Local - The 99

Little Red and I have been busy … Newsletter debuts Wednesday

Two weeks into this venture called The 99 and I've already put a few miles on LR (Little Red, my 11-year-old pickup) crossing the county. * Ten baseball and softball games - McMinnville, Newberg, Dayton, Yamhill, Willamina and one trip to Hillsboro for a state quarterfinal. * A walk through a cemetery on a quiet afternoon with a story already forming. * A local restaurant I can't wait to tell you about. * A stop at Veterans Park in Sheridan on Memorial Day on my way back from Willamina.

Local

Clayton Jones

Jun 2, 2026 — 1 min read

The road that names The 99

While not every town in Yamhill County sits on it - it's hard for anyone who lives here to avoid it. Highway 99W is the main artery of YamCo. It's the road I drive to the grocery store, the road I walked Sunday morning when I stumbled onto a structure fire, the road that connects this whole county together whether people think about it or not. It's also the road that names this - The 99. So of course I had to do a little digging into the history of the highway, and figured I'd share it here i

History Local

Clayton Jones

May 18, 2026 — 2 min read

Lafayette FD & Co. keeping sharp on 99W

Out for a Sunday morning stroll and it was easy to see even a mile away - a giant plume of smoke billowing into the Lafayette blue sky. So I made a little detour being the nosey neighbor and stumbled onto one of the most realistic fire training opportunities available - a live structure burn, right on 99W. Lafayette Fire Department Station 10 led the exercise at a donated structure, with crews spending the morning running interior fire attack scenarios before allowing it to fully burn under con

Local Lafayette

Clayton Jones

May 17, 2026 — 1 min read