About the writer: Longtime Oregon journalist Kirby Neumann-Rea retired earlier this year as managing editor of the News-Register. But he keeps his fingers nimble on the keyboard, his mind nimble at the ...
Editorials
Legislators left a mess that demands a prompt cleanup
The Oregon Legislature opened this year’s session with three tasks towering over the rest: - Balancing the budget in the face of worrisome economic slippage and continued economic uncertainty. - Developing ...
City gets budget passed; bond showdown up next
The McMinnville City Council laid one contentious financial issue to quiet, anticlimactic rest Tuesday night — a proposed $121,454,284 budget for the new fiscal year it will be ushering in next week. The ...
Immigration raids violating our nation's proud heritage
As long as federal immigration policy remains nothing more than fare for political debate in Washington, D.C., it may seem a matter of little consequence to people immersed in their daily routines in other ...
N-R editorial: Jobless benefits for strikers violates standard of fairness
Extending unemployment benefits to striking workers in both the public and private sectors — a national first the Oregon Legislature now seems poised to sign off on — is a bridge too far for ...
Cool heads and wise choices called for in manager search
Jeff Towery’s decision to leave McMinnville after putting in a bit over eight years as city manager here, presents the community with both a challenge and an opportunity. We hope local leaders will ...
Don't let highway finance fall victim to partisanship
When the Oregon Legislature opened its 2025 session on Jan. 21, crafting a new state transportation package promised to prove one of the most demanding tasks on its agenda. And with a statutorily imposed ...
Hoping we can restore the luster to police work
Facing a $3 million shortfall in McMinnville’s fiscal 2025-26 budget, city staff recommended cutting 11.6 positions, six of them in the police department. On Wednesday night, the budget committee ...
Region faces power crisis demanding concerted action
Oregon has joined Washington in pledging to put its electric utilities on a carbon-neutral footing by 2040. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek noted the two states had been “leading the way for years on courageous ...
Time county got serious with dog control function
Dog control has remained an orphan function of Yamhill County government for decades, starved for even a welcoming embrace from the powers that be, let alone extension of meaningful financial support. ...
Chemeketa and Sheridan bonds deserve our votes of confidence
There are 45 school, fire and park district seats up in Yamhill County in the looming May 20 election, but only 12 are being contested. One seat drew no candidates, and 32 seats drew just one. If you ...
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: July 3, 2025
Fireworks sanctuary? Open letter to McMinnville mayor and council: Please seriously consider a total ban on sale and use of all fireworks within the city limits — year around. Please seriously ...
Letters to the Editor: June 27, 2025
World beyond war About 10 years ago, I took on an extensive research project to learn more about America’s wars — how they came to be, the background on both sides, the cost on both sides, ...
Letters to the Editor: June 20, 2025
Who will be next? I attended the McMinnville “No Kings” protest on June 14. I was happy to see so many people standing up against tyranny. Now what? We have so much more to do. We can start ...
Letters to the Editor: June 13, 2025
Putter in place What if they throw their “really big show” and no one shows up? What if all those who would protest against the parade get really smart. Instead of walking into a set-up that ...
Letters to the Editor: June 6, 2025
Share the burden Did anyone else follow the recent city of McMinnville budget hearings? They were lengthy and often exhausting, as city officials worked to address a projected $3 million shortfall. After ...
Letters to the Editor: May 30, 2025
Backing the blue I would like to express my support for the budget committee members who voted to allocate partial funding to mitigate potential position losses within the McMinnville Police Department. The ...
Letters to the Editor: May 23, 2025
Do the right thing In 2021, my husband and I made the decision to leave Los Angeles and relocate to Oregon. Yes, we’re those people. We knew we wanted to settle in a small town, so we turned to ...
Letters to the Editor: May 16, 2025
Retain period look As a downtown McMinnville resident, co-owner of a Third Street business and former historic restorationist, I would like to express my concerns about the latest plans for the Third ...
Letters to the Editor: May 9, 2025
Passionate and committed As someone who was raised in McMinnville, as a proud graduate of our public schools, and as a parent whose children have also come through the system, I care deeply about the ...
Commentary
Charles House: City, state, college helped blaze trails in electronics
About the writer: Charles House, then HP’s corporate engineering director, first visited McMinnville in 1983. He was drawn by contributions of the HP McMinnville Division team, successor to FEMCOR, ...
