Author Archive

Phil Busse

Phil Busse

Phil Busse has spent the past 20 years as a journalist, attorney and educator—and doing his tour of duty with alt-weeklies.

He has served as the Editor for the Source, a popular weekly newspaper in Bend, Oregon and was the founding Managing Editor for the Portland Mercury. While in law school, he wrote crime and legal stories for the Eugene Weekly and started his writing career as the first environmental beat reporter for San Francisco Weekly.

In 2006, Phil started the Media Institute for Social Change (MediaMakingChange.org), an educational non-profit. Based in Portland, Oregon, the organization hosts college students each summer to teach them how to produce public interest film and radio documentaries—and, in 2013, helped launch XRAY.FM, a talk and music radio station that won Willamette Week’s readers choice for Best Local Radio Station in 2015.

Phil is truly surprised that he ended up as a newspaperman; as a kid, he believed that he would grow up to be a spy, and has spent a lifetime acquiring the proper skills—he is certified SCUBA diver, knows how to tie a bow tie and can mix (shake) a mean martini.

Phil graduated from Middlebury College in 1992 and earned his law degree from the University of Oregon in 1997.

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Rogue Valley Messenger: There is quite a robust lineup this year.  What is the decision making process for determining what plays to present?  SAO: As our name implies, we meet together to discuss scripts and ideas for each season. In crafting the 2020 Season, we wanted fun, yet thought-provoking material

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Serving the region, the newly open SNYP Clinic in Talent, is exactly what its letters stand for: spay and neutering pets. We caught up the nonprofit’s Board president, Sally Mackler, to find out how the clinic came about—and the scope of the problem they hope to, well, neuter.   Rogue Valley

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In today’s fast-paced world, keeping fit and staying healthy are synonymous. Although there are various things that you can do to stay healthy, most people fail to exercise due to the lack of tangible results. Remember, some expect maximum results for little or no effort. Fortunately, you can use your

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Photo by Iakov Filimonov Back in the good ol’ days, you could take for granted that you and your family knew your neighbors. In some cases, they might have even been your best friends. But the tradition of being friendly with the neighbors has gone somewhat by the wayside in

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Photo by Julia Joppienon Unsplash 12 US Prep Races Dates to Watch Out Before 2020 Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby, a legendary 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-olds colts, will be celebrating its 146th anniversary on May 2, Saturday, this year. This horse race has been dubbed as the “Most Exciting Two

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Photo by Rachel Ellison Unsplash The Super Bowl Championships are almost here! This is not just a big day for the players, coaches, and fans, it’s also a big day for the bettors. And with the event nearing, you should know that now is the perfect time to place your

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Photo credits: Photo by Rodrigo Abreu on Unsplash In the community of Paulliac, southwestern France lies Château Latour among the other two Bordeaux first growths. Château Latour’s winemaking history can be traced back all the way to the 12th century, wherein the English market’s tax exemptions meant a thriving trade in wine between England

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RVM: Does being a nonprofit naturally make Mt Ashland more community based? HT: We’re not sure that the nonprofit status dictates that the organization be more community-based, but we certainly embrace the idea. We have an outstanding list of partners that includes the U.S. Forest Service, La Clinica, Kids Unlimited,

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If you’re looking for your next weekend getaway destination, Rogue Valley may be the place for you. Rogue Valley is a region located in Southwestern Oregon. It is a place of natural wonders due to its proximity to the Rogue River that runs from Crater Lake to the Pacific. It’s

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Ever since the northwestern state made cannabis legal in 2015, the industry took off without ever glancing back. Projections reveal Oregon’s cannabusiness will most likely be worth $1 billion by 2025, which is exceptionally exciting for our state’s growers. January 2019 marked an incredible number of 4,368 submitted legal applications