Ashland Emergency Management Coordinator Kelly Burns: What we learned from the Almeda Fire is that we need each other; no one gets through this alone. Ashland is better prepared today because we faced one of our worst times together. We’re not done learning or preparing, but every step towards preparing together, at any level, makes us more resilient.
Casey Botts: I speak for many, many citizens and families — most of whom don’t have the time to attend meetings and write letters — when I say the community is excited and ready to welcome this new amenity in Ashland!
[Editor’s note: Reader MaryAnn Gernegliaro wrote a letter to the editor, in which she opposed the suggestion in the Aug. 22 Relocations column of asking the Ashland Food Co-op to
Rep. Pam Marsh: What saved us were the local nonprofits, churches, businesses and other entities that stepped up in crisis. Few if any of these organizations had formal training in disaster response and recovery. Unlike FEMA, they had trusted relationships with the community.
Herbert Rothschild: When we’re asked to name those we admire, we usually think of people of high achievement, not people of good character. Actually, we often don’t know what kind of persons they were, and I’m not sure it matters much if we do. There’s a difference between being great and being good. We admire the former; hopefully, we imitate the latter.
Ransom Stephens: Are we experiencing the inflection point of history when we will confirm that our worst nature is our true nature? Or is this most recent affection for fascism the last gasp of our generation’s evil wolves, its Battle of the Bulge?
Herbert Rothschild: I don’t think the wisdom of HB 2005 can be assessed on its face. It reflects an awareness of past abuses and thoughtfully attempts to guard against their repetition. Yet, there is enough leeway for arbitrary individual discretion and poor oversight that abuses may recur, if not in one county, then in another.
MaryAnn Gernegliaro: Although I disagree with Israeli policies regarding Palestinians, I think that asking the Ashland Food Co-op to boycott Israeli products does not further the cause of Palestinians.
Kathy Collins: Now is the time for us to do more and not less – and this includes making sure Congress continues to fund Alzheimer’s research and assist with the care and support of our most vulnerable citizens.
Alison Laughlin: I encourage anyone to attend a city government meeting — City Council, Planning Commission, city Parks Commission, etc. Democracy needs citizen participation.
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)
