Top Stories
Singers perform holiday concert on plaza Dec. 3
Twilight Singers from McMinnville High School and other musical ensembles will present holiday concerts for the next three Saturdays, at 1:30 p.m., starting Saturday, Dec. 3, at the U.S. Bank ...
Svenson said he won't pursue gun regulation violations
Sheriff Tim Svenson told county commissioners on Thursday he doesn’t plan to pursue violations of Ballot Measure 114, a recent voter initiative that creates new regulations on firearms. It requires ...
Volunteers can write letters to help hospitalized children
Volunteers can help Santa out by writing “Letters from Santa’s Elves” at the event Saturday, Dec. 3. Mikayla Staebler, the mother of a child who was hospitalized last Christmas, is organizing ...
County moves fire consolidation forward
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary order approving the formation of a new district at its meeting Thursday, moving the process of consolidating the rural and McMinnville fire ...
Newberg man goes to prison on weapon conviction
Presiding Yamhill County Circuit Court Judge Ladd Wiles made it clear to Joseph Haney that the plea agreement crafted by the District Attorney’s Office and his attorney, Annemarie Sgarlata of McMinnville, ...
Community Plate announces closure
Community Plate, a popular Third Street restaurant for nearly a dozen years, will close as of Dec. 18. Proprietors Scott and Courtney Cunningham announced their plans to close on their website and Facebook ...
Snow arrives, rain persists
Oh, the weather outside is … frightful? Beautiful? Rainy? Snowy? All of the above. Yamhill County temperatures remain cold, with alternating dustings of snow, patches of blue and plain ol’ ...
Handmade, metal gift shows planned at Heritage Center
The Yamhill Valley Heritage Center will host two Christmas gift shows this month — the annual Handmade Holiday Bazaar Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, and the new Metal Arts Gift Show Saturday, ...
Saturday breakfast return to indoor dining
After more than two years of serving takeout, Saturday Morning Breakfast crews will welcome people inside their dining room again starting Dec. 3. Diners will be seated, choose from a menu, and served ...
Vintage posters highlight history
The city of McMinnville’s Historic Landmark poster series — an effort to highlight 30 structures and landmarks significant to the city’s history — has been a hit with businesses ...
COVID-19 in Yamhill County - At a Glance
[Monday, Nov. 28] Yamhill County reported 70 new cases of COVID-19 for the week of Nov. 21 to 27, and one death, bringing the county to a total to date of 21,784 cases and 246 deaths. Case counts ...
Evidence techs visit Mac High
Collecting and preserving evidence is a vital part of investigating crimes, evidence technicians from McMinnville and Newberg told McMinnville High School students last week. They take in all kinds of ...
Mack Theater/Hotel Yamhill owners moving forward
Group feels it can meet challenges of restoring former Hotel Yamhill
Fire guts Lafayette manufactured home
Betsey and Casey Ranger and their two children were home in Lafayette’s Pioneer Park Mobile Estates about 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26. “We heard a pop,” Betsey said. “And then some ...
Former gas station owner sues county
The former owner of a defunct gas station in Yamhill is suing the county for not selling the property back to her. Carol Glover lost her property to the county in a property tax foreclosure in 2018. A ...
Grant will help Ready for Kindergarten
McMinnville School District has received a $20,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation for its Ready for Kindergarten program. Ready for Kindergarten, which started more than a decade ago, is an ...
Along the Street: ARQ to remodel old shoe grease building
The old Huberd Shoe Grease building on Lafayette Avenue will be extensively remodeled — but not by Diana Riggs and Todd Severson, owners of Mac Market, located in a revamped structure directly behind ...
Cities plan tree lightings, parades
Yamhill County cities are planning tree lightings, Christmas parades and other holiday events. Amity, Lafayette, Sheridan and Yamhill have events scheduled tonight. Amity’s Christmas parade will ...
New mural stretches along Alpine
Train travel in McMinnville is part of history, but on Alpine Avenue you can almost feel it, thanks to a newly-completed mural. “Rounding the Bend,” rounds out a year that has been one of ...
Richard joins Gallery as manager
Gallery Theater has hired a new manager, Jared Richard, to replace Seth Renne, who is moving on to other work. Richard lives in McMinnville. Since moving here from Salem in July, he has become involved ...
