There has been a great deal of discussion about homelessness in McMinnville arising at city council meetings and spreading into the pages of this publication. But little has been said about my ...
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Editorials
Just say no to reliving past glories
Last week’s Viewpoints cover piece was headlined, “Can our political leaders shake the Curse of Apollo?” In other words, can they forsake the hollow lure of manned flight bragging rights ...
Terms like ‘white privilege’ trigger oversensitive officials
Many people have a hard time understanding the concept of white privilege — often because they are privileged whites who in fact have a hard time understanding any experience other than their own. Exhibit ...
No room at the inn for low income
As Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote almost 250 years ago, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” And so it seems with well-meaning city and county plans to foster new housing ...
It’s about a sick society as much as sick people
A 1993 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded a handgun in the home triples the chances someone will be shot and killed there. Horrified, Congress took immediate action. It cut ...
Attend a concert and save a park
One highlight of summer in Yamhill County is always the mid-week concert series hosted by local non-profits and agencies. This year, the McMinnville Parks and Recreation Department is celebrating its ...
Editorial: Monitoring government a noble cause to pursue
The American Civil Liberties Union has begun training local volunteers to monitor federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at the Yamhill County Courthouse. As a result, some members of our ...
Local discretion snuffed out in land use realm
City councilors passed ordinances Tuesday that clear the way for the controversial Oak Ridge Meadows subdivision near Baker Creek. The city’s planning staff had been claiming for months that they ...
Republicans stop worrying and learn to love deficits
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell once called the national debt “the nation’s biggest problem.” And he blamed it on President Barack Obama. Of course, that was in 2012, when members ...
Manufacturing growth depends as much on the arts as sciences
There are those who see little practical value in art. It is a luxury, they believe, like dessert for a society that still needs to eat its healthy food. Reading, writing and arithmetic should receive ...
New construction likely the future for recreational center
Local residents surveyed by the McMinnville Parks & Recreation department were split on whether to renovate the aquatic and community centers or to build new structures. If respondents had seen ...
Letters
Letters to the editor: Aug. 16, 2019
A new low Gun violence seems to have brought our nation to a new low. Other countries are now issuing warnings about the dangers of traveling to the U.S. We should be ashamed that this is happening ...
Letters to the editor: Aug. 9, 2019
Ensuring equal treatment Open letter to the Yamhill County commissioners: I am writing to urge you to approve the diversity and equity training being requested for the county’s Health and Human ...
Letters to the editor: Aug. 1, 2019
Division threatens democracy In contrast to a recent letter to Viewpoints that complained about the “same old liberal drivel,” I am thrilled to be able to read liberal drivel. For me, it beats ...
Letters to the editor: July 26, 2019
Global reforestation Now that the threat of cap and trade for a non-industrial state like Oregon is over — for now — I propose something our state could do to measurably reduce global atmospheric ...
Letters to the editor: July 19, 2019
Abominable actions Sen. Brian Boquist’s actions concerning the legislation addressing climate change, and the support for those actions, are abominable. The indifference to climate change has been ...
Letters to the Editor: July 12, 2019
Democrats running rampant As the power-hungry Democratic supermajority in Oregon runs rampant, Republicans are standing up and waging a fight. GOP Sen. Brian Boquist is one of the few legislators working ...
Letters to the editor: July 5, 2019
Closing the opportunity gap Yamhill County is facing an opportunity gap: More than 24% of Yamhill County children live in poverty, come from families where employment is unstable and/or lack access to ...
Letters to the editor: June 28, 2019
Single-payer the answer Thank you for your editorial on the lack of oversight in the senior care industry. It is one of the reasons I tell my kids: “Don’t grow old. There’s no future ...
Letters to the editor: June 21, 2019
School support gratifying The last few months have provided many examples of the commitment of members of our generous community to the success of students attending our schools. Individuals and ...
Letters to the editor: June 14, 2019
Gather up in arms of love Mr. Randy Johnson objects (Readers Forum of May 17) to an analogy I supposedly drew between economic conditions in 18th century London and 21st century McMinnville. The problem ...
