Opinion
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 2769
From Our Files (March 22, 2023)
March 22, 1973 The Sweet Home Rock and Mineral Society will give away a commemorative keychain to those who attend the 25th annual banquet. The idea to create keychains made from quarters with the...
Commentary: Economic illiteracy costs Americans (March 15, 2023)
By Dr. Caleb Fuller “Economics,” wrote Henry Hazlitt, “is haunted by more fallacies than any other study known to man.” True. No epoch is immune to the scourge of economic illiteracy. Yet, we find ourselves in a moment of especially...
From Our Files (March 15, 2023)
March 15, 1973 The DEQ requested a survey be conducted in the Foster and Midway areas to determine whether a health hazard exists. The project includes inspection of septic tank systems and a survey...
Editorial: When freedom and filth cross paths (March 8, 2023)
Many rural Oregonians have DNA that includes a streak of “don’t tread on me” and that’s certainly true in Sweet Home. But, as we’ve seen from the deliberations emanating from City Hall, “live and let live” sometimes must needs have limi...
From Our Files (March 8, 2023)
March 8, 1973 The city Planning Commission will recommend to the City Council an ordinance that will, under certain conditions, create a special combining zone that allows mobile homes on individual...
Letter: LBCC's Sweet Home closure not a surprise (March 1, 2023)
Editor: The closure of the Linn-Benton Community College facility in Sweet Home (Feb. 22) is disappointing but not a surprise. I offered two classes there in the fall and had two people sign up. But that was not a surprise either, because there...
Letter: Put trust in One proven worthy (March 1, 2023)
Editor: If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past three years, it’s: “Always trust the experts.” Right? Not so much. First, it was COVID. Now it is floating UFOs. And do not forget the borderless mass migrations. More than from...
From Our Files (March 1, 2023)
March 1, 1973 Strong winds estimated to have reached up to 50 mph fanned near-dormant slash burning piles into flame and ignited a 15-acre forest fire 20 miles northeast of Sweet Home. The blaze...
Commentary: Reporter's dogged efforts lead to unveiling of 'insider scheme' (March 1, 2023)
By Therese Bottomly Ever heard of Pappy Van Winkle before this past month? Me, neither. But lots of people apparently covet the high-end bourbon, including some managers of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Their insider scheme came to...
Commentary: Silent government is scary government
By Dr. Eric Fruits What do spy balloons, a state liquor scandal, and Oregon road tolling have in common? The short answer is “not much”… except they are all examples of our government hiding stuff from us. And, when the government doesn’t wan...
From Our Files (Feb. 22, 2023)
Feb. 22, 1973 Another bit of history in East Linn County was preserved when the Willamette National Forest accepted 30 acres of forest land at the Cascade Mountain crest of the old Santiam Wagon Road...
Editorial: Rekindle spirit of local volunteerism when needs arise
Sweet Home has certain qualities that endear it to people who arrive here and who end up staying – often for decades. We all know it, even those who complain about the way the downtown looks, the inertia that seems to keep improvements from happeni...
From Our Files (Feb. 15, 2023)
Feb. 15, 1973 The Oregon Consumer League is making landlord/tenant law a priority as they try to base law on a model by the Uniform Code Commissioners. When a product such as a car or radio is...
Letter: Language can be tangled puzzle (Feb. 8, 2023)
Editor: Thanks to Roberta McKern for her always-interesting stories from our museum. I had wondered for decades why “Lyma” Ohio, but “Leema” Peru. I found out, when I went to Peru in the 1990s. The Spanish conquistadores asked the locals wh...
Letter: Reader happy to have local news (Feb. 8, 2023)
Editor: We are indeed fortunate to have our New Era and Lebanon Local reporting our news. Thank you especially for the great pictures and coverage of the outdoor school and many other events of our youth. Thank you for finding another printer when...
From Our Files (Feb. 8, 2023)
Feb. 8, 1973 Robert Harrison Myers was arrested after Daryle Jimerson requested that police look for his stepdaughter, Vickie, who has been trying to obtain a divorce from Myers. Jimerson told police...
Editorial: Homeless shelter opening good step for Sweet Home
Creating a solution for Sweet Home’s homeless problem has been a long road, which is still leading us to new places for our community. It’s a relief that the Family Assistance Resource Center was finally able to get all the boxes checked that...
From Our Files (Feb. 1, 2023)
Feb. 1, 1973 Reducing the high school student lunch time at the beginning of the semester was delayed. Several complaints were registered with administrators following a recent announcement that the lunch period would be reduced from one hour to...
Commentary: Why newspapers matter
The title above might seem self-serving, but it reflects an increasing concern in Oregon, and not just for newspaper publishers. I’ve heard from readers, from government officials, from businesses who are worried about where the state’s...
From Our Files (Jan. 25, 2023)
Jan. 25, 1973 A patrolman and junior high student were hospitalized following a collision of a school bus and city ambulance at the intersection of 12th and Long streets. Charles Pollock, 14, was chec...
Opinion: GOP leader lists challenges he sees for Oregon
Editor’s note: Although we are a nonpartisan newspaper, we think this “open letter,” written by the chair of the Oregon Republican Party, highlights concerns shared by Linn County’s rural residents, so we’re giving it some space. Dear Gov....
Letter: Frustration builds at the fuel pump (Jan. 18, 2023)
Editor: I am very fed up with gas stations in Sweet Home. I went down today to get some gas and was asked how much and I said, “fill it up” and was asked how much again and I again said “fill it up” and was told I still had to say how much!...
Letter: State needs help to build housing (Jan. 18, 2023)
Editor: An open letter to Gov. Kotek: I love your goal of increased housing of Oregonians; it is so very needed. There are, however, two snags observable on the way to that wonderful goal. First, new housing must be available for all Oregonians....
Letter: Parents need to be on alert for 'Woke' (Jan. 18, 2023)
Editor: America’s world has become infested and occupied by a Marxist secular religion. It is a religion because people give it deep commitments. It offers a counterfeit, undefined “salvation.” It’s a doomed mistake to take any pieces from...
From Our Files (Jan. 18, 2023)
Jan. 18, 1973 City Manager Michael Gleason said an increase in vandalism is costing the city thousands of dollars in repairs, adding that Sweet Home has one of the worst records in the state for...