Category Opinion & Editorial

While U.S. plastic recycling rates have historically hovered between 5 and 10 percent, Oregon continues to lead the way, with rates trending higher—around 13.7 percent, according to a 2020 report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. There’s room for improvement – and Oregon is…

The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, of which I’m a board member, was engaged in several critical pieces of legislation this past session at the statehouse in Salem.  Two pieces of legislation were especially important – SB686 and SB437.  SB686 was the “Big Tech” bill, and…

Protestors are a committed lot. And protestors who show up day after day after day, are way beyond committed. And then there is a small lot of people in our community who are going to walk cross country – in unrelenting summer heat in the…

Dear Editor Yes, we “enabled” the homeless by providing minimal secure, dry shelter, with privacy and independence. We enabled them to have safe working bicycles for transportation to work and services. We helped secure food, medicine, and social services. Being secure and dry has reduced…

Dear Editor: Congratulations (Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller) on your advancement in the world of journalism, being a business partner!  I have watched your career grow from the time you first went to work for Scott Olson. Through the years I have had the pleasure of working with…

There is something uplifting – even soul-nourishing – when I see young folks mobilize for a good cause. It makes me feel confident about the future when I see these community members stand up for what they believe in, even in the face of adversity,…

Your neighbors in Lane County – kids, adults, families and seniors – need your help now.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has canceled the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) food purchasing program, which supplies FFLC with about 15% of the food we provide to Lane County…

As we approach another wildfire season, let’s talk about fires and what we can do to help prevent them.  Let’s start with the facts. Last year, Oregon suffered a record-breaking wildfire season –more than 1.9 million acres burned.  That’s 3,000 square miles, or about a…