Rachel Thompson/News-Register##“(Businesses) are being courted by other states, because other states know that we are on the wrong side of this,” Rep. Lucetta Elmer (R-McMinnville) said at a legislative forum hosted by the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce. Joined by Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Dundee) and Rep. Ann Scharf (R-Amity), she said recent legislation, taxes and costs are driving workers and businesses out of the state.

Lawmakers talk business, politics in Chamber forum

 

Sen. Bruce Starr announced he plans to refer taxes from the transportation bill to the ballot box during a legislative forum hosted by the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Oct. 23. Rep. ...


Commentary

 
Quirk of the Week: Garden-variety oddities

Good things often come in threes, such as water, soil and light — the basics for garden growth. And three is the exact number of garden examples of Quirk to observe this week. Starting just outside ...

 
Kirby Neumann-Rea: Obsolete optimism

A retrospective on those slippery Escheresque stairs of 2019 and early 2020

Investigating the Bible: Do what we can

Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Nixon were longtime enemies. The late Senator Bob Dole wrote that before Watergate LBJ made an astonishing prediction. He compared his old foe to a Spanish horse “… who runs faster than anyone for his first nine lengths and then turns around and runs backward. 

Jeb Bladine: Dontcha just love our messy U.S. democracy?

Last time I checked, our American experiment still was a democracy. And “the people” still were in charge, despite their occasional lapses in holding their government both responsible and accountable. Reportedly, ...

 
Erik Lukens: Business climate rankings give Oregon falling scores

Every summer, CNBC releases a widely followed business-climate ranking. America’s Top States for Business, as it’s known, gives each state an overall ranking as well as rankings in 10 categories, ...

Editorials

 
Suicide prevention a cause we can all come to embrace

In the face of troubling social issues, our first instinct has traditionally been to simply keep them out of the public eye, thus avoiding the messy necessity of addressing them. When that fails, our fallback ...

Bond right-sized for Mac, deserves support at polls

We have but one issue before us on ballots mailed to us this week in connection with Oregon’s Nov. 4 general election. The question is: Can our community afford to spend $72.5 million on a new combination ...

 
Local government doesn't get the credit it actually deserves

If you limited your local government exposure in these parts to online forums and social media channels, you would find yourself subjected, in large measure, to a torrent of highly charged and sharply ...

 
Transportation bill serves as starting point on rough road

Until Sept. 29, Oregon hadn’t enacted a major new transportation funding package since 2017. In the world of politics and public policy, that’s a veritable eon ago. Over the course of the ...

 
City needs to remember it's not paying the piper

Big box shock? Pardon us, but we don’t find it shocking at all that national chain discounters, operating on a high-volume, low-margin basis, would be looking for McMinnville Landing building spaces ...

Letters

News-Register Letters Policy

The News-Register welcomes written opinions about issues of public interest and about the content of this newspaper. Letters from non-local writers are accepted only if they focus on local issues. This ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 24, 2025

Places to thrive Over the summer, I spotted something different happening around McMinnville. I began to see young people with fishing poles in their hands instead of phones. On an early fall paddle ...

Letters to the Editor: Oct. 17, 2025

Living within means This November’s ballot includes a $98.5 million bond for a new recreation facility, along with improvements to the library, senior center and park system. The bond will increase ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 10, 2025

Chance to be heard Attention Yamhill County citizens: Please attend upcoming hearings to let Commissioners Mary Starrett and Kit Johnston know they aren’t fooling anyone with their Oct. 2 attempt ...

 
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 3, 2025

Destroying democracy Thank you, Mayor Kim Morris, for putting a stop to the intellectual lynching of Sal Peralta. But sadly, this is not over. It didn’t take long for Season 2 of the Trump Show. ...

News & Features

Dayton district files suit over grade school construction

The Dayton School District in July filed a nearly $1.8 million lawsuit against three companies that oversaw construction work on the grade school. The district alleges negligence on the part of general ...

 
County to raze two buildings, construct HHS housing facility

Yamhill County Health and Human Services is using state allocations to build a new eight-unit apartment building in downtown McMinnville to serve its community restoration program. Community restoration ...

McMinnville City Council talks budget, development processes

McMinnville City Council discussed topics Tuesday that will shape the budget and development process and members of the police department’s facial hair. In a budget committee work session prior ...

 
Neighbors to continue Thanksgiving fun run

The popular neighborhood Thanksgiving morning run previously called the Turkey Trot, aka “Ham Fam Run,” will return this year as the 14th annual Harvest Fun Run & Walk. The original nickname ...