State & Region
Governor declares emergency over pediatric RSV hospitalizations
After RSV hospitalizations of children younger than 5 tripled in early November, Governor Kate Brown declared a public health emergency this week, issuing a directive to provide support and flexibility ...
May 17 primary election draws more candidates
The May 17 Primary Election ballot for Yamhill County is set, with two more candidates filing for county office on March 8, the last day to do so. Bob Luoto of McMinnville, owner of Cross and Crown logging ...
Dundee mayor plans run for House Dist. 6
Dundee Mayor David Russ said family and friends have been telling him for years that he should run for Congress, but the timing hasn’t been right until now. But in 2020, he said, “I got inspiration ...
Kaufman Noble appointed to Yamhill County Circuit Court bench
McMinnville Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Kaufman Noble has been appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to fill a vacancy on the Yamhill County Circuit Court bench created by John Collins’ retirement.
Mask mandate to end by March 31
Another Oregon child has died of COVID-19. A 12-year-old girl from Marion County tested positive on Jan. 18, and died at her home on Jan. 25. Like many people who die from COVID-19, she had pre-existing ...
WHO warns against abandoning efforts to limit COVID transmission
The World Health Organization warned last week that nations should not stop fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Since Omicron was first identified just 10 weeks ago, almost 90 million cases ...
Commissioners oppose state’s new permanent rule on masking
Yamhill County Commissioners will send a letter to the state opposing the newly-adopted permanent rule on mask wearing. The commissioners on Thursday passed a resolution to send a letter written by Chair ...
Governor hasn’t shied away from granting commutations
The Collateral Consequences Resource Center describes itself as a nonprofit organization that examines criminal case and record-related issues. It explores judicial decisions and new legislation nationwide. A ...
Family objects to Dale Rost murderer’s petition for early prison release
When Dale Rost was due to be somewhere, he was there and on time, his daughter, Sarah Olson, remembers. It was a Wednesday, two days before Christmas, 2005. “He was supposed to be at my grandma’s ...
Supreme Court starts review of Kristof case
The briefs are in and the Oregon Supreme Court began considering the Nick Kristof ballot eligibility arguments on Jan. 27. A decision by the Supreme Court is expected within two weeks, but the court has ...
Oregon high court hears Kristof case this week
Nick Kristof's bid to become governor reaches a critical point this week as the Oregon Supreme Court considers his argument that he is a legal resident of Oregon, and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan's ...
Kulla ends run for governor; files for state labor commissioner
Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla has ended his run for governor, he announced this week. Instead, he has filed to run for the office of state Labor Commissioner. Kulla said he is withdrawing from ...
Oregon hospitals may exceed Delta’s peak in matter of days
Oregon’s hospitals are struggling on the brink and, as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 surges, have less staff than at any previous point in the pandemic, Becky Hultberg, President and CEO ...
Kristof petitions court to let him continue candidacy
Nicholas Kristof, stymied by Oregon Secretary of State in his run for governor, has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene, via a document known as Writ of Mandamus, to ensure his name is on the May ...
Secretary of State says Kristof doesn't qualify
For author and apple farmer Nicholas Kristof, the goal of becoming governor might not bear fruit.
Elmer to run in House Dist. 24
Local businesswoman Lucetta Elmer has announced plans to run for Oregon House District 24, currently held by Rep. Ron Noble. Noble announced this fall that he plans to run for the newly-created Congressional ...
Oregon State Bar seeking comment on proposal to license paralegals
With the cost of an attorney well out of reach for most Americans, the Oregon State Bar is working on a new program: Licensing paralegals to handle some tasks in family law and landlord-tenant cases, ...
Secretary of state queries Nick Kristof over residency
Residency questions, this time from the office of Oregon Secretary of State, continue to shadow Nick Kristof’s run for Oregon governor. Kristof, a Democrat who lives near Yamhill, announced his ...
OSU offers online series on ‘Futures with Wildfires’
An Oregon State University remote lecture series starting in January will host speakers who will discuss what living with wildfire looks like in practice, both as individuals and as communities. “Lookout: ...
Forest accord hailed as ‘Oregon Way’
After dueling ballot measures last year threatened to make a battleground out of Oregon forestry yet again, Governor Kate Brown asked environmentalists and timber owners to negotiate a compromise ...
