Activist Alert 6-18-2015

• Electing judges is the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, June 19, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette Street. Speakers are W. Michael Gillette, retired justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, and James Huffman, dean emeritus of the Lewis and Clark Law School. $5 for non-members. See cityclubofeuegene.org. The following week, June 26, the topic will be “The Future of Collegiate Athletics at the UO” with professor Bill Harbaugh and professor emeritus Dennis Howard.

• Cascadia Forest Defenders will launch a floating protest of the Pacific Connector LNG pipeline at 10 am Friday, June 19. The “Float the Pipe” event will begin where the pipe would cross under the South Umpqua just south of the Rivers West South Umpqua campground, 1-5 Exit 112, on the east side of I-5. Participants will float downriver for 12 miles over two days and document the watershed they see along the way. A community picnic and press conference will be held from 4 to 6 pm Saturday, June 20, at 630 Douglas Blvd. in Winston. Contact Erin Grady at (303) 905-8601.

• Author Guy McPherson, professor emeritus of natural resources at the University of Arizona, is on tour and will speak on “Responding to Abrupt Climate Change” at 7 pm Wednesday, June 24, at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 13th and Chambers. Food and water shortages are accelerating around the globe, he says, and we’ve only recently entered the domain of abrupt climate change. Suggested donation of $10 to $20. See guymcpherson.com. Hosted in part by Eugene Interfaith Earthkeepers. McPherson will also be at Tsunami Books at 3 pm that day for book signing and open discussion.

• The BLM is looking at revisions to the Northwest Forest Plan and according to Oregon Wild, all of the options that are being proposed will reduce logging setbacks on streams and rivers. The next riparian workshop will be from 4 to 8 pm Thursday, June 25, at the BLM Interagency Office Assembly Hall at 3106 Pierce Parkway in Springfield. Another public meeting is planned June 30 in Salem. Find the BLM’s meeting schedule at wkly.ws/216.

• OReGO starts July 1 and the program is looking for volunteers. OReGo is Oregon’s Road Usage Charge program and it assesses a 1.5-cent per-mile charge for volunteer drivers, who will pay a road usage charge for the amount of miles they drive, instead of the state fuel tax. Volunteers will get a credit for fuel tax they pay at the pump. OReGo is an Oregon Department of Transportation “program that creates a new way to fund road maintenance, preservation and improvements for all Oregonians.” For more info or to sign up, go to myorego.org.

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!