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A welcome return to real news

As a writer of one of the last published letters to the editor to the defunct Mail Tribune, lamenting the death of a once- great small-town newspaper, I am thrilled to be one of the first letters to the new Rogue Valley Tribune.

My shock and anger at losing such a valuable resource has been replaced with giddy enthusiasm for our new daily paper. Thank you to the EO Media group for being in the newspaper business for the right reasons, and for investing in Southern Oregon.

And thanks to Patsy Smullin of KOBI TV and other local leaders and businesses for supporting this reality. Local journalism is so important at a time when our very democracy is at stake. I look forward to a daily dose of the RV Tribune for many years to come.

Jeff Palmer / Medford

Don’t run syndicated columnistsMy advice to the publishers of the Rogue Valley Tribune: Do NOT run nationally syndicated opinion columns. In today’s hyper-polarized political environment, that will only infuriate many readers.

The Mail Tribune made that mistake, running columns by liberals like Jim Hightower and Leonard Pitts alongside conservatives like John Stossel and the Heritage Foundation.

But some of my liberal friends who don’t want to see any viewpoints they don’t agree with, dismissed the Mail Tribune as a “right wing rag” and canceled their subscriptions. I expect many conservatives did the same.

We have enough trouble finding common ground on local and state issues with national issues further inflaming passions and deepening divisions.

Bruce J Borgerson / Ashland

Difficult to find a doctor

Finding a Primary Care Provider in Jackson County is quite a challenge these days. I contacted over 25 physicians, FNP’s and medical groups before I could find one taking new patients.

Finding one taking on new Medicare patients is an even bigger challenge. Even those providers offering “Concierge Service” (who don’t accept insurance or who require a flat annual fee) are swamped, and that option is not feasible for many living on fixed incomes.

With so many retirees in and moving to the valley, this is not only a medical problem, but also an economic one. Retirees are a big driver for the local economy and medical care is a necessity.

I’ve read that reimbursements for PCP’s in Jackson Co are low, discouraging new practitioners to settle here. We are fortunate to have many excellent specialist providers and fine hospitals, but the paucity of primary care is a huge problem that needs addressed.

“Medicare For All” is one solution. I’d like to hear from our representatives in Salem what actions they are taking to deal with this problem, both locally and statewide.

Art Baden / Ashland

‘The Emperor Has No Clothes’

It seems so clear to many of us, but some are still seduced.

There is no magic robe.

There is no jeweled crown.

Only cheap crimson drapes and a fake golden chandelier.

There is a grotesque giant portrait, hanging in an empty hall.

There is only an overweight old man, with dyed golden hair, in an ill-fitting suit.

He is shouting profanities at the television and throwing spaghetti at the wall.

There is no dignity, no character and no leadership.

Only a very small man, pretending, hiding in his tin palace.

He is fearing the knock at the door.

Maybe now, at last, some are becoming aware.

Casey Bright / Ashland

What’s afoot at The Expo?

The Jackson County Expo is funded in part by taxpayers BUT very few events are readily announced to the public!

I drive by almost daily, see full parking lots and not even an ad on the public funded video billboard! What gives?

— James Ahia, Jr. / Central Point