• A decision on Eugene City Hall is expected by the City Council after we go to press this week, and it could go either way (see our story last week). City staff and Rowell Brokaw Architects have the advantage of the final word. Rowell Brokaw has a vested interest in making the old City Hall look bad and making the proposed new City Hall look wonderful. But design and environmental issues aside, the elephant in the room is Phase II of a new City Hall. How much will it really cost years from now to build a large city office building next door to an itty-bitty City Hall so that city services can be centralized once more? How will it be funded, and more importantly, will voters approve a bond measure to build it after the City Council wasted millions of dollars by destroying an entire city block of usable structure? Could be a tough sell politically, and the cost of energy-intensive concrete and steel is likely to rise dramatically in the future.
• Shelley Berman nailed it when he told the City Club of Eugene on Sept. 19 that “the system is broken … it is unacceptable.” That’s public education in Oregon described by the superintendent of 4J in the beginning of his last year here. He also talked about the many great strengths of the public schools in 4J and the improvements after the infusion of a little extra money from the last Legislature. But what will move education forward in Oregon? Money, mostly. Isn’t it time for all levels of education, parents and grandparents, business and labor leaders, politicians to bring Oregon public schools back to the top where they once were?
• Art Robinson was in town this week for a short-notice “town hall” about reforming our education system. By the time we and other local media heard about it, the meeting was over. Robinson is the perennial Republican challenger to Peter DeFazio for Congress in the Fourth District. It’s ironic that the man who sells an outdated curriculum for home schooling thinks he would have any useful ideas about reforming public education policy. His campaign website has only 60 very general words on the topic of education.
• Not fretting climate change? Well, it’s already affecting us daily. Air conditioning costs are up this summer and even if you don’t have AC at home, you’re paying for it because business and industry are passing along the cost. Food prices are up because of drought in California. And we just heard this week that the big wildfires in Oregon and around the West are increasing the risk of flooding. Why? Trees and other vegetation retain water and stabilize soils and hillsides. State and federal agencies are urging property owners and renters downstream of wildfires to buy flood insurance. Climate change affects us in countless ways, most of them negative.
• “No compromise … we defend Seavey Loop,” is how “Pisgah Antiphony” kicks off. The anthem will be spoken and sung in chorus at Sing Unto Pisgah: Voices Save Seavey Loop at 3 pm Sunday, Sept. 28 in the Mount Pisgah north parking lot to ask Springfield to abandon a plan to place an industrial zone in the farming area near the popular recreation area. For more info go to noindustrialpisgah.org. Get out there and sing the developers away!
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