Because the list of Ashland’s accomplishments in 2024 would be too long to read out loud, she would have to stick to the highlights, Mayor Tonya Graham said Wednesday, starting off her annual State of the City address in a packed Rogue River Room in Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University.
Following a nearly two-year-long campaign led in part by Ashland High School students, the Ashland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the first reading of an ordinance imposing fees to discourage installation of gas appliances in new residential construction.
The city of Ashland’s annual town hall, including an address from the mayor, presentation of awards and availability of members of city staff to answer resident questions, is set for Wednesday at Southern Oregon University, the city has announced.
At its first meeting of the new year Tuesday, the Ashland City Council is expected to sew up loose threads from last year with votes to approve the 2200 Ashland St. Master Plan, formally create an Ashland Parks & Recreation Department and the first reading of an ordinance to mitigate carbon pollution for new residential structures, according to meeting materials.
A vandalism incident that left damage from large tire marks in Railroad and Lithia parks will cost thousands to repair and is part of a larger trend of vandalism in the city’s parks, according to Ashland Parks Superintendent Kevin Caldwell.
Editor’s note: Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne covers city government, including its ongoing efforts to find ways to shape policies around homelessness. For better insight into the issue, Rothborne spent a night in early December in the shelter when it was operated by Jobs with Justice in Calvin Hall at First Presbyterian Church of Ashland.
Ashland Parks & Recreation Commissioners approved an exception Wednesday to the commission’s integrated pest management policy in the hopes of saving several trees in and around the Japanese Garden in Litha Park.
At its first business meeting of the year Wednesday, the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission will vote on a potential exception for pesticide use in the Japanese Garden and a new capital improvements plan and discuss the ordinance to create a Parks & Recreation Department.
The city of Ashland’s severe weather shelter will move to 2200 Ashland St. and be operated by Rogue Retreat starting Wednesday, Jan. 1, and will operate in that location for 90 days, according to city Emergency Management Coordinator Kelly Burns.
In June, the nation’s highest court ruled in favor of Grants Pass, deciding that cities could impose criminal penalties without running afoul of constitutional provisions against cruel and unusual punishment. Since then, city officials have limited where about 600 homeless people can pitch a tent or sleep to just two locations in the city of 39,000.
Obituary: Proud mom and devoted wife, Mary Louise “Mary Lou” Viola Carlson, 93, passed away in hospice Jan. 19 in Medford. A celebration of life will be held this spring when the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing.
Because the list of Ashland’s accomplishments in 2024 would be too long to read out loud, she would have to stick to the highlights, Mayor Tonya Graham said Wednesday, starting off her annual State of the City address in a packed Rogue River Room in Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University.
Review: “Spotlight on the Judds,” starring Livia Genise as Naomi, Rebecca K. Campbell as Wynonna and Janina Brown as singer and narrator, is playing at the Camelot Theatre through Feb. 9. Rebecca K. Campbell as Wynonna performs with such confidence. She possesses a strong, muscular voice that you can feel right down to the tips of your toes.
A 76-year-old man died after colliding with a tree at Mt. Ashland Ski Area on Friday morning, according to a ski area news release. The helmeted skier, whose name was not released, was on Windsor Chairline, a trail categorized as “most difficult,” the release said.
People in Southern Oregon and far Northern California will likely see ongoing changes in weather patterns in coming years, and those changes aren’t necessarily positive. During a Wednesday evening presentation, “Southern Oregon Climate Trends, Projections, and Consequences,” Dr. Alan Journet, co-facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN), offered a series of possible scenarios if steps are not taken to immediately stop or at least slow climate change.
As part of an ongoing commitment to addressing homelessness in Jackson County, individuals are invited to volunteer for the annual “Point in Time” (PIT) Count, which will take place throughout the last week of January, beginning Monday, Jan. 27.
(It’s free)
