A moment of silence for one ballot measure we won’t be able to vote on this November.
A total of 15,000 Lane County residents signed petitions asking to vote on the banning of aerial herbicide spraying in Lane County — two years of gathering signatures, and then denied ballot access.
The timber barons have a stranglehold on Lane County government. They threw as many roadblocks as possible in front of this initiative. People who don’t like herbicides contaminating our air, soil, ground water, gardens, fields, school grounds, developing babies, breast milk and our bodies in general have been relegated to a position of less importance than corporate profits.
The timber industry has been in control of laws governing whether neurotoxins, immune disruptors and carcinogens can be sprayed from helicopters in Lane County. Acting through their lawyers and in collusion with 80 percent of the County Commissioners, they denied people the opportunity to express their wishes on the ballot.
Subsequently, the people replaced Sid Leiken with Joe Berney. Now, hopefully, Heather Buch will be successful in ousting Gary Williams in their November runoff.
Additionally, an appeal is being heard at 10 am Nov. 5th in County Circuit Court. Maybe democracy will be respected.
Regardless, we continue to demand justice. There is a growing awareness by voters that people over profit is the crux of most problems in America.
We won’t stop fighting for our rights. As long as evil exists, the battle persists.
Bernadette Bourassa
Eugene
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
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