It was an election of high turnout. It was also an election of hard-fought statewide races that solidified Oregon’s identity as a Democratic state, with Republicans steadfast in challenging the prevailing ...
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Editorials
City tramples valid concerns in adoption of fee increases
Few good decisions are made in a hurry, so it came as little surprise when the McMinnville City Council trampled several valid concerns Tuesday in its haste to hike building and planning fees. The fees ...
We must be content with justice delayed
On moral grounds, Jennifer Weathers, allegedly driving drunk when daughter Meighan Cordie either jumped or fell to her death from the back seat of the speeding car, deserves a much stiffer penalty than ...
County space needs demand serious look
Sometimes today’s great idea morphs into tomorrow’s bad plan. Sometimes too much of a good thing eventually becomes bad. So it is, we fear, with Yamhill County’s inexorable sprawl through ...
Polystyrene recycling program presents a unique opportunity
Most Americans are blockheads when it comes to recycling. Some don’t recycle whatsoever. Others pitch trash items into the same bin. Both actions cause a wide range of problems and expenses, and ...
Airport never seems to catch any attention
“The city’s most unheralded asset.” “A crucial need for a tourist-oriented economy.” “(It’s) poised to take off. ... It’s time to start those engines.” “The ...
There’s no tax too large, no tax too petty for Gov. Brown
Gov. Kate Brown ran a re-election campaign virtually free from any policy or program agenda. She settled for praising her past accomplishments of dubious authenticity, promising to protect abortion rights ...
Holiday spirit soured over parade miscue
One of the many signs the holiday season is approaching is the cultural and historical debate over who truly rules the season, Jesus Christ or Santa Claus. Another sign in McMinnville, actually the “official ...
State cleans up one backlog and generates a new one
In 2015, the state crime lab acknowledged a backlog of 5,600 untested rape kits. That admission barely hinted at the towering magnitude of the actual problem.Because it was typically taking five years ...
Climate change creating chaos by land and sea
In America’s West, the lands are ablaze and the seas are suffocating. In Oregon, 99 percent of the territory is mired in drought. We wish we were being hyperbolic, but those are just the facts. ...
Linfield’s bold move to buy campus promises big payoff
Linfield College has been striving for years to augment an endowment dwarfed by those of private liberal arts peer institutions. So, what moved it to part with $14.5 million of its approximately $114 million ...
Letters
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 7, 2018
Save the insects Gardening has opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of birds, insects and humans. Consider the chickadee: Like most birds, 98 percent of its diet is insects. Juicy caterpillars convert ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 30, 2018
Let the raking begin! In the aftermath of the catastrophic California wildfires, the president came up with an absolutely brilliant idea for avoiding such disasters in the future: Rake all the forests! What ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 23, 2018
Same ol’, same ol’ I’ve heard and observed some pretty horrific stuff going on with Oregon’s child welfare system. It borders on crimes against humanity. The county wants to reform ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 16, 2018
Beautifully performed I was at a performance of the Second Winds Community Band this last Sunday in McMinnville. It was headlined, “Thank You Veterans!” I’m not sure what I was expecting, ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 9, 2018
Help the homeless I am so disgusted with all the protesting, violence and destruction going on in support of illegal aliens. They are breaking our laws. We should be out protesting against injustices ...
Letters to the Editor: Nov. 2, 2018
Integrity and intelligence As a father, small business owner and active member of this community, I strongly support Jennifer Chapman for Yamhill County Circuit Court judge.Why? Because I think our judges ...
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 26, 2018
Balanced and reasonable I have known Jennifer Chapman for several years. I have known her as a co-worker, a friend and a member of this community. So when she first brought up the idea of running for ...
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 19, 2018
Bullying and abusive My daughter, Taylor Petersen, has chosen to stop playing volleyball for Linfield College due to the abusive and bullying behavior of Head Coach Josh Davis. The volleyball team ...
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 12, 2018
The facts on gluten If you’re gluten-intolerant, please don’t panic. The Oct. 9 article, “Study: One-third of ‘gluten-free’ restaurants in the U.S. are not,” ...
