Michael O’Looney: President Donald Trump’s relentless name-calling of those he regards as his adversaries in politics and the media has become something more than a feeble attempt at conjuring up innocuous nicknames. Besides being childish and unimaginative, his slurs have become methodically vicious.
AFP board: If you are a current Ashland Food Project donor, invite someone you know to become a donor. If you don’t currently give to AFP, please sign up to be a donor.
Michael O’Looney: Trump and the Texas Legislature are responsible for a partisan power grab that has unleashed bitterness and partisan vindictiveness, all in an effort to subvert an electoral system for partisan ends.
Craig Anderson: All of this delay did not come from a “miscue.” It came from a pattern of belligerence exhibited by city of Ashland and state officials toward whatever obstacles stand in the way of development.
Councilor Jeff Dahle: While I respect the intent behind that proposal (to require a public vote on new taxes and fees), I do not support the petitioner’s request of the City Council to mandate that it be placed on the ballot without requiring the petitioner to follow the same established process that applies to all initiatives.
Councilor Dylan Bloom: Next November, Ashlanders may decide whether any new or increased utility fees must be approved by voters. I do not support that policy. But I do support the City Council placing the measure on the ballot rather than requiring the petitioner, George Kramer, to gather signatures.
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?
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.
Rabbi Jackie Brodsky: As many seem to have forgotten or denied, the current war in Gaza was started by Hamas terrorists breaking a ceasefire on Oct.7, 2023, when the worst attack on the Jews since the Holocaust took place.
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.
A proposal to create four residential lots on Scenic Drive above Lithia Park won approval from the Ashland Planning Commission this week, despite challenges posed by steep slopes and protected trees. But plans for two new commercial buildings on Ashland Street hit an unexpected delay after the city discovered that required notice of tree removals had been omitted, forcing a continuation of the hearing until January.
Ashland High School may soon face stiffer competition as Oregon’s athletic governing body moves forward with reclassifications that place the school in a new 5A Southern Cascade Conference alongside Crater, Eagle Point, and Henley high schools. AHS officials argue that 4A would be the best fit, citing participation numbers and resource gaps, but OSAA’s committee is preparing to finalize the changes next week.
The Ashland Fringe Festival is accepting artist applications for its 2026 festival after celebrating a successful inaugural year.
A piece of New York cultural history — destroyed in the 9/11 attacks — will come back into the world this week through an ambitious digital reconstruction led by an Ashland-based team.
Catty Corner: The holidays can be both festive and stressful for felines. Learn how to protect your cats — and also how to bring them the joys of the season. (Hint: good things come in all sizes of boxes.)
As part of its Heart of Humanity series for 2025-26, Anima Mundi Productions was finally able to present Shireen Abu-Khader, an internationally recognized, dynamic Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian choral leader, vocalist and composer-arranger of Middle Eastern music, at Southern Oregon University’s Music Recital Hall.
(It’s free)
