Herbert Rothschild: Vladimir Putin has said he is willing to abide for one more year by the limits on nuclear arms in the New START treaty while another treaty is being negotiated. Our immediate task is to convince Donald Trump to accept that offer. Don’t react to this call to action in a knee-jerk fashion. Trump wants to be seen as an international peacemaker.
Cori Frank: I was privileged to attend the groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 2 for 19 pickleball courts in Medford. This will be an economic boon to the city.
Chris Millias: Both Republicans and Democrats seem to wait until the last possible moment to act. By turning every policy deadline into a crisis, they create leverage for their side — but at the cost of responsible governing.
Pepper Trail: This is the constant dissonance so many of us face. That is, the lucky ones, like myself, who are citizens, who are white, who are not in economic crisis, who live surrounded by beautiful wild places that nurture our souls and provide refuge from the daily deluge of nightmarish news. What are we to do?
The funds collected through the food and beverage tax support essential city projects, such as street repairs, land acquisition and capital improvements.
Herbert Rothschild: In 2024, Democrats had the same problem with Hispanic voters that they did with other moderate-to-low income voters. There’s a general perception out there that the Democratic Party abandoned its traditional championing of the working class.
Michael O’Looney: The federal government’s current shutdown has put the Democrats in a quandary. Republicans blame them for the budget impasse, even though President Donald Trump is on record as having said repeatedly that the president is always to blame whenever there’s a shutdown.
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?
Amy Greenwold:This is a very divisive topic with a huge amount of misinformation published. I commend your editor for including this “Viewpoint” piece, “In Defense of Israel.”
Trisha Vigil: While closing the government may seem a national rather than a local issue, to Rogue Valley residents, it is clearly a local issue.
Forecasters are predicting a “multi-day” rainfall event from Friday night through Sunday.
The Historic Ashland Armory will host a two-night event, “Share the Stoke,” to celebrate the premiere of the documentary “Mt. Ashland: More Than a Mountain” from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8. Along with a viewing of the film, the premiere will feature music, food, and other activities.
A debate among Ashland City Councilors is already heating up over a prospective ballot measure that might ask voters to approve a permanent food and beverage tax. The existing 5% food and beverage tax, originally approved by voters in 1993 but renewed several times, provides about $3 million a year in revenue and will sunset in 2030.
Eight Mongolian scientists spent three days along the Klamath River to see how dam removal is changing salmon runs as Mongolia balances river conservation and hydropower ambitions.
Obituary: Retired Lt. Hector Meletich, who passed away on Oct. 15, was a 13-year veteran of the Ashland Police Department where he “wore the badge with honor and brought professionalism and compassion to all he encountered.”
Herbert Rothschild: Vladimir Putin has said he is willing to abide for one more year by the limits on nuclear arms in the New START treaty while another treaty is being negotiated. Our immediate task is to convince Donald Trump to accept that offer. Don’t react to this call to action in a knee-jerk fashion. Trump wants to be seen as an international peacemaker.
(It’s free)
