Quirk of the Week: Wall full of mail in waffle haven of Amity
In Amity, waffles get a wall full of mail. Common Cup cafe upholds the old-school mail tradition of postcards. Owner Jeannie Coelho and staff encourage the community to keep in touch via postcard with ...
Barrett Rainey: These are just kids, or so it would seem
At my age of going on 90, it’s too late for a mid-life crisis. So, it must be a “late-life crisis,” coupled with occasional “senior interludes.”
Randy Stapilus: At college, is bigger better?
Willamette University is located across the street — State Street, in Salem — from the statehouse, and that has sometimes been a good metaphor for its status in Oregon.
Jeb Bladine: Before year in review, it’s still season of hope
Come New Years, media will look back at the most prominent stories of 2025, many of them disturbing reminders of sad news, bad weather, tragic events, and conflicts with local, state, national and international ...
Jonah Goldberg: Does either party want to win Senate race in Texas?
One of the worst features of the primary system in our polarized “Red vs. Blue” time is the tendency of primary voters to flock to the candidate they most want to see “destroy” the other party, not the candidate best positioned to do so.
Robert AppleBaum: Congress still deadlocked as health cost crisis looms
Dec. 15, 2025 — the deadline for enrolling in a marketplace plan through the Affordable Care Act for 2026 — came and went without an agreement on the federal subsidies that kept ACA plans more affordable for many Americans. Despite a last-ditch attempt in the House to extend ACA subsidies, with Congress adjourning for the year on Dec. 19, it’s looking almost certain that Americans relying on ACA subsidies will face a steep increase in health care costs in 2026.
Investigating the Bible: After Christmas
Catholic Priest James Keller wrote about an American teacher who traveled to Germany after WW II. He found a colorful and illustrated book of Christmas carols published by the Nazis. Not one song mentioned Jesus’ birth; they cut out the core of Christmas. Bible scholar William Barclay observed three reactions to the birth of Jesus.
Jeb Bladine: The two sides of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'
A lifetime of television, film, and other media can make certain artists, athletes, actor-directors, politicians, and other public figures feel strangely personal —parasocial bonds with people we’ve ...
From the Conversation: COVID vaccines eyed for fighting late-stage cancer
By ADAM GRIPPINOf the University of Texas& CHRISTIANO MARCONIOf the University of Florida The COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5 million lives globally during the pandemic could help spark ...
Speaker being set up as the GOP's falll guy
About the writer: Conservative D.C.-based commentator Jonah Goldberg serves as editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, hosts The Remnant podcast, authors a weekly Los Angeles Times column, holds a chair with ...
Steve Duin: Oregon - No place to die
Imagine this: You’ve recently retired in the state you love. You’ve raised a family, paid off a mortgage. Supported nonprofits and the local restaurants in your community. Against all odds, you’ve even put some money away for the grandkids.
Investigating the Bible: Miracles before Christmas
There were at least seven miracles mentioned in the New Testament before the miracle of Jesus’ birth. First, was the miracle of the creation. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Quirk of the Week: Celebrating a ‘Christmas carnival’ and our many eclectic yard displays
A sly “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” theme in McMinnville and Sheridan finds a new shine during the holiday season. Thank the folks at a locally based chain of auto parts stores and car ...
Jonah Goldberg: You can't duck war crimes by calling them 'fake news'
Since September, the United States military has been blowing up boats allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean.
Kate Lynch: Concerns about ICE heard, but local options are limited
I’ve recently been asked why I did not join Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s Nov. 24 letter to the U.S. attorney general and secretary of homeland security, which references the arrest of a 17-year-old McMinnville resident by federal agents.
