Top Stories
Deluge of letters about gun sanctuary swamp county
County Administrator Ken Huffer told commissioners Thursday his staff is struggling to keep up with all the letters submitted regarding a proposed Second Amendment sanctuary ordinance, many of ...
Hearings set on building, planning fee increases
The McMinnville City Council will hold public hearings and a vote on proposed building and planning fee increases on Tuesday, March 9. The increases are necessary to fully recover the cost of services, ...
Man allegedly slashed victim
A Willamina transient allegedly slashed his victim with a fillet knife, cutting him on the hands, shoulder and stomach while threatening residents of a Northeast Sherman Street home in Sheridan. Joshua ...
School board narrows field to three; finalist names won't be made public
McMinnville School Board members plan to interview three finalists for the superintendent position next week in the effort to find a replacement for Superintendent Maryalice Russell, who will retire ...
Motorcycle crash victim in critical condition
The operator of a motorcycle that crashed last Sunday night on Southeast Baker Street near Cowls Street remains in critical condition at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, according ...
Redistricting process faces challenges in Legislature
The Legislature will hear testimony on redistricting for congressional and state-level legislative districts beginning next week. Hearings on Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, which includes ...
COVID-19 in Yamhill County - At a Glance
[Thursday, March 4] Yamhill County reported one new death from COVID-19 today, bringing the total number of lives lost to the pandemic in the county to 69. The county reported six new cases, and has now ...
Along the street: Found Objects moving from longtime spot
McMinnville gift shop Found Objects will soon be moving out of its location at 512 N.E. Third St., next to the Mack Theater. Owner Hollyann Finch said the store will be open daily until mid-March ...
Linfield expands master's programs
Linfield University will add three new graduate programs this fall. Master’s degrees in business and sports science/analytics will be offered both online and on the McMinnville campus, as will a ...
YC board negotiating with superintendent pick
The Yamhill Carlton School Board is negotiating with its top pick for the superintendent job. Board members hope to have negotiations finished by Thursday so they can vote on hiring the candidate. They ...
Families rally for return to school
“We want to go back to school,” “We love our teachers” and “i need reel Edukashun,” read some of the signs held by approximately 50 people who lined Adams Street Saturday ...
Amity mayor resigns
Amity Mayor Joshua Clark, who ran unopposed in last November's general election and took office Jan. 1, resigned before the start of Wednesday night's regular city council meeting. He told councilors ...
High hospitalization rate in county due to data error
Update: Yamhill County Health and Human Services Director Lindsey Manfrin apologized today for an error that, for several days, indicated extremely high hospitalization rates for county COVID-19 ...
County ends emergency declaration
Commissioners ended the county’s pandemic emergency declaration on Thursday, saying they don’t believe the situation can still be considered an emergency since the county has had a year to ...
In panel, Local judges discuss racial justice in courtroom
As a heavily tattooed person entered the courtroom, Yamhill County Circuit Judge John Collins thought, “He’s a little scary,” Collins shared in an anecdote before a virtual group. “That’s ...
Stopping by: Reading for life
As a child, Elide Sanchez Rivera stocked her own library with books she received as birthday and Christmas gifts. She treasured volumes such as “Dragon’s Keeper” and “The Homework ...
Grand Ronde man indicted in crash that killed two
A Grand Ronde man has been indicted on charges that include two counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with a motor vehicle crash last June that killed a Willamina and Mount Angel resident. Matthew ...
Motorcycle crashes, two injured
The operator of a motorcycle and his passenger were seriously injured in a single vehicle crash Sunday night on Southeast Baker Street near Cowls Street. The McMinnville Police Department gave this account: The ...
City council offers support to affordable housing project
The council approved a letter of support for a potential affordable housing development and listened to a presentation detailing how cities can navigate the impacts of climate change at its Tuesday meeting. The ...
Walking, cycling improvements planned along 99W in Mac
Public input is being sought for a project that could result in bike lanes on Highway 99W though McMinnville. The Oregon Department of Transportation will host a question-and-answer session Thursday about ...
State & Region
Redistricting process faces challenges in Legislature
The Legislature will hear testimony on redistricting for congressional and state-level legislative districts beginning next week. Hearings on Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, which includes ...
State representative suing Noble, others, resigns
State Rep. Diego Hernandez announced Sunday he had resigned. He was facing the possibility of being the first person expelled from the Oregon Legislature. His lawsuit against the Legislature, which sought ...