 
Lawmakers talk business, politics in Chamber forum

Sen. Bruce Starr announced he plans to refer taxes from the transportation bill to the ballot box during a legislative forum hosted by the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Oct. 23. Rep. ...

Mac man loses foot race to law enforcement, again

A McMinnville police officer alleges Jason David Olson, 44, of McMinnville tried to make a run for it — but he didn’t get far. Mac PD Officer Jared Hansen was working patrol on Northeast Baker ...

Transit facility renovations up for vote

The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners will vote on a $268,000 contract for renovations to the transit operations facility and to accept a $2.3 million grant for criminal justice programs when it convenes ...

 
Quirk of the Week: Garden-variety oddities

Good things often come in threes, such as water, soil and light — the basics for garden growth. And three is the exact number of garden examples of Quirk to observe this week. Starting just outside ...

 
Justice commission tours Juliette’s House, Henderson House headquarters

Becoming a county that supports victims of abuse and empowers others is a mission for Henderson House and Juliette’s House Child Abuse Intervention Center. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission ...

Lafayette woman misses trial, picked up on warrant

Mandy Michelle Lindsey of Lafayette missed the second day of trial on Aug. 13, and was detained on a warrant on Oct. 23. Lindsey was indicted in September 2023 on three counts each of third-degree and ...

Court Records: Oct. 29, 2025

CIVIL FILINGS Discover Bank vs. Valerie L. Evans, McMinnville: Renewal of $5,801.08 judgment. Lisa Parker vs. Active Tax & Accounting, LLC: Granted $10,137.50 judgment. Bank Of America, N.A. vs. ...

Chamber launches health insurance program

The McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce is offering local businesses an option for employee insurance. Companies with at least one employee in addition to the owners can join the new McMinnville Area ...

 
Rural Yamhill murder case headed to trial

It has been nearly two years since a 16-year-old Polk County resident was found dead along Northwest Russell Creek Road near Yamhill on Nov. 27, 2023. To this day, the name and gender of the victim have ...

Drazan launches campaign for GOP gubernatorial nomination

The 2022 nominee announces bid while surrounded by laborers

 

Trial of former YFPD chief continued into new year

The trial of former Yamhill Fire Protection District Chief was postponed earlier this month to April 2026 after a private attorney was hired for the defense. Trampas Bergstrom, 49, of Yamhill was fired ...

Council to vote on contracts, discuss city budget process

McMinnville City Council will consider grant applications and local improvement contracts and discuss how new software will affect the budget process during two meetings Tuesday. Prior to its regular ...

 
Drive seeks socks, winter items, more

Provoking Hope, a peer-supported recovery program, will hold its annual “Fill the Van” drive Wednesday, Nov. 5, to collect socks, hats, scarves, mittens, winter coats and hygiene items. The ...

County board updates policies, projects

The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners approved several policy updates and put its books in order with votes on two previously discussed issues at its meeting Thursday. The board held a public hearing ...

Christian Youth Collective to mend, fix

The McMinnville Youth Collective, comprised of youth from several churches, will host its second annual Mend Fix Gathering on Sunday, Nov. 2, at First Presbyterian Church, 390 N.E. Second St. Youth members ...

Along the Street: Gem to reopen with Creole food

Gumbo, étouffée, crawdads and “lots of oysters” will be available soon as owner Kathy Stoler reopens the Gem Creole Saloon at 236 N.E. Third St., McMinnville. She and her crew ...

Sports

 
Linfield executes in second half to beat PLU 31-15 on wet day in Washington

For most of the first half of its contest with Pacific Lutheran University (4-3, 3-1), Linfield University’s (4-2, 3-1) patchwork quilt offensive line — with inconsistent play — gave ...

 
Mac football suffers heartbreak in 21-17 loss to Century

The 2025 season has been a tough one for McMinnville varsity football (1-7, 0-4). Friday’s game against the No. 33 Century Jaguars was one of the hardest pills to swallow in a year filled with injury ...

3A/2A Football: Dayton secures its second league title in three years; Amity feeling good after comeback victory

On a short week, their second of the season, the No. 3-ranked Dayton Pirates (8-0, 6-0) secured their second Special District 2 league title in three seasons with a 58-12 victory over No. 36 Blanchet Catholic. “It’s ...

Grizzlies keep playoff hopes alive with 1-1 draw at Sherwood

The No. 23-ranked McMinnville girls soccer team (7-2-4, 2-0-3) fell out of contention for a league title Thursday but showed determination and grit throughout an evenly contested match with No. 21 Sherwood ...

