While tourism is important, so is having place to live
Jonathan Rouse appeared genuinely sympathetic last month when he was confronted by some of the low-income neighbors he will displace by building a 16-unit apartment complex on Northeast First Street. He ...
A look at growth from all angles
Today and next Tuesday, the News-Register is publishing a series that examines development near the intersection of Hill and Baker Creek roads. Fair warning: As enterprise reporting goes, this isn’t ...
Don't let fringe elements derail local trail project
Here we go again. During six hours of testimony last week, one local farmer provided thoughtful support for Yamhill County’s Yamhelas Westsider Trail rails-to-trail project. Several others added ...
Suppression is toxic for free society
Republicans and Democrats may act increasingly tribalistic, fleeing to the fringes of their parties. But they always seem to find common ground in one respect: They hate bad news. If they can’t ...
Vaccination exemptions pose threat to our most vulnerable
Vaccination against potentially deadly but preventable diseases is not just the right thing to do. It is a moral imperative. The rallying cry of the anti-vaccination movement is freedom of choice. The ...
Landfill’s time has come and gone
Waste Management has lost on virtually all fronts in its bid to expand Yamhill County’s Riverbend Landfill for extended life. It has lost in the offices of government, the halls of justice and, ...
Time finally may be right for pharmaceutical reform
In response to rising public ire over soaring prescription drug prices, an avalanche of pricing-transparency and cost-containment bills have cascaded into the congressional hopper in the last few years. ...
Fines justified for inaction on repeat false alarms
A false alarm ordinance in McMinnville appears likely to win approval in the near future. Councilors debated some of the details during a Tuesday work session, but were in general agreement that taking ...
Oregon loses a model of civility
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, who succumbed to brain cancer earlier this week, was, as one of his many admirers said, the “quintessential public servant.” An example of the kind of ...
Power grab threatens our heritage
Donald Trump has never shown much interest in facts or truth — or any curbs on presidential power, as long as he’s wielding it. But he’s outdone himself in declaring a national border ...
Maybe it's time to revoke governor's poetic license
We hope Gov. Kate Brown is better at creating bipartisanship than she is at inventing metaphors to describe it. The governor risks having her poetic license revoked after a headscratching Valentine’s ...
Reality of faculty layoffs looms at Linfield College
As a result of declining enrollment on its home campus in McMinnville, where the count has now dropped below 1,250, Linfield College has no alternative but to cut faculty. By necessity, the layoffs will ...
Council's self-praise not followed by results
McMinnville benefits tremendously from its city council, comprised of a caring and compassionate group of volunteer policymakers. If our councilors have one major fault, it’s the tendency to ...
Meddling too much is counter productive
We are living in a separate political universe here in Oregon. In many respects, that’s a positive thing. But not in all respects. Donald Trump Republicans don’t seem to want government to ...
Housing strategy must be grounded in reality
If public policy could be cobbled from Post-It notes, McMinnville’s housing strategy for the next 50 years could be summarized in three words: Build more houses. At an open house Tuesday, planners ...