Local News
Volunteers can write letters to help hospitalized children
Volunteers can help Santa out by writing “Letters from Santa’s Elves” at the event Saturday, Dec. 3. Mikayla Staebler, the mother of a child who was hospitalized last Christmas, is organizing ...
County moves fire consolidation forward
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary order approving the formation of a new district at its meeting Thursday, moving the process of consolidating the rural and McMinnville fire ...
Svenson said he won't pursue gun regulation violations
Sheriff Tim Svenson told county commissioners on Thursday he doesn’t plan to pursue violations of Ballot Measure 114, a recent voter initiative that creates new regulations on firearms. It requires ...
Community Plate announces closure
Community Plate, a popular Third Street restaurant for nearly a dozen years, will close as of Dec. 18. Proprietors Scott and Courtney Cunningham announced their plans to close on their website and Facebook ...
Snow arrives, rain persists
Oh, the weather outside is … frightful? Beautiful? Rainy? Snowy? All of the above. Yamhill County temperatures remain cold, with alternating dustings of snow, patches of blue and plain ol’ ...
Newberg man goes to prison on weapon conviction
Presiding Yamhill County Circuit Court Judge Ladd Wiles made it clear to Joseph Haney that the plea agreement crafted by the District Attorney’s Office and his attorney, Annemarie Sgarlata of McMinnville, ...
Vintage posters highlight history
The city of McMinnville’s Historic Landmark poster series — an effort to highlight 30 structures and landmarks significant to the city’s history — has been a hit with businesses ...
Mack Theater/Hotel Yamhill owners moving forward
Group feels it can meet challenges of restoring former Hotel Yamhill
Fire guts Lafayette manufactured home
Betsey and Casey Ranger and their two children were home in Lafayette’s Pioneer Park Mobile Estates about 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26. “We heard a pop,” Betsey said. “And then some ...
Former gas station owner sues county
The former owner of a defunct gas station in Yamhill is suing the county for not selling the property back to her. Carol Glover lost her property to the county in a property tax foreclosure in 2018. A ...
Handmade, metal gift shows planned at Heritage Center
The Yamhill Valley Heritage Center will host two Christmas gift shows this month — the annual Handmade Holiday Bazaar Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, and the new Metal Arts Gift Show Saturday, ...
Grant will help Ready for Kindergarten
McMinnville School District has received a $20,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation for its Ready for Kindergarten program. Ready for Kindergarten, which started more than a decade ago, is an ...
Along the Street: ARQ to remodel old shoe grease building
The old Huberd Shoe Grease building on Lafayette Avenue will be extensively remodeled — but not by Diana Riggs and Todd Severson, owners of Mac Market, located in a revamped structure directly behind ...
Saturday breakfast return to indoor dining
After more than two years of serving takeout, Saturday Morning Breakfast crews will welcome people inside their dining room again starting Dec. 3. Diners will be seated, choose from a menu, and served ...
Cities plan tree lightings, parades
Yamhill County cities are planning tree lightings, Christmas parades and other holiday events. Amity, Lafayette, Sheridan and Yamhill have events scheduled tonight. Amity’s Christmas parade will ...
New mural stretches along Alpine
Train travel in McMinnville is part of history, but on Alpine Avenue you can almost feel it, thanks to a newly-completed mural. “Rounding the Bend,” rounds out a year that has been one of ...
Evidence techs visit Mac High
Collecting and preserving evidence is a vital part of investigating crimes, evidence technicians from McMinnville and Newberg told McMinnville High School students last week. They take in all kinds of ...
Rise in mpox cases calls for vigilance, state says
New cases of mpox, formerly called monkeypox or hMPXV, have increased over the past two weeks, the Oregon Health Authority said in a press release this week. The virus, which gained heightened attention ...
Richard joins Gallery as manager
Gallery Theater has hired a new manager, Jared Richard, to replace Seth Renne, who is moving on to other work. Richard lives in McMinnville. Since moving here from Salem in July, he has become involved ...
Hello, Santa!
Despite rainy weather, crowds turned out Friday to welcome Santa during McMinnvllle's annual holiday parade. Children and adults alike followed the floats and walkers to City Park afterwards for the lighting ...
Sports
Mac girls win opener
Season openers always bring a mix of nervousness and excitement. They can serve as an opportunity to knock the rust off from a long offseason and a chance to see what a team can do together for the first ...
