Leave medical choices to us, without political interference
In democratic republics like ours, we rely on a broad array of guardrails, be they legislative, judicial, constitutional, moral, ethical or social in nature, to prevent political demagogues from seizing ...
Timing ups the ante for diversity and equity push
The city of McMinnville is riding a powerful state and regional tailwind, but bucking a powerful national headwind, in moving toward adoption of a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion program ...
Legislature feeling heat over homelessness and addiction
The Oregon Legislature embarked Monday on its most ambitious 35-day even-year short session ever. Housing, homelessness and addiction figure to dominate the agenda, but thorny budget issues, including ...
Keeping public in the dark eternally inviting for some
Here we go again. It seems government never learns. We refer to two hot new public records cases boiling up in Oregon.Typically, such cases involve a news outlet taking action in pursuit of a record the ...
Small step for Water & Light a big step for our community
The McMinnville Water & Light Commission unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding last week on the sale of a 27-acre Marsh Lane site to the city for a new recreation center — an edifice ...
Reflecting on downtown successes as Hotel Oregon celebrates anniversary
McMenamins has become an iconic corporation in the Northwest with its unique decor, abundance of entertainment options and penchant for giving new life to historic, abandoned buildings. Restoration and ...
City moving with purpose on Alpine redevelopment
When the late Ron Bogh bought John Klaus’ one-man tire recycling operation in 1985 — and it began operating under his initials, first as RB Rubber and later as Ultimate RB — he ...
Forum for competing ideas essential to our democracy
Editorials, letters, columns, cartoons, endorsements and other forms of commentary are increasingly disappearing from America’s community newspapers. In fact, entire opinion sections are disappearing ...
Year was wild and wacky, but who'd expect any less?
The News-Register staff has been busy this week with an annual rite of passage in newspapers everywhere — taking a look back at the outgoing year to chronicle its highlights and lowlights in words ...
Many ways, reasons to give before year’s end
The merriment of the Christmas holiday weekend will be followed by resolutions and reflections as we head toward the New Year. It’s traditionally also the time to get in last minute tax-deductible ...
City's stormwater needs worthy of a careful look
McMinnville’ stormwater system uses a network of catch basins, open channels and buried lines to drain 10,700 acres of land in a wet climate influenced by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. That ...
Decriminalizatrion a disaster, but treatment retains promise
Oregon’s bold experiment in decriminalizing possession of heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl — and investing marijuana tax money into expanded addiction treatment, in hopes of shifting the ...
Cautious approach to tax increase needs assurances
Following nearly a year of discussion internally and with community members, the McMinnville Budget Committee struck the proper balance this week with a decision to enact one-third of the city’s ...
Creative thinking needed to address downtown parking
The final frontier of a space to park may seem like a fantasy in downtown McMinnville, but the truth is more grounded in reality. In fact, the downtown parking question, as affected by the pending Third ...
Justice delayed 1 1/2 centuries may now be at hand for tribe
The U.S. Congress appears poised to finally finish correcting a Grand Ronde Reservation surveying error made by David Thompson in 1871, creating what has come to be known as the Thompson Strip. About ...
