News & Features
Volunteerism celebrated along with DSA winners
The generations of locals willing to volunteer for the community makes McMinnville a great place, several speakers said Wednesday night at the annual Distinguished Service Awards banquet. Volunteer service ...
Mac budget committee begins work on FY 25 / 26 budget
The sky isn’t falling for the city of McMinnville, but tough financial decisions lie ahead as the city began its budget meetings last week. “While the overall budget is a challenge, an extreme ...
Millions in debt, Fackler Construction files for bankruptcy
McMinnville-based contractor Ben Fackler Construction, Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, listing over $5 million in total liabilities, including many unpaid debts to local subcontractors. Fackler ...
UFO Fest marks 25 years of weird, wild times in McMinnville
Aliens descended on McMinnville over the weekend as downtown was transformed into an intergalactic gathering for the 25th annual UFO Festival. UFO enthusiasts, alien hunters and sci-fi fans arrived to ...
Mac proposes to eliminate MEDP funding
As part of planned cuts, the city of McMinnville is proposing to eliminate its $75,000 annual contribution to the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership. A public campaign has emerged to protest ...
Along the Street: Tucker takes over Bitter Monk
After more than nine years as manager of the Bitter Monk, Becky Tucker has become owner of the popular hangout at 250 N.E. Third St. She moved to McMinnville just before the pub opened in a former bank ...
Plea hearing delayed in murder trial as sides await DNA lab results
A Friday, May 16, plea hearing in the murder case against Victor Melcher-Villalba, 46, changed to a status check as both sides are awaiting DNA lab results. Public defender Ted Coran told the court that ...
Hangry’s opens this week in former Tommy’s location
Marty and Melissa Rima both learned to cook from their parents and grandparents, and combined their culinary styles to develop “good burgers made with lots of love,” using a family-secret beef ...
Offbeat Oregon: Part II: The pioneer ‘lady doctor’
The old man had died penniless, and had left behind no relatives who could claim his corpse and give it proper burial.
Superintendent survey open through Tuesday
Residents have through Tuesday, May 20, to fill out a survey about characteristics they hope for in McMinnville’s next school superintendent. The brief questionnaire is available at survey.k12insight.com/r/McMinnville2025. Responses ...
Arrests & Citations: May 19, 2025
Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Moises Labra, 45, McMinnville, May 15, probation violation; booked into the Yamhill County Jail without bail. Joseph Martin-Victor Walker, 30, McMinnville, May 15, ...
Donnahoo sentenced to 70 months in prison for attempted robbery
John Kyle Donnahoo, 30, of McMinnville, was sentenced to 70 months with the Department of Corrections for attempted robbery and 60 months for unlawful use of a weapon on Wednesday, May 14. He will serve ...
Survey asks about characteristics McMinnville wants in school leader
The McMinnville School Board is asking community members to take part in a survey about the characteristics desired in the district’s next school leader. The brief questionnaire is available at ...
City moves bond forward, cautiously
McMinnville City Council directed staff to work toward a November bond measure for a new recreation center in a split vote Tuesday, but funding for the work must first be identified during budget committee ...
Ethics commissioner ends investigation on Yamhill fire board
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has dismissed ethics complaint against Jim Phillips, board president of Yamhill Fire Protection District, after a preliminary review. The complaint was filed by ...
A family tradition continues for some young graduates of Firefighter Academy
In the front row, Yamhill Protection Fire District Interim Assistant Chief Chris Featherston was teary-eyed as her daughter Annie, a junior, received her certificate and became a third generation firefighter ...
Ballots due Tuesday; school bonds, board positions to be decided
The May 20 ballot includes a bond vote for Chemeketa Community College and Sheridan School District, and school and fire district board positions. Ballots must be returned to the Yamhill County Clerk’s ...
More money needed to fix community center elevator
Prior to the discussion to move forward with a rec center bond at Tuesday’s council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Susan Muir provided a stark example of the deterioration of current facilities ...
No cause found for blaze at The Nines
The McMinnville Fire District was unable to determine a cause of a fire that razed the maintenance building at The Nines golf course last week, destroying all equipment and tools used to maintain play ...
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 ...
Lafayette set to swear in officials Thursday
The Lafayette City Council will open the first meeting of the year at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at city hall by swearing in new councilors and electing a council president. An appointment on the agenda ...
Along the Street July 1
What’s going upn Work continues on the new branch of First Federal bank at Highway 99W and McDaniel Lane in McMinnville. The branch will open later this year, replacing one on Baker Creek Road.The ...
Proposal for hotel in Carlton withdrawn
The company, based in the Carlton area, said Tuesday that its decision came following a public meeting last month in which dozens of people commented on the proposed project, both in favor and against.
