Council Corner: Oregon is a childcare desert. For every three children needing early learning or childcare, there is only one slot available. According to the Southern Oregon Education Service District, only 40% of families seeking early learning and childcare in Ashland have access to slots.
Mayor Tonya Graham: Rather than buying extra-large garbage bins to hold larger amounts of garbage, our team chose compacting bins that allow much more waste to be dropped into the bins between collection days.
Bob Kaplan: Where do we get our water? How much water do we need? A quick dive dive into factors that can help ensure access to sufficient water for Ashland for the next 20 years — and beyond.
Jeff Dahle; Amid the popularity of outdoor pursuits in the region like mountain biking, water-based recreation and exploring an exceptional trail system, it is crucial for the city to … establish itself as the ultimate hub, or “base camp” for outdoor adventurers.
Dylan Bloom: By adopting a proactive rather than reactive approach, we can chart a course toward a future where homelessness is not merely managed but largely eradicated in Ashland, leaving no one behind in our quest for a more equitable society.
Gina DuQuenne: Ashland Street lacks curb appeal — median strips are not manicured, and trash and broken fencing are too often what people see first. It doesn’t look safe or desirable.
Paula Hyatt: There are many small projects that yield helpful results in reducing fire risk around your home. Spread the work out into manageable bites, then taken together, the effort is impactful.
Bob Kaplan: Advisory committees are an opportunity for Ashland residents to pitch in on important issues facing our community. Being part of a city advisory committee is a great way to get involved with local government on issues you really care about and want to help.
Tonya Graham: We are clear about one thing — engaging in magical thinking doesn’t help. Ignoring this problem will not make it go away. Instead, it will make it worse — for young families, elders, teens, and people with mental illness who find themselves surviving on the streets, as well as for the quality of life in Ashland.
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?
Nearly 600 people packed the Angus Bowmer Theatre in Ashland Monday for a talk by internationally recognized civil rights expert john a. powell and the launch of a new local initiative aimed at fostering collaboration.
(It’s free)
