Lawmakers have moved forward with a highly controversial logging bill that would allow counties and the timber industry to sue the state forester if Oregon logs less than what the Department of Forestry forecasts in its estimates that occur once a decade.
A Mt. Ashland Ski Area season that started early and has seen above average snowfall has brought strong attendance, but the nonprofit resort also had its challenging moments. Abundant snowfall will allow the area to extend the season with two additional weekends to include April 19-20 and April 26-27.
An artificial intelligence summit at Southern Oregon University Friday and Saturday sparked much debate about the rapidly evolving technology’s promise and pitfalls. The second annual Approaching AI Summit at Meese Auditorium and Stevenson Union on the SOU campus drew a larger crowd this year, with 250 in attendance.
Rep. Pam Marsh: The legislation “would give Oregonians buying tickets for concerts, sporting events and other entertainment events protections in an industry that has seen increasing unfair and unscrupulous activities that drive up the cost of tickets and/or falsely sell tickets that are unavailable.”
Four artists were asked if they could define at what line artificial intelligence could compromise human creativity. As they passed a microphone between each other, their conversation challenged the concept of a soul. The deep existential dive came on the first night of the Approaching AI Summit, the second year of an artificial intelligence (AI) summit in Ashland.
Ashland postal workers and supporters joined Thursday in a “Day of Action” coordinated by the U.S. Postal Service workers union, gathering at the Ashland Post Office to wave signs and hand out information.
Slated for demolition in the 1990s with its doors closed in 1986, the Holly Theatre in Medford reopened last Thursday, March 13, with opening ceremonies and a live performance by the Piano Guys to a full house. The revitalization of downtown Medford through the Holly, helped by all the volunteers, donors and people of Ashland’s Jefferson Public Radio, took more than 13 years and $13 million.
Three restaurant employees who first crossed paths at Amuse in Ashland have teamed up to launch a new Ashland eatery at 358 Main St., the former home of Pie + Vine, which recently closed.
A reliable harbinger of spring is the annual opening of Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market, popular destination for all things homegrown and handmade. The market will launch its 2025 season in Ashland on Tuesday, March 4, at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, 1500 E. Main St., and in Medford on Thursday, March 6, at Hawthorne Park, 501 E. Main St.
Tribes from Southern Oregon and Northern California plan to appeal a federal judge’s second ruling last week in favor of a Medford casino. The Bureau of Indian Affairs placed 2.4 acres around Roxy Ann Lanes in Medford into the Coquille’s tribal land, which paves the way for the casino.
One of Southern Oregon University’s most elite programs – its Honors College – is on its way out as part of $10 million in cost cuts detailed in the Resiliency Plan approved by the Board of Trustees in September.
Trisha Vigil: While closing the government may seem a national rather than a local issue, to Rogue Valley residents, it is clearly a local issue.
A proposed ballot initiative to eliminate Oregon’s estate tax is moving forward, even as the state braces for a massive loss in federal funding due to cuts related to Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The estate tax generated $423 million for Oregon in 2024-25, a critical revenue stream as the state faces an estimated $15.1 billion in federal cuts, primarily from two programs that benefit low-income Oregonians: Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The art exhibition of a renowned American artist living in Ashland has opened at the Langford Art Gallery in Phoenix. The exhibition “Beneath the Surface” features dozens of paintings by artist Abby Lazerow. The artist describes her work as “the search for human connection.”
Ashland’s 15th annual SOPride Festival brought together students, educators, activists and dozens of local groups on Saturday, Oct. 4 for the event’s parade in downtown Ashland.
Saying the Trump administration directly contravened her Saturday order blocking the federal government from mobilizing National Guard troops in Portland, a federal judge on Sunday evening issued a broader order barring the federal government from relocating National Guard members to Oregon from any state.
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