Legislation needed to protect public from invited squatters
Appalled at the inability of public and private forces to rid a rural Carlton problem property of long-term squatters, County Commissioner Mary Starrett said she’d like to see state law amended “so ...
Despite reports, all is not peaceful on Dustin Court
All is peace and harmony among the people living along Dustin Court, suggests John Larsen, the interim director of Yamhill Community Action Partnership: A sprawling homeless camp right outside the agency’s ...
Plastic foam at forefront of recycling trends, bans
While some jurisdictions around the country implement bans on plastic foam (New York City’s ban went into effect Jan. 1). McMinnville started recycling it last week. It can be considered a second ...
Racist rant says something disturbing about all of us
She’s not racist at all. That’s what Amber Rocco, arrested Dec. 28 for hurling vicious racial slurs at an African-American couple on Christmas Eve, told McMinnville Police Officer Robert Harmon. Rocco’s ...
Here are the Top 10 stories of 2019 (maybe)
No, that headline is not a misprint. On Tuesday, the News-Register releases its Top 10 Stories of 2018. In the meantime, our editorial board thought we would take a crack at predicting the major stories ...
Traces of ostentation will not lead to ‘great neighborhoods’
If McMinnville residents truly want great neighborhoods citywide, they have to sacrifice some habits ... like snobbery. City planners offered a survey to local residents, asking them what makes a great ...
Child abuse and other crises know no season
Children need toys on Christmas morning, but even more, they need protection throughout the year. Abused children in Yamhill County often go to Juliette’s House, where the nonprofit organization’s ...
Raising fees for appeals not an attack on citizen participation
Freedom of speech isn’t always free. Petitioning the government for a redress of grievances in McMinnville, for example, could cost you up to a solid grand if the grievance you have concerns a planning ...
City tramples valid concerns in adoption of fee increases
Few good decisions are made in a hurry, so it came as little surprise when the McMinnville City Council trampled several valid concerns Tuesday in its haste to hike building and planning fees. The fees ...
We must be content with justice delayed
On moral grounds, Jennifer Weathers, allegedly driving drunk when daughter Meighan Cordie either jumped or fell to her death from the back seat of the speeding car, deserves a much stiffer penalty than ...
County space needs demand serious look
Sometimes today’s great idea morphs into tomorrow’s bad plan. Sometimes too much of a good thing eventually becomes bad. So it is, we fear, with Yamhill County’s inexorable sprawl through ...
Polystyrene recycling program presents a unique opportunity
Most Americans are blockheads when it comes to recycling. Some don’t recycle whatsoever. Others pitch trash items into the same bin. Both actions cause a wide range of problems and expenses, and ...
Airport never seems to catch any attention
“The city’s most unheralded asset.” “A crucial need for a tourist-oriented economy.” “(It’s) poised to take off. ... It’s time to start those engines.” “The ...
There’s no tax too large, no tax too petty for Gov. Brown
Gov. Kate Brown ran a re-election campaign virtually free from any policy or program agenda. She settled for praising her past accomplishments of dubious authenticity, promising to protect abortion rights ...
Holiday spirit soured over parade miscue
One of the many signs the holiday season is approaching is the cultural and historical debate over who truly rules the season, Jesus Christ or Santa Claus. Another sign in McMinnville, actually the “official ...
