If you are reading this, then I appreciate you.  There is an endless amount of content you could be consuming but right now, at this very moment, you are taking the time out of your day to read my first column on the opinion page…

Dear Editor: It’s a wonderful joy when life surprises you! This week I had the opportunity to meet three angels. I live alone and found one of my old 19-year-old alpacas going down in the pasture. It was the heat of the afternoon when I…

Dear Editor:  On Friday, Sept. 30 during the Cottage Grove Art Walk, the first annual Cottage Grove Chalk Fest filled the sidewalks with chalk art.  Thank you to the volunteers and to all the businesses who donated prizes. It was very hard to choose just…

Dear Editor:  I’m writing as a concerned citizen. Thank you for covering the police beating near Main Street. I know it takes courage to cover a controversial topic as some in our town threaten others for even speaking of it. I’m writing however because the…

Dear Editor:  As a retired member to the Teacher’s Union, I would like to call attention to the Cottage Grove community members who are maintaining picket lines at the shuttered Latham Weyerhaeuser mill. They are standing 24/7 through cold lonely nights, rain, and without wages.…

The high school fall sports season is a personal favorite, with games played against a backdrop of changing leaves and crisp autumn air. Indoor events have their own special feel, too, and a cozy gym can provide warmth and safety from the elements.  Thurston High…

Dear Editor, You had an article in your last paper about the need for a fire department up here in the Dorena-Disston area. As a matter of fact, we do have an unofficial fire department with three fire trucks and about 20 “fire trailers” that…

Addi’s Diner article brings back sweet memories Dear Editor: In your Sept. 8 issue you published an article on Addi’s Diner. It brought back some lovely memories. Thirty-one years ago, I escaped the traffic madness of Los Angeles and settled into a wonderful house on…