State Senator Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, will hold a combined food drive and Oregon Senate Town Hall at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, in the large room of the Medford Library. This first-of-its-kind event for Sen. Golden’s office is part of local response to the interruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the federal government shutdown.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s leadership on Monday took part in a public discussion about the festival’s finances, attendance and future goals.
With federal food benefits on pause during the government shutdown, the Ashland Food Project is calling on donors to “Ask a Friend” to join its “Green Bag” program as local families face increased food insecurity.
People from the community, tribal representatives, and state leaders came together at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 1, to honor Indigenous land stewardship of the Rogue Valley and the collaborative spirit guiding its recovery since the 2020 Almeda Fire.
A plan for an estimated $8 million redesign and rebuild of the Schneider Museum of Art has been shelved for now as 100% of funding from Southern Oregon University has been eliminated for the nonprofit museum under the university’s budget-cutting Resiliency Plan for at least three years and possibly indefinitely, a decision to be made by SOU’s administration.
The Ashland Public Library will receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie. The award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Local nonprofit Rogue Valley Street Dogs helps humans and companion animals affected by houselessness and poverty throughout the Rogue Valley. Learn how one local woman turned her life around with the help of Street Dogs and is now helping raise awareness and funds so the organization can keep helping others.
Local nonprofits Lomakatsi Restoration Project, the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission and other partners are co-hosting a free, family friendly event for a day of learning Indigenous knowledge, restoring the land and honoring Native American Heritage Month at an event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix.
For those looking for a way to give back to the local community and a good place to have dinner Friday evening, Peace House in Ashland has just the ticket: the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, which benefits Uncle Food’s Diner, Food Angels, and Jobs with Justice Peace Meals.
A local Oregon Shakespeare Festival costumer and Ukrainian refugee is offering free doll-making workshop on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Ukrainian Motanka dolls are symbols of “care, harmony and comfort.”
Ask Strider: A reader asks whatever happened to Woody the Puppy Intern? Strider has news! Woody has landed on all four paws with a new gig. And Steve, the Ashland.news crossword editor, has a new canine crossword up for solving. The excitement is pupable!
The Oregon Legislature is meeting this week to consider some major cuts to current spending levels as a large revenue deficit looms. That’s because the state’s tax code automatically replicates new federal tax cuts, including ones passed by Congressional Republicans this summer that will reduce state revenue
Michael O’Looney: Trump and the Texas Legislature are responsible for a partisan power grab that has unleashed bitterness and partisan vindictiveness, all in an effort to subvert an electoral system for partisan ends.
Councilor Bob Kaplan: While the cost of delivering kilowatt-hours to our homes has risen, Ashland Electric has been able to hold our rates steady with just one increase of 5.1% in 2021. I’m sorry to say we’re due for an increase, but fortunately it’s not likely to match recent increases elsewhere.
An estimate for the cost to abate asbestos found in the shuttered Lincoln School recently should be available as early as sometime this week, according to Steve Mitzel, operations director for Ashland School District. The cost to remove asbestos would be separate from the as yet-unknown cost for structural repair.
“We are still here” was the theme for Saturday’s Native American Heritage Celebration at Southern Oregon University, hosted by the SOU Native American Student Union (NASU) and SOU Native Nations Liaison Kenwanicahee (Kenwani) Kravitz (Madesi Bandi, Pit River Nation Winnemem, Nomtipom and Nomsus Bands Northern Wintu).
(It’s free)
