Twelve years ago, I ran for public office. I was a candidate for Portland’s mayor. The campaign started with a cheeky column that I wrote for the Portland Mercury, a newspaper that I had helped launch four years earlier and for which I served as the Managing Editor. More than

The dogs days of summer may not seem like the time to think about heat and staying warm, but that is exactly what the Jackson County Fuel Committee is worried about: providing heat and warmth for hundreds of area families during the wintertime. There is an irony that a region

When I was 4 years old—about the same time I was forming my first lasting memories—my dad oddly dragged the entire family to a summer camp where he was volunteering as the camp physician. I don’t remember the details precisely, or even the location—it felt like somewhere remote in the

One of the tenets of Oregon politics—and worth remembering during Fourth of July celebrations—is the idea of direct representation—or what is more commonly practiced as the voter referendum, the idea that one person with a good idea can change the world (or at least the state of Oregon). Even the

Shasta Lake is a beautiful wonder, a crystal blue reservoir formed that provides irrigation water and power to California. A sprawling body of water, it is dotted with small islands and inlets—a playground of fishing, boating and swimming. But, for the most recent decades, it has become a magnet for

In last week’s elections, Jackson County voters kindly approved Measure 15-141, a temporary property tax levy that will provide funding for Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) to restore services on Saturdays, provide services for students and generally keep public transportation viable in the region. For the past few issues of

State Rep. Val Hoyle, (D-Eugene) is one of three candidates in the Democrat’s primary for Oregon’s Secretary of State. It has been a tight race, but last week, she reported a major cash contribution which may give her the bump in advertising and staff that she needs: Former New York

In early April, Judge Pat Wolke’s courtroom in Grants Pass was packed. Although voters in Josephine County overwhelming passed an ordinance banning GMO seeds and plants, for the past year, the law has been henpecked and threatened from a couple farmers who claim their livelihood has been threatened by the

Perhaps the biggest question of the season is: To stay planted or to un-root? That is, spring inspires both a restlessness to get out and go, as well as a desire to dig in the dirt and plant seeds and plants for the upcoming months. We are pleased to present

Bernie Sanders is fond of pointing out that the wealth divide in America is doing more that perhaps any other issue to pull apart this country. While likely true, it is, however, not a novel problem. At the end of last century—the 19th, that is, the one that increasingly was