Dayton duo leads Pirates to Final Four
As defensive coordinators prepped for the Dayton Pirates this season, two players jumped off the screen. The running back duo of Zach Smith and Nate Arce wreaked havoc on opposing defenses all season, ...
’Cats given a Royal send-off
As teams climb the playoff ladder in the NCAA Division III playoffs, the ability to play at a near-perfect level is the difference between winning and going home. In a second round matchup against the ...
Winter sports season starts for local athletes
Winter high school sports around Yamhill County will get under way this week, with basketball, wrestling and swimming all set to begin. This will be the last season without a shot clock at the high school ...
Oregon OC hired by ASU; Linfield alum will remain on staff
Arizona State hired Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as its next head coach on Sunday. In his introductory press conference, Dillingham made sure to note that he would be retaining Shaun ...
Tigers earn all-league honors
Twenty-five Yamhill-Carlton student-athletes earned all-league honors across 3A cross country, soccer, volleyball and football. Louie Etta earned All-League cross country honors in the second special ...
Linfield prepares to host Bethel Royals in second round battle
For the first time in the programs’ history, the undefeated Linfield Wildcats and the Bethel Royals of Arden Hills, Minnesota will meet on the gridiron in the second round of the NCAA Division III ...
Haley Ayala combined leadership with great play for Sheridan volleyball
After Sheridan’s 3-0 sweep against Dayton on Oct. 11, Haley Ayala was looking forward to the volleyball postseason. At 16-4, the Spartans were a few wins away from clinching a spot in the 3A state ...
Dayton football falls in semis
Moments after Dayton’s 42-20 loss to Cascade Christian in the 3A state semifinal, Dayton coach Jacob Peterson was brought to tears describing his emotions. “It’s always hard to process,” ...
Wildcats strong defense leads to 2-0 weekend
The Linfield women’s basketball won both of its games in the Ken Schumann Classic over the weekend to improve to .500 on the season. At 2-2, the Wildcats have already topped their win total in each ...
Bryant leads way as Wildcats get first win
The Linfield men’s basketball team split its two games in the USCS Classic in Santa Cruz, California over the weekend. In their first matchup, 21 points from Reece Gibb and 20 points from Trey Bryant ...
Linfield advances to second round
Unranked Pomona-Pitzer, based on its season record, coming into the first round NCAA Division III football playoff contest with undefeated Linfield University, was supposed to play the role of patsy for ...
State hosts free Thanksgiving parks, clamming and fishing days
Oregon parks and wildlife agencies are encouraging the public to get out and enjoy public areas and activity. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has announced return of its traditional “Green ...
Mac AD, coaches speak on Mac sports
Participation is rising in McMinnville High School sports, athletic director Ryan McIrvin and several coaches told the school board Monday night. That’s good for the student athletes and the school, ...
‘Cats take home NWC honors
The Northwest Conference announced its all-conference honors on Monday, with the 9-0 Wildcats earning 21 all-conference selections. Junior linebacker Blake Rybar was named NWC Defensive Player of the ...
Linfield loses exhibition to EOU
After a tight-knit first half, the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University dropped 53 points in the second half to pull away and beat the Linfield Wildcats 92-79 in an exhibition game at Ted Wilson Gymnasium ...
Dayton preps for semifinals
The Dayton Pirates football team will head south this weekend to Cottage Grove, where they will take on the second-seeded Cascade Christian Challengers in the 3A state semifinals on Saturday. The Challengers ...
Valley Panthers finish second in state tourney
The Valley Panthers rugby team, primarily made up of McMinnville High School girls, took second in the state rugby sevens tournament after winning it last fall. Throughout the course of the season, the ...
Dayton upsets South Umpqua, advance to semifinals
Dayton coach Jacob Peterson couldn’t script a better start to a game. Five minutes into Dayton’s quarterfinal match at South Umpqua, the Pirates had already jumped out to a 21-0 lead. After ...
Amity's historic girls soccer season ends in semifinals
Moments after the final whistle blew in Amity’s state semifinal on Tuesday, a 6-0 loss to two-time defending champions Catlin Gabel, the Warriors made their way to their bench. After some hugs and ...
Features
Rohse: Monument-al memories of Halloween celebration
My mom was all for Halloween fun, but that didn’t include making a big batch of fluffy purple slime. In our town of Monument, trick or treating wasn’t very popular. Monument had a population ...
