Most Oregonians today are probably unaware of how close Oregon came to becoming a slave state. Slavery was intensely debated at Oregon’s Constitutional Convention in 1857. In fact, it was ...
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Editorials
Celebrate Bottle Bill; renew commitment to recycling
As Oregonians celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oregon Bottle Bill, we can look upon it as one of the two shiniest gems in the Oregon public policy crown. The other is the 1967 Oregon Beach Law, ensuring ...
Turkey Rama deserves another chance to recapture lost magic
“Let’s be honest,” we conceded in this space two years ago, following the McMinnville Turkey Rama festival’s tepid 2019 run. “It’s a mere shell of its former self.” If ...
Residents report fears of Evans Street ‘dragstrip’
Mac police, public works pledge steps to address the problem Northeast Evans Street crosswalks aren’t always safe zones and people drive far too fast, City Council heard from local residents ...
Commissioners do right thing in dumping Nearman for Scharf
It’s a rare day when we find ourself in agreement with Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer, as she tends to be woefully long on ideology and short on pragmatism. So count this as a rare ...
Pride support dominates here, but still has its ugly dissenters
How many of us learned of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in a K-12 history class? How about the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which erupted in New York’s Greenwich Village? Both of these violent eruptions ...
Mandates have saved the day, but time has come to lift them
Few have been more staunchly supportive of masking, distancing, disinfecting and vaccinating than we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. From the outset, we have cast our lot with Anthony Fauci, Kate ...
Seniors need to be wary of con artists’ schemes
Earlier this month, the News-Register published a gripping account of a former lawyer, since disbarred, being belatedly held criminally accountable for stealing thousands in trust funds from an elderly ...
Please put the fireworks on hold this fire season
By many measures in many states, last year’s wildfire season was the worst on record. By just about any measure anywhere, it left a frightening swath of death and destruction in its wake. Factors ...
Never underestimate ability of youth to weather hardship
High school graduation is one of the largest broadly shared transitions in American society, if not the largest. And it can test the coming generation’s capacity to cope and adjust even under the ...
Dear commissioners: Please leave the legislating to others
Lindsay Berschauer and Mary Starrett Yamhill County Courthouse 535 N.E. Fifth St., McMinnville, OR Dear Commissioners: To quote a line first made famous by Ronald Reagan, patriarch of the conservative ...
Letters
Letters to the editor: July 23, 2021
Standing for inclusion I have two sweet young kids in the Newberg School District, one going into middle school and one into high school. As a parent, I know that these are amazing and trying years for ...
Letters to the editor: July 16, 2021
The real story? Apparently Riverbend Landfill is not really closed. If you review the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Riverbend Landfill web posting, you will note: “The landfill ...
Letters to the editor: July 9, 2021
Time to resign Dear Ms. Bershauer: It’s time for you to resign and move on from your job as Yamhill County commissioner. It’s very clear you came to Yamhill County to advance your personal ...
Letters to the editor: July 2, 2021
Make it plant-based The scarcity of animal meat caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will keep our outdoor grills safer this Independence Day. Folks who grill hamburgers and hot dogs face a nasty choice. ...
Letters to the Editor, June 25, 2021
Dump the pretense Last week, word leaked that Riverbend Landfill was “closing.” Folks who have worked for more than 14 years to prevent dump expansion were pleased but wary, and for good reason. Managers ...
Letters to the editor: June 18, 2021
Hold them accountable Thank you to the Oregon Legislature for its defacto unanimous vote to expel Mike Nearman for his disgraceful behavior at the Oregon Capitol Building on Dec. 21, 2020. He also needs ...
Letters to the editor: June 11, 2021
Putting lives at risk The recent comments of Commissioner Mary Starrett, defending her comparison of vaccine passports to Jim Crow segregation and the genocide by the Nazi regime, are telling. As Anne ...
Letters to the editor: June 4, 2021
Cans to Freddy’s Brad Thompson’s guest commentary about the lack of sufficient bottle and can return locations missed a great local option — the BottleDrop redemption center next to ...
Letters to the editor: May 28, 2021
Restoring professionalism By sponsoring HB 3130, Rep. Ron Noble has again shown his concern for constituents. He has helped lead the way toward restoration of professionalism, including the opportunity ...
Letters to the editor: May 21, 2021
Hands to yourself Do not touch me without my consent. Basic respect for my personal space should not be a big ask. “Born huggers” do not have the right to touch other people’s bodies ...
