A monsoonal air mass moving into Southern Oregon is bringing an elevated risk of lightning on an already dry landscape, prompting the National Weather Service in Medford to issue a red flag warning.
Derreck Moore, the new traffic enforcement officer at the Ashland Police Department, met with members of the Transportation Advisory Committee last week as they conducted their regular six-month review of crash and near-miss data for the city.
Ashland School District officials plan to make arrangements over the weekend to relocate an alternative education program from Lincoln School to Ashland High School following the emergency closure of the nearly 100-year-old building after an annual inspection by the city fire marshal turned up severe structural issues.
UPDATE: The Lincoln School in Ashland was closed on Thursday by the city’s Fire Marshal following a fire inspection. The closure impacts two educational programs housed at Lincoln. The district is working to contact families about where their children will attend classes on Monday.
Classes aren’t back in session just yet, but there were lessons learned this week at Talent Middle School and Phoenix High School. A training exercise on Monday was months in the making, involving Phoenix, Talent and Ashland police departments and upwards of 100 volunteers, including Phoenix High School football players and students, staff and parent volunteers.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara told city officials on Monday that lowering the bar to expel those who break the law — primarily repeat offenders — from business areas gives cops a “tool to best react to those unlawful behaviors.”
An Ashland man accused of opening fire on passing motorists and responding law enforcement officers was indicted this week in Jackson County Court on charges . that include attempted murder.
An Ashland man who shot at law enforcement before fleeing on foot was arrested Saturday morning near mile marker 15 on Interstate 5, according to law enforcement reports. The interstate was closed for a period of time during the incident. No injuries were reported.
A surge in harassment and spam calls to a statewide hotline for victims of hate and bias crimes, and an unusual decrease in legitimate bias complaints being reported, is prompting calls for reform from state officials.
The Oregon Department of Human Services is offering free emergency kits and power stations for older adults and qualified people with physical disabilities. The emergency kits include flashlights, blankets, first aid items, food and other supplies. The power stations are portable and have rechargeable batteries.
As of Nov. 3, Ashland Community Food Bank has a new director at the reins. Catie Mahoney will serve in the role with guidance from outgoing director Amey Broeker, who will officially retire on Dec. 31 after serving in the food bank role since 2022.
The Ashland City Council will review a proposal from a potential provider to oversee its extreme weather shelter during its regular business meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival has added a second screening showcasing Indigenous filmmakers on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Three and a half years into the war with Russia, Ashland violinist and longtime music teacher Faina Podolnaya is still finding ways to help Ukrainian refugees.
Herbert Rothschild: As the number of ads in The New Yorker has shrunk, it seems as if the wealth of its readership has concentrated, just as one might concentrate the flavor of a sauce by reducing it on the stovetop.
Local artist MaryAnn Shank will share the thoughts behind her newest novel “Sor Juana, My Beloved” at Bloomsbury Books Jan. 26. Shank is a finalist of The Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Book of the Year 2025 award, awarded by the International Latino Book Association.
(It’s free)