McMinnville begins work on missing middle housing requirements
The city of McMinnville is in the process of ensuring its zoning code complies with the recently approved rules for HB 2001, the “missing middle housing bill” passed in 2019 eliminating exclusive ...
Nearman attacks Democrat agenda in presentation
Rep. Mike Nearman spent much of his presentation to the Yamhill County Republican Women last Thursday listing what he considers flawed Democratic policies and ideologies; alleging Democats have “abortion-ified” ...
State first to decriminalize possession of hard drugs
By ANDREW SELSKYOf The Associated Press SALEM — Police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs as a ...
GOP legislators disavow Republican Party resolution on U.S. Capitol riot
Oregon state representatives Ron Noble of McMinnville and Mike Nearman of Independence – both representing portions of Yamhill County – joined all 23 Oregon Republican state representatives ...
Former Sunwest CEO's sentence commuted
Jon Herder, former owner of Salem-based Sunwest Management, which once owned six retirement and assisted living facilities in Yamhill County, including Hillside Retirement Community, had his 15 year sentence ...
Boquist leaves GOP for IPO
State Sen. Brian Boquist has left the Republican Party and registered as a member of the Independent Party, Secretary of State records show. The news was first reported in a Jan. 15 tweet by Oregon Public ...
Nearman stripped of duties after opening capitol door; resignation sought
UPDATED: Tuesday, Jan. 12: Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek on Monday stripped a Republican state representative of his responsibilities and called for his resignation after he let rioters into the state ...
Brown condemns 'irresponsible elected officials' urging defiance
Governor Kate Brown has condemned elected officials encouraging their constituents to defy her public safety mandates to control the COVID-19 pandemic, warning Oregonians that local officials have no power ...
Unidentified remains of young girl found in woods
PORTLAND — The remains of a young girl have been discovered along the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor in rural Lincoln County, Oregon State Police said Tuesday. Detectives are seeking ...
Five Oregon counties moved from 'Extreme' to 'High' risk
PORTLAND — Five Oregon counties will be upgraded from Extreme Risk to High Risk levels, based on the area's current COVID-19 data, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday.
First COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Oregon
PORTLAND — Oregon hospitals administered the first coronavirus vaccines in the state Wednesday to nurses, respiratory therapists, housekeeping workers and other health care employees in high-risk jobs, marking the beginning of a broad vaccination campaign in a state that's seen more than 1,200 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began.
Mac man was there when monument was destroyed
McMinnville native Ross Bernards was one of the last people on earth to see the mysterious monolith discovered in November in a remote Utah desert. Officers from the Utah Bureau of Public Safety spotted ...
Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley wins US Senate reelection
By SARA CLINE Of the Associated Press/Report for America SALEM — Democrat U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has won the Oregon seat that he was first elected to in 2008. Merkley defeated Republican ...
Oregon 1st state to decriminalize drugs, legalize psilocybin
SALEM — Oregon became the first state to decriminalize hard drugs like heroin and methamphetamine and to legalize therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms on Tuesday, with two ballot measures passing by large margins.
Oregon announces new COVID metrics for school reopening
SALEM — Oregon officials on Friday announced new COVID-19 metrics to determine when students can return to K-12 schools for in-person learning, with the aim of getting more children back into the classroom.
However even under the new, relaxed metric requirements, about 80% of Oregon students will still not be eligible for in-person learning, state officials said.
State sees highest one-week jump in new cases
Oregon recorded its highest-yet weekly jump in new cases of COVID-19 the week of October 19-25, the Oregon Health Authority said in its weekly report this week; a 14% jump that added 2,642 new ...
Controlled burns to reduce Forest Fuels now underway throughout Oregon
By the Oregon Dept. of Forestry
SALEM – Oregonians in forested areas may see smoke from a number of controlled burns – known as prescribed burns – this fall and winter. Forest landowners use the burns to eliminate woody fuels that build up on their land from forest thinning and after timber harvests.
Authorities look for killer of Oregon wolf; reward offered
SALEM — Someone shot a wolf in Oregon, leaving its pack without a breeding male, wildlife officials said on Friday as they announced a $6,150 reward for the shooter.
