News & Features
Mac Parks and Rec director getting accustomed to new role
New McMinnville Parks and Recreation Director Jeanne Sprague said she’s spent her first month on the job listening. She’s met staff, advocacy groups and community members to gain insight into ...
Work to close lane in Lafayette
Traffic on Bridge Street in Lafayette will be affected starting Wednesday, Aug. 26, for a waterline construction project. The street will be reduced to one lane, and the work is expected to take a few ...
Along the Street: Chamber welcomes public to new building
McMinnville Chamber of Commerce officials and members cut the ribbon on the business support organization’s new building on Thursday, Aug. 20. The Chamber purchased the building at 12th and Baker ...
Jamhill fills Yamhill with music
Community members tapped their toes and clapped their hands to tunes by a variety of musicians Saturday during “Jamhill,” a first-time festival in Yamhill. More than a dozen groups played ...
County commissioners OK grant for Juliette’s House on split vote
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners last Thursday approved a property tax exemption for a growing Newberg business and agreed on a split vote to support a nonprofit grant application. Sponsoring ...
Local News
BALLOTS DUE TODAY: Voters to decide school board seats, McMinnville fire district merger
Updated 5/16/23 Ballots for the May election are due by 8 p.m. today, May 16. If mailed, they must be postmarked by today's date, and must arrive at the Yamhill County Elections Division within seven ...
DA Lynch comments on Appeals Court ruling
Following the April 2 Oregon Court of Appeals opinion of State v. Johnny Lee Widerman, the Yamhill County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the opinion and any impacts to the office’s ...
Sewage discharged into Yamhill River
Approximately 50,000 gallons of partially treated sewage was discharged into the South Yamhill River Monday due to a control system failure at the McMinnville Water Reclamation Facility. At approximately ...
Child abuse intervention center works to raise awareness, funds
Juliette’s House, the Yamhill County child abuse intervention center, will host several activities to mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April — including a special blue marble treasure ...
Sports
Linfield Football: ‘Cats enter ‘26 season with more confidence after incremental improvements in 2025
Although a 7-2 record was nothing to turn their nose up at, the 2025 season for Linfield University football included reality checks. The Wildcats missed the NCAA Division III playoffs for ...
3A Football: Amity, Dayton, Yamhill Carlton enter fall with varying goals while becoming part of reformatted district
The ever-changing classification landscape across Oregon high school football has led to Yamhill County teams jumping in and out of contention with one another other over the years. Yamhill Carlton High ...
2A Football: Willamina aims to get back on track with committed group of upperclassmen
Willamina High School sits on an island in the hills of the West Valley that Head Coach Dan Oswald takes the utmost pride in helping flourish. Oswald enters his sixth consecutive year leading the Bulldogs ...
Schedules: What's on the docket in Yamhill County
With the 2026-27 scholastic year fast approaching, it is time to look at what athletic events will be the talk of the town this fall. With the Oregon School Activities Association reformatting districts ...
Sheridan eliminates sports fees
Sheridan School District students will be able to participate in district-sponsored athletics without paying sports participation fees during the 2026-27 school year. At its meeting on Wednesday, August ...
Features
Tim Nesbitt: Are we letting Oregon's initiative process become a playground for political weirdness?
By TIM NESBITT When Initiative Petition 28 failed to qualify for Oregon’s November ballot last week, my first reaction was relief. IP 28 would have banned all hunting and fishing and most ranching ...
What in the Yamhill: Dayton’s Joel Palmer
This week we turn to Dayton and one of its founders, Joel Palmer. Palmer was born in 1810 while his New Yorker parents were on a trip to Canada. In 1845, he headed west on the wagon train to see if the ...
Quirk of the Week: Roadside oddities, one writ larch, gather around Sheridan, Willamina
Quirk of the Week on Feb. 19 crept west from McMinnville, but this week takes us farther west still, along the highways and deep into the hills … No exploration of West Valley Quirk would be complete ...
Whatchamacolumn: Property tax summary provides feast of numbers
My occasional obsession with numbers is well fed every October by the annual Yamhill County property tax summary. And Yamhill County Assessor Derrick Wharff always contributes enough extra analysis to ...
Easter egg hunts planned Saturday
Get out your Easter baskets — and waterproof shoes — for Easter egg hunts in most Yamhill County cities this Saturday, April 8. Fire departments, service clubs and civic groups plan to hide ...
