Oregonians have just more than a month to take advantage of federal tax credits meant to reduce by thousands of dollars the costs of buying and installing new energy efficient heating and cooling pumps, insulation, windows and solar panels; the savings can cover half to nearly all costs, depending on the purchase.
Ashlanders can now recieve larger rebates for installing electric heating systems, heat pumps, water heaters or upgraded electrical panels. The expanded incentives, approved on Oct. 23 by the Ashland City Council, aim to help advance the city’s goal of cutting 100% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
People from the community, tribal representatives, and state leaders came together at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 1, to honor Indigenous land stewardship of the Rogue Valley and the collaborative spirit guiding its recovery since the 2020 Almeda Fire.
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now will host a sustainability fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Ashland Elks Lodge. The evening will feature guest speakers, live music and local food and wine.
Eight Mongolian scientists spent three days along the Klamath River to see how dam removal is changing salmon runs as Mongolia balances river conservation and hydropower ambitions.
“Heat Beneath the Waves: How Climate Change Transforms Our Seas,” is the topic for the Southern Oregon Climate Action Now’s next monthly general meeting, held at 6 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 28, at the Medford library, 205 S Central Ave., Medford.
People in Ashland can now take difficult-to-recycle items, including packaging materials, plastics, and shredded paper, to the Ashland Recycling Center on Water Street as part of the state’s recycling mandate.
The so-called “Big One” or Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake expected to trigger disruptive quakes throughout the West Coast could cause more damage than previously estimated if it sets off quakes in the nearby San Andreas Fault Zone, according to a recent study.
A small group of volunteers who call themselves RepairSO offers free sewing repairs at Bellview Grange from 9:30 a.m. to noon the fourth Monday of every month. They bring their own sewing machines in for the work, including a 1936 Singer.
More than 320 species of plants and animals in Oregon need of greater protection, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife, up from 294 about a decade ago. The 2026 plan, adopted on Aug. 15, outlines what the state’s priorities should be to maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations.
Herbert Rothschild: We aren’t appreciably safer now than we were during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What else can we conclude but that nuclear policy simply mustn’t be left in the hands of the warmakers? Either we give peace a chance or we continue to chance self-immolation.
Despite early forecasts of a punishing 2025 wildfire season, Oregon escaped relatively unscathed. Less than 400,000 acres burned in 2025, only one-fifth of the 2 million acres ravaged the year before and well below the 10-year average of 680,000.
Former Ashland City Councilor and Trails Advisory Committee member Stefani Seffinger has filed ethics complaints with both the city and the state, arguing the committee acted unlawfully when it voted Nov. 19 to recommend a new beginner bike trail on the uphill side of Lithia Park. The city issued a 50-page rebuttal Monday, disputing her claims and forwarding the response to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The proposed 1-mile Dormouse Trail would be the first designated bike trail through the park.
Obituary: Christine Charlotte Carpenter passed away at home after a long illness surrounded by loving friends from hermultiple circles of interest. Her artistry extended to personal expression beyond the theater, exploring surface embellishments on fabric and sculpture with a variety of mediums. Her work was exhibited nationally and internationally.
Men’s basketball: Southern Oregon will be eager to come home for the first time after failing to find its shooting touch on the road in non-conference play, a seven-game slate that concluded with Tuesday’s 73-69 loss to The Master’s (California) at Darling Pavilion
Pepper Trail: As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us imagine the world we share with every living thing. Let us give thanks for this planet, this blue and green ball spinning in a lifeless void, holding us all and making possible our every heartbeat, our every breath.
(It’s free)
