While enjoying the rich taste of the ocean when we savor a fresh local oyster, it is interesting to delve into the symbiotic relationship between what you are eating and the estuary from whence…
Category: Guest Column
Trying to See: Rattlesnakes Wearing Estee Lauder
By Michael Randall The United States faces the danger of modern history possibly repeating itself, given the parallels between Adolph Hitler in Germany and Donald Trump in the USA. Because Americans don’t…
BOOK REVIEW: The Lies of the Land – Seeing Rural America for What It Is—and Isn’t (2023) by Steven Conn
By Neal Lemery A “piercing, unsentimental” history that boldly challenges the idea of a rural American crisis. (The New Yorker) One of the popular concepts about current American politics and culture is…
BOOK REVIEW: The True Patriot – A Pamphlet by Eric Liu & Nick Hanauer
By Jim Heffernan I was drawn to this book by familiarity with one of the authors and a healthy respect for patriotism. It’s a book that I wish I had discovered long…
I’ve been thinking … Tillamook School Board Misses Mission
By Jim Heffernan There is a large banner in the School District 9 meeting room which reads, “The mission of the Tillamook School District is to prepare our students with the academic, artistic,…
ARDENT GOURMET “Small Bites”: Afuri Ramen & Dumpling
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here is a series of quick reviews from our Ardent Gourmet, out and about the Portland Metro area. By David & Susan Greenberg Afuri Ramen & Dumpling is a Japanese…
Heard on the Bench: Talking to Strangers
By Jim Heffernan I have mild lumbar spinal stenosis that doesn’t bother me at all as long as I’m sitting down. If I walk about 150 feet without a shopping cart or…
WORDS OF WISDOM: Planting for Tomorrow
By Neal Lemery It is the height of “no left turn season” and I find myself waiting and waiting to get onto the highway, or simply drive down the road to my…
I’ve been thinking … Small-minded vs. “Community-minded”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tillamook School District’s efforts to remove “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent” from an Honors English optional reading list is considered to be “book banning” by the Oregon Library…
BOOK REVIEW: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
EDITOR’S NOTE: It was brought to the Pioneer’s attention the results of Tillamook School District 9’s Curriculum Review Committee meeting held July 29, 2024. The committee reviewed the book How the Garcia…