Carlton sewer lagoons full because of recent rains
Because recent rains have filled up Carlton’s sewer lagoons, the city is pumping partially treated effluent into the adjacent swale and North Yamhill River, Public Works Director Bryan Burnham said. The ...
Gift shop closed for fire-related remodeling
NW Food & Gifts, 445 N.E. Third St., will be closed through Jan. 21 to finish up remodeling made necessary by last May’s fire in the Third Street Pizza building next door. Owner James Tate said ...
Deputy involved in four-vehicle crash
A Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office deputy was involved in a four-vehicle crash the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 9, according to the Oregon State Police. The crash was reported shortly before 8 a.m. on ...
Some schools later, others closed, as ice melts slowly
Updated 2:30 Thursday There is a chance of freezing rain in the early morning hours on Friday, between 4 and 7. The temperature is expected to drop to 32 degrees, which may lead to icy conditions on already ...
Weather forecast means shelters are open
The McMinnville Fire District has posted a list of overnight and day shelters planning to be open this week in light of freezing temperatures. Overnight shelters McMinnville First Baptist Church, 125 ...
City council 'safe school zones' was hot topic Tuesday
Frustration was evident at Tuesday’s McMinnville City Council meeting, both from residents over the dangers of homeless camps near schools and from the dais over the inability to change the situation. Prior ...
Following Monday storm, temps to drop into the 20s – or lower
High winds and heavy rains Monday night left some 20,000 people without power by morning, according to Portland General Electric spokeswoman Allison Dobscha. There were at least six outages in Yamhill ...
Sports
Grizzlies serve up two district titles as teams seek runs at state tournament
The McMinnville Grizzlies doubles tennis teams got to take home the bracket posters Saturday after winning the Pacific Conference district tournament. On the boys side, seniors Jameson Rickards ...
Grizzlies win first two against No. 3 Sherwood, overtake conference lead
Cameron Hyder pitched his first complete game of the season Wednesday, a 5-0 shutout, as McMinnville took the first two of the series against No. 3 ranked Sherwood that likely will decide the Pacific Conference ...
Mac completes comeback victory against Sherwood
A winning mojo filled the streets on Wednesday as the OSAA ranked No. 6 McMinnville varsity softball team (17-7) defeated their league rival, No. 3 Sherwood (21-3), with a 5-4 come-from-behind home victory. ...
County teams top of 3A softball food chain
Competition has brought the best out of four of Yamhill County’s five 3A varsity softball teams as they battle for a trophy that only one can take home. As of May 15, OSAA ranked No. 2 Dayton (20-2, ...
Tigers flag football falls in first round of playoffs
Yamhill Carlton flag football finished the season with a 9-6 overall record after falling to 4A Crook County 19-13 on Wednesday in the first round of playoffs. YC was the number 13 seed and Crook County ...
Panthers lose rematch against Summit; poised for third place
Almost everything went wrong for the Valley Panthers at the May 10 playoff match against Summit in Bend, as they were down players and competed at altitude. The Panthers were short eight players due to ...
‘Cats crush NWC competition
Domination. That’s the word that comes to mind after Linfield University’s Wildcat softball team (38-5) pounded out a trio of wins over the weekend in the Northwest Conference tournament, ...
Mac athletes wrap up regular season
McMinnville track and field hosted a four-team conference meet Thursday that provided some possibly previews to the Pacific Conference Districts meet next week, May 21 and 23, at George Fox University. In ...
Amity falls to Tigers in first of two-game series
Amity Baseball (2-14, 2-11) fell 16-3 to the Yamhill Carlton Tigers (12-10, 8-7) on Friday in league play and will face the Tigers again on Monday. The Tigers jumped to a 4-0 in the first. Warrior Paden ...
Mac baseball sweeps Liberty with league title in sight
The McMinnville varsity baseball team (15-6) completed their second straight series sweep on Friday with a 7-1 team victory at home over the Liberty Falcons (5-18). Mac’s win pushed them up to No. ...
Licking wounds, Grizzlies swept by Glencoe
A lack of energy and consistency was the downfall of the McMinnville varsity softball team (15-7) on Friday as they lost their second game in a row to 6A OSAA ranked No. 8 Glencoe (16-6) by a score of ...
McMinnville softball team’s confidence high after challenging back-to-back
Domination and fatigue characterized back-to-back contests for the McMinnville varsity softball (15-6) team this week as the Grizzlies split two games against league opponents on Tuesday and Wednesday. ...
