Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-12-07
The Medford School Board shifted its goal posts Monday night for future graduation rates and specified targets for third-grade reading proficiency. “Our goals, all those things should be based on real data,” said Cynthia Wright, board chair. “And it hasn’t always been like that.” In a process stretching from early August to Dec. 3, the Medford School Board and the district’s superintendent, Brian Shumate, updated the board’s goals, which set the group&rs
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-12-07
MEDFORD — Completion of the Olsrud Family Community Playground at Bear Creek Park was expected to be finished before the weather turned cold, but bundled-up youngsters should get ready to play on the new structure. City officials announced they’re ready to put the finishing touches on the playground Saturday and Sunday — missing components that had been delayed because of a warehouse fire in Georgia have been received and are ready to be installed by a volunteer “work par
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-12-06
A record 148,928 voters will receive ballots in their mailboxes starting April 28, with those not affiliated with any party now numbering more than Democrats and are almost on par with Republicans. According to the Jackson County Elections Center, the number of registered voters Monday jumped by more than 5,600 from the 143,301 registered for the Nov. 18, 2016, presidential election. It’s almost a third higher than a decade ago, when 112,990 voters were registered. Chris Walker, Jackson C
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-12-06
PHOENIX — Kierssa Hogan hit four of Eagle Point’s eight 3-pointers and the Eagles held off a late Phoenix charge to pull off a 38-33 nonleague win Tuesday at Phoenix High School. The Pirates rallied to within three points with about three minutes to go but could get no closer, as Eagle Point improved to 2-0. “We definitely had opportunities to come back,” Phoenix coach Chelsea Winner said. “Even though they jumped out the game was pretty close the entire time. It wa
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-12-06
Police are asking for clues, and drivers are being asked to avoid a South Medford roadway and freeway exit in the wake of a crash that police say involved a pedestrian and a vehicle that fled the scene. The pedestrian, a 26-year-old woman identified by Medford police as Chantal Haney, was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital Wednesday evening after she was struck by a car near the area of South Pacific Highway and Garfield just at 5:14 p.m. Wednesday, according to a release issued by Medford
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
As of Dec. 1, several local grocery stores will close their sticky, hassle-prone bottle-return rooms and direct customers to the new BottleDrop Redemption Center in Medford. The center, in a 7,000-square-foot warehouse at 1179 Stowe Ave., opens Wednesday, Nov. 12, replacing the redemption service at all grocery stores within a 2-mile radius, including Albertsons on Ross Lane, Sherm's Thunderbird Market and Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer on Crater Lake Highway, Safeway in the Medford Center, Rite Aid, T
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
The day after Thanksgiving, you and your visiting kin can get out of the house, trek to downtown Ashland shops and then attend — along with up to 20,000 others — Santa’s parade and the Festival of Light on Ashland’s Plaza. Santa and Mrs. Claus, standing on the Brickroom restaurant’s balcony, will count down and trigger the Grand Illumination of more than one million lights, making the whole half-mile of downtown a bit of a fairyland for a month. Caroling happens in
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
Jackson County voters passed a ban on GMO crops last May. Now the courts will test the ordinance's validity.  Two county farms that grow Roundup Ready alfalfa filed suit Tuesday asking a state court to overturn the voter-approved ban on genetically modified crops or force the county to pay a total of $4.2 million, which they claim is the value of the crop they would have to destroy. Backed by a coalition of farming, agriculture and biotechnology organizations, Schulz Family Farms
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday not to tax medical or recreational marijuana — for now. Too many unknowns remain about whether local jurisdictions can impose their own taxes on marijuana, commissioners said. "No pun intended, but until the smoke clears we should be cautious," said Commissioner Rick Dyer. During a special election in March, county voters approved a tax of up to 25 percent on marijuana and tasked commissioners with setting the actual ta
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
Jackson County’s job creation rate slowed to 1 percent in October. However, that might be more in keeping with worker interest than employer need. “We’re not seeing any slowdown in requests,” said Nikki Jones of Express Employment in Medford. “What we’re seeing is a slowdown because of the lack of applicants.” October employment figures produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged the county’s unemployment rate at 4.8 percent, up from 4.5 perc
