Public comments during a Tuesday, Dec. 5, hearing shook the previous unanimity of the Washington County Board of Commissioners on the extension of Southwest Tile Flat Road in the South Cooper Mountain area. While all five commissioners have spoken in favor of moving forward with the plan in recent months, some opinions wavered during the public hearing Tuesday after hearing an outpouring of public testimony against the road expansion plan, which has already been adjusted in recent months due to community concerns. ...

Wells Fargo must now inform its Hillsboro employees of their rights to participate in union activities after a recent unfair labor practice dispute was resolved. Employees at the Wells Fargo William Barnhart call center reached a settlement with the bank Friday, Dec. 1. Under the settlement, Wells Fargo must inform workers of their right to organize through facility-wide emails and in-person posted notices. The development comes in light of three...

Come December, the holiday season has hit full swing. Celebrants of various faiths and backgrounds participate in holiday celebrations, which are unique to each faith. Although Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday on the Jewish religious calendar, it has recently enjoyed a more significant share of fanfare. That popularity is perhaps due to the proximity of Chanukah to another major December celebration featuring a bearded fellow in a red suit. Chanukah isn’t mandated by the Torah, and isn’t even mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Rather,...

A swarming defense and plenty of offense from Chauncy Andersen gave the preseason No. 7 Jefferson High School girls basketball team a season-opening win over No. 6 Tualatin 52-44 on Tuesday in the Timberwolves' gym. A season ago, Tualatin walked away with the 44-36 win over the Democrats. However, Jefferson returned nearly its entire roster once again as the group that’s been playing together since they were freshmen and sophomores are all now juniors and seniors for the 2023-2024 season. ...

A large Oregon-based purveyor of nursery trees has been hit with a lawsuit after recently paying various fines from state health and safety officials. Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division officials fined J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. a total of $960 for 18 violations of worker-protection laws in the past three years, according to state records. The company with more than 500 employees has paid all the fines. In...

The Pacific Office Automation Holiday Classic returns in 2023 with one of the best fields the girls basketball tournament has produced. The multi-bracket event will take place Dec. 28-30 at various high schools in the Portland Public Schools system and has some of the top girls squads in the country coming to Portland. Archbishop Mitty out of San Jose, California is currently the No. 3 team in the country, according...

The Banks High School football team finished the season 12-1 overall and advanced to the 3A state title game where they fell to defending champion Cascade Christian. But despite falling a win shy of their ultimate team goal, individually they met nearly all of them. The Braves put 10 players on the Coastal Range League’s all-league first team and did so at 13 different positions. Additionally, senior quarterback Kade Long...

A man was found dead in an Aloha creek on Tuesday, according to authorities. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a community member reporting a possible body in Bronson Creek at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday Dec. 5, officials said. Deputies from the sheriff’s office and firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to the scene located on the north side of Northwest Anzalone Drive. “Upon their...

No greenery is more recognized during the holiday season than Christmas trees. However, wreaths likely take a close second to towering evergreens when it comes to green holiday decor. It is important to treat wreaths with care to maximize their longevity and beauty. The following tips can help ensure wreaths remain fresh and festive throughout December. Choose the right design ...

Once again, coaches on “The Voice” loved Jacquie Roar’s performance. On Monday night, they weighed in on not only the singer from North Plains but all of those in the Top 12 whose fates are now in the hands of voting viewers. Dress in full cowgirl regalia, including knee-high silver boots, Roar did a blazing rendition of Lainey Wilson’s “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” ...

Small businesses are the heart and soul of our community. Right now, holiday gatherings are being planned, calendars are filling up, and you can feel the energy of the holiday season everywhere you turn. This is a busy time. It’s the time when our local businesses count on foot traffic and order pick-ups and loyal customers who choose to shop local. As a local business owner, I will be celebrating...

The Patrica Reser Center for the Arts will host Winterfest, a performance by the ISing Choir, on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10. The performances will feature the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, including a movement featuring the “Christmas Oratorio” along with a motet, “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden.” Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, and 3 p.m. on Dec. 10. ...

I first tested the 2023 Honda Pilot with the TrailSport package at Mudfest 2023, the most recent outdoor activity vehicle competition organized by the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Although it did not win any prizes, I was so impressed with the improvements to the off-road options for the midsize three-row crossover SUV that I highlighted them in a follow up article. In that article, I called 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport AWD the “Most improved” entry at Mudfest 2023, saying: ...

Authorities released the name of the 78-year-old woman who died after being hit by a car on Southwest Roy Rogers Road late last month. Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a traffic crash at 11:38 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, after a driver called 911 and said they hit a bicyclist on the roadway just north of Sherwood. A 47-year-old woman who was driving a Mazda MZ5 was reportedly...

Two performances of an across-the-pond comedy aimed at “Monty Python,” “Mr. Bean” and Dr. Seuss aficionados are set for the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on Friday, Dec. 8. “O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy” will be performed at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. “When catastrophe strikes at James and Jamesy’s Christmas tea party, flooding the world with tea, the duo conjure wildly funny solutions to stay afloat, and...

December 8, 1937 – October 10, 2023 - Nancy was born December 8, 1937, the fourth child of Kenneth James and Isabelle Banks Brest of Sharon, PA and passed away on October 10, 2023 in Elkhorn, NE. Nancy was a gifted musician, athlete, and student who was the drum major at Sharon HS, PA and crowned homecoming queen for Roberts Wesleyan University, Rochester, NY. She was Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society in college and sang in the traveling A Capella choir too. ...

The joyous holiday season is enhanced by the beautiful and festive decorations that adorn homes and businesses during this special time of year. Twinkling lights are part of the holiday decorating equation. However, tangled lights in storage bins and boxes can sap anyone’s holiday spirit. Christmas lights can turn into a tangled mess no matter how hard people work to avoid such an outcome. Christmas lights get tangled partly because...

No, this isn't about those folks who spend their winters in Arizona or Florida. The snowbird behind this warning is an actual bird, the dark-eyed junco, a small creature you probably know if you have a bird feeder and maybe even if you don't. Trim, gray sparrows that flash white tail feathers as they take flight, juncos are called snowbirds because they arrive in our towns with the coming of snow. Come spring, they head back up into the mountains or north to Canada and...

Recipe books pulled off the shelf. Pages stained from years of use. Christmas cookie use. All four grandchildren were together. Sydney and Gabby being the older granddaughters were eager to help their toddler cousins. Emma and Nolan seemed more interested in eating the dough and then the cookies. We did not do cookies for the holidays in that house back on the lane. Mom baked, but cookies were not, I assume, something she enjoyed baking. Perhaps it was that sugar and chocolate chips or other...

HILLSBORO FIRST TUESDAY ART WALK — Downtown Hillsboro’s Cultural Arts District welcomes residents and visitors for the First Tuesday Art Walk in December, 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5. Enjoy live music, visit local galleries and art spaces, dine, and shop in downtown Hillsboro. Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E. Main St. in Hillsboro. HOLIDAY BRASS — Feel the power, precision, and prowess of the Oregon Symphony brass section as musicians fill the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with a festive mix of classical...