Jackson County District Attorney Beth Heckert marked the final day of her third and last term in office on Monday. Former Chief Deputy DA Patrick Green was sworn in as the county’s new top prosecutor Monday.
A U.S. district judge has denied a motion by regional tribes that would block federal officials from greenlighting a Coquille Indian Tribe casino in Medford.
Jackson County needs a new animal shelter, one for both dogs and cats and run by a nonprofit organization, not the county, says Denise Krause, an Ashland resident who serves on the Rogue Valley Transit District board and is known to many as a candidate for county commissioner.
Republican Randy Sparacino notched an apparent landslide victory Tuesday night in the race for Jackson County commissioner against Democrat Denise Krause of Ashland. The unofficial results posted on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website on Thursday show Sparacino received 56.84%, or 62,603 votes, against Krause’s 43.04%, or 47,403 votes in the race for the position 2 commissioner seat.
Three Ashlanders – all Democrats – were represented in county, state, and congressional elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with state Rep. Pam Marsh the sole winner among them. She was handily re-elected to her fifth term serving the district.
One day before the Nov. 5 general election, more than half of Jackson County’s 164,463 eligible voters had returned their ballots — and counting. The Ashland ballot boxes in the alley behind the library at 410 Siskiyou Blvd. will be open until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. Under Oregon law, mailed ballots with a Nov. 5 or earlier postmarked will be accepted until Nov. 12.
Voters have seven places across Jackson County to drop off their ballots anytime day or night. New partnerships with local law enforcement and modern camera technologies are among the tools used to preserve election security ahead of the Nov. 5 vote.
Jackson County Fire District No. 3 board members unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) Oct. 17 that will render much-needed aid — by way of administrative support — to Jackson County Fire District No. 5. Finalization of the IGA comes after months of discussion over how District 3 could provide assistance to its embattled sister district, which serves nearly 23,000 patrons on the south end of the Rogue Valley in Talent, Phoenix and unincorporated Ashland.
For the upcoming Ashland City Council election, all candidates were contacted by Ashland.news for interviews. All who responded were asked the same six questions. Answers from candidates competing for the same position have been paired together. In this, is the third of three articles on contested council seats, we hear from Douglas Knauer, candidate for council Position 1. Teresa Cisneros did not respond to multiple attempts by Ashland.news to schedule an interview.
Candidates for Ashland City Council and Jackson County Board of Commissioners will get another chance to show voters what they are about on Wednesday in Ashland. The forum, which is free and open to the public, is planned for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the Rogue River Room of SOU’s Stevenson Union.
Review: “Hansel and Gretel” offers surprises for children and the young at heart.
Southern Oregon University’s Small Business Development Center will cease operations Dec. 31 after helping some 11,000 individuals over 41 years, but the state plans to offer virtual services in the new year and hopes to find a subcontractor to offer personal service in the Rogue Valley.
Oregon State Sen. Jeff Golden announced on Monday, Dec. 1, that he will seek another term and that the political climate under Trump’s second term demands stronger state-level resistance.
An estimated 15,000 people came out for Ashland’s 33rd annual Festival of Light on Friday to kick off the holiday season. There were people walking around dressed in Santa hats, Christmas tree outfits, green and red tinsel pom poms in hair, glitter sparkly as snow dusting eyes and rosy cheeks, candy cane stripe stockings, Christmas light necklaces, antler headbands, a few Grinches — and, of course, Santa’s reindeer moseying about.
Oregon has expanded access to birth workers, shown to improve the wellbeing of parents, opening up Medicaid to doulas in 2014 and to lactation consultants in 2020. But years into that effort, professionals say their inability to get paid remains one of the most persistent obstacles to providing care to low-income families
Today, Dec. 2, is Giving Tuesday, a day when people across the country support the organizations that make their communities stronger. If Ashland.news has helped you stay prepared, connected, or informed, we hope you’ll consider making a gift today.
(It’s free)
