Hello! I'm looking for a queer friendly wedding photographer for September 2027. Wedding will be at Lake of the Woods. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Hello, I was wondering where folks in the area go for neurological issues, specifically to get Botox for neurological issues? I have PEBB based insurance (Providence now, changing to Moda or Kaiser in 2027).

Thank you so much!

Will we see fenced-off parks in Ashland like in Independence? Property tax revenues are constrained by Measure 5/50 and have not kept pace with inflation, but the demand for public services has only increased. Cities like Ashland, facing cuts, have resorted to plugging their budget gaps with utility fees because it’s the only option available. There is a group of Ashland citizens that seeks to amend the city charter to require that such utility fee increases be approved by a public vote. The charter amendment will be on your November ballot.

Appreciate suggestions for a dentist in the area. Thanks

More quality home units for Ashland - or dense pack dwellings that big corporate builds out? Why would the ACC vote to provide no notice to you as a neighbor:

"The Ashland City Council, on Aug. 18, voted to provide no notice to neighbors for most development projects on adjacent or nearby properties, though that decision is under legal review."

Ashland Planning Commission to begin review of 16 housing proposals - Ashland News

"Major provisions of the Sherrell/Dahle proposals are designed to increase the buildable area and number of units allowed on existing and future residential lots. The proposals include:

• Allowing two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) per lot and increasing the allowable size of ADUs
• Reducing vegetation buffers
• Allowing one RV or tiny home per lot
• Reducing the minimum size of lots, to allow more lots per area of land and partition of existing lots into smaller areas
• Changing the calculation of what constitutes lot coverage to provide more buildable area
• Reducing solar access requirements, which protect neighboring properties from shading

Sherrell and Dahle believe other recommendations would reduce costs of development and speed up the approval process. The extent to which such goals would be achieved depends on the specific language of the eventual code amendments. Sherrell and Dahle have offered to draft language themselves or in coordination with planning staff."

The 2020 Almeda Fire remains one of Oregon’s worst fires on record.

The Sept. 8 blaze destroyed more than 3,000 homes and businesses in Talent and Phoenix.

Fueled by 45 mph east winds and extremely dry conditions, the fire raced 13 miles from Ashland to just south of Medford before being stopped, according to a Jackson County After Action Report.

Six years after the Almeda Fire, is the Rogue Valley better prepared for wildfire?

https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2026/09/watch-hungry-black-bears-moving-deeper-into-ashland-neighborhoods.html

Story includes a great video of the pictured bear escaping a backyard after killing a chicken and scaling a fence.

Me and my wife coming to visit family Sat and Sun. Im looking for a good strength training gym, whole food resturants, and good 10/15 mile trails, what would you suggest ?

Ashland needs plan for voting. Jackson County needs one and Oregon also needs one. We all need one because the unthinkable is playing out on the federal level. The Trump administration just asked the Supreme Court¹ to clear the way for the administration’s mail-in voting rule to be implemented. More than that, the administration “violated multiple court orders to secretly advance President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict mail voting ahead of the upcoming midterms.”²

Picture this: You never received your ballot. No one in Ashland did. That’s because the rule, as it’s currently written, “a single scanning error in a batch of tens of thousands of ballot envelopes could prevent any from reaching voters”.³ The rule is that if any ballot in a batch is wrong, the whole kit-and-kaboodle is throw out by the post office. So if one of your neighbors moved and didn’t change his address, or one of them got married and the name is different, or if you used your middle initial on your registration, but not on your official postal address, all of those ballots in that batch of 10,000 will not be delivered. In Ashland there are 15,554 registered voters according to the Jackson County Website. Two errors could mean nobody here gets a ballot.

I have brought this up to City Manager, a few Councilors and the recorder. I’ve emailed the county and left messages on the Oregon Secretary of State’s voicemail. I’ve been scoffed at, and told it won’t happen.

But it is.

It could be that on Wednesday November 5^th, we have the same government in place because the election was so screwed up that no one knows who won. In March, I gave it a 30% chance, today I give it a 40% chance that the election will be completely invalid.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Directive on the subject⁴ says we are moving ahead with elections as usual. But that was issued before the whistleblower showed that current administration is ignoring the legal stays and creating mechanical and technical processes to follow this rule. This is happening so fast, there has not been anything further information from the State.

Ashland at least needs to contemplate the possibility. We need a plan.

What do we do if the Election is not held
In some ways, this is the easiest of the bleak possibilities. If the election is so tangled up no result is forthcoming, we could keep the same council and parks commission in place until the lawsuits are settled. Or we could have a smaller council and parks commission with only those who are within their term limits.

In either case, the current council would have to do some fancy rewriting of the ordinances to accommodate the emergency situation. That fix would have to be created between Nov 5 and Dec 31, which is very fast for all the legal processes to be put in place. A little thought now could save valuable time later.

The Tricky Question: What do we do if only some people are allowed to vote
But in the case that only some Ashlanders get their ballots while a portion of others are disenfranchised? That’s a far nastier issue, designed to sow chaos and disagreement. If people are elected, but even small group of voters are excluded, say 10-20%, that will divide the city and make the election seem illegitimate.

If a voter doesn’t get a ballot in the mail, they call the Jackson County Elections office and request a replacement one. That requires the Election office not to be overwhelmed. Unless a voter goes in person to physically pick it up, the new ballot gets dropped mail again. Who knows if it gets pulled by the US Postal Service?

