Activist Alert 5-1-2014

• Springfield City Club will hold a county commissioner candidates forum at 11:45 am Thursday, May 1, at Willamalane Center, 250 S. 32nd St. Candidates from the East Lane and Springfield districts have been invited. The club meets every first and third Thursday. See springfieldcityclub.org.

• Spencer Creek Grange is hosting a county commissioner candidates forum for District 5 from 7 to 9 pm Thursday, May 1, at the Grange, 86013 Lorane Hwy. Candidates invited are Joann Ernst, Kevin Matthews, Jose Ortal, Jack Schoolcraft and incumbent Faye Stewart. The public can submit questions for consideration directly via spencercreekgrange.org.

• The documentary Gasland Part II will be shown at 6 pm Thursday, May 1, at the Bijou on 13th Avenue and will include guest speakers Francis Eatherington of Cascadia Wildlands and national activist Tom Gleichman of the Sierra Club.

• Kai Huschke of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund will present a series of free community rights workshops in Lane County. The first, “Who Decides: Our Community or Corporations?” will be from 7 to 9 pm Thursday, May 1, in the Bromley Room, Siuslaw Public Library. The next, “Breaking Free of Corporate Control,” will be from 6 to 9 pm Friday, May 2, at McKenzie Hall 214 at 11th and Kincaid on the UO campus. The third, “Local Self-Government: Reality or Myth in Oregon?” will be from 6 to 9 pm Saturday, May 3, at LCC Downtown Center, Room 105. Donations will be accepted.

• A conference on “Healthy Masculinities” will be May 1-2 at OSU in the Memorial Union. The two-day event includes panel discussion with university leaders, presentations by students, faculty and staff. Discussion will focus on how to translate conference findings into action. See blogs.oregonstate.edu/mensdev.

• Changing attitudes about climate change will be the topic with Tom Bowerman of PolicyInteractive at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, May 2. Bowerman will talk about his research and its implications for public policy. $5 for nonmembers. See cityclubofeugene.org.

• County Commission candidate Kevin Matthews will be available for discussion from 8 to 10 am Saturday, May 3, at Sunrise Café in Pleasant Hill. Call 514-4776 or visit friendsofkevinmatthews.org.

• The 15th annual Million Marijuana March will begin at 11 am Saturday, May 3, at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza and end at high noon at the old Federal Building at 7th and Pearl for a rally with speakers, information booths and live music. The event will also be in Corvallis and Salem.

• Benjamin Ross, author of Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism, will speak at an event from 4 to 6 pm Sunday, May 4, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. Hosted by 1000 Friends of Oregon and part of the McCall Speaker Series. Call (503) 497-1000 ext. 137 or email Amanda@friends.org.

• Health Care for All Oregon’s next local meeting will be at 7 pm May 6, at First Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St., in anticipation of economist Gerald Freidman’s talk May 14 at Very Little Theatre. Call 484-6145 to get on the email list.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!