“I hope this reward will inspire some citizen to come forward with information leading to the killer,” said Wally Sykes with Northeast Oregon Ecosystems.
Local News
Soroptimists present awards
Soroptimist International of McMinnville is recognizing three local women who are “bettering their lives and the lives of their families” through education and training. The club presented ...
Motorcycle crash victim in critical condition
The operator of a motorcycle that crashed last Sunday night on Southeast Baker Street near Cowls Street remains in critical condition at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, according ...
Man allegedly slashed victim
A Willamina transient allegedly slashed his victim with a fillet knife, cutting him on the hands, shoulder and stomach while threatening residents of a Northeast Sherman Street home in Sheridan. Joshua ...
Registration open for gardening webinars
Yamhill County Master Gardeners and the Oregon State University Extension Service will host “Spring into Gardening” classes on Zoom in April. Four webinars are planned from 10 to 11:15 ...
Hearings set on building, planning fee increases
The McMinnville City Council will hold public hearings and a vote on proposed building and planning fee increases on Tuesday, March 9. The increases are necessary to fully recover the cost of services, ...
Pharmacies offer vaccines
Pharmacies are increasingly receiving shipments of vaccines for local residents. As of Thursday afternoon, vaccine appointments at McMinnville Walgreens were full for the next three days. People ...
Linfield expands master's programs
Linfield University will add three new graduate programs this fall. Master’s degrees in business and sports science/analytics will be offered both online and on the McMinnville campus, as will a ...
Along the street: Found Objects moving from longtime spot
McMinnville gift shop Found Objects will soon be moving out of its location at 512 N.E. Third St., next to the Mack Theater. Owner Hollyann Finch said the store will be open daily until mid-March ...
Recruitment begins for new Newberg-Dundee police chief
The city of Newberg is seeking input from residents of Newberg and Dundee on the qualities they believe should be exemplified by the next police chief. Brian Casey retired in April 2020 after ...
School board narrows field to three; finalist names won't be made public
McMinnville School Board members plan to interview three finalists for the superintendent position next week in the effort to find a replacement for Superintendent Maryalice Russell, who will retire ...
Amity mayor quits after brief tenure
Amity Mayor Joshua Clark, who ran unopposed in last November’s general election and took office Jan. 1, resigned before the start of Wednesday night’s regular city council meeting. He ...
Redistricting process faces challenges in Legislature
The Legislature will hear testimony on redistricting for congressional and state-level legislative districts beginning next week. Hearings on Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, which includes ...
County apologizes for wrong hospital numbers
Yamhill County Health and Human Services Director Lindsey Manfrin apologized this week for an error that, for several days, indicated extremely high hospitalization rates for county COVID-19 patients. Information ...
Deluge of letters about gun sanctuary swamp county
County Administrator Ken Huffer told commissioners Thursday his staff is struggling to keep up with all the letters submitted regarding a proposed Second Amendment sanctuary ordinance, many of ...
YC board negotiating with superintendent pick
The Yamhill Carlton School Board is negotiating with its top pick for the superintendent job. Board members hope to have negotiations finished by Thursday so they can vote on hiring the candidate. They ...
In panel, Local judges discuss racial justice in courtroom
As a heavily tattooed person entered the courtroom, Yamhill County Circuit Judge John Collins thought, “He’s a little scary,” Collins shared in an anecdote before a virtual group. “That’s ...
County ends emergency declaration
Commissioners ended the county’s pandemic emergency declaration on Thursday, saying they don’t believe the situation can still be considered an emergency since the county has had a year to ...
High hospitalization rate in county due to data error
Update: Yamhill County Health and Human Services Director Lindsey Manfrin apologized today for an error that, for several days, indicated extremely high hospitalization rates for county COVID-19 ...
Grand Ronde man indicted in crash that killed two
A Grand Ronde man has been indicted on charges that include two counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with a motor vehicle crash last June that killed a Willamina and Mount Angel resident. Matthew ...
Walking, cycling improvements planned along 99W in Mac
Public input is being sought for a project that could result in bike lanes on Highway 99W though McMinnville. The Oregon Department of Transportation will host a question-and-answer session Thursday about ...
Sports
Friday Night Football: Mac loses season-opener; Amity beats Dayton
The McMinnville Grizzlies football team dropped Friday’s season-opening contest 28-13 to Pacific Conference foe Century. Mac captured an early lead on the initial possession of the game. Senior ...
