Pacific Power proposes record rate hike for Northern California

Pacific Power has requested a rate increase of 57% next year in Northern California, an unprecedented price hike in the region and more than triple what regulators approved in 2023. The proposed rate would add around $120 to customers’ monthly bills, according to Pacific Power. The PacifiCorp-owned company said...

Massive waves expected in Coos Bay, power rates surge in northern California, and local debates over a baseball park and Flock cameras

A powerful Pacific storm is driving extreme ocean swells toward the Oregon coast, with waves expected to reach 30 to 35 feet. While land winds remained relatively light around Coos Bay, offshore gusts reached 60 mph, creating hazardous beach inundation and severe erosion risks. A high wave warning remains active through Monday morning. The Coast Guard restricted traffic across the Coos Bay Bar and warned that 30-foot seas exceed lifeboat operating limits, leaving helicopter crews from Air Station North Bend as the sole search-and-rescue asset.

ODF honors three logging companies as 2026 Operators of the Year

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has named Wood River Timber of Klamath Falls as the 2026 Operator of the Year for eastern Oregon. Wood River Timber is one of three logging companies chosen as Operator of the Year for their respective region. Other winners include Lone Rock Logging in Roseburg for southwest Oregon and Iron Horse Logging in Mapleton for northwest Oregon.

Medford Hearing Today on Rainmaker Cloud-Seeding Proposal for Southern Oregon

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is holding a public hearing this morning on a license application from Rainmaker Technology Corporation for a winter precipitation-enhancement program covering roughly 1,640 square miles in the Medford area. The hearing begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, in the Carpenter Conference Room at the...

Retirees Are Quietly Moving To Grants Pass, Where Rogue River Living Still Costs Less

Some retirees spend years hunting for the right place to slow down, and a growing number of them are finding it in southern Oregon. The town they keep picking sits right on a famous river, close to a major highway, and far from the price tags of big West Coast cities.

Steam Distillery marks five years with a move to Fifth Street

Steam Distillery opened five years ago in a former brewery banquet room. This Friday, the Grants Pass business will mark its anniversary at a new address with a familiar word in its history. The building at Fifth and H streets was once home to the Grants Pass Steam Laundry. The...

Residents push back against proposed cloud seeding permit

MEDFORD, Ore. – Local residents voiced sharp opposition Tuesday to weather modification during an Oregon Department of Agriculture public hearing. The meeting was held at the Jackson County Library in Medford regarding a license application from Rainmaker Technology Corporation to initiate cloud seeding operations across Southern Oregon. The El...

Some Oregon wells have elevated arsenic, even when the water looks and tastes normal

That makes formula prepared with nitrate-contaminated well water particularly dangerous for babies.

Medford Home Prices Slide as Listings Sit Longer on the Market

Medford sellers are cutting prices and homes are lingering on the market, giving buyers real room to negotiate right now.

Guest Opinion: Ashland’s Pay Roll Has Outrun the Norm. The Deficit Plan Should Start There. By Ric Holt

Ashland’s Pay Has Outrun the Norm. The Deficit Plan Should Start There. In his November 9 City Hall Tidbits column in The Ashland Chronicle, David Runkel reported that Deputy Finance Director Bryn Morrison told the city council that city workers’ “base” salaries rose from $100,000 in fiscal 2022 to $136,276 in fiscal 2027. With benefits, the average worker’s package rose from $161,590 to $235,568. According to Runkel, inflation over those years was 24.35 percent. Pay rose 36 percent, and the full package rose 46 percent.

Ashland City Hall Tidbits 11/09/2026: Ashland City Staff Salary & Benefits Exceed Inflation Rate

City Workers Salary and Benefits Increases Exceed Inflation. It’s been a great decade for Ashland city employees. Between fiscal years 2022 (July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022) and the current 2027, the “base”salary for city workers increased from $100,000 to $136,276 as a result of cost of living raises and the annual step increases built into the pay schedule, Deputy City finance director Bryn Morrision told City Council last week.

Oregon ag officials plan Medford meeting on cloud seeding proposal

Rainmaker Technology’s equipment could boost rain and snowfall in Jackson County and surrounding region if approved. The public is invited to attend a hearing and submit comments Tuesday to the Oregon Department of Agriculture regarding a business application from Rainmaker Technology Corporation for proposed “precipitation enhancement” efforts conducted in Jackson County and affecting surrounding Josephine, Douglas and Klamath counties.

Lumber Company Embezzlement Plea

A former lumber company bookkeeper in Douglas County has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1 million over a decade-long period.

Southern Oregon Agriculture Faces New Labor Challenges as State Report Reveals Gaps in Worker Protections and Enforcement

Southern Oregon’s agricultural industry is entering another period of regulatory change as a newly released state legislative report identifies significant weaknesses in Oregon’s agricultural labor oversight, including inconsistent employment records, fragmented enforcement responsibilities and gaps in communication among agencies responsible for protecting farmworkers. The findings arrive less than two months before agricultural overtime requirements expand again, bringing additional financial and operational considerations to farms, vineyards, orchards and ranches throughout Josephine, Jackson, Douglas and Klamath counties.

Stuff N’ Things Celebrates First Anniversary as Myrtle Creek Shop Grows to 89 Vendors

MYRTLE CREEK, Ore. - When Brittany Johnson opened Stuff N’ Things last November, the shop had 26 vendors. As customers gathered for its first anniversary celebration on November 1, that number had grown to 89. The antique, vintage and specialty merchandise shop at 875 South Main Street marked the...

Asante CEO declines to respond to state legislators’ inquiry

State lawmakers express ongoing concern regarding nearly $1 million in unreported labor consultant spending; Oregon nurses union demands ‘real answers’. Asante CEO Tom Gessel declined to answer a half-dozen questions posted in a recent inquiry from two state legislators regarding over $1 million allegedly spent on so-called “anti-union” labor relations firms and said Southern Oregon’s largest healthcare provider has not been engaged with groups for “labor-related staff-level education” since 2023.

Josephine County Opens $30,000 Grant Program as Agricultural Education Expands in Southern Oregon

Josephine County has opened applications for $30,000 in agricultural education grants to support youth programs, adult instruction and related facility improvements, adding project funding as local 4-H and Oregon State University Extension services rebuild following a yearlong interruption in county support. Applications are due November 30. Commissioners anticipate awarding money...

Medford structure displaces several people

Everyone Is Suddenly Talking About The Oregon Town Where Monthly Rent Is Still Only $800

Somewhere in southern Oregon, tucked between the Siskiyou Mountains and the Rogue River, there’s a town that hasn’t gotten the memo that everything is supposed to be expensive now, and its name is Grants Pass. If you’ve been quietly watching your rent climb every year while your quality...