In what has been described as a “fight for the future” of Southern Oregon University, the Board of Trustees Thursday morning voted 7-2 to approve the final “Resiliency Plan,” authorizing a total of $10 million in cuts over the next four years, including about $5 million this year from SOU’s $71 million budget as of June, according to SOU President Rick Bailey’s presentation to the board.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association will host an opening party, barbecue, and ribbon cutting for “their most significant trail to date,” according to President Ryan Hawk. The association — funded by donors and fueled by volunteers — creates, maintains and supports hundreds of mountain bike trails from Grants Pass to Ashland.
Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees is set to hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18, to vote on proposed cuts to the university budget.
The Ashland Community Food Bank doubled its volume in August, reflecting a troubling trend fueled by inflation, job loss and tightening access to food assistance programs. Executive Director Amy Broeker warns the level of need could soon become the norm as food bank faces shortfalls in funding and more competition for scarce local grants. Broeker and other leaders are calling on the community to step in.
The long and winding road to Grand Terrace — a 210-unit apartment complex proposed for the northwest end of Ashland — leads to another Ashland City Council hearing Tuesday, Sept. 16.
A metal sunflower now stands in front of the Oregon Cheese Cave in downtown Phoenix as a tribute to the community’s resilience five years after the devastating Almeda Fire. Cheese cave owner Mélodie Picard, who spurred the idea, said the metal sunflower is a “sign of hope” that the town has made it five years since the Labor Day blaze.
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.
The art of fermentation takes center stage again Sept. 20-21 as Fermentopia, Harvest Edition, serves up a second helping in Phoenix — a weekend celebrating flavor, culture and connection.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival is moving forward on two fronts this fall: keeping audiences engaged with a lively monthly screening series and welcoming longtime programmer Aura Johnson as its new director of programming.
Lawmakers are considering passing House Bill 3991, a transportation package that would raise $4.3 billion over the next 10 years by raising the gas tax by 6 cents, increasing vehicle title and registration fees and temporarily raising a statewide payroll tax for transit from 0.1% to 0.2%.
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)