MASK ON, GAME ON
DAYTON – Not even the restrictive nature of a face mask could stop Dayton senior forward Keiley Myers from lighting up Monday’s season opener against Santiam Christian. The star striker ...
Mac boys fall to rival Newberg in season opener
With a condensed high school soccer season, teams are struggling not only to prepare adequately but improve quickly during the five-week campaign. McMinnville’s boys soccer program has already ...
Soccer roundup: Mac defeats Tigard, Y-C topples Blanchet
Girls soccer roundup McMinnville 2, Newberg 2; McMinnville 4, Tigard 0 TIGARD – McMinnville’s girls soccer team has started the condensed five-week season undefeated after blowing out Tigard ...
Volleyball: Amity beats Harrisburg, Y-C
Volleyball roundup Amity 3, Harrisburg 0; Junction City 3, Amity 0; Amity 3, Yamhill-Carlton 1 The Warriors have started the season with a pair of wins over Harrisburg and Yamhill-Carlton and a defeat ...
Willamina runners dominate new format
CLOVERDALE – Willamina’s student-athletes earned an excellent opportunity Wednesday to compete in the new format for high school cross country. The Bulldog runners claimed the top-two finishes ...
Sports are back! A complete look at the fall schedule
Amity Warriors Girls Soccer – March 4 @ Gervais 4:15 p.m.; March 6 @ Dayton 1 p.m.; March 15 @ Blanchet 5:30 p.m.; March 18 @ Salem Academy 4:15 p.m.; March 22 @ Dayton 4:15 p.m.; March 25 @ Yamhill-Carlton ...
Linfield softball takes two from Bushnell
Linfield softball continued its blistering start to the season Wednesday, claiming a pair of victories at the expense of the visiting Bushnell Beacons. The Wildcats defeated their opponents 3-1 ...
Finding my way: Sports community finally receives encouraging news
Throughout the past 12 months of the pandemic, the local sports community heard nothing but discouraging news. Restrictions by the state virtually eliminated all athletic competitions in Yamhill County. ...
Linfield men conclude exhibition season with win over Beacons
In the final exhibition match of the 2021 season, the Linfield men’s soccer program recorded a gritty 2-1 victory over the visiting Bushnell beacons Tuesday evening at the Linfield Soccer ...
Wildcat women defeat Bushnell, 4-0, lose to Pacific
Facing a pair of non-conference foes at home this week, the Linfield women’s soccer squad split the two contests. The Wildcats routed the Bushnell Beacons 4-0 Tuesday afternoon, but fell ...
Football coaches prepare for season after receiving clearance from state
Yamhill County’s high school football players have trained for months with no clear picture of the Oregon School Athletics Association’s (OSAA) plan for a condensed season in the spring. ...
Hiking permits to be required for Oregon’s central Cascades
AP Sports PORTLAND – A new permitting system for hikers and backpackers in Oregon’s central Cascade Mountains will be implemented this year. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports it comes after ...
Mac golfer sinks first albatross at Bandon's Sheep Ranch
What did McMinnville golfer Willi Sheller do after carding a rare albatross – or three strokes under par on one hole – January 27 on the 18th hole of Bandon Dunes Sheep Ranch Golf Course? He ...
Running for fun and fitness
Student-athletes from Willamina High School have been training with long distance running during the absence of sports in the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured in front of their school bus are Trinity Simon, ...
Governor announces outdoor contact sports can resume
By SARA CLINE Associated Press PORTLAND - Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that some outdoor contact sports, including high school football, can resume this week. In addition, the Oregon Health Authority ...
Tales of an outlaw: The fall of Rhett 'Tommy' Phillips
Sometimes the road less traveled was simply the wrong road. Members of the 1971 football program realized their own pathways to success, becoming doctors, lawyers, pastors, teachers and coaches. McMinnville ...
A band of brothers
You are there fifty years ago: Richard M. Nixon is president; the Vietnam War turbulently and slowly moving towards it end; Ironically, Joy to the World by Three Dog Night is the number-one song; ...
Sports are back! Linfield soccer squads open season with wins
Linfield’s soccer players waited a long time for victories like they achieved last weekend in exhibitions against Multnomah and Corban universities. Playing their first matches in over a ...
