Activist Alert 2-18-2016

• The League of Women Voters of Lane County meets at 11 am Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Valley River Inn. Joy Marshall, director of Stand for Children for Lane County, will talk on “How Can We Improve Oregon’s High School Graduation Rate?” Open to the public and free. Call 343-7917.

• The city of Eugene Public Art Committee will meet at 3:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Eugene Public Library, Singer Conference Room. Call 682-2057 or email isaac.r.marquez@ci.eugene.or.us.

• “Racial Categories and Statistics: Can We Achieve Justice Without Them?” is the topic of a free talk by associate professor Kim Williams of Portland State University at 6:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 18, at the UO law school Room 110. Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center on campus. Call 346-3700.

• Initiative Petition 28 to tax Oregon corporations to fund public education will be the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Feb. 19, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette Street. Speakers will represent A Better Oregon, advocating for the ballot measure, and Grow Oregon, advocating for other options to close the gap in education funding. $5 for non-members, buffet lunch available for $12. See cityclubofeuegene.org.

• Israeli anthropologist, author and activist Jeff Halper will speak on “War Against the People — Israel, the Palestinians and Global Pacification” at 7 pm Monday, Feb. 22, at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. in Corvallis. Free. Email caps-info@riseup.net for more information.

• The new Coalition for Local, Alternative and Independent Media is meeting in support of returning Alternative Radio to KLCC programming. Email zupandavid@gmail.com. An online petition can be found at change.org (search for KLCC).

• Lane County is now recruiting for the Performance Audit Committee, which will be composed of four citizen members and one county commissioner. The deadline for applications is Feb. 29. The panel will provide input to the Board of Commissioners on audit matters and is responsible for “ensuring the performance audit program functions well.” Email shanda.miller@co.lane.or.us for information.

• Oregon author Kathleen Dean Moore has a new book, Great Tide Rising: Finding Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change, and she will be reading from the book at 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 25, at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette Street. For more information visit world.350.org/eugene.

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!