As the rains come back again, so does the flooding of Hilyard Street near the south university neighborhood. Since I moved here, people told me that it is just what it is, a natural occurrence due to the hillside. Finally, wanting to see for myself, and also wondering about the newly installed flood garden, I set out in the pouring rain.
Besides finding that some of the new measures work more or less, I found that the flooding is fully preventable. Even though storm drains are far apart and too few, especially along 20th and 21st, the large ponds and streams running down the hill can mostly be mitigated by simply removing the leaves from the drains. What I did by hand in the pouring rain can be done with street sweepers or gardening crews before the rain. A timely collection of all autumn leaves and debris from the roads is urgently needed to make our roads passable and safe in all weathers.
Arne Bruns
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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