Activist Alert 1-8-2015

• Sen. Floyd Prozanski will speak to the Cottage Grove Blackberry Pie Society at 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 15, at Hard Knocks Brewing, 1024 E. Main St. in Cottage Grove.

• Rep. Tina Kotek, speaker of the House in the Oregon Legislature, will speak at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Jan. 16, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St. Her topic will be “An Opportunity Agenda for Oregonians,” including support for education, higher pay, equal pay and affordable housing. $5 for non-members. See cityclubofeugene.org.

• OSU soil scientist James Cassidy will speak at 7:30 pm Friday, Jan. 16, at 100 Willamette Hall on the UO campus. The free talk is sponsored by the Eugene Natural History Society. “It’s all about soil!” Cassidy says. “Most people have only a vague idea of what soil is and how it works.” Soil is “the reason you are alive.” Free.

• Eugene’s Martin Luther King Jr. events will begin at 9 am Monday, Jan. 19, with a gathering at PK Park (parking is at Serbu Youth Center, 2727 MLK Blvd.), and a march at 10 am to The Shedd at 868 High St. to hear a program of speakers.

• Springfield’s 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. March & Celebration will begin at 1:30 pm Monday, Jan. 19, at the Springfield Justice Center, 230 4th St., followed by a gathering, speeches, arts, music and other events at Springfield High School, 875 7th St.

• LCC’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. events include actor and activist Holly Robinson-Peete as the keynote speaker at a community celebration beginning at 6:30 pm Monday, Jan. 19, at LCC’s main campus Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19. Tickets are free and available at the door, but seating is limited. For more information email Greg Evans at evansg@lanecc.edu or call 463-5340.

• OSU’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. two-week celebration continues through Jan. 23 with the theme “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Change.” See schedule at wkly.ws/1vx. See more listings of MLK Day events in our Calendar this week.

• McKenzie Flyfishers will meet to hear about juvenile salmon, fishing Gold Lake and forest management practices along the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette Monday, Jan. 19, at Lewis & Clark Catering, 2210 MLK Blvd., behind the Mercedes dealership. Social hour is at 6 pm, dinner (optional at $17) is at 6:45 and the program is at 8. Call 913-0710 or visit mckenzieflyfishers.org. Non-members welcome.

• The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council will hold its 15th annual Celebration & Potluck from 6 to 9 pm Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Jasper Grange, 36785 Jasper-Lowell Road. The theme is “The Resilient River: Revitalizing Our River in an Environment of Constant Change,” looking at the challenges of human impact and climate change through species revival, successful forest fire management and water quality protection. Open to the public. Call 937-9800 for more information.

• Outdoors author William Sullivan will talk and show photos of “Oregon’s Top 10 Snow Adventures” in an Oregon Wild gathering from 6 to 8 pm Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Claim 52 Brewing, 1030 Tyinn St. Tacos will be available from the Twisted Tako food truck. See oregonwild.org or call 344-0675 for more information. Free.

• Cascadia Forest Defenders is now meeting at 5:30 pm every Monday upstairs in Grower’s Market, 454 Willamette. The group also hosts Anarchist Cafe & Political Prisoner Letter-Writing at 3 pm Wednesdays in The Boreal, 450 W. 3rd Ave. Email forestdefensenow@gmail.com to get on the mailing list.

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!