A hiker discovered the remains of Damon Lee Petrie, 60, on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Petrie had been missing since mid-December. Preliminary autopsy results found he died accidentally from hypothermia.
The Ashland City Council and the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a joint meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, to discuss the future of the parks department, including potentially holding off on hiring a new Parks & Recreation director, review long-term financial projections, and discuss Ashland’s strategic planning.
With Oregon school districts facing potential state funding cuts, leaders are looking to staff, who account for 85% of most district budgets, where staffing has grown even as enrollment has fallen.
Plans to tear down a sprawling house-like apartment structure at 431 N. Main St., split its lot into four lots and build three single-family units and a six-unit structure at the corner of Main and Nursery streets are up for review by the Ashland Planning Commission Tuesday night.
State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, is again championing the Climate Superfund Bill, along with several Portland and Salem-area Democrats. The bill would require some of the largest, most profitable oil and gas companies in history to pay damages for disasters fueled by climate change.
Storefronts across the Rogue Valley now display signs reading “no warrant, no entry” as more businesses train to become “Fourth Amendment workplaces” in response to increased federal immigration enforcement. Started by the Medford-based nonprofit Coalición Fortaleza, the social justice group is educating workers about their rights, alleviating fear, and equipping communities for potential ICE activity.
After a tumultuous year marked by budget cuts, stalled projects, and the resignation of an embattled department director, the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission pointed Wednesday to a series of recent department wins.
Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey is back on SOU’s campus on Friday following talks with state leaders and lawmakers in Salem in search of not only funding to keep the liberal arts institution solvent amid cash flow challenges threatening to impede operations by July if no solution is found, but also to lobby for a major change in the priority the Legislature gives to funding higher education.
This year, Oregon’s legislature is expected to craft bills addressing the federal government’s immigration crackdown and Oregon’s cost of living, as well as a gap in the state’s budget caused by a new tax and spending law signed in July. How does that process work? Let’s start with the basics.
Ashland again earned national recognition as a filmmaker-friendly destination, landing at No. 10 on MovieMaker Magazine’s 2026 list of the Top 10 Small Towns in the U.S. and Canada for Filmmakers.
The Oregon Senate recently confirmed two new trustees and reappointed four returning members to the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees. Retired state Rep. Peter Buckley and SOU junior Christopher Geryak will join the board later this month.
Reader Photo: Tim Muser took this photo Tuesday of snow-shrouded Grizzly Peak from North Main Street.
Southern Oregon University announced Monday that its longtime alumni relations director had passed away. Mike Beagle, 63, who served in his role at SOU since 2012, passed away unexpectantly over the weekend due to what SOU President Rick Bailey described as a “hiking accident.”
The Britt Festival has announced six new performances for the Jacksonville venue’s 2026 season.
Tuesday evening’s regular business meeting of the Ashland City Council has been cancelled due to heavy snow, the city announced Tuesday morning, and all Parks & Recreation classes have been canceled. Southern Oregon University is closed for the day.
With fresh snow beginning to blanket the region, Mt. Ashland Ski Area will reopen at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 with limited terrain.
(It’s free)
