Almost anyone who knows me will tell you my viewpoints can be a bit eccentric. Looking out across the Yamhill River Valley, most folks see combines harvesting wheat and hear harvesters moving ...
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Editorials
Power grab threatens our heritage
Donald Trump has never shown much interest in facts or truth — or any curbs on presidential power, as long as he’s wielding it. But he’s outdone himself in declaring a national border ...
Maybe it's time to revoke governor's poetic license
We hope Gov. Kate Brown is better at creating bipartisanship than she is at inventing metaphors to describe it. The governor risks having her poetic license revoked after a headscratching Valentine’s ...
Reality of faculty layoffs looms at Linfield College
As a result of declining enrollment on its home campus in McMinnville, where the count has now dropped below 1,250, Linfield College has no alternative but to cut faculty. By necessity, the layoffs will ...
Council's self-praise not followed by results
McMinnville benefits tremendously from its city council, comprised of a caring and compassionate group of volunteer policymakers. If our councilors have one major fault, it’s the tendency to ...
Meddling too much is counter productive
We are living in a separate political universe here in Oregon. In many respects, that’s a positive thing. But not in all respects. Donald Trump Republicans don’t seem to want government to ...
Housing strategy must be grounded in reality
If public policy could be cobbled from Post-It notes, McMinnville’s housing strategy for the next 50 years could be summarized in three words: Build more houses. At an open house Tuesday, planners ...
Governor’s new fiscal madness
Has Gov. Kate Brown taken leave of her senses? It sure seemed so last Friday, when she proposed allowing families which include two public employees to resume double-dipping on their Cadillac insurance ...
Dwindling water requires concerted county action
Newly elected Commissioner Casey Kulla is taking the reins of the county’s Water Task Force, building on work begun by Commissioner Kathy George and continued by Commissioner Mary Starrett.Like George, ...
Pep talk precedes day for the homeless
Mayor Scott Hill summarized Tuesday’s State of the City address and volunteer appreciation banquet by saying: “Tonight is about fun, celebrating and taking the time to recognize the people ...
Owners of historic homes deserve proper notification
It’s fairly straightforward to find out if a building you own is on McMinnville’s Historic Resources Inventory. Just pore over the 558 addresses listed at mcminnvilleoregon.gov/planning/page/historic-preservation. Harold ...
Letters
Letters to the editor: Feb. 22, 2019
Lamenting a big loss Our community will soon lose a remarkable medical resource. We are saying good-bye with sadness and gratitude to a surgeon who set the bar for top-quality care in his work with patients. Dr. ...
Letters to the editor: Feb. 15, 2019
State control not the answer About a year ago, three of my tenants came to me with concerns about one of the other apartments. Cars would drive up. Someone would get out, go in for a few minutes, come ...
Letters to the editor: Feb. 8, 2019
Cheating distorts comparisons For years, we've heard Oregon's graduation rates are among the worst in the country. Our four-year graduation rate rose from 74 percent in 2015 to 79 in 2018, still far ...
Letters to the editor: Feb. 1, 2019
Crusading against carbon While researching the Oregon Clean Energy Jobs Bill, coming up this session, I came across an article in last week’s Forbes Magazine headlined: “2018’s Green ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 25, 2019
Promotion of promiscuity For some time, I have wondered about the value of sex education in the public schools. It appears without ethical consensus, so is designed to offend no particular group and therefore ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 18, 2019
Buyer beware If you are contemplating buying a house, and it may have any historical significance, check with the planning department first. If it’s on a list kept by the city’s Historic Landmarks ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 11, 2019
Park upkeep gets short end I see the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is embarking on yet another neighborhood park. I called the city in 2017 asking that the Chegwyn Park be better maintained. ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 4, 2019
Crimes of opportunity? According to surveillance footage, a man and woman trespassed onto property carrying an empty gas can, with the intent to siphon gas from a car. That’s not opportunity, it’s ...
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 28, 2018
Give thanks for journalism After another year of incessant harangues about “fake news,” I think it’s worth reflecting on how much we owe to the journalists who keep us informed every ...