Joe Crabtree, who coached Mac to 2006 soccer title, dies at 77
In his first year as head coach of the McMinnville boys’ soccer team, Joe Crabtree led the Grizzlies to an incredible Class 6A state championship in 2006. Crabtree’s involvement with ...
Features
Rohse: Preserve county's identity and our own
One danger of the coronavirus not often considered is identity loss. Have you noticed that your friends aren’t speaking to you? Many of my friends are undergoing that loss, as am I. I don’t ...
Stopping by: Reading for life
As a child, Elide Sanchez Rivera stocked her own library with books she received as birthday and Christmas gifts. She treasured volumes such as “Dragon’s Keeper” and “The Homework ...
Stopping by: A new mission
Angel and Isabel Aguiar will be moving to a country they’ve never seen, where they know no one and where they will be working with people they’ve never met. But none of that worries them: ...
Rohse: The good, the bad, the frightful
The resonant hope these days is that soon we shall again be socializing normally and permitted to travel at will. And when we start on those exciting trips, we will always be reminded, “Be sure ...
Stopping By: Taking a story to the screen
Galen Flinn and two other members of the Saturday Film Club in McMinnville decided in early 2020 to create separate versions of a short story by local writer and artist Mike Santone. They ...
Rohse: Longing to hear childhood sounds
I’m homesick. I’m homesick for sounds. Nostalgic sounds like those heard on the ranch in Eastern Oregon. Sounds such as roosters crowing at dawn, reminding Mother to open the chicken house ...
Stopping By: A long romance
When Roz Turner attended a “get acquainted” night at Ottawa University in September 1948, she noticed a good-looking lad who was a fellow member of the freshman class. And Roz, in turn, caught ...
Students of the month
Kaiya Miller and Bredin Blanchard have been named students of the month for January at McMinnville High School. Kaiya is the daughter of Keeli Miller-Fodge and Jason Miller. She is being honored for Performing ...
Rohse A whole different ball game
Our Monument High girls basketball team, as far as I knew, had never played in a state tournament — or even in any county playoff. And I couldn’t remember how long since Monument had beaten ...
Women's choir seeks new members
The McMinnville Women’s Choir will hold a “new member night” on Tuesday, Feb. 9. The event will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. The choir, open to all women, has turned ...
Stopping by: Creatures great and small
Now retired, longtime Carlton vet fulfilled his 'James Herriot' dream
Paper Gardens taking writing entries
Yamhill County writers can enter Paper Gardens, the annual poetry and prose competition sponsored by the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County. This is the creative writing event’s 28th year. Entering ...
Melt Down forecast for February: gooey, cheesy, crispy
Neither rain nor snow nor the coronavirus pandemic will stop The Melt Down, the popular grilled cheese sandwich festival that raises money for YCAP’s Yamhill County food bank. What a comfort! — ...
Rohse: Oregon's highs and lows remembered
As you may know, Oregon’s birthday is February 14. Our State will be 162 on Valentine’s Day. If you are newcomers to Oregon you’ve missed many of Oregon’s happenings, but most of ...
Stopping by: Pecking order
Edges are the best places to view birds — where the edge of a city meets the edge of a forest or where the water meets the land, according to master birdwatcher Harry Fuller. Edges contain a buffet ...
Newberg celebrates MLK Day
Dr. Carol Parker Walsh began her address with a simple request, directed at white people: “Raise your hand if you would be happy to be treated as this society in general treats people of color, marginalized ...
Gallery, LaCroute awarded'decade' honors
Gallery Theater and avid arts supporter Ronni LaCroute are among honorees in the Broadway World Regional 2020 Awards. Gallery was named “Community Theater of the Decade” and its December 2019 ...
Rose Marie Caughran, 'force of nature' in Mac, dies at 92
Everybody, it seems, has memories of Rose Marie Caughran, McMinnville’s former library director and longtime city volunteer who cared for trees and kept the downtown area tidy almost until her death. Caughran ...
Stopping by: Prioritizing prayer
Standing in a pew near the front of the Nazarene Church on the Hill’s sanctuary, Tina Chase lifted her hands high in the air as she began to pray. Raising her hands to God is “kind of a surrender,” ...
First Federal six months from moving into new headquarters
Work is continuing on the new First Federal headquarters, a nearly 32,000 square foot building at Third and Baker streets on the west end of downtown McMinnville. The three-story building will ...