Commentary
Nokes: Oregon nearly entered Union as a slave state
Most Oregonians today are probably unaware of how close Oregon came to becoming a slave state. Slavery was intensely debated at Oregon’s Constitutional Convention in 1857. In fact, it was ...
Jeb Bladine: Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon a good reminder to be prepared
Mankind can only hope that global warming and climate change are hoaxes, because we aren’t well-prepared for the consequences. All eyes turned to Oregon this summer, first on our deadly heat wave ...
Jeb Bladine: Kudos, and an idea, for county property
Here’s a bouquet, and a brickbat, for Yamhill County’s management of downtown McMinnville properties: Whatchamacolumn Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register. > ...
FRANKEN: Cosby’s rights upheld because money speaks
By BOB FRANKEN CNN Capitol veteran National legal light Gloria Allred, who represents more than 30 of Bill Cosby’s accusers, attributed his release from prison by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ...
MARIA DE JESUS: Third World’s vaccine desert threatens people everywhere
By MARIA DE JESUS American University In the race between infection and injection, injection has lost. Public health experts estimate 70% of the world’s 7.9 billion people must be fully vaccinated ...
Moore: Legislature turns deaf ear to voters
The voters of Oregon spoke loud and clear in November 2020 balloting. By 78% to 22%, they amended Oregon’s Constitution to allow laws regulating money in elections. By doing so, they made it possible ...
Bladine: Trail becomes symbol for growing divide
Political insiders have long anticipated results of a journalistic investigation into the ideology and money behind a 2021 takeover of Yamhill County government. That investigative report, published last ...
Perronr and Jasechkow: Wells going dry around the world
By DEBRA PERRONE<br/>and SCOTT JASECHKO University of California at Santa Barbara As the drought outlook for the Western U.S. becomes increasingly bleak, attention is turning once again to ...
Freres: Active forest management crucial to warding off fire
By ROB FRERES Freres Lumber Company, Oregon Our 99-year-old family-owned company lost 75 million board feet of timber in last September’s Santiam Fire. Trees of varying ages, planted on 6,000 acres ...
Gibson: How to defeat a deadly disease
In April of 1977, a cook at a hospital in the port city of Merka, Somalia, became the last person to contract naturally occurring smallpox. This ancient scourge killed more than 300 million people in ...
Renewables fuel shift to carbon-free power
By JOSEPH RAND, DEV MILSTEIN, RYAN WISER & BENTHAM PAULOS Of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Renewable energy’s rapid growth is accelerating a national shift to a carbon-free electric ...
Jeb Bladine: Employers still face pandemic rules
Effective Wednesday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown ended limitations on gathering sizes and eliminated most requirements for wearing masks. Oregonians generally heralded the decision, which marks a new stage ...
Early detection breakthrough needs congressional support
By CANDACE BURCH McMinnville Health Educator As a health educator, prevention is my mantra, and early detection, which can pinpoint a disease like cancer before it spreads through the body, is essential. ...
PERS crisis at 21: The board must act
By ERIC FRUITS Of the Cascade Policy Institute This year, Oregon’s PERS crisis turns 21 years old. What began in 2000 as a nearly fully funded public employee retirement system is now running a ...
Brian C. Black: Transition to electric vehicles shifts into high gear
By BRIAN C. BLACK<br/>Of Penn State University When President Joe Biden took Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning pickup for a test drive last month in Dearborn, Michigan, it was more than just ...
Tom Hastings: A new national holiday isn't the answer, but it's a tiny step forward
By TOM HASTINGS Of Portland State University After decades of educating us about the horrific history of Texas slaveowners refusing to let their illegally kept African-descended humans know that they were ...
Eric Schuck: When holding fast not enough, muster 'sisu' to move forward
When holding fast not enough, muster 'sisu' to move forward “Seesaw, man. Just keep focusing on the seesaw.” I’ve heard a lot of sailors’ slang over my years as a Naval commander, ...
Jeb Bladine: Controversy reigns in county politics
Controversy reigns county politics News brief: Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer has settled a civil lawsuit filed when she was a candidate in 2020. For perspective, this from our April 2020 ...
Jeb Bladine: Campaign stokes election doubts
Proverbs — those old, wise sayings without known authors — shape much of our daily lives. “Proverbs,” wrote Mark Peters on BBC.com, “touch on just about every aspect of life, ...
