In just an hour and half on Monday night, the Ashland City Council strongly affirmed that the city’s future will include major swaths of taller, denser development designed to reduce our dependency on automobiles, adapt to climate change, and provide a greater amount of multi-family and affordable housing, while striving to provide spaces for commercial and small-scale industrial uses.
A crowd of at least 200 picketing nurses and community allies surrounded Providence Medford Medical Center Tuesday as Southern Oregon’s portion of the largest nursing strike in the state’s history kicked off in earnest.
The Rogue Valley Times will cut print publication frequency to two times a week from three times a week, effective July 1, the paper’s owner, EO Media Group, announced Monday, as part of a company-wide cost-cutting effort that includes layoffs at a number of its 12 newspapers in Oregon and Washington.
The state’s top wildfire responders say they are prepared for the approaching wildfire season, but they are concerned about adding staff and resources in the future amid expectations that wildfires will increase.
More than half of classified workers in Ashland schools surveyed are not able to make ends meet on their current salaries alone, union representatives said last week, with 52% surveyed saying they’ve had to take a second or third job to make ends meet.
The city of Ashland’s new child care development grant ended its first year with some success — 40 new slots available for children that served a total of 37 families. The city of Ashland’s Ad hoc Committee on Affordable Childcare has studied the “landscape” of child care in Ashland and found strengths and weaknesses.
More than half of the Jackson County Fire District No. 5 Board of Directors abruptly resigned just minutes into a meeting Tuesday. The resignations of three of five members came after months of turmoil and union-represented employees’ loss of confidence in Fire Chief Charles Hanley, who is alleged to have tolerated and participated in bullying and harassment of district employees.
Ashland High School athletic trainer Eric Lang, who has been employed by Asante for the past 18 months but works at the high school, has been laid off, according to a newsletter distributed by Ashland School District to students and families on Friday. Superintendent Samuel Bogdanove confirmed the layoff of Lang is not tied to the school district’s recent actions to cut $1.3 million from the school district’s budget.
Citing unsustainable financial losses over the past two fiscal years, Asante Health System concluded a 3% workforce reduction across its regional hospitals and clinics as of Friday, according to a memo to employees obtained by the Rogue Valley Times.
Ashland school district teachers told the Ashland School Board poor planning by the district made them work long hours over winter break — and they were not fairly compensated for the work they did. The issue comes up shortly before new labor negotiations are expected to begin.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area’s first new chairlift in more than three decades will open this weekend. The Lithia Chair will open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, giving skiers and snowboarders greater access to easy and intermediate slopes, according to a release issued Tuesday from the nonprofit ski area.
Review: This year’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” playing at the CTP and directed by Tommy Statler, is original, imaginative and lighter than last year’s production of the same. The story of the miserly curmudgeon who finds redemption in the meaning of Christmas keeps with the spirit of the season.
The Salvation Army in Jackson and Josephine counties is pleading for volunteers to help ring in the holidays during the annual Red Kettle donations campaign as the organization faces a critical shortage of staff. “We are sounding the alarm,” said Capt. Yohani Ortiz with The Salvation Army Grants Pass.
Obituary: It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Patricia “Patti” Ann Metz (Seely), a devoted mother, friend, and pillar of the Rogue Valley community in Southern Oregon for the past 44 years. On Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, Patti left us at the age of 86, after a long illness, leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and unwavering dedication to those she cherished.
Real Estate Corner: I’ve been noticing an interesting trend. There’s movement both ways — people discovering Ashland as their dream destination and others leaving for the next chapter in their lives. So, what’s driving these shifts? Let’s examine why people are moving to (and from) our fantastic town.
Ashland’s TC Chevy has shifted into high gear on sustainability, becoming a shining example of clean energy innovation with the addition of three new Stracker solar arrays to its existing five units. The dealership now is in a position to run entirely on sun power, achieving net-zero status and proving that the road to a greener future starts at home.
(It’s free)