You might be wondering what all the hubbub is here locally over the News-Register’s Community Partners program, and programs like it now springing up around the state.
Editorials
Oregon takes lead again on recycling/reuse front
Oregon broke new environmental ground 55 years ago with the bottle bill. It was the national pilot for a new generation of “extended producer responsibility” measures, designed to force producers ...
Short session shenanigans produce biggest stinker yet
One terrible bill being pushed through the 2026 Oregon Legislature would allow quorums of local government bodies to meet and discuss important public business in private. In opposing that bill, HB 4177, ...
Government budgets grow alongside limits on taxes
In this semiquincentennial birthday year for America, history reminds us that opposition to taxation measures — Stamp Act, Townshend Duties, Tea Act — helped light the fuse that sparked the ...
Let us all come together to bridge the gaps that divide
The nonprofit Unidos Bridging Community, prominently featured in a story in last Friday’s News-Register, has been providing support services to Yamhill County’s large and diverse Latino population ...
Those who covet power must first earn out trust
For the first 150 years of its statehood, Oregon limited regular legislative sessions to odd-numbered years. As governance turned increasingly complex and contentious, it became one of only a handful of ...
Can we all join in standing for what we know is right?
During his first term, Donald Trump’s ravenous crusade to bend the world to his will was at least partially restrained by people holding key elective and appointive posts. Not so this time around, ...
Schools face crisis point; course correction needed
Public school enrollment has been declining for the last 10 years in McMinnville, punctuated by a precipitous plunge during the pandemic followed by a limited recovery in succeeding years that seems to ...
Let's lower our sights and cut deal on Alpine project
Palindrome’s $80.5 million proposal for redevelopment of Alpine Avenue’s former RB Rubber site stood out for one clear reason: It was the most audacious and ambitious of the eight submissions. ...
A lot to like in the result, a lot less in the process
Celebrated English playwright William Shakespeare coined the oft-quoted phrase, “All’s well that ends well,” to serve as the name of a play he wrote and produced in 1623. And even then, ...
All signs point to another year of trail controversy
Yamhill County — where public park development has not been a high priority — has park projects drawing high public interest going into 2026. County leaders are planning to eliminate the expansive ...
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: March 6, 2026
Simply wrong As an octogenarian, I’ve had a lifetime to learn the difference between right and wrong and live by that understanding. I don’t claim to have lived a perfect life, but I have ...
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 27, 2026
Where’s my refund? It’s always a good idea to read the fine print. Knowing exactly where you stand is important. By now, most people know that the foreign countries who send goods to the ...
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 20, 2026
Damaging leasing practices I am writing as a concerned community member about the growing impact of excessive rent increases and profit-driven practices by some landlords in downtown McMinnville. Small ...
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 13, 2026
Get a real Republican This moderate Republican has praised the News-Register many times and still thinks we are lucky to have a newspaper, left-leaning though it may be. I have a criticism, though. It ...
Letters to the Editor: Feb. 6, 2026
Vote them out Under President Trump, the United States is inching closer and closer to becoming a tyranny, a totalitarian state where a lawless government’s power is exercised by one man, according ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 30, 2026
Where’s the leadership? Physical impotence can damage relationships and mental health, which is why billions are spent every year on treatments for erectile dysfunction. Lately, we’re seeing ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 23, 2026
Building bridges I was surprised to learn from the News-Register that at the last city council meeting, Councilor Chris Chenoweth criticized Unidos Bridging Community, saying “an organization that ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 16, 2026
Poor example I attended the city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to learn if the City was going to respond to recent ICE activity, and if so, what the response would consist of. It was clear there ...
Letters to the Editor: Jan. 9, 2026
Follow the money We are watching the biggest wealth transfer in history. Wealth that is moving from ordinary Americans to the richest people on Earth. Our middle class is the last repository of wealth ...
Commentary
Jeb Bladine: Huge cost of unfunded mandates falls to taxpayers
It’s annual budget time for state and local governments, and the numbers are staggering. There isn’t enough money for government to do what it wants, but the costs are beyond what taxpayers ...
