Watkins: Hwy 47: A regional issue demanding a regional solution
On Sept. 29, the Oregon Department of Transportation held a meeting to discuss the feasibility of converting Westside Road into an alternate Highway 47 route for heavy trucks traveling between McMinnville ...
Jeb Bladine: It’s November, and COVID still is news
Famously, in October, President Donald Trump delighted political rally crowds by rejecting legitimacy and dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They prolonged the pandemic,” he said. “That’s ...
Hillestad: Democracy rests on telling bad information from good
We just went through a really rough election. The amount of misleading, incorrect and outright false information sent your way reached what must be considered flood stage. It’s bad enough that your ...
Jeb Bladine: Worst week for Thursday column
It’s the worst week ever to write a political column on Thursday morning! Between this writing and your reading, there probably was a huge national exhale/gasp when updated vote counts named the ...
Jeb Bladine: Whatever the vote, it's in a democracy
It’s Friday … the last TGIF before polls close in about 100 hours. That’s 6,000 minutes; 360,000 seconds, and I’m counting them down: thousand 1, thousand 2, thousand 3, thousand ...
Lindsey Manfrin: COVID-19: Where we've been, where we're going, and why
For most of us, February marks the month we all became significantly aware of this new circulating virus. We watched in awe what was happening in other countries, and soon started hearing and reading ...
Jeb Bladine: The right mayor at the right time
This is not the first time competing political interests have sought control of McMinnville City Council. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register. > See ...
Dollinger: Ballots safe and secure, even in troubled times
Television announcer: “We interrupt this pandemic to bring you an election.” As if 2020 were not already loaded with drama, we now have a major national election underway. Ken ...
Jeb Bladine: Social media the target of diverse warnings
It seems there’s a split decision about social media: Those digital apps are amazing communications tools … or, an addiction that insulates and isolates many people. Social media ...
Bone: Teleconferencing restoring medicine's house call roots
By MICHAEL BONE For the News-Register For many of us, the images of doctors making house calls are relegated to nostalgic black and white movies in which the doctor arrives at the patient’s ...
Jeb Bladine: PPP loans may be a bait-and-switch
Millions of businesses across America are beginning to recognize what may be the largest financial bait-and-switch scheme in history. You know it as PPP — the “Paycheck Protection Program,” ...
Marshall: Addiction cries for treatment, not punishment
By S. AMANDA MARSHALL For the News-Register As a 16-year resident of Yamhill County, I was disappointed to see my hometown newspaper editorialize against Measure 110. Oregon’s current approach ...
Jeb Bladine: Politics produce signs of the times
Researching rules on political campaign signs reveals an interesting dichotomy: Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register. > See his column Citizens ...
Olson: Is time right for county to embrace home rule?
What is home rule? Should Yamhill County consider a move in that direction? Under home rule, local government retains all powers of self-governance except those specifically pre-empted under state or ...
Stone: Making a difference, one turtle at a time
Around this time last year, I was sitting at my desk at Oregon Public Broadcasting, where I worked as a production assistant for the radio talk show Think Out Loud. A colleague asked if anyone would be ...
