Oregon State Parks will hire more than 200 seasonal Rangers and Ranger Assistants for positions across the state for the 2025 season. Hiring starts as soon as this month and runs through about June with new positions listed on a rolling basis.
Forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects have been halted and employees laid off as freezes of federal funds impact Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland-based nonprofit organization. Nearly two of every three dollars — 65% — of the nonprofit’s budget for 2025 came from the Inflation Reduction Act or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — two pots of money affected by broad freezes of federal funds by the Trump administration.
Oregon’s Democratic U.S. House members — and other Democrats in the House — warned last week that firing firefighters and employees at agencies that manage federal land could have drastic consequences for the upcoming fire season.
A full house gathered Monday night at Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to better understand current changes to federal immigration policy and to hear how they might support immigrants in the local community.
Latino leaders joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus Democrats Wednesday to criticize the Trump administration for conducting high-profile immigration enforcement raids that have spread fear in their communities, rather than tackling economic issues important to Latinos.
After 46 days on strike, nurses at Providence hospitals across Oregon have approved a deal that will see them return to work. The strike, which is one of the largest health care worker labor actions in state history, included thousands of nurses at all eight Providence hospitals in the state, including Medford.
Nurses would be paid more and receive compensation for missing breaks under a tentative agreement reached by Providence Health & Services and the Oregon Nurses Association that could end a six-week-long strike.
The Ashland Sunrise Project is hosting an opportunity for community members to learn about current immigration issues and how to be in solidarity with those potentially impacted by the changing political climate on immigration. The event, titled “How To Do No Harm and Be a Good Neighbor,” is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (RVUUF), 87 4th St., Ashland.
Providence Medford Medical Center said Friday that 43 percent of its striking nurses have come back to work amid an historic statewide strike. The nurses union, however, calls the number “unsubstantiated.” About 380 nurses at Providence Medford went on strike Jan. 10 along with nurses at eight other hospitals around the state. In total, nearly 5,000 Oregon Nurses Association-represented nurses remain on strike.
Oregon could have far fewer firefighters ready to battle blazes on federal lands next fire season — and may do less advance work aimed at mitigating the risk of large fires — due to the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and funding cuts, according to U.S. lawmakers.
Owen Johnson: While it may be tempting to be unproblematic in the face of threats of violence, this is the desired effect. The most effective form of counter-protest is for local communities to monitor ICE activity.
Although many large regional theaters host students on their own campuses, only a few maintain educational outreach programs like OSF’s because of the high cost of school visits.
MLK Jr.: “Malcolm was still turning and growing at the time of his brutal and meaningless assassination. . . . Like the murder of Lumumba, the murder of Malcolm X deprives the world of a potentially great leader. I could not agree with either of these men, but I could see in them a capacity for leadership which I could respect, and which was just beginning to mature in judgment and statesmanship.”
Obituary: Cheryl Rae Gilliam Minoletti passed away Tuesday, Jan. 20 following complications from heart surgery. She was 68. Infectious laughter, warmth, and compassion were felt by those who knew her. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, March 28, in Eagle Point.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival will spotlight homegrown talent Saturday, Feb. 21, during its revived Local Lens Spotlight at the Varsity Theatre. The one-night program features 13 short films by filmmakers from Jackson and Siskiyou counties, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and crew.
Evan Frost, ecologist and conservationist, passed away Dec. 12, 2025.
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