Savvy Senior: How to find an old 401k
Dear Savvy Senior: How do I go about looking for an old former company 401(k) plan that I think I contributed money to many years ago, but forgot about until recently? Retired in Rochester If you think ...
Rohse: Better than a bouquet (from the archives)
I never knew of any Eastern Oregon rancher who brought his wife a dozen red roses. Monument’s nearest florist was about 60 miles away. I’m pretty sure my mother, at our ranch with wood-burning ...
Savvy Senior: How the Inflation Reduction Act will lower drug costs
Dear Savvy Senior: What kind of changes can Medicare beneficiaries expect to see in the Inflation Reduction Act that was recently signed into law? I’m enrolled in original Medicare and have a Part ...
Offbeat Oregon: The McLoughlin House’s unlikely journey to local historical treasure
To the average Oregon City resident, there wasn’t much to celebrate in the vacant, dilapidated old house by the foot of Willamette Falls. The house had, until a few years before, been known as the ...
Back, and Forth: Connectivity finds its most rustic roost
The last credits I earned for my Linfield degree in 1980 were from an internship at The Nation magazine in New York. It was a fine experience. I met amazing people and learned a great deal. Yet it was ...
Soroptimists offer grants to women
Soroptimist International of McMinnville is taking applications for its annual Live Your Dream Award, a cash grant available to women who are “working to better their lives through additional schooling ...
Rohse: Here in the digital age, finger foods all the rage
In this column, there is a gift for you. It’s not like a Christmas present with ribbons and bows. Rather, it is a gustatory gift made possible by the etiquette gurus — the masters of etiquette ...
Rohse: Remember way back when?
Editor’s note: This column from the archives was originally published in 2010. I’ve been remembering things from yesterday — so many people, events and things to remember. Remember ...
Offbeat Oregon: After frontier murder, suspect was auctioned off as a temporary slave
In the first month of 1852, everyone in the frontier community of Cynthian was talking about the big crime wave. Well, it was big by frontier Oregon standards. Although it was (and still is) the seat ...
Rohse: Put down the weed killer and learn to love dandelions
To you it may be an unwanted weed. To be sure, that yellow flower that’s polka-dotting your velvety lawn is an eyesore to most home owners. But the dandelion is perhaps the most recognized plant ...
Savvy Senior: Paying for long-term care without insurance or savings
Dear Savvy Senior: What types of financial resources are available to help seniors pay for long-term care? My 86-year-old mother will need either an assisted living facility or nursing home care in the ...
Rohse: Trees just keep giving
A few days ago I glanced at the calendar and realized Thanksgiving and Christmas were going to be here before I knew it. For Thanksgiving, I like to get my thank yous lined up so I don’t forget ...
Rohse: Slow, yet surprising: Slugs both beneficial and harmful
On a lovely spring morning, gardeners all across the Yamhill Valley are eager to get outdoors to see how seedlings, planted the day before, fared through the night. Many of those gardeners are apt to ...
Offbeat Oregon: 'Like the ocean had become vertical'
On the evening of March 23, 1964, Seaside resident Margaret Gammon hadn’t been asleep more than an hour or two when she was awakened by howling. It was the community fire siren, blaring at full ...
Rohse: For your health, read this column and anything else
I love books. I love to read. But sometimes I am annoyed at my addiction to reading. When my kitchen sink is piled high with dishes that should be in the dishwasher and cupboards need cleaning, I feel ...
Rohse: She got things done
I’m ashamed. We had been gone. When we walked in the front door, the first thing I saw on the little table in the entry was my ballot from the county clerk. I’d forgotten to mail it before ...
Rohse: Tusks among the troops: Elephants in ancient wars
During antiquity, wars between countries were not unusual. Riding elephants into those battles was unusual, but some warriors did just that. Elephants have been going to war at least since the time of ...
Hay Day fun planned
The Yamhill Valley Heritage Center will host “Hay Day/Play Day” on Saturday, June 25. The event will include draft animals demonstrating haying, along with old-fashioned games, children’s ...
Young artists' work to be on display
Winners of the See Ya Later Foundation’s art competition will be displayed Monday through Friday, June 13 to 17, at First Federal, 118 N.E. Third St., McMinnville. Members of the public can vote ...