During its two-day annual meeting earlier held over the summer, the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirmed the ouster of its largest congregation over its ordination of women and initiated a process to ...
Editorials
State revenue forecast could be too much of a good thing
The end of August produced a bounty of good news for Oregonians, some of it seasonal and predictable, like kids returning to classes and hot weather fading to fall cooling, some of it less so on either ...
Just say no to stipends for local board service
Since July 1, Oregon school boards have been authorized by the body that picks up the tab for public education, the state Legislature, to begin paying members up to $500 a month for their service. But ...
Water a critical commodity and it's being frittered away
The New York Times published a report on America’s groundwater status last month, based on exhaustive analysis of monitoring data from 84,544 wells from every corner of the country. Alarmingly, it ...
May disastrous Maui wildfire serve as a wakeup call here
What happens in Maui doesn’t stay in Maui. That’s particularly true when you’re talking about the highest domestic wildfire death toll in more than a century — 114 and counting ...
Sustainability fair extends beyond ‘recycle’ to ‘rethink’
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The successful Recycling and Sustainability Fair on Aug. 19 in downtown McMinnville embodied the adage as it offered an enjoyable, enduring lesson ...
Police raid on Kansas paper stains our nation's birthright
Police in Marion, Kansas, shook the foundations of American journalism last Friday when they raided the offices of the 154-year-old Marion County Record, seizing computers, cellphones, servers and other ...
If you seek public input, you commit to heeding it
Here at the News-Register, we used to stage an annual You Be the Editor exercise for current and future civic leaders. The core element was asking them to play editor for a day by making up a front page ...
Big issues demand attention on sustained long-term basis
On the surface, the international climate crisis and national homeless crisis might seem markedly dissimilar. However, they share some parallels worth considering as we struggle to address their ruinously ...
Boost in court resources may be money well spent
There are no courts closer to the people than the municipal courts serving cities and justice courts serving counties. But their jurisdiction is limited to the realm of ordinance and traffic violations, ...
Rubber site a rare opportunity for visionary redevelopment
Thirty years ago, McMinnville’s downtown core was virtually at death’s door. Third Street’s largest and most prominent landmark, the venerable Hotel Oregon, was in a sad state of disrepair, ...
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. Letters ...
Letters to the Editor: Sept. 22, 2023
Street not so easy In rebuttal to last week’s letter, “Easy Street.” It’s obvious you’ve never had a teacher in your family, or been one or lived with one. I have been both ...
Letters to the Editor: Sept. 15, 2023
Time for action “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.” This whimsical saying of Mark Twain’s is sometimes heard in farm circles during discussions about water. Last week’s ...
Letters to the Editor: Sept. 8, 2023
Stipends deserve look I appreciate that McMinnville School Board members ran for their seats without expectation of compensation, and am grateful for the time and talent they donate to the district. However, ...
Letters to the Editor: Sept. 1, 2023
Let’s start at home Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a leader who could bring us together. Presidents Biden and Trump have proven that’s not on their bucket list. Mr. Bladine’s ...
Letters to the Editor: Aug. 25, 2023
Caution, please I’m writing in response to Jeb Bladine’s column, “It’s Time to Chop Downtown Trees.” I’d like to share our 2 1/2-year experience here at Alchemist’s ...
Letters to the Editor: Aug. 18, 2023
Yes, but … I wholeheartedly agree with Liesl Forve’s letter of Aug. 4 supporting the physical and mental health benefits of parks. I do have a criticism of her advocacy, however. Twice she ...
Letters to the Editor: Aug. 11, 2023
Friendly advice Read the article on the impacts of vagrancy on the community. I’m a firm believer in helping people who need help and can’t help themselves. I think being charitable to our ...
Letters to the Editor: Aug. 4, 2023
Who and why? In response to Matt Smith’s recent actions as the chair of the Chehalem Park and Recreation Board, my questions are: Who is being served by your actions? And, why? There is well-established ...
Letters to the Editor: July 28, 2023
Beware yellow tide Bright yellow blooms of Tansy Ragwort are popping up along fence rows, roadside ditches and people’s yards. Most people don’t realize that it’s an invasive weed that ...
