful way. Now, thanks in large measure to the havoc wrought ...
It's good to see new leaders embrace spirit of collaboration
It seems we often find more to lament than laud each week as we survey the political landscape in our nation, state, county and community. But the political powers that be sometimes surprise us by reaching ...
Vacation rentals a good thing if concentration kept in check
“Too much of a good thing, if it’s not regulated, is going to be a problem,” former city librarian Jill Poyer said at a planning commission meeting five years ago. She was referring ...
Stars aligning for airport; it’s time to seize the moment
We’ve been writing editorials for years urging McMinnville and its aviation community to do more to capitalize on one of the city’s most underutilized assets — its 650-acre, dual-runway ...
What happened to concern over the heavy hand of government?
Less than a month after her November 2020 election to a term on the county board of commissioners, Lindsay Berschauer promised to make “helping working families” and “protecting working-class ...
Renewed prevention steps in order as RSV patients fill beds
For the first time in months, a “masks required” proviso accompanied an event announcement. Call it hasty or overly-cautious, or call it a sign of the times. It’s different, of course, ...
