• Eugene has lost an icon. Chez Ray Sewell, former chef to the Grateful Dead and the Merry Pranksters, proprietor of a number of restaurants around Eugene, owner of Chez Ray’s Headliners’ Organic Coffees, longtime Country Fair Family, and all around beloved character, died over the Thanksgiving weekend.
• While Our Children’s Trust climate case that we know so well in Eugene sits on the desks of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges, a possible blockbuster climate case was filed Nov. 14 in the California Superior Court in San Francisco. As reported in Foreign Policy, commercial fishermen in California and Oregon sued 30 oil, gas and coal companies, seeking compensation for their losses because the Dungeness crab market in the Pacific Ocean has been damaged by rising temperatures caused by burning fossil fuels. And, of course, the oil, gas and coal companies knew they were sending temperatures up. It seems likely that the “Black Friday” dire climate report directed by Congress and issued, ironically, by the Trump administration will help all these important climate cases.
• Will the networks or the University of Oregon Athletic Department or the official deciders hurry up and put Duck women’s basketball games on television? Their early games have been only live-streamed while the men’s games have been broadcast and some, like the Texas Southern disaster, should have been hidden from view. The women, ranked behind only UConn and Notre Dame, featuring All-American Sabrina Ionescu, should light up our screens when conference games begin.
• What we’re reading: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari. This is Harari’s third book in which he shines light on terrorism, inequality, religion, ecological collapse and the current state of national and global politics. Nationalism is a theme that Harari continues to circle back to while addressing reasons liberal democracy is in crisis. 21 Lessons takes some broad sweeps on big topics like technology