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 21, 2018
Best bets missed on bypass Ken Dollinger makes some good points in his recent letter, but also missed some that are relevant. Many of our homes are purchased by metropolitans coming here because they ...
Commentary
Mike Full: Through the mists of time
Almost anyone who knows me will tell you my viewpoints can be a bit eccentric. Looking out across the Yamhill River Valley, most folks see combines harvesting wheat and hear harvesters moving ...
Jeb Bladine: Socialism will be 2020's red herring
Lines are being drawn early for the 2020 presidential campaign. Americans respond to absolutes, and Donald Trump is an artist with lines in the sand. Democrats are socialists. Socialism destroys personal ...
Rich Leipfert: Costs swelling, dollars shrinking at Mac Fire
In the McMinnville Fire Department service, Before Self is our motto. We are continually striving to improve the service we provide to our citizens is the goal. These driving forces have molded the fire ...
Jeb Bladine: Legislature showing 'tyranny of majority'
Oregon Democrats hold 18 seats in the Senate and 38 in the House; thus the supermajorities needed to raise taxes on their own. But that’s just the beginning. At least with taxes, uncertainties cross ...
Mark Floyd: Warming taking a toll on Oregon
The changing climate is having a significant impact on Oregon, a new report concludes, with the state growing progressively warmer, experiencing more severe wildfires and undergoing a shift ...
Justus Armstrong: Expanded rail service not cost effective
The Oregon Department of Transportation recently published its Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Oregon Passenger Rail Project, which plans to expand and improve passenger rail service ...
Jeb Bladine: A 400-word corner of ‘new’ Viewpoints
“Change,” wrote Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “is the only constant.” Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli added, “Change is inevitable.” Today, proving ...
Corena Killian: A new era for waste starts in our schools
Every day, I walk my daughter to school. Every day, we pass a residential construction site where litter is rampant. Food and beverage waste is dumped on the ground. Small plastic scraps of packaging ...
Tom Henderson: Politicians hate to see their own reflections
Poor U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has developed a severe case of eisoptrophobia. It was only a matter of time, I suppose. And yet she seemed so young and confident. So, you know, together.I ...
Jeb Bladine: Lessons needed for SAT Generation
The “Covington Controversy” at last week’s March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. is a teachable moment if people can absorb the lesson. A much-viewed encounter involved members of ...
Jeb Bladine: A generation that transcends gender
Generations keep coming and going ... they evolve, get named and, ultimately, are judged by history. Youngest members of the G.I. Generation — dubbed “The Greatest Generation” by Tom ...
Robert Porath: What’s in them thar hills anyway?
Pass the basalt! In a recent column in Roots to Roofs, a special section of the News-Register, my wife and I teamed up to write about the stream crossing our property. It’s officially called Soap ...
Randy Stapilus: Majority Democrats harboring big ambitions
One decade ago, following the 2008 general election, something unusual happened with the Oregon Legislative Assembly — one party gained control of both chambers with supermajority numbers. Democrats ...
Jeb Bladine: Facts and fantasy of childhood games
For whatever reason, my mind recently turned to childhood days of neighborhood softball games. We had detailed rules for “work-up” baseball that treated everyone equally as they moved through ...
Mark Davis: Creating more affordable housing
What is affordable housing? The most of common definition stems from the guideline against spending more than 30 percent of your income on housing — rent or house payment plus utilities. This means ...
Jeb Bladine: Yet another idea about resolutions
It’s resolution time in America. Some people try to eliminate bad habits; others pledge to adopt positive practices. Resolutions such as “I’m going to lose weight” require both ...
Casey Kulla: County can help us all address climate change
Over the course of my campaign for county commissioner, I was asked regularly, “What is the greatest challenge facing Yamhill County?” While we face many complex challenges today, including ...
Jeb Bladine: Local life stories fill a wide-reaching list
Our 2018 newspaper pages told life stories about hundreds of local people who died this year. They touched the lives of untold thousands, far and wide; as always, it was a memorable trip through the decades ...
McCann and Romomaskovic-Devey: Harassment demands managerial rather than legal solution
The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have brought renewed attention to sexual harassment in the workplace. However, the vast majority of allegations go unreported, and those who do report tend to face troubling outcomes.