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 5, 2018
Letters from Gary Langenwalter, John Englebrecht, Roy Webster, Mark Davis, Martha O'Donnell, E.J. Farrar, Roy Simmons, Elizabeth Van Staaveren, Richard Rouse, Kathy Beckwith, Tanya Bishop, Pat Cole, David Sumner, and Jim LeTourneux
Commentary
Jeb Bladine: Public needs more nonbreaking news
Is health care a serious problem in America? How about the national debt and budget deficit? Apparently not, looking only at the dearth of news about those and other significant issues. Of course, it’s ...
Jim Moore: Midterm elections Where we went, where we might go
It was an election of high turnout. It was also an election of hard-fought statewide races that solidified Oregon’s identity as a Democratic state, with Republicans steadfast in challenging the prevailing ...
Jeb Bladine: Caution urged in new ‘kicker’ talks
Oregon legislators and business leaders are reviving talks about changing the state income tax “kicker” – this time, perhaps, in a manner deserving close scrutiny by Oregonians. We’ve ...
Brian Depew: Immigration reality in rural America
A recent raid in north central Nebraska put a spotlight on immigration in rural America.
Starla Pointer: Relishing the global magic of Christmas
The magic of Christmas brings us together to share our traditions. We share them within our families, faith communities and wider community.For most, it’s a Christian holiday honoring Christ’s ...
David Bates: Telling the story at Gallery Theater
Scientists from a variety of fields — including anthropology, psychology and sociology — explain how storytelling is central to the human experience. Animals may hunt, communicate and even ...
Jeb Bladine: Hackers can feast in holiday seasons
Three words can instill worldwide fear among individuals and organizations: “We’ve been hacked!” Hackers have accessed hundreds of millions of records through Yahoo, Equifax, eBay, Target ...
Doug Cruikshank: Reflections of a Habitat for Humanity volunteer
After more than 17 years helping build houses for McMinnville Habitat for Humanity, I’ve decided it’s time for me to hang up my tools. I wish to preface my personal reflections of my years ...
Jeb Bladine: Busy police need help from citizens
McMinnville homes, vehicles and buildings make lucrative targets for thieves, including individual and organized car prowls. That popular violation of our personal space and possessions has spread to Carlton, ...
Jeb Bladine: Past connections open door to whole new set
My recent peek into one family attic produced much nostalgia, and, ultimately, recognition that genealogy is a complex pursuit. I wouldn’t call genealogy a hobby, but I do enjoy delving into records ...
Jeremy Field: Vote ‘Yes’ for Small Business and #ShopSmall Nov. 24
Your vote may already be cast and counted in this year’s election. Your wallet, however, contains another valuable “vote” this holiday season: where you spend your money.
This Saturday, Nov. 24, is Small Business Saturday. I invite you to join consumers across the country to lend your support to local jobs and economic growth by shopping small.
John Rennie Short: Gerrymandering thwarts will of people
November’s midterm elections were some of the most eagerly awaited, closely watched and hyper-partisan of recent years.
But the results for many congressional House seats were already known in advance, because of rampant gerrymandering.
Eric Schuck: What sort of homecoming?
Post-deployment, I didn’t know what to expect. Would I still be the same professor I’d been before I headed overseas? All the seniors I’d known had graduated, and in their place stood ...
Scott Gibson: The myth of a mental health solution
Once again, our country has been traumatized by a mass shooting, this time a synagogue in Pittsburgh. And once again, we have heard calls for America to fix its “broken mental health care system.” But ...
Justus Armstrong: Is our Department of Justice for hire?
By JUSTUS ARMSTRONG Of the Cascade Policy Institute Last June, former Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick was hired by the Oregon Department of Justice as a Special Assistant Attorney General. What ...
Jeb Bladine: Or, I suppose, we can wait and watch
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum (EASM) continues its quest for $420,000 in promised donations from landlord The Falls Event Center (TFEC). It’s a long shot — and getting longer — ...
Jeb Bladine: Technology driving more secret tapes
Oregon’s mountain of state laws is complexity personified. Just last year, about 750 bills added, deleted or amended laws we already didn’t fully understand. Quick: What’s the minimum ...
Gregory V. Jones: Climate change, agriculture and society
The recent U.N. report on climate change highlights the same story society has been hearing for a while now — do something to be better stewards of our planet before climate change gets away from ...
Jeff Knapp: Booming tourism spells economic opportunity
It’s boom time in Oregon tourism. Never before have more people from around the globe been interested in visiting. According to Travel Oregon, the annual impact of tourism runs $11.8 billion. ...