Commentary
Jeb Bladine: Paying a price for failed annexations
There’s much to admire, but also much to regret, along newly developed stretches of Hill Road on the western edge of McMinnville. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher ...
Central mission is helping homeless help themselves
There has been a great deal of discussion about homelessness in McMinnville arising at city council meetings and spreading into the pages of this publication. But little has been said about my ...
Jeb Bladine: And life goes on, for those still living
The New York Post, though often criticized for conservative bias, covered half its Monday front page with four giant words: “BAN WEAPONS OF WAR”. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is ...
Can our political leaders shake Curse of Apollo?
At 7:56 p.m. on July 20, 1969, I was watching television. Guest Writer Guest writer Scott Gibson M.D. has been practicing medicine in his hometown of McMinnville for 30 years. ...
Jeb Bladine: Consider all costs of U.S. health care
All those Democratic Party presidential candidates are exhausting us with health care promises and warnings: “My plan does this” … “Your plan does that” … “Medicare ...
Jeb Bladine: Perfect storm puts old buildings at risk
McMinnville may be headed toward a prolonged demolition derby. But instead of old cars crashing one another into oblivion, this event could feature the destruction of old buildings. Whatchamacolumn Jeb ...
Why Oregon farmers and ranchers opposed cap and trade bill
By Partnership for Oregon Communities [Editor’s Note: The following originated from public testimony made during the last state Legislative session by a coalition of statewide agriculture organizations ...
All must act to mitigate climate crisis
Like many, I was deeply disappointed by failure of the Clean Energy Jobs bill to become law this year. Guest Writer Guest writer Rick Hammond, a graduate of McMinnville High School and the ...
Jeb Bladine: Moon walk added to memory banks
Fifty years ago, after Neil Armstrong took “One small step,” he and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. More than a half-billion people watched televised reports, and those still alive today are ...
Despite bounty of drama, session proved productive
The 2019 Oregon Legislative Assembly accomplished something few if any of its predecessors did: It became famous for not meeting. That’s too bad, because in some ways, this year’s session ...
Mark Davis: Local rate-setting process off limits to the public
In early 2017, Recology Western Oregon’s monthly rate for a typical weekly household garbage pickup in McMinnville ran $35.45. With city council approval last month of yet another hike, the rate ...
Jeb Bladine: More than numbers for former assessor
My old friend Linda Stephenson died on June 30 after a long, courageous and graceful confrontation with health and mortality. That date also was the last day for Oregon governmental bodies to certify their ...
Jeb Bladine: 2019: That was the year that is!
Highlights of 2019 will become their own Year in Review, merge into stories about the end of a decade, and slowly fade into extended histories of a generation and more. Whatchamacolumn Jeb ...
Author shares glimpse into life on the street
Jason Peterson, 32, was shot and killed Feb. 20, 2017, outside the Golden Key Insurance Agency office in Portland. He left some belongings in front of the business just as the owner decided that ...
Jeb Bladine: Mixed stories relay care center issues
Long-term care centers are in the news, but we should resist over-mingling the stories. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register. > See his column One ...
Jeb Bladine: McKay Road deaths require speed limits
Decades ago, McMinnville citizens demanded action after 10 deaths in 10 years on the Three Mile Lane Bypass. Who will match that level of outrage after 12 deaths in 12 months on McKay Road? Whatchamacolumn Jeb ...
Jeb Bladine: Creating need for affordable housing
Nobody testified at this week’s public hearing on the city of McMinnville’s 2019-20 budget. Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register. > See his ...
Jeb Bladine: Plenty of questions about homeless law
The homelessness roller-coaster wild ride continues. McMinnville’s forbearance of homeless camping hit the wall with passage of Ordinance No. 5064. Beginning June 27, it is a crime to camp on public ...
Jeb Bladine: Too many topics to choose just one
Occasionally, exploring ideas for this column ideas reveals too many options to choose just one. Thus, this week’s surplus of topics. McMinnville isn’t alone in its meandering mission to treat ...
