• We expect a public announcement about Phil Knight’s big gift to UO will be made at a breakfast meeting Friday, Oct. 17, somewhere on campus, and to which 300 are invited. We broke the story last week about the Knight family preparing to make a rumored $1 billion gift, with strings attached, but the amount could be more or less, according to UOmatters.com. The gift could be the largest ever made to a university anywhere, and if it goes to academic programs and scholarships, as anticipated, it would give UO a tremendous boost where it’s really needed. The stark contrast between UO athletic and academic standing is getting the UO some embarrassing attention nationwide.
Meanwhile, neighborhood organizations and businesses ringing the UO have been invited to meetings this month looking at possible sites around the campus for three big building projects: a 500-bed residence hall, a 1,500-seat softball stadium and a 100,000-square -foot research lab building. Hold onto your green and yellow visors. Big changes are ahead for that part of town.
• Thumbs up for the selection of the UO Foundation and its partners to develop the EWEB site along the Willamette River. It has a huge stake in what happens to Eugene beyond the borders of the campus, a stake historically not appreciated except for athletic facilities. With any development along the river we need to be concerned about protection of the riverbank, maintaining open spaces and making connections to our wonderfully reviving downtown. Who, please, will be the planners in charge?
• Random thoughts about First Lady Cylvia Hayes and Gov. John Kitzhaber: What happened in her life 17 years ago is between Cylvia and John. During the last four years, whether she has unethically or illegally used her role as first lady to help her private consulting business is an open question, muddy in the Willamette Week story that opened this discussion. We’re reminded of the Antoinette Hatfield story when she was selling big-time real estate in Washington, D.C., perhaps using her role as Sen. Mark Hatfield’s wife to help her lucrative private business. Is Cylvia Hayes as first lady too powerful? We’re reminded of Bill Clinton’s appointment of his first lady Hillary Clinton to head his important, but failed, drive for reforming our health care system. And, of course, we can’t forget Eleanor Roosevelt. We are impressed that Hayes stood alone at her press conference, unlike shamed political men Eliot Spitzer, Gary Hart, etc., who were joined at the podium by their dutiful spouses. She told the press that she asked John not to appear with her. We like Hayes’ main issues, climate change and energy policy, and we hope she and Kitzhaber have four more years to work on them.
• The city and Eugene Police Department are once again cracking down on those who ride their bikes or skateboards on sidewalks downtown. This time around they are getting all innovative and creative in their efforts to notify errant bikers of the wrongs of sidewalk-cycling: They are using signs. OK, we are being sarcastic. Signs aren’t innovative, even when they look like mutant smiley faces. But the last two times EPD went on a no-wheels-on-the-sidewalks kick, the cops went around spray-painting warning signs on the sidewalk itself. Sadly, they painted them the wrong direction so that you only saw the warning right-side up if you were already on the sidewalk and breaking the law. Kudos to the city and EPD for moving from graffiti to actual signs. Unfortunately the signs don’t solve two big issues: We need better bike lanes downtown so that cyclists don’t feel they need to be on the sidewalk to be safe. And skateboarders have nowhere they can safely and legally ride downtown except apparently crosswalks. We built them a great skatepark but made it hard to get there.
• Great to see Rep. Peter DeFazio taking a strong stand against escalating U.S. military action in the Middle East. The hounds of war are snarling and drooling and Pete is trying to keep them in chains. DeFazio is distinctly a minority voice, as was Wayne Morse, one of the few in Congress who clearly envisioned the bloody quagmire of U.S. military intervention in Vietnam’s civil war.
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!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519