Jeb Bladine: Constitutional ideals gain holiday importance
President Donald Trump in January ordered a suspension of asylum access at the southern U.S. border. On Wednesday, July 2, a U.S. District Court judge from Washington, D.C., declared Trump’s January ...
Kirby Neumann-Rea: Should we not ask if fascism could, indeed, happen here?
About the writer: Longtime Oregon journalist Kirby Neumann-Rea retired earlier this year as managing editor of the News-Register. But he keeps his fingers nimble on the keyboard, his mind nimble at the ...
Investigating the Bible: Freedom neglected
Alice Day wrote in the Reader’s Digest about her state trooper husband who stopped a motorist for speeding. The man quickly admitted he had exceeded the posted speed limit, but still insisted on a court hearing. On his day in court, the state trooper was present and watched as the man pled guilty and then happily paid his fine.
Billy J. Stratton: Danger lies not in AI robots, but in human programmers
In 2014, Stephen Hawking voiced grave warnings about the threat of artificial intelligence.
Investigating the Bible: Life in heaven
A little boy walked along a path with his mother one early evening near their home in the country. He looked intently at tall trees, flowers, and nearby homes. When they stopped to rest, he gazed up into the sky.
Jeb Bladine: Politics deals defeat to news-sustaining plan
Initially slim hopes of sustaining Oregon newsrooms with “big tech” dollars sprouted with 2025 evolution of SB 686 in the Oregon Legislature. Tuesday, those hopes were dashed after a flurry ...
Quirk of the Week: Taking a sidelong glance at odd sights, some fortunately fleeting
Quirk has always been about some things gone sideways, in good ways. Yet, at a year-and-a-half into the chronicling of Quirk in this publication, this is a good time to examine sideways as … not ...
Gary Conkling: Tariffs won't reshore jobs because they never left
About the writer: Gary Conkling started writing stories as a child and publishing them on his own hand-cranked printing press. Little did he know digital technology would make it possible to repeat the ...
Jeb Bladine: Oregon likely to change tourism funding split
Chaos and angst are among this week’s catchwords in Salem as the Oregon Legislature approaches mandatory adjournment by June 29 amid rumors that legislators may leave town by early next week. One ...
Investigating the Bible: Mistakes in judgment
When Mike Huckabee was the governor of Arkansas, his 12-year-old son decided to bake a cake. The rest of the family left on a shopping trip and when they returned he proudly showed his father the cake, which looked delicious. Huckabee bit into a forkful of the dessert and quickly spit it out.
Quirk of the Week: Winging it this week
Pardon the pun, but bird forms are aviary-where. This week’s Quirk concerns the multitude of our fine feathered friends. We find a veritable flock of sculptures, yard art and images of eagles, poultry, ...
Ken Dollinger: Approaching aging with an adventurous attitude
By KEN DOLLINGER As I enter my eighth decade circling the sun, now the oldest male in my family going back three generations, I find myself being nagged by an increasing amount of introspection. I guess ...
Offbeat Oregon: Second-largest city, Camp Adair, built in six months
By early 1941, the U.S. Army knew it was about to get sucked into at least one of the wars that were already raging around the world. The Selective Service and Training Act had passed the previous fall, ...
Jeb Bladine: Maintaining connectivity among local leaders
McMinnville’s history includes eras with long-serving leaders integrated throughout what admittedly was a smaller, more cohesive community in less complex times. That history wasn’t without ...
Madilynne Clark: House Water Resources bills assess double what's needed
By MADILYNNE CLARK Of the Cascade Policy Institute House Bills 2808 and 2165 seek to address the Oregon Water Resources Department budget shortfall of $875,000, but through different methods. Instead ...
N-R editorial: Jobless benefits for strikers violates standard of fairness
Extending unemployment benefits to striking workers in both the public and private sectors — a national first the Oregon Legislature now seems poised to sign off on — is a bridge too far for ...
Letters to the Editor: June 13, 2025
Putter in place What if they throw their “really big show” and no one shows up? What if all those who would protest against the parade get really smart. Instead of walking into a set-up that ...
Investigating the Bible: A father’s forgiveness
By David Carlson Pastor As a father, President Harry S. Truman, gave this guidance: “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them ...
Quirk of the Week: Where the sidewalk oddities begin
From arm-span vineyards to imbedded bricks, we return this week to sidewalk scenes, a seemingly-endless Quirk resource. Sidewalk surfaces, wherever you go, are themselves examples of Quirk, on several ...