Commentary
Susan Shaw: A struggle for equality at the pulpit
During its two-day annual meeting earlier held over the summer, the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirmed the ouster of its largest congregation over its ordination of women and initiated a process to ...
Whatchamacolumn: America must stop trilateral drug trade
Americans were shocked last week when a 1-year-old child died from exposure to fentanyl kept under a nap mat at a New York City nursery. Investigators found a kilo (2.2 pounds) of fentanyl, enough to produce ...
Back, and Forth: A day of aces and A’s
The occasion was the annual Vintage Base Ball game against the Portland Pioneers crew, held at the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center, sponsor of both the game and the McMinnville Gristmillers Club. The game, ...
The Conversation: Breaking the bonds of civility becomes new norm in Congress
By SARAH BURNS Of the Rochester Institute of Technology When House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ordered an investigation into the Manhattan district attorney’s ongoing criminal probe of former President ...
Barrett Rainey: As water battle intensifies, Southwest's future looking bleak
For many a decade, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington have stood solidly united to protect Northwest water. “Nary a drop,” they’ve said repeatedly as the Southwest states pounded on ...
Rolling the dice on the coronavirus
COVID-19 is not over, not mild and not contained. It is currently surging throughout the United States. And it is causing hospitalizations and long-term damage among children and teens, as well ...
County holds key distinction in early history of our nation
By SHERI KING Local author and history buff When people report that Yamhill County is one of the oldest counties in the state, they aren’t kidding. Today, Oregon is made up of 36 counties. ...
Whatchamacolumn: Speculators miffed by Fox stock losses
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this week’s lawsuit against Fox Corporation by New York and Oregon pension funds. New York Times and Associated Press reports provided the framework ...
The Conversation: New superconductors could revolutionize electronics
By MASSOUD PEDRAM Of the University of Southern California Superconductors make highly efficient electronics, but the ultralow temperatures and ultrahigh pressures required to make them work are ...
The Conversation: High elevation burns pose new threat to environment
By MOHAMMAD REZA ALIZADEH Of Boise State University As wildfire risk rises in the West, wildland firefighters and officials are keeping a closer eye on the high mountains — regions once considered ...
Fuji Kreider: Eastern Oregon power line irresponsible, unsustainable
The Oregon Public Utility Commission has ruled in favor of the 500-kilovolt Boardman to Hemingway power transmission line, which would run 275 miles through five Eastern Oregon counties, then another 25 ...
Whatchamacolumn: West Coast losing athletic traditions
The 2023 word for college athletics is realignment. Let’s start with some history of the Pac-12 Conference, now in final disintegration stages of a cultural embarrassment. West Coast college athletics ...
PeaceVoice: China's rise hits a wall, opening doors for U.S.
By MEL GURTOV Of Portland State University Over the last decade or so, the tendency among China watchers has been to see China’s rise as an endless upward progression. The same thing happened ...
Curious Kids: If humans went extinct, what would Earth be like?
By CARLTON BASMAJIAN Of Iowa State University As part of The Conversation’s Curious Kids series, open to questions from children at curiouskidsus@theconversation.com, I’d like to respond ...
The Conversation: Ravages of aging resistant to reversal
By ELLEN QUARLES Of the University of Michigan You likely know some folks who seem to age slowly, appearing years younger than their birth dates suggest. And you likely have seen the opposite — ...
Gary Conkling: Stay the course with our two-party system
A third major party wouldn’t end America’s political polarization. It would just muddy our political waters. We should have more faith in the two-party system to help us lurch forward. Even ...
Whatchamacolumn: Time to advise city on taxes, services
August is history; school has started; Labor Day weekend will soon be gone. There is, however, one great season-ending activity available — the ninth annual Walnut City Music Festival, live this ...
Back, and Forth: Despite turnout, town hall maintains traditional spirit
There’s an irony to the term “town hall,” as it can refer to both a gathering and a building. “An event at which a public official or political candidate addresses an audience ...
Offbeat Oregon: 'The Rolls-Royce Guru’ came to Oregon / Part 4, Unraveling
After the election, the new formerly homeless residents of Rajneeshpuram were the most pressing problem for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers. They cost a lot of money to feed and house, and they ...
