The city’s severe weather winter shelter at 2200 Ashland St. will open at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, four days later than originally planned, to allow for a final cleanup and safety walk-throughs of the renovated facility. A severe weather shelter will be open Friday through Sunday nights, Nov. 28 through 30, at the OHRA facility at 2350 Ashland St.
The Britt Festival Orchestra’s 64th season next summer features a lineup of classical masterworks and world-renowned guest artists under the direction of new music director Norman Huynh.
The Rogue Valley is tuning up for its most spirited time of year, with December bringing a full spectrum of concerts, plays and celebrations to Ashland and its neighboring communities.
Ashland-Sviathorsk Aid Project will host a benefit concert on Dec. 14 at the Ashland High School Theatre to support Sviatohirsk, Ashland’s sister city in Ukraine. The event features a holiday sale, a short documentary, and a 90-minute concert showcasing local performers, including several Ukrainian artists.
Derek Severson, Ashland’s planning supervisor, now faces more than 600 pages’ worth of an application from Townmakers, the developer of Ashland Mill, the largest project ever proposed in the city. Understandably daunted, he also acknowledges the rare opportunity this provides for him and other planners in a city of Ashland’s size.
Ashland residents gathered Sunday at the mural of Aidan Ellison to honor the Black teen’s life five years after his killing. Speakers called for continued reflection, racial justice work, and keeping Ellison’s story alive for future generations.
Ashland kicks off the holidays in signature style the day after Thanksgiving, when the 33rd Annual Festival of Light returns Friday, Nov. 28, with music, festivities and more than 1 million lights illuminating downtown.
A women’s singing group with member from the 27 Ukrainian families now taking refuge in Ashland will perform at a benefit concert Dec. 14.
The Trump administration will require that homeless service providers force people to receive behavioral health treatment in order to access long-term, federally supported housing, a move that could mean organizations across Oregon would have to choose between receiving federal dollars or state dollars — but not both.
This year marks the 10th annual Thanksgiving Community Peace Meal and the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland has offered to share their space with the community. SOJWJ is lining up volunteers and cooks, as well as those who can give financial support. They are expecting to feed more than 300 people.
Picture This: A reflection of the year through Ashland.news photographer Bob Palermini’s camera.
In state and national news, many Oregonians stood out for standing up. From protests and marches against Trump and his administration’s policies, to dozens of lawsuits against the federal government. Massive spending and tax cut packages that passed in Washington D.C. and Salem dominated this year’s political coverage
Obituary: Vincent Paul Shubat died on Dec. 19, 2025, at the age of 90, leaving behind a wide circle of family, friends, and acquaintances. Vince lived a life defined by curiosity, courage, and connection.
Black Alliance & Social Empowerment (BASE) Southern Oregon hosted a Kwanzaa celebration Sunday at the Historic Ashland Armory, featuring music, dancing, youth presentations and a candle lighting ceremony.
Wanda Petzold Olsrud, known for her quiet but steadfast generosity and the decades she and her late husband Sherm spent supporting community organizations from medical facilities to youth programs, died on Monday at the age of 100.
The likelihood of rain and the already low snowpack have resulted in the Mt. Ashland Ski Area pausing ski operations indefinitely as of Thursday, New Year’s Day. In a press release Wednesday afternoon, ski area officials said the New Year’s Day forecast calls for rain with a high near 38 degrees and south-southeast winds around 18 mph with gusts as high as 28 mph.
(It’s free)
