Jill Torres

Though she was born in Los Angeles, Jill Torres has lived in Eugene since age 3 when her parents separated and she moved north with her mom. She went from Meadowlark Elementary to Crest Drive when her mother remarried, then to Jefferson Middle School. “It was a wonderful environment,” she says, “with a lot of social justice activists.” Meanwhile, her mother got a degree in education and began teaching fifth grade at Oak Hill School. “I had the opportunity of free high school at Oak Hill,” Torres says. “My graduating class was 10 people.” She studied Spanish at Jefferson and continued at Oak Hill, where her teacher was Armando Morales. “He got me reconnected to my Latino culture and heritage,” she says. “He challenges students to do things outside the classroom.” She and Morales’ daughter Victoria became hosts of segments on Morales’ Sunday night KLCC radio Latino music program Ahora Si! “We played more modern music,” says Torres, currently in her 11th year of hosting the program. “We recruit students and train them to do radio.” She majored in Spanish and psychology at the UO, worked three part-time jobs and also volunteered with Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) and with Ganas, an after-school mentoring service for Latino middle-schoolers. “Ganas channeled me into teaching,” says Torres, who completed a master’s in education and now teaches Spanish-immersion fifth grade at River Road Elementary. “I’ve become my mother!” She has been active with the teachers’ union in founding the Community Alliance for Public Education, a group opposed to standardized testing and privatization of education.

Know anyone whose good work deserves attention in this space? Call the editor at 484-0519 or email editor@eugeneweekly.com.

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!