Activist Alert 4-17-2014

• Florence police chief candidates will be available for an informal public “meet and greet” from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, April 17, at the Florence Events Center on Quince Street.

• City Club of Eugene will be talking about “Growing Forward: Maintaining Livability Through Better Town-Gown Relations” at noon Friday, April 18, at Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette. Speakers will include Camilla Bayliss, Karen Hyatt, Kelly Putnam and Paul Shang. See cityclubofeugene.org. $5 non-members. Next week, April 25, will be County Commission candidates Jay Bozievich and Dawn Lesley.

• David Wagner, a local expert on spore-bearing plants and author of EW’s “It’s About Time,” will be leading a free plant walk at 1 pm Easter Sunday, April 20, in Hendricks Park, beginning at the Wilkins Picnic Shelter. Wagner will identify and describe the importance of mosses, ferns and lichens in our ecosystem.

• Fish biologist Jim Lichatowich, author of Salmon Without Rivers, will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of McKenzie Flyfishers at 8 pm Monday, April 21, at Lewis & Clark Catering, 2210 MLK Blvd., next to the Mercedes dealership. Lichatowich will talking about challenges fish biologists face as they try to rebuild salmon and steelhead runs. Non-members are welcome. Social hour begins at 6 pm with dinner at 6:45 pm. Free, but optional dinner is $17. See mckenzieflyfishers.org.

• Philosopher and noted author Kathleen Dean Moore will visit Eugene for Earth Day. Her talk “When Your House is on Fire: Finding the Moral Courage to Fight for Freedom from Fossil Fuels” will be followed by music and interactive art. The event begins at 7 pm Tuesday, April 22, at Willamette 100 on the UO campus. Email marydemocker@gmail.com for more information.

• Health Care for All Oregon is organizing several local events this spring in support of single-payer health insurance. Singer/songwriter George Mann will perform at 6 pm Wednesday, April 23, at Reality Kitchen, 645 River Road, a DUH event (Drive for Universal Healthcare) and a showing of The Healthcare Movie will be at 6:30 pm April 28 at the Bijou on 13th Avenue, and noted economist Gerald Friedman of the University of Massachusetts will speak May 14 at VLT. For event details or to get on the mailing list for HCAO events, visit hcao.org or email sinninger@efn.org or call 484-6145.

• A Lane County Commission candidates forum will be from 7 to 9 pm Wednesday, April 23, at Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, Room 180 on the UO campus. The following candidates have confirmed attendance so far: East Lane’s Faye Stewart, Kevin Matthews and Jack Schoolcraft; West Lane’s Jay Bozievich and Dawn Lesley; and Springfield District’s Sid Leiken and Sheri Moore. All candidates, including Joann Ernst, Charmaine Rehg and Jose Ortal, were invited. Emerald Media Group will moderate.

• A free program on “Visual Justice: Democratized Video as Evidence” will be at 5 pm Thursday, April 24, in 110 Knight Law Center on the UO campus. The event features UO Law School alumna Kelly Matheson, who is serving as a distinguished speaker in the UO Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics’ 2013-15 Theme of Inquiry: “Media and Democracy.”

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!