Activist Alert 4-2-2015

• The Cottage Grove Blackberry Pie Society will host a community conversation with Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky at 7 pm Thursday, April 2, at Hard Knocks Brewing, 1024 E. Main St. in Cottage Grove as part of the Blackberry Pie Speakers Series. Mokrohisky, who has been the county administrator since May 2014, will address local and county issues and answer questions from the audience. Call Leslie Rubenstein at 521-2887 or email blackberrypie@gmail.com.

• Kai Huschke, organizer for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, will speak at 6:30 pm Thursday, April 2, at the Siuslaw Public Library in Florence; at 6 pm Friday, April 3, at the LCC Downtown Center Room 108 in Eugene; and at 6 pm Saturday, April 4, at the Springfield Public Library. Free, but donations accepted. Call 255-0272 for more information.

• Encircle Films will screen The Homestretch documentary with speakers and audience discussion at 6 pm Thursday, April 2, at Bijou Art Cinemas, 492 E. 13th Ave. “We’re looking for community organizations and civic-minded people to come take part in educating and informing audience about what’s going on locally” with homeless teens, says organizer Vicki Anderson. Call 543-0223 or email vicki@encirclefilms.org.

• The Communities of Color Network will meet at 5:30 pm Friday, April 3, at the Lane Native American Longhouse (Building 31) on the LCC main campus. Call 463-5307 or email koechigd@lanecc.edu.

• McKenzie Memories, an annual fundraiser for the McKenzie River Trust, will be at 6 pm Friday, April 3, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave., and is expected to sell out for the fourth year in a row. Speakers will include Oregon author William Sullivan and Jim Goodpasture. Tickets in advance are $10 and available online at mckenzievier.org.

• Lane Community College’s Native American Student Association invites the public to its annual powwow on Saturday, April 4, in the gymnasium, Building 5. Grand entries at 1 pm and 7 pm. Organizers say the event has increased the number of Native American students attending Lane. All drums and dancers are welcome. No alcohol or drugs are permitted. Free event, for more information go to wkly.ws/1ze.

• The Planned Parenthood Day of Action is Monday, April 6, in Salem, and a Eugene contingent is planning to join others from around the state. Contact ppaoregon.org to get involved.

• LTD’s annual route review will go to public hearing at 5:30 pm Monday, April 6, at the Eugene Public Library downtown. Email comments to ltd@ltd.org or call 682-6100.

• A community forum on “Policing the Police: Your Right to Record Law Enforcement” will be from 6 to 8 pm Tuesday, April 7, at the UO Law School Room 110, 1515 Agate St., and it’s sponsored by the Civil Liberties Defense Center. The EPD is in the process of drafting a new policy regarding the right of the public to record police interactions, organizers say. “This forum will discuss your constitutional rights to record police, why this right and responsibility is important to ensure police accountability, and how to record legally and safely.”

• Katie Singer, author of An Electronic Silent Spring, will speak at 10 am Thursday, April 9, at the LCC Main Campus Longhouse, Building 31. Singer is a medical journalist who will report on the Telecommunications Act and legal developments, impacts of radiation on human health and wildlife, and erosion of community rights regarding electromagnetic emissions. Call 463-5140 for more information.

• Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer will speak at a 6:30 pm dinner event Thursday, April 9, at Valley River Inn. Tickets at $100 are available at lanegop.org or call 342-4166. Tickets to the private reception have been sold out. Brewer is in Oregon in support of Republican candidates, including whoever might run against Gov. Kate Brown in 2016.

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!