• The Oregonian endorsed Republican candidate Knute Buehler for Oregon governor. We hate to break the news to the O’s editorial board, but this political race really is about women’s right to choose as well as climate change, two issues that stand to lose if Buehler is at the helm. Then again, this is the same paper that a couple years ago refused to editorialize about climate change because it’s not local. WTF. Ignore the O, and go with Kate Brown. Speaking of editorial boards, and local, The Register-Guard’s board (and their editorial writers from Portland-based Opinion in a Pinch) seem a little out of touch, too. “No” on Measure 102? The measure has flaws, but in case the RG editorializers haven’t noticed, we are in sore need of affordable housing. Now read EW’s own political endorsements in this issue and vote!
• Speaking of Buehler, he followed some bad political advice when he announced that Gov. Kate Brown should fire Colt Gill from his job with the state because he had not raised the graduation rate. Wait a minute — Gill is one of the most respected educators in this part of the state. He was superintendent of schools in the Bethel district, where he was raising the graduation rate right up to the moment he was persuaded to move to the state level. Brown beats Buehler on this one. It was a brilliant stroke to bring Gill to Salem.
• Too bad Gary Williams didn’t share the podium with Heather Buch Oct. 12 at the City Club of Eugene. He was invited, but declined, probably thinking that platform would not help him win the East Lane County Commission seat he was appointed to and wants to keep. Buch did a fine job. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a smart woman on the county commission! On the other hand, too bad Scott Rohter did show up to face off against Floyd Prozanski for Senate District 4. No contest.
• “If there’s a mess, it’s their job to clean it up.” That was one of many provocative lines out of E.J. Graff’s talk on Oct. 11 sponsored by the Morse Center on the UO campus. A senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, Graff was talking about women in the 2018 midterm elections as voters, candidates and activists working to clean it up. She did warn that women don’t vote as a bloc. Clearly, if there is a blue wave in the midterms, women are expecting to be leading it. We can only hope.
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!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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