Hundreds of high school ski racers tested their skill and endurance competing in the Alpine Ski Racing State Championships at Mt. Ashland Ski Area from Wednesday to Friday. More than 350 young athletes from across Oregon took part in the three-day event, including a warmup day and two days of competition.
Forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects have been halted and employees laid off as freezes of federal funds impact Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland-based nonprofit organization. Nearly two of every three dollars — 65% — of the nonprofit’s budget for 2025 came from the Inflation Reduction Act or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — two pots of money affected by broad freezes of federal funds by the Trump administration.
A group of 20 attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over mass layoffs of probationary federal employees, which they claim is illegal and is causing irreparable harm to their states. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland on Thursday.
After a series of low-profile meetings with Salem power brokers and utility officials, state Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) confirms to the Oregon Journalism Project that she has crafted legislation to create a $1 billion fund to help utilities pay damages to customers hurt by utility-caused wildfires.
Obituary: Ashland based journalist and videographer Mark K. Brown, 79, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer. A celebration of life is being planned this spring.
Theatergoers looking for a fresh take on a timeless, literary adventure — with a whole lot of wit and whimsy to go along with it — should check out Ashland High School Theater’s spring musical production of “Little Women” opening this weekend with performances at 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at Mountain Avenue Theatre, with an afternoon matinee at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara and Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler spoke about gun use and safety, answering questions on topics including proper storage and specifics of Oregon law, to an audience of 50 at the Ashland Public Library Tuesday afternoon. The event was sponsored by the Ashland branch of the American Association of University Women, and closed out their 2024-2025 “Big Ideas” discussion series.
A team of local artisans and craft people have helped finish a 14-year effort to raise the curtain on the historic Holly Theatre in downtown Medford. The movie palace with its massive 1,008-seat auditorium will debut the first two acts next week, announcing the theater as a major performing arts center
The curtain will rise once more in Ashland as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival launches its milestone 90th anniversary season this weekend. The 2025 lineup of nine productions on three stages includes Shakespearean classics, timeless dramas, comedies, new works and even a Sondheim musical.
Citing higher-than-anticipated caseloads in the state’s Medicaid program and the agency that provides services to seniors and people with disabilities, Oregon’s budget writers plan to spend nearly $426 million more than they initially budgeted before the end of the fiscal year in June.
With a 78-51 win Saturday, the No. 2-seeded Southern Oregon University Raiders women’s basketball team went to 33-0 on the year, matching the program’s single-season wins record and advancing to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, for the first time since the NAIA’s two divisions merged and the bracket expanded to 64 teams three years ago.
For the fourth year in a row, the Southern Oregon women’s basketball team is through to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament. In Friday night’s 86-52 first-round win over UC Merced at Lithia Motors Pavilion, the Raiders made it look routine. The task gets taller, literally and figuratively, in Saturday’s 5 p.m. second-round matchup against No. 7 seed Wayland Baptist (Texas).
Oregon’s second-highest court affirmed Wednesday that the voter-approved gun control law Measure 114 is constitutional, potentially clearing the way for the law to take effect after being on hold for years because of a Harney County judge’s ruling.
The 12 wineries along the Bear Creek Wine Trail are teaming up to bring their best wines to the table for attendees of the inaugural Bear Creek Wine Trail Festival, with a chance to enjoy the scenic views and backdrop of Naumes Suncrest Winery in Talent.
Brilliantly acted and staged at the intimate Richard L. Hay Center at the Grizzly Peak Winery, Rogue Theater Company’s production of “Doubt,” as director John Sipes writes of the play, “serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us to be wary of the narrowness of moral certainty and encouraging us to embrace the ambiguity and uncertainty we so often face.”
Three guinea pigs had been left in Lithia Park, Ashland Community Service Officer Denise Aguilera was told when she was called to respond. The guinea pigs were left in a carrier “with a sign indicating ‘Free for the taking,’” Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara said in an email Wednesday.
(It’s free)
