The former president of the consulting firm ECOnorthwest said a survey of the state’s current condition is “sobering.” Five critical issues were most troubling — housing, education, wildfires, taxation, and attitudes toward growth, including land use laws and permitting processes.
Wildfire experts from a nonprofit that helps people harden their homes from wildfire, which helps keep their insurance premiums from rising, joined local leaders and residents during a Thursday, Aug. 21, webinar to share their latest findings on how homes ignite during wildfires — and how to prevent it from happening in Ashland.
The Ashland City Council will consider a comprehensive 10-year plan to reduce wildfire risks for 90% of the city’s properties, a proposal to annex a more than 200-unit apartment complex site into city limits, and a proposal to expand construction costs at the city’s emergency shelter to nearly $1 million contract on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
The Ashland City Council approved a local developer to build affordable housing in the Beach Creek development.
Ashland City Councilors unanimously approved increasing taller buildings at SOU, making way for a plan to build a five-story building for seniors.
A project proposal by St. Louis-based firm McCormack Baron Salazar aimed at outlining a proposed housing development for senior independent living near the southeast corner of the Southern Oregon University campus could cost upwards of $64 million, pending selection by an evaluation committee and a finalized project plan.
During a pair of meetings on Monday and Tuesday, Ashland City Council will review a wildfire plan and a proposal to build affordable housing.
An estimated 120 to 150 attendees trickled into Southern Oregon University’s Recital Hall on Wednesday to learn more about the Rogue Valley Manor’s parent company Pacific Retirement Services and its pitch to operate a senior living housing development proposed for the Ashland campus. Another company will talk about its plans on Friday afternoon.
The owners of Rogue Valley Manor in Medford are among two finalists to become an official partner to build and operate a senior living and educational facility on Southern Oregon University’s Ashland campus. Pacific Retirement Services, will make its on-campus presentation from 9 to 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, July 9. McCormack Baron Salazar makes its presentation from 1:30 to 2:20 p.m. Friday, July 11.
In the end, Oregon lawmakers did grapple with the biggest questions before them this year. All it took was six months of grinding work weeks. The 2025 legislative session ended Friday evening at 11:15 p.m. after a marathon day packed with more drama and uncertainty than any session in recent memory. With the final gavels, lawmakers bid farewell to a session that included some notable accomplishments — and one dizzying failure.
As of Nov. 3, Ashland Community Food Bank has a new director at the reins. Catie Mahoney will serve in the role with guidance from outgoing director Amey Broeker, who will officially retire on Dec. 31 after serving in the food bank role since 2022.
The Ashland City Council will review a proposal from a potential provider to oversee its extreme weather shelter during its regular business meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival has added a second screening showcasing Indigenous filmmakers on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Three and a half years into the war with Russia, Ashland violinist and longtime music teacher Faina Podolnaya is still finding ways to help Ukrainian refugees.
Herbert Rothschild: As the number of ads in The New Yorker has shrunk, it seems as if the wealth of its readership has concentrated, just as one might concentrate the flavor of a sauce by reducing it on the stovetop.
Local artist MaryAnn Shank will share the thoughts behind her newest novel “Sor Juana, My Beloved” at Bloomsbury Books Jan. 26. Shank is a finalist of The Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Book of the Year 2025 award, awarded by the International Latino Book Association.
(It’s free)