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted today to support the proposed resolution of a lawsuit over the county's ban on growing genetically modified crops. Farmers growing alfalfa genetically modified to withstand herbicides will be able to keep their crops growing for up to eight years and will not be required to remove the plants, as otherwise would be required under the GMO ban voters approved in May 2014. News of the commissioners' vote in favor of the agreement will be sent to a fede
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
I came across a magnificent juniper tree while hiking near Ashland. I estimated its diameter at about 3 feet, and its height around 35 feet. I have never seen a juniper as large in this area, and I hope someone will make sure it stays protected. How old might it be? What is the oldest juniper in Jackson County, or Oregon? — JDM, via e-mail Count yourself among the lucky, JDM. The western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) is extremely rare west of the Cascades. In fact, junipers growing near
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
Chilly, wet weather is forecast to push into southwestern Oregon and Northern California starting Wednesday, making Thanksgiving travel through the Cascades dicey and bringing snow to Mount Ashland, the National Weather Service says. A series of fronts is expected to bring low-elevation rain, snow in the mountains and breezy conditions through Saturday. Snow is expected mainly above 5,000 feet, though it could whiten the Siskiyou Pass on Interstate 5 by Friday night. “It might snow a littl
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-22
A former Jackson County sheriff’s deputy will spend 11 months on probation after pleading guilty today to a misdemeanor count of first-degree official misconduct for having sex with an unidentified woman while on duty. Todd French, 41, of the 2300 block of Highgate Street in Medford, was also ordered to pay a $100 fee and complete 100 hours of community service to the nonprofit organization of his choice during a hearing before Jackson County Circuit Judge Laura Cromwell. An Oregon State Police
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to take precautions against “porch pirates” who nab packages that have been delivered to homes. Throughout the year, law enforcement agencies receive reports of thefts of delivered items, often snagged from a mailbox or front porch. But with a higher volume of deliveries during the holiday shopping season, the potential for thefts goes up. Deputies urge residents to think ahead about how their packages will be delivered b
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
PITTSBURGH — Bold indeed was the first person to eat an oyster. But who was the first person to remove the egg-filled ovaries from a mullet fish, salt them, press them, dry them in the sun and then eat some of that? Italians, I have learned, call these cured roe sacs bottarga, but it's also called botargo and many other names. In Sardinia and Sicily, where it's also made with the larger roe sacs of tuna, it's prized as poor people's caviar. The dense orange to brown slabs, ranging from sev
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-20
Turkey Trots The 13th annual Southern Oregon Turkey Trot 8-mile run kicks off at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22 — Thanksgiving Day — at the Expo, 1 Peninger Road, Central Point. The event includes a 2-mile fun run/walk that starts at 8:30 a.m. See bit.ly/soturkeytrot for registration and course maps. Bring cans of food the support the ACCESS food bank. A Turkey Trot also is held in Grants Pass and features 5K and 2-mile runs. The 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. at the YMCA, 1000 Redwood Ave., Grants Pass. See
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-20
I am probably going to be by myself during the holidays and instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, I’d like to get out. Do you have information on volunteer opportunities for both Christmas and Thanksgiving? Also, are there any groups of people, also alone, who get together for potlucks? Thanks! — Barb, Central Point If it’s any consolation, Barb, you are far from alone when it comes to being alone on the holidays. We get asked every year about activities for people who will be on
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-21
The only thing nicer than having a backyard pool on a warm, summer night is a cozy cabana with a fireplace and wet bar for relaxing after a dip in the pool. That's exactly what Jacksonville residents Mike and Christina Johnson opted to build. A small poolside cabana built by Mike, a builder, offers shade on a sunny day, a toasty fireplace for evenings and, done in Craftsman-style tongue-and-groove, an attractive hideaway to tie the main home and pool area together with style. "It's not a big cab
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)
· snapshot 2018-11-20
An impressive slate of candidates is vying for positions 3 and 6 on the Medford School Board. All bring an active interest in the job and a dedication to public education. In the race for Position 3, Casey Stine offers experience on the Head Start board and an emphasis on early childhood education. She is the mother of a 3-year-old daughter. The other candidate, Cynthia Wright, is the parent of six children who all attended Medford schools. She previously served on the School Board from 2003 to