Along the Street: Farmers Market offers prize for winning poster design

The McMinnville Downtown Association is seeking submissions of art for the 2021 Farmers Market poster.

Designs will be used on the 11x17-inch poster for the market, which will run from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays, May through October.
The chosen artist will receive $200 in cash and a T-shirt featuring the winning design.

For more information or to submit designs, contact Chloe@downtownmcminnville.com. Deadline is Feb. 20.

Mediation training

Your Community Mediation will offer a basic mediation training course via Zoom.

Chuck Pattishall, executive director of YCM, said the course teaches people to be more effective communicators with anyone, from family members to customers and coworkers. It also can be a first step toward meeting state requirements to become a mediator.

“In today’s divisive world, learning to engage in civil, productive communication is needed more than ever,” Pattishall said.

The course will cover what mediation is, understanding conflict, listening, supporting people and solving problems.

Classes will meet Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings through February. Students will read a textbook, in addition to attending classes via Zoom.
Cost is $350 for the general public, $250 for people who are volunteering to be mediators with YCM, and $50 for high school and college students. Texts cost about $20.

Jobs drop

According to the Oregon Employment Department, the state’s unemployment rose to 6.4% in December from 6.0% in November.

This was the state’s first monthly increase in its unemployment rate following seven months of decline.

The U.S. unemployment rate remained at 6.7% in both November and December.

In December, Oregon lost 1.4% of nonfarm payroll employment while the U.S. dropped 0.1%. Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 25,500 jobs in December, following a revised gain of 2,100 jobs in November.

Total nonfarm payroll employment stood at 1,783,300 in December, state officials said. That was 8.9% fewer than in December 2019.

“December’s job losses reflect the devastation COVID-19 continues to inflict on the lives and livelihoods of Oregonians,”  said Gail Krumenauer, state employment economist with the Oregon Employment Department. “Ten months into the pandemic, Oregon has regained just 37% of the jobs lost in this recession.”

Art awards

Five Yamhill County artists are among 646 Oregonians who shared in the $1.25 milllion Artist Relief Program created by the Oregon Arts Commission.
The county received a total of $14,200 from the program, also supported by the Oregon Community Foundation and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

Local recipients are Olivia Awbrey of Willamina, $3,600 for music; Joe Robinson, also of Willamina, $3,300 for visual arts; Stephanie Craig of Dayton, $4,400 for folklife/traditional arts; Chelsea Janzen of Amity, $1,900 for theater; and Christopher Whyte of Newberg, $1,000 for music.

More than 1,150 Oregon artists applied for grants through the program. Winners were selected by a panel of 29 people from around the state.

Farm Bureau funds

The Yamhill County Farm Bureau will offer two $2,000 scholarships this spring.

Applications are open to full-time college students who have completed at least one year of study toward a degree in a field related to agriculture and maintained at least a 2.5 college grade point average. They must have graduated from a Yamhill County high school or come from a family that lived in Yamhill County during their senior year of high school.

Application materials must be submitted by Aug. 1, 2021. For applications and more information, go to www.oregonfb.org/scholarships or call Marie Schmidt at the Farm Bureau office, at 503-472-9123.

Medicare enrollment

The 2021 Medicare Advantage open enrollment period runs through March 31 for Medicare beneficiaries with an existing Medicare Advantage plan.

They can change to a different Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage; or enroll in a stand-alone Part D (prescription drug) plan.

Beneficiaries can make only one change during this enrollment period, said Lisa Emerson, program analyst for the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program.

They cannot change from one stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan to another, she said.

Oregon’s SHIBA program is available to help beneficiaries understand their options. Go to dcbspage.org/SHIBALOCAL or call 800-722-4134 to speak to a state-certified Medicare counselor.

A counselor can help navigate the Medicare.gov Plan Finder tool to enter prescriptions and compare the cost and benefits of individual drug plans, provide enrollment guidance and answer other questions related to Medicare benefits.

Greeters

The McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Feb. 12 Greeter’s program will feature First American Title. It will run from 8 to 9 a.m. via Zoom. A link is available through the Chamber website, mcminnvlle.org.

McMinnville’s Feb. 5 Greeters program has not yet been announced.

The Chehelem Valley Chamber of Commerce in Newberg will host a virtual Greeters sessions from 8 to 9 a.m. today, featuring Krohn’s Appliance Service.
Rose City Solutions will be the topic for Chehelem’s Feb. 5 Greeters, also from 8 to 9 a.m. Upcoming programs include: Feb. 12, Abisha Stone of SEDCORE; Feb. 19, Workshare Oregon; Feb. 26, Al Bannan from U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s office; March 5, Juliette’s House, the Yamhill County child abuse assessment center.

A Zoom link for each Friday is available through the website, business.chehalemvalley.org.

To submit items for consideration in Along the Street, email to news@newsregister.com.