Ask Strider: In this column greeting the new year, Strider is grateful for so many things — people, memories and feelings, good and bad. From an organization that helps dogs on the street, to a reader imagining a chip encoded with a dog’s entire story, to the warmth of kind wishes during sad times, Strider embraces it all. His paw on your foot. Really.
Picture This: A look back at 2024 as seen through the lens of Ashland.news photographer Bob Palermini’s camera.
The Oregon Nurses Association issued a 10-day strike notice Monday, setting the stage for what would be the largest healthcare worker and physicians strike in Oregon history. The notice followed a five-day cooling off period and additional mediated discussions that included nurses at Providence Medford Medical Center, as well as ONA members at Providence hospitals across the state. The strike is scheduled to begin Jan. 10.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area reopened Ariel Chair on Thursday, Dec. 26. The chair had been closed for repairs after Ariel Chair Tower 8 was struck by a fallen tree that forced the chairlift’s closure at the start of the winter season.
ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum rang in the new year a little early with its 11th annual “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration Sunday. The family-friendly event welcomed hundreds of visitors of all ages who explored the museum’s interactive science exhibits and enjoyed special activities.
Ashland’s 26th Community Labyrinth Walk to New Year will take place New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in Wesley Hall on the campus of Ashland First United Methodist Church, 175 N. Main St. The “Sacred Walk to the New Year” is nondenominational and free of charge, and all are welcome to the event.
BLM officials are accepting applications for the summer artist-in-residence program. Selected artists receive a one- to two-week residency surrounded by the landscapes at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument during the month of June.
In June, the nation’s highest court ruled in favor of Grants Pass, deciding that cities could impose criminal penalties without running afoul of constitutional provisions against cruel and unusual punishment. Since then, city officials have limited where about 600 homeless people can pitch a tent or sleep to just two locations in the city of 39,000.
Mark Freeman, a longtime Southern Oregon reporter who spent nearly four decades covering the region’s environmental and outdoors news, will be remembered for his quick wit, unbridled sense of humor and unwavering dedication to his craft. Freeman, a longtime Medford resident and former reporter for the Mail Tribune, died of cancer on Saturday, Dec. 21. He was 60.
The National Weather Service in Medford is advising residents of potential flooding conditions in Southern Oregon and Northern California. A flood watch advisory issued Friday afternoon, after a flood advisory was first issued Wednesday, warns residents in Jackson and other counties of a significant rise in stream and river levels due to moderate to heavy rain expected through the weekend.
At just 21 years old, Ashland native Brooklyn Williams is stepping into her biggest role yet — the lead in Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s adaptation of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” playing through Dec. 31.
A women’s singing group with member from the 27 Ukrainian families now taking refuge in Ashland will perform at a benefit concert Dec. 14.
The Trump administration will require that homeless service providers force people to receive behavioral health treatment in order to access long-term, federally supported housing, a move that could mean organizations across Oregon would have to choose between receiving federal dollars or state dollars — but not both.
A local artist who arrived in Ashland three years ago is having his first solo art show at the White Rabbit gallery in downtown Ashland. Micah Blacklight has been waiting for the chance to show the personal perspective of an injustice he has witnessed over decades.
This year marks the 10th annual Thanksgiving Community Peace Meal and the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland has offered to share their space with the community. SOJWJ is lining up volunteers and cooks, as well as those who can give financial support. They are expecting to feed more than 300 people.
Ashland has been approved for a federal loan of up to $73 million to replace its 76-year-old water treatment plant, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday. The low-interest financing will allow the city to draw funds as construction progresses.
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