In the last issue of the Jefferson Journal, I wrote about JPR’s plans to expand our local news coverage over the coming year. I thought it would be helpful to give you a closer look at how we plan to do that—and what you can expect as you listen to JPR and read our reporting on ijpr.org and our mobile apps.

On a February evening in New Brunswick, New Jersey, community activist Ben Dziobek ran toward a crowd of hundreds waiting outside New Brunswick’s city hall shouting, "They canceled it! They canceled it!"

I’ve said it before, and I’m not alone believing that Jason Isbell is among the songwriting GOATs of this century. His songs focus mostly on his personal feelings and bare his soul with raw honesty. Whether he’s writing in first-person or through a character, the feelings are real.

YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Google Search, these platforms don't show you the actual world. They show you a model of the world constructed from your behavioral data.

The loss of all federal funding for public media last July, combined with a new report recommending significantly reduced funding from Southern Oregon University, create real challenges for JPR's service to the region.

A federal judge recently ruled that President Trump’s executive order seeking to block federal funding for NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, reaffirming First Amendment protections for public media and editorial independence. While the decision is an important victory in principle, it does not restore federal funding.

This January, Jefferson Public Radio was selected as a 2026 newsroom partner by Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms across the country as a way to strengthen coverage of under-covered communities and issues.

In his 2005 book The Singularity is Near, futurist Ray Kurzweil predicted artificial intelligence would surpass human intelligence in 2045, triggering “the singularity”—that cosmic inflection point when machine intelligence becomes so advanced that it fundamentally and irreversibly transforms human civilization.

The emerging singer/songwriter Tyler Ballgame just released his debut – For The First Time, Again. It’s steeped in classic rock sounds, giving a platform to Ballgame’s honest and thoughtful songwriting, and his dynamic voice that’s drawn comparisons to Roy Orbison.