Federal immigration agents arrested at least 1,100 people in Oregon this year, immigration experts estimate — a surge from the 113 arrests recorded in all of 2024. In August, the Trump administration said it would “come after” states like Oregon with laws preventing local law enforcement from coordinating with federal immigration officials
Asante’s announcement that it plans to close the Asante Ashland Community Hospital birth center and inpatient surgery in May 2026 has sparked pushback in a number of ways, including an online petition to appeal the decision started by a staff member that’s gaining traction with more than 2,750 signatures as of publication.
Seventeen cannabis workers in the Rogue Valley were detained during federal drug investigations and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on July 30, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, making it one of if not the largest such enforcement activities in Oregon since the Trump administration began its immigration enforcement push early this year.
A majority of Jackson County Library District employees have signed union authorization cards, marking the formal start of a process toward collective bargaining.
On Monday, economic and political leaders pitched their vision for a path forward to steer the state’s economy back to relative stability, when they gathered for the annual Oregon Leadership Summit. This year’s event comes as near-stagnant population and economic growth have pressured state leaders to attract more business opportunities to Oregon.
The city of Ashland on Thursday said officials are reviewing a 2013 agreement between the city and Asante and will monitor the Ashland hospital’s transition to a satellite of Rogue Regional Medical Center in May as announced by Asante on Wednesday, according to a city news release issued late afternoon Thursday.
Asante Ashland Community Hospital’s birthing center and inpatient surgery will close by spring 2026, leaving only the emergency room and outpatient services, according to plans shared with staff Wednesday, Dec. 3, by Asante, the Medford-based health care provider serving Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Oregon has expanded access to birth workers, shown to improve the wellbeing of parents, opening up Medicaid to doulas in 2014 and to lactation consultants in 2020. But years into that effort, professionals say their inability to get paid remains one of the most persistent obstacles to providing care to low-income families.
A state audit released Nov. 20 found the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries in “crisis,” with thousands of wage, hour, and civil rights complaints stalled for years due to mismanagement and understaffing. Auditors cited major backlogs across all programs and said outdated or missing policies hindered the agency’s ability to protect workers.
A coalition of Democratic states are suing the U.S. Department of Education to stop new eligibility restrictions for the program that allows student loan forgiveness for government and nonprofit employees after 10 years of service pursuant to President Trump’s March executive order.
Winless WWU made Raiders work for their sixth win in seven games. WWU lost an early 10-point lead but trimmed SOU’s edge to 82-79 before Gio Evanson stepped back for a long two with 1:44 to go. The Raiders secured a 92-87 victory Saturday at Windemuth Court
Southern Oregon forced 24 turnovers and kept Walla Walla (Washington) at 27% shooting to collect its 10th victory, 82-47 in Cascade Conference play Saturday night at Windemuth Court. The win gave the Raiders a weekend split, leaving them in a three-way tie for second place behind unbeaten Eastern Oregon.
Asante Ashland Community Hospital’s Family Birth Center is closing this spring, but first the staff delivered the hospital system’s first baby of the new year on Thursday, Jan. 1. And not only is she the first New Year’s baby in Southern Oregon, but her mom, Cameron, was the first New Year’s baby girl born on Jan. 1, 2000, to mark the turn of the millennium at Providence Medford Medical Center.
Thursday marked the first day of the 2026 new year, and with that, a new set of laws passed by the Oregon Legislature took effect. They span from stronger accountability provisions for utility companies to criminal penalties for spreading AI-generated revenge porn.
An Ashland center for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism offered a chance “for people to gather their aspirations and hopes for the new year and offer it at the shrine” on Thursday, Jan. 1, according to Martha Wilhelm, a board member at Kagyu Sukha Chöling on Clear Creek Drive.
An Ashland nonprofit set up a GoFundMe site in early December to help finance medical treatment for Mystic Moon, a horse that has provided comfort and healing to hundreds of individuals with trauma across the Rogue Valley and beyond.
(It’s free)
