The current collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Professors of Southern Oregon University was set to expire in August. Instead, faculty members will receive 2% cost-of-living adjustments for each of the next two fiscal years.
President Donald Trump’s executive orders shrinking the federal workforce make a notable exception for public safety staff, including those who fight wildland fires. But ongoing cuts, funding freezes and hiring pauses have weakened the nation’s already strained firefighting force by hitting support staff who play crucial roles in preventing and battling blazes.
Ashland Parks & Recreation Commissioners struggled to reconcile pleas from staff and dire predictions from the department’s director in the face of 5 to 10% cuts during Wednesday’s APRC business meeting. With 10% cuts, the Senior Center would lose one full time employee and reduce hours to two days per week, the East Main Park project would be cancelled and the city would return funds to the state.
At its March 13 regular board meeting, Ashland School Board members approved a resolution authorizing the district to officially let the community know about plans to pursue a “Full Faith and Credit Loan” of “a maximum principal amount of $10 million” to stabilize its operational budget, according to a district news release issued Wednesday.
Striking workers in Oregon are a step closer to being eligible for weekly unemployment checks, after a tight vote in the state Senate on Thursday. Senate Bill 916 passed by the bare minimum 16 votes in the 30-member chamber, with two Democrats bucking the rest of their party over concerns the policy could harm cash-strapped cities and counties
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.
A packed open house on Saturday at Jackson County Fire District 5 Station 4 outside of Ashland offered a detailed financial update on the embattled district and a chance to discuss everything from staffing struggles to an investigation that remains under review by the Oregon Department of Justice.
Current and former federal staffers joined Oregon Democrats in a town hall in Portland on Monday, saying President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government presents risks to Oregon life, potentially harming how the state responds to wildfires, preserves its natural resources and cares for veterans.
More than 12 million Americans who took out loans from the U.S. Department of Education to attend college are now stuck in limbo about whether or not they’ll get to participate in income-driven repayment plans that have served millions of Americans before them.
Jackson County Fire District 5 officials and union members reached an agreement Tuesday for reduced staffing minimums on fire engines and other apparatus to better distribute service coverage during an ongoing staffing struggle.
Hundreds turned out for Ashland’s first wildfire evacuation drill. The exercise tested how quickly cars, cyclists and those on foot could reach safety using the emergency on-ramp at North Mountain Avenue.
Ashland School District plans to contract with a Eugene-based firm to “shore up” the 1948 wing of the shuttered Lincoln School building, which the city fire marshal ordered shut days before the beginning of the school year in August.
The Rogue Theater Company will bring to life Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” opening Thursday, Oct. 16. The production features a cast of celebrated Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors.
After having to adapt on the fly during the Almeda Fire five years ago, agencies across Jackson County now have a shared wildfire evacuation plan that spells out each group’s duties. Law enforcement leads the way In the event of a citywide wildfire evacuation, while local fire departments and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will focus on fighting the fire.
Jim Hatton: There is only one thing that causes unhappiness: attachment. Attachment comes when we hold on to something for fear of losing it because we believe that we can’t be happy without it.
Herbert Rothschild: Is it possible to write columns about torturing people in Guantanamo or eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development without alienating those who are OK with such actions?
(It’s free)
