• The May 26 murder of two men and near-fatal stabbing of a third by a white supremacist on a Portland commuter train is a sickening punch to the gut. People lost their lives standing up to a man harassing a Muslim teenage girl and her friend. Meanwhile, a local racist hung a banner proclaiming “Jews did 9-11” off an I-5 bridge north of Eugene. Local activists raced to stop it but didn’t arrive in time. And yet, that is our answer: Keep trying to stop the hate. Intervene. Be the helpers.
• If you watched the CNN program on the early 1960s in America, you must have shared our wonder about where we are today. Can you imagine President Kennedy or President Johnson tweeting? Or falling into the orbit of Putin, as President Trump has done for a complex of personal reasons, probably mostly money? Or alienating Europe until Der Spiegel, the Time magazine of Germany says “A Danger to the World”? It’s time to get rid of Donald Trump.
• The results of the annual Point in Time Homeless Count are in. Lane County tells us that 1,529 people were counted, and “this number includes homeless community members who were counted in a myriad of locations including the streets, under bridges, in parks, at food pantries, day access centers, schools, churches, emergency shelters, and transitional housing programs for homeless persons on January 25, 2017.” One piece of good news is that on the night of the count, 741 previously homeless people were living in permanent housing designated for homeless people. We have yet to do enough to help the area’s unhoused — see our news story this week on the homeless and tickets from the police — but there are bright spots. Another possible ray of hope? The city of Eugene’s Budget Committee recently recommended $1 million of the Comcast settlement be used for housing for the homeless. Kudos, Eugene. Now the City Council just needs to pass it!
• Oregon’s seven-member Supreme Court will have a female majority for the first time in June when Justice David Brewer from Eugene steps down and Rebecca Duncan steps up from the Court of Appeals. It would be great if Justice Martha Walters from Eugene moved into the presiding judge job. She has been a fine jurist, moving straight from trial practice to the Oregon Supreme Court.
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