Nonprofits partner with the government to deliver social services, such as child care for low-income families, housing for people experiencing homelessness, and job training and placement. These partnerships can form with local or state governments, as well as with the federal government, with this collaboration mostly taking place through grants and contracts.
Editorials
New stormwater fee justifiable only as replacement, not add-on
Three years ago, McMinnville began assessing the need to follow the path of most cities its size and larger in establishing a separate stormwater utility operation with its own fee structure. To that end, ...
Board got parting right, needs to get hiring right
In response to the naming of Debbie Brockett as school superintendent in the spring of 2021, we opened our editorial this way: “When Maryalice Russell was named superintendent of schools here in ...
Reliable local transit a linchpin for many
We live in times marked by something akin to a crisis a day, if not an even more frantic crisis of the hour or minute. It’s so dizzying, it can numb us into a state of near paralysis. So one of ...
City's elected leaders facing times sure to try their souls
The hopes and dreams of passionate advocates have a bad habit of crashing into the realities of limited means, competing priorities and opposing views. Never has that seemed more evident, we must say, ...
Open, top-two primary would be good for what ails Oregon
Advocates of a top-two form of open primary, resembling those long serving to good effect in neighboring California to the south and Washington to the north, are taking a major run at it in the Oregon ...
Vollmer may overreach, but so does the sanction
Stories raising issues about when it may be appropriate for public officials to engage in the public process outside their core duties — and when that may seem disruptive, political, intimidating ...
Celebrating the good will still alive and well locally
For many people in Yamhill County — including, perhaps, most of the 49% who opposed presidential re-election of Donald Trump — the first few weeks of his new term have proven a disaster on ...
New fire district seems off to a sure-footed start
No social, commercial or governmental function remains static for very long, given the exponentially accelerating pace of today’s world. And that certainly includes the closely allied public safety ...
We can't just spend our way out of public defender crisis
Back in 2022, then Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, fed up with Oregon’s pathetic patchwork of a public defense system, sounded a cry of alarm over the resulting lack of criminal ...
City and county looking to state and federal partners
Cities and counties routinely seek help from their state and federal big brothers with larger projects for the constituencies they serve. And with new legislative and congressional sessions getting underway, ...
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: April 25, 2025
Communication breakdown After being gone for several weeks, I was stunned and upset when I returned home to discover Superintendent Debbie Brockett was being terminated. It was my impression that she ...
Letters to the editor: April 18, 2024
Hispanic community issues I am a concerned school district parent serving as vice president of the Hispanic PTA of McMinnville. I would like to share some of my concerns and frustrations with you. One ...
Letters to the Editor: April 11, 2025
Bread lines Historians now agree that it was not Marie Antoinette who uttered the famous line, “Let them eat cake.” It was actually Donald Trump. Stuart Gunness Sheridan Your help needed After ...
Letters to the Editor: April 4, 2025
Keep it natural As a resident of McMinnville living near Quarry Park, I am appalled the city is considering destroying a beautiful natural area by turning it into a BMX pump track. I notice other writers ...
Letters to the Editor: March 28, 2025
Healthy and wholesome As an educator, parent and youth bike coach, I’ve been saddened to read recent letters in opposition to bike trails at Quarry Park. The park is within walking and biking distance ...
Letters to the Editor: March 21, 2025
Melting down in Mac My daughter and I are from the Salem area. This was our third year attending the Meltdown fundraiser. This year, we went to eight places. We visited five on the first day, all in ...
Letters to the Editor: March 14, 2025
Cherish downtown Each day on my walks, I notice changes in town — more bathrooms closed, benches removed and public trash cans missing. In their place, overflowing trash and restricted spaces. Tennis ...
Letters to the Editor: March 7, 2025
Keep it natural I am a resident who lives near Quarry Park. I attended the Oct. 21 public information meeting regarding development of the park, presented by Susan Muir of the Parks Department and Lisa ...
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 28, 2025
Looking for answers On Sunday, I attended our junior senator’s town hall in Mac. Unfortunately, while the News-Register reported the questions asked at that meeting quite well, my questions were ...
Commentary
Whatchamacolumn: Linfield goes full-public with private finances
Governmental and institutional budgets are going under the knife. And while federal government cuts have drawn maximum attention, public interest is turning to local financial emergencies. It’s ...
