All through my life I have had a love-hate relationship with cars. I love cars, and they hate me. I love the concept of cruising down the road with the windows open and the radio blaring, the deep-throated exhaust raising my testosterone level. But in reality, cars are a money pit with four wheels. Not only do they cost a […]
I write to respond to Gregg Harris’ paid advertisements in Our Town. Although the ads are totally acceptable as free speech, they express beliefs and opinions that distress me. Gregg Harris’ opinions are expressed as assertions of truth, a truth with which I do not agree. If we do not balance that content of a full page in our small […]
I support the limitations the Our Town publication has put on Forum submissions. But I wonder if those same limitations apply to articles and ads? It seems to me that they are just as applicable and in accordance with the U.S. Constitution which protects free speech while allowing limitations on certain categories of speech. In perusing the internet, I found an article describing the […]
On or about July 18, 2024, at Pacific Crest Apartments a series of renovation-related labors commenced… Many are still ongoing to the continued, demonstrable, inconveniences to its residents. The various projects initially were focused on the first five four-unit buildings. One of the associated undertakings very soon resulted in the permanent removal of the wall heaters in each apartment’s living […]
Holiday magazines are my favorite. I love thumbing through pages of decked halls and themed Christmas trees. I like the recipes that claim to make the perfect pumpkin pie or the juiciest turkey. I even like pretending I can afford something off the gift lists labeled, “for the mom who longs to open something other than a bathrobe” or “for […]
I am responding to David Steinberg’s opinion in The Forum, that Our Town is doing its readers a disservice by accepting advertisements and comments from groups like the Noble Men of Oregon. Our nation was founded on the constitutional right to speak freely. I, for one, appreciate your willingness to allow the sharing of different points of view. It is […]
In The Forum (10/15/24), Mr. David Steinberg submitted a Letter with the title: “Opinions in Ad Misogynistic.” He disapproves of me “justifying [my] opinions” with “quotes from the Bible.” While he has a right to his opinions, my point was based on historical events. The Bible verses I used were to help explain why those events happened. Here is the […]
Hey, everyone! Want a good laugh? Pull out your “Official Marion County Voters’ Pamphlet” and take a look at the ballot measures some creative souls have air-dropped into our laps. Overall, they are pretty darn kooky. This year’s batch of measures would: damage the state economy, give people free money, make election outcomes so they are impossible to understand, require […]
Once again a man, with support from friends of like mind, has placed a full-page ad in the Vol. 21 No. 18 issue of the Our Town publication with the intent of justifying his opinion that women aught to be deprived the right to make important physical, mental health, and life decisions without interference from others by flooding us with […]
The way we feed ourselves is an important part of our family life and, as such, it has changed a lot over the years as we have added children, changed vocations and learned to manage our time differently. And yet, sometimes I find myself wondering – how did we get here? Sourcing There was a time, when my kids were […]
I am an old man. Several times each week I cross West Main Street, near the corner of Welch, on my way to Safeway. I’ve done this for many years. Recently, a driver refused to yield to me – although it would have required little effort on his part. And he was nasty about it. Silverton drivers have traditionally been […]
Lurking in the hearts of most people is a secret entrepreneur. It’s not the Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos type. It’s more along the lines of the Ralph Kramden type. For those of you who lack adequate amounts of gray hair, Ralph was the main character of The Honeymooners, a 1950s television show that starred Jackie Gleason. Ralph was a […]
Five years ago, I attended my eldest daughter’s first swim meet, I was incredibly excited and equally unprepared. Sitting on the rock-hard metal bleachers with the sun beating down on my unprotected skin, I watched as other, more seasoned parents set up folding chairs, umbrellas, slathered on sunscreen and handed out snacks. Jealousy is perhaps too mild a word. But […]
I want to express my gratitude and pride in our community, which I experienced on the National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 in Mount Angel. Downtown Mt. Angel was filled with people enjoying friendly conversations, good food, and soft drinks. The downtown core was almost standing room only. I know that the event was organized and well coordinated by […]
I visited the park with my dogs today and there’s a lot of dog poop that is not being picked up. We are so fortunate to have such a nice dog park, [in Silverton] but if people don’t clean up after their pet, it’s a place that could breed disease and is unpleasant to visit. Please watch your dog and […]
I often get up early, and part of my typical morning routine is a walk. It’s usually dark when I go outside. The first thing I do is look up. There, among the searing stars and the bits of flotsam whirling through the universe, is our story. I don’t know much about astronomy. I could not name most constellations. To […]
This year, the parade was fun fun, fun. We laughed uproariously at the Oregon gnomes and their dunce – no – their gnome hats that bring luck and a closeness to the good earth. We applauded with Olympic-like fever at the skills of our gymnasts and we marveled at the precision of the Shriner motorcycle precision. All that in our […]
OK, fellas, gather around. We are approaching Code Red on the Social Media Reality Scale. Almost everything you see on social media is fake. Photos are fake, video is fake – nearly everything is either fake or the captions are phony. They either don’t accurately describe the photo or when and where the photo was taken. Even the spelling is […]
“What a difference a year makes.” I recently came across these words in an essay I wrote in April 2021. It was a valiant attempt to encapsulate the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time-period that could not – and still cannot – be summed up by one sentence, no matter how hard I try. There simply is […]
Dear Editor, As the Postmasters of Aumsville, Mount Angel, and Sublimity, we are writing to express the unwavering commitment of our postal staff to serving our wonderful communities. With the 4th of July approaching, a time when we celebrate our nation’s independence and the freedoms we cherish, it is also a fitting moment to reflect on the values that bind us together. […]
Everyone needs a cheerleader. I know I do. Nothing gets me more excited than someone saying something nice. Every once in a while someone will say something nice and I turn into the world’s biggest golden retriever. “Thank you for saying that,” I’ll say. “You just made my day.” If I had a tail, it would be wagging 90 mph. […]
Growing up, camping was my family’s main form of recreation. I still love it and, while I’m not a hard-core backpacker or even a tent camper anymore – thanks to our nifty pop-up tent trailer – I think there is still something to be said for just getting out of the house and spending time outside. But it does take […]
OK, it’s time for my annual joke. My birthday is this month. Yep, I’ll turn 17. And other than a slight case of dyslexia, I feel pretty good. With that out of the way, I have a few things to say about getting old. In summary, it’s not too bad. Other than an occasional time-out for heart surgery, let the […]
1,485 Respondents: During the May 2, 2024 (Silver Falls) school board “work session,” no comments were allowed. The board received collated documents from Superintendent Morelock for opinions on priority programs. Morelock was thanked for the extensive detail. This time-consuming, week-long, process was to determine the sacred cows. There were no surprises to scholastic or extra-curricular concerns. No insult intended to […]
During the past six weeks I have been dismayed by the harsh – and even sometimes hate-filled – comments I’ve read on social media. Hauntingly similar to the public divide created by the COVID shutdown and the subsequent roll out of safety protocols, the Silver Falls School District’s budget shortfall has once again filled the community with mistrust. I admit, […]
