It has been a year since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the president—and it has been a constant drum beat of insults, Twitter fights and sudden reversals of policy. The news cycle has been dominated by the reality TV show broadcast from the White House, and in homes and cafes

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

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

Medford City Council Candidates: The Good, Bad and Email Ugly Over the past couple weeks, we reached out to candidates for offices in Medford. With three seats open, and a changing political center and demographic in that city, there is a wide field for the positions, and a great possibility

For nearly two years in my late 20s, I worked as an attorney in the juvenile courts for the State of California. It was heartbreaking work. Most of the work was helping set policies and looking into ways that the courts could be help teenagers, but one day each week,

For decades, Oregon held a bi-annual legislature, with lawmakers meeting every other year instead of staying constantly in business like California and, well, most states; it was a quaint holdover from colonial days and perhaps an indicator that sleepy Oregon just didn’t have enough legislative business to occupy a full-time

Pushing for $15 an Hour is the Most Dominant Legislative Discussion As the state legislature began to gather for its session, Governor Kate Brown announced a six-year plan to steadily raise minimum wage in Oregon—and, in doing so, struck the dominant chord for upcoming conversations about law-making in the state.