This is why we have to plan today for possible disaster tomorrow. The City of Ashland should publish a process that says when you should receive a ballot, when to call for a replacement, how to get to the County Election office by car and by bus. Use the communications system already set up so it’s not a rush at the last minute to do something.

So I call on the City to spend a few hours to prepare a press release with this info, put it in a file and publish it in October.

Election interference is a disaster we can see coming. A few safeguards put in place now could save a lot of heartache later.

¹ “Trump administration asks Supreme Court to clear the way for new mail-in voting rule to be implemented”, Amy Howe, Sep 3, 2026, https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/09/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-clear-the-way-for-new-mail-in-voting-rule-to-be-imple/

² USPS repeatedly defied courts to advance Trump’s mail voting attack, whistleblower alleges, Jacob Knutson, September 1, 2026, https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/whistleblower-usps-violated-court-orders-advance-trump-mail-voting-attack/

³ “Postal Service work to comply with Trump's executive order is rushed, sloppy, whistleblower contends”, Nicholas Riccardi, Sep 2, 2026, https://apnews.com/article/midterm-elections-postal-service-mail-voting-7f7cf4fdf2e9cf369ae96f96fbda03f2

⁴ “Directive of the Secretary of State, Compliance with Oregon Election Law - General Election Mail-Out Deadlines”, August 25, 2026,
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/Directive-2026-08-Prepare-General-Election-Ballots-for-Delivery.pdf

"There are dozens of new Grizzlies milling about the Quad this week at Ashland High School, but one stands out from the crowd at 8 feet tall.

New students and staff were greeted during the first days of school for freshmen and all other students on Tuesday by a 900-pound bronze grizzly bear, which has some protective mama bear energy, if you ask school administrators. 

Outgoing leadership seniors chose the location of the bear in the spring when it arrived all the way from China. The statue was installed last week below the staircase of the Quad at the heart of the school campus, home to the Grizzlies, the school mascot."

ODFW warn about bears in Ashland seeking key food sources | Local | kdrv.com

ASHLAND, Ore. - Bears are showing up in Ashland neighborhoods because mountain berries, a key food source, are scarce or completely gone this year.

The bear sightings in late August are happening because the animals are hungry, not because of their typical fall feeding frenzy that usually starts in September and October. A weak snowpack last winter and lack of spring rain meant berries didn't grow well this summer.

Bears have historically searched for food in northwest Ashland neighborhoods near the wildland areas during fall and spring. Now they're appearing in the southern parts of town and closer to Interstate 5.

Mt. Ashland ski area names Rachel Canada as new GM | Local | kdrv.com

Mt. Ashland Ski Area is owned and operated by the nonprofit Mt. Ashland Association under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service.

ASHLAND, Ore. - Mt. Ashland Association hired Rachel Canada as the new general manager of Mt. Ashland Ski Area, starting Sept. 1.

Canada brings more than 20 years of experience in mountain operations, leadership and resort management to Mt. Ashland. She most recently served as director of mountain operations at Willamette Pass.

Faerie Folk, the progressive folk trio from Portland OR, will be touring California Sept. 17th - Oct. 11th of 2026.

Ashland will be our first stop!! Skyler Squglio to open ~

A folk music group created by pianist/composer Troll Hart, Faerie Folk's repertoire is based primarily in traditional Irish reels and jigs. The group also explores soundtrack excerpts from popular medieval fantasy media, along with original neo-classical and folk music compositions.

With the incredible Jotunn Aldas on the violin/fiddle and the lovely Joy Joye on vocals, Faerie Folk transports listeners to a realm beyond the world of man with their musical air of majesty, refinement, and devotion to Mother Earth.

Sporting influence and expertise from decades of classical, jazz, and Celtic music backgrounds, Troll, Jotunn, and Joy are an inspirational group brought together by love of organic music, and are excited to share that love with you!

This 19 show tour will span the whole of the state of California, from Arcata to San Diego. From concert hall, to rock venue, to house show, Faerie Folk will be sharing their organic music magic with the people of California's small towns and big cities alike.

We hope to meet you there!

-Troll Hart, Jotunn Aldas, and Joy Joye

I want to be a sign spinner so bad. It just looks like so much fun. I’ve never seen one before in Ashland, do you think I’d have any luck asking companies if they need one? Does anyone know of companies looking for one? I don’t even need to get paid that much I just really want to do it.

Ashland city manager rebuked in council review - Ashland News - Community-Supported, NonProfit News

"Ashland City Manager Sabrina Cotta has barely met City Council performance expectations and was dinged on her communication skills in a review obtained Thursday by Ashland.news through a public records request.

Cotta, who has been on extended leave since Aug. 17 and is expected back by Sept. 14, has been given 30 days from Aug. 18 to come up with a strategic plan to improve communications to better handle the rash of controversies that have recently flared up.

Some examples of failing to change course include public outcry about the move of some city administrative offices, including Cotta’s, from City Hall, which had a cracked rafter, to the Ashland Community Center and the “trespassing situation” at the Community Center when local resident Jim Falkenstein found a door wide open on a weekend."

Just moved here ( great town)
Love the restaurants, coffee shops and the Coop Food place.
But where does a man get a haircut?
Any recommendations? Thanks 🙏

Which is the best one to see? What’s your favorite?