 
Two Grizzlies net hat tricks in final league match at Wortman

Give a Grizzly a goal, and he is going to want more. Give him two, and he will want a third. Show him a teammate scoring at will, and they will all attack the net like a feeding frenzy. There are plenty ...

 
Best season since 2019 ends in tears for YC soccer and role-model captain Lucas Partin

For one final time, lone senior and captain Lucas Partin and the Yamhill Carlton boys soccer team (5-7-2, 4-3-1) took the field as a unit vastly improved over previous seasons. After winning five games ...

 
Grizzlies greet Grant with best effort at invite; varsity boys, JV squads earn team victories

Runners from Yamhill County and beyond flocked to Joe Dancer Park on Thursday, Oct. 16, for the Grant Robison Invitational. A different course was presented than what the landscape usually provides, including ...

 
Mac Soccer: Baker, Becker, Ravia score twice in thrashing of Liberty; boys earn fifth clean sheet

Monday’s match for the No. 22-ranked McMinnville varsity girls soccer team (7-2-3, 2-0-2) was a breath of fresh air. After two consecutive draws in league play — one played scoreless against ...

 
Valley Panthers' progress shown in walkoff victory at season ending 7s tournament

The Valley Panthers continued their upward trajectory and finished the fall rugby sevens season by upsetting the Portland Grackles and finishing third in the state on Saturday, Oct. 18. The Panthers started ...

Wildcat Roundup: Seven 'Cats hit personal, season bests at Linfield hosted race

Linfield hosted over 850 athletes from 40 different schools on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the annual George Oja Invitational at Oak Knoll Golf Course west of Salem. The ‘Cats men’s team did not ...

Luke McNabb calls for more intensity before meeting with PLU

This year’s iteration of Wildcats’ football is young. Head coach Joseph Smith has spoken on end about the influx of new players getting their feet wet in Division III ranks. He has also had ...

 
Mac volleyball seniors happy that it happened, sad that it's over after unsatisfactory end to season

It was no storybook ending, but it did not need to be for the Grizzlies’ five seniors on Wednesday at the McMinnville High School gymnasium. Celebrating Senior Night, the McMinnville varsity volleyball ...

 
'Cats looked 'really good,' then not so much in 30-20 loss

It can be easy to overlook a loss. They taste bad. And when it is the Linfield Wildcats football team (3-2, 2-1) experiencing them, it can be better for the mind to forget the game even happened. However, ...

 
3A/2A football: Dayton takes down Santiam Christian behind Taylr Miller's heroics

Belief: That is what the Dayton Pirates earned themselves on Friday in Adair Village. The No. 3-ranked Pirates (7-0, 5-0) and No. 15 Santiam Christian Eagles (5-2, 4-1) have played gladiator matches for ...

Mac outmatched in large loss at Sherwood

The No. 34-ranked McMinnville varsity football team (1-6, 0-3) could not break its winless Pacific Conference spell on Friday, falling to No. 9 Sherwood on the road by a score of 50-7. Sherwood led 40-0 ...

3A/2A/1A Soccer Playoff picture: Amity, Dayton, YC earn district tournament bids

The Amity varsity girls soccer team (8-0, 12-1-1) and Dayton’s varsity boys soccer team (12-0-1, 7-0-1) were dominant this season, each finishing with nearly unblemished league records and ...

 
Mac Soccer: Boys complete thrilling 6-3 victory over Forest Grove, girls play to heated draw

Few would enjoy a world without fun and drama, and the No. 4-ranked McMinnville boys varsity soccer team (7-2-2, 2-1) brought both on Thursday during a disorienting 6-3 victory over No. 14-ranked Pacific ...

 
3A/2A/1A Soccer: Eliza Nisly joins rare company, scores 100th career goal in Warriors' 8-0 caging of Tigers

A soft autumn breeze, beaming rays of sunshine and a jubilant community surrounded the soccer pitch at Amity High School on Tuesday when Warrior senior Eliza Nisly scored her 100th (and 101st) career goal. Four ...

'El Toro' slated for 5th pro bout at Salem Armory

Jose “El Toro” Garcia, McMinnville’s youngest professional boxer at 19-years-old, is set to take on 35-year-old Mixed Martial Arts veteran Luis “Sicario 23” Iniguez on Saturday, ...

Cross Creek Golf Course 27th Annual Turkey Shoot Tourney

Cross Creek Golf Course in Dallas has opened applications for the 27th Annual Turkey Shoot Golf Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 9th. The format is a two-person scramble, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. All ...

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