Whatchamacolumn: Americans tortuously trying to ‘follow the money’
Americans are stunned by the explosion of controversial statements, policies, executive orders and vengeful actions radiating from the White House. So much so — intentionally? — as to distract ...
Karleen Booth: Our students deserve better
About the writer: Guest writer Karleen Booth taught K-5 English Language Learner students in the McMinnville School District for a number of years. Prior to that, she spent 12 years in Monmouth’s ...
Investigating the Bible: Overcoming Discrimination
In the late 1800s American women were fighting for the right to vote. Those opposed had bizarre reasons.
Dyana Mason and Mirae Kim: Federal fund freeze threatens nation's social safety network
Nonprofits partner with the government to deliver social services, such as child care for low-income families, housing for people experiencing homelessness, and job training and placement. These partnerships can form with local or state governments, as well as with the federal government, with this collaboration mostly taking place through grants and contracts.
Quirk of the Week: Strange stop-and-go scenes found on side streets and main road in Dundee
Dundee, with its unique dual reputation for winery stops and stop-and-go traffic, is the territory for this week’s flight of Quirk. Mixed among the tony tasting room facilities of Dundee is a collection ...
Randy Stapilus: Exploding electrical demand challenges region's capacity
The Northwest Power Planning Council was formed in 1981 in response to concerns in the area about the future availability of energy and the potential impact on power production on various business sectors and on the environment, especially fish runs.
Quirk of the Week: Pull up a chair and examine the odd seats of Linfield U
A couple weeks ago, QotW was all about things found on the move. This week, it’s all about sitting, at Linfield specifically. Seats, indoor and under cover, are our focus this week. I recently ...
Tarek Alexander Hassant: Trade deficit is actually sign of American strength
When President Donald Trump imposed sweeping new tariffs on imported goods on April 2 – upending global trade and sending markets into a tailspin – he presented the move as a response to a crisis.
Whatchamacolumn: Learn about tariffs while waiting on the phone
Tariffs and Social Security are two excerpts from the world of Trumpism, which one political analyst describes as “what the president believes on any particular moment on any particular day about ...
Investigating the Bible: Faith of the famous
The United States has many Halls of Fame. Some are well known, like football’s in Canton or baseball’s in Cooperstown. Lesser known are the Robot Hall of Fame in the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburg, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, the Gunfighters Hall of Fame in Tombstone, and the Idaho Potato Hall of Fame, of course in Blackfoot, Idaho. Our state has the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor at the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville. The Bible has a Hall of Fame in the book of Hebrews.
Whatchamacolumn: It’s never too late to correct a factual error
Consider this column a much-belated correction impacting a current story that is generating local controversy. That story is the city of McMinnville’s prolonged plan to flip the former Ultimate RB ...
Investigating the Bible: Foolishness and wisdom
The snipe is a beautifully camouflaged bird with a Pinocchio beak. It inhabits marshlands in Europe, Asia, and New Zealand.
Quirk of the Week: A spin on a motley crew of local signs
A motley collection of signs serves as this week’s collection of Quirk. The list starts with a sign that no longer exists, at least not where it was photographed. Many will probably recall the beautifully ...
Ken Dollinger: Yearning for safe harbor in sea of political extremes
It is late at night, or maybe early in the morning, and my eyelids just popped open. My mind has started racing multiple thoughts around its mental track. Sleep is just not happening. One interesting ...
Whatchamacolumn: Career criminals play a role in budget deficits
McMinnville’s huge city budget deficit was on display this week, with officials trying to figure out why it evolved while grappling with how to respond. “I’m failing to understand,” ...
The Conversation: Trump's nonstop newsmaking threatens to drown out all else
By JENNIFER MERCIECA Of Texas A&M University Like many other news organizations, The Associated Press maintains a scrolling “live updates” page. It posts the latest from the administration ...
Whatchamacolumn: Caution urged with using Social Security chainsaw
Get ready for some numbers about Social Security and aging Americans — if you don’t care for statistics, you might consider skipping this article. First, let’s warm up with some figures ...
Quirk: ‘Visible spectrums,’ be they fleeting or ageless rainbows, add vivid local color
Talk of rainbows and pots of gold made the rounds this week. While no such discoveries were reported, some reliable rainbow sightings can be documented. It turns out that around McMinnville, a trove of ...
