In 2008, the same year when Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American president, voters in Silverton, Oregon also marked a milestone: Residents in the small town, situated about 30 miles south by southeast from Portland and in the middle of farm land, elected the first transgender person to

Well, it seems that everyone was too stoned to bother voting, at least in Jackson County. The upshot from Election 2016 is more communities in Oregon have become less marijuana friendly. Here is a breakdown of some of the votes that did and didn’t pass. In Grants Pass, a 1

Yes, women are far-underrepresented than men in elected office—from the President of the United States to the mayor of local hamlets. Interestingly, though, those numbers do not seem to reflect national attitudes about women in leadership roles. A recent Pew Charitable Trust survey found that most Americans identify “compassion,” “organization,”

Oregon has got at least 99 problems—and your vote could help solve at least one or two of them. Namely, public safety and public education. That vote, however, requires a vote for increased taxes—and before you throw down this newspaper (or computer, if you’re reading on-line), let’s start with, we

Rogue Valley Messenger: Your “calling card” issue for this campaign has publicly been said to be banning marijuana grows. Why are you opposed? Ruth Moncus: Family and children. Look, we need to consider our own children in this election cycle and what future we want for our families. Many people already

As we push through and past the elections, it is perhaps important to recognize that most of us have suffered some low-level stress over the past several months. Seriously! This election cycle has been more punishing than promising than any presidential campaign in recent memory, with threats of refusal to

In our last issue, we ran Q&A with several of the candidates for city council in Medford. We tried to contact all of the candidates, but only some responded. The email listed for Nick Lancaster, candidate for Medford City Council, Ward 2, was incorrect and he did not receive the

Rogue Valley Messenger: What is your “calling card” issue for this campaign? Michelle Blum Atkinson: Public safety is the most important aspect of government. I think it would be great if Medford were known as the “safest city in America.” By setting robust goals, we have something to work towards.

Kay Brooks Rogue Valley Messenger: You have served on city committees. How has that experience either prepared or inspired you to run for council? Kay Brooks: Serving as a Housing and Community Development Commissioner for the City has provided a profound opportunity to better understand the breadth of needs and desires

Tim D’Alessandro Rogue Valley Messenger: What did you learn from your previous campaigns? When I ran in 2014, I learned the importance of meeting as many people in the ward as possible and listening to what they would like to see happen if I were elected to serve on the