YC flag football qualifies for playoffs
The Yamhill Carlton flag football team has qualified for the 16-team state-wide playoffs, claiming second in league with a 9-5, 7-2 record. On Wednesday, the Tigers downed the 5A Hillsboro Spartans in ...
Findley takes conference girls golf crown
Mabel Findley secured the Pacific Conference individual title Monday with a 77 at Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge. Findley needed a good round as her nearest competitor, Forest Grove’s Trinity Johnson, ...
3A softball roundup: Pirates hand Loggers first loss of season
Preparation triumphed over dominance on Monday as the OSAA 3A ranked No. 2 Dayton varsity softball team (18-2) handed No. 1 Scio (18-1) their first loss of the season in a tightly contested 3-1 victory ...
Grizzly bats get hot in wins over Falcons
The OSAA ranked No. 12 McMinnville varsity baseball team (14-6) took the first two games of a three-game series against No. 39 Liberty (5-15) with ease this week, scoring 28 runs and allowing five hits ...
YC rebounds, Dayton dominates in 3A play
Friday marked a Yamhill County softball eclipse as Yamhill-Carlton (11-7) shut out Willamina (14-4) 9-0 at home and Dayton (16-2) dismantled Sheridan (1-13) on the road 29-0. The Tigers were able to stop ...
School records tumble as Mac track and field nears districts
With a final competition Thursday before next week’s Pacific Conference Districts meet (May 16), the McMinnville track and field athletes continue to improve their times and marks with sights set ...
Aggressive Grizzlies blowout Tigers in Stephens’ standout performance
An aggravated McMinnville varsity softball team (14-5) blew the doors off Newberg (5-10) on Friday, run-ruling the Tigers 18-3 in four innings while improving to 4-2 in league play. The Grizzlies were ...
Grizzlies sweep Vikings in preparation for final stretch
The McMinnville Varsity baseball team (12-6) pulled off its first inter-conference series sweep of the season on Friday, defeating Forest Grove (9-10) 5-4 in a back-and-forth contest. The win marked the ...
Features
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 ...
Stopping By: A creative place
It’s always the season for planting and growing at Incahoots, a business that thrives on change
Nostalgic comedy ‘Harvey’ opens March 31 at Gallery
Will audiences see the title character in “Harvey,” the nostalgic comedy that opens Friday, March 31, at Gallery Theater? Director Steve Cox won’t say. But he is betting theatergoers ...
Offbeat Oregon: Body-snatchers planned to hold ex-mayor’s corpse for ransom
The 19th century was a kind of golden age of body snatching. Digging up the freshly dead to cash the corpses in at the back door of a nearby medical school was — well, not common exactly, but far ...
Stopping By: A faith-filled life
A couple years ago, Eunice McAvoy bought an airline ticket for a trip to Texas so she could visit her daughter. The Lafayette resident filled out the paperwork with her birthdate and other details. When ...
Stopping By: Sue Nesbitt loves gardening and helping others learn
Sue Nesbitt, now one of the 90 Master Gardeners in Yamhill County, knew her thumb wasn’t as green as it could be back when she was gardening on the East Coast. She wanted to learn more about soil ...
Provoking Hope hosts annual fundraiser dinner Saturday
Provoking Hope, an addiction and recovery nonprofit in McMinnville, will host its annual fundraising dinner, "A Walk to Remember," Saturday, February 11, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. "If you donate or if you buy ...
Vintage News-Register: January 10, 2023
Chronicling life in the Yamhill Valley through the generations with the newspaper photo archives.
There was company waiting at home for McMinnville’s first baby of ‘23
McMinnville’s first baby of 2023, Stanley Farmer, left the Willamette Valley Medical Center Monday afternoon, and soon afterward, was greeted by his very own cheering section at home. Brothers Noah, ...
2022 in review: A few of the people we won’t forget
Yamhill County lost many of its residents in 2022. Every single one will be missed. Here are a few of those we won’t forget. In January, retired Yamhill-Carlton School District teacher Don Cram ...
Stopping By: The Beckwiths' Call
Kathy Beckwith and her husband, Wayne, are looking forward to returning to India, where they started their marriage as Peace Corps volunteers and where they have spent time helping at a school on several ...
Offbeat Oregon: World’s clumsiest drug smugglers also its most audacious, Part 1
Nearly 50 years ago, the Good Friday Earthquake changed Alaska forever. It killed nine people and slammed the West Coast with tsunamis that killed 122 more, including four in Oregon.
It did something else, too, though: It heaved up the seafloor of the Inside Passage near the ghost town of Katalia by a good 12 feet. And in the process, it brought something up to the surface that was a very important piece of the history of Alaska … and, earlier, Oregon.
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 ...