Quirk of the Week: Punching out the center hole for some serious spin
As we March Fourth toward spring, Quirk of the Week yields one more “indoor delights” accounting, starting with several short takes before spinning our main feature: • Shoe rack sign ...
Rusty Rae: Saving Oregon newspapers one community at a time
You might be wondering what all the hubbub is here locally over the News-Register’s Community Partners program, and programs like it now springing up around the state.
Jonah Goldberg: One man's war has us all on blowback watch
About the writer: Conservative D.C.-based commentator Jonah Goldberg serves as editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, hosts The Remnant podcast, authors a weekly Los Angeles Times column, holds a chair ...
Mel Gurtov: A board like no other
Donald Trump has turned the presidency into a vanity project, campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, pimping for cybercurrency and putting his name and image all over Washington, most recently on a banner atop the Department of Justice. He’s every bit the rival of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin when it comes to a cult of personality.
Rufus Friday: Don' turn Stars and Stripes into mere message platform
Some news organizations have developed a set of values to guide their reporting journalistic values.
Most are just written down somewhere. Very few inscribe them on their walls.
Investigating the Bible: Fighting evil
These days, evil can be non-partisan. On one side of the political aisle, people say President Trump should be imprisoned for the things he has done or allegedly done. On the other side, some say New York ...
Mike Burr: Jackson was a man of faith who believed faith demanded action
I was saddened to learn of the death of Jesse Jackson at the age of 84.
I met Jesse 55 years ago. I was sent to Chicago by the Northern California Council of Churches to attend a training presented by the Urban Institute.
Jeb Bladine: Humiliating insults a staple of Trump presidency
This week’s State of the Union address by President Donald Trump was one for the ages. At 108 minutes, it was the longest in recent history. The speech featured typical Trump showmanship; promoted ...
Jonah Goldberg: Rubio wrong, but at least he takes policy seriously
Finally free from the demands of being chief archivist of the United States, secretary of state, national security adviser and unofficial viceroy of Venezuela, Marco Rubio made his way to the Munich Security Conference last weekend to deliver a major address.
Investigating the Bible: The Lord is my shepherd
King David compared himself to sheep. A common misconception is that sheep are stupid; why would David use that comparison? Research shows sheep are intelligent. They can recognize and remember for two ...
Quirk of the Week: Let’s take a drive down punny lane
Snowplows and boats have famously been subject to citizen-nominated naming contests in recent years, most famously “Boaty McBoatface” for a British polar research vessel a few years ago. Portland ...
From The Conversation: How Washington turned adversity into triumph
This past Presidents’ Day, I was thinking about George Washington — not with respect to his finest hour, though, but possibly his worst.
Leland Thoburn: A word about social justice and why it matters to us
Today is the World Day of Social Justice. I’m sure many of you have been poised with your social justice party hats, dancing in anticipation of Feb. 20 rolling around again.
Jonah Goldberg: Voter ID shouldn't be so controversial
President Trump says Republicans should “nationalize the election,” or at least assume control of the process in up to 15 places he says voting is corrupt. His evidence of fraudulent voting is that he lost in such places in 2020, and since it’s axiomatic that he won everywhere, the reported results serve as proof of the fraud.
Jeb Bladine: Focus on spending, not just on taxes and fees
Oregonians have focused too much attention on government taxes and not enough on government spending. That applies as well to McMinnville, where changes in city leadership do not yet seem destined to quell ...
Investigating the Bible: Assumptions and attitudes
Before he was a journalist, Tim Russert worked as an intern for New York Senator Patrick Moynihan. He recalled an incident that occurred when Moynihan was first running for office. Moynihan had previously ...
Quirk of the Week: This sign no longer belongs here
An inexplicable five-year relic is the focus of this edition. It’s a 2020-installed roadside sign next to one you might have seen reading “You Belong Here.” The smaller, obsolete sign ...
Investigating the Bible: Strength in weakness
Franklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian organization providing aid to those in crisis around the world. One of the ministries of the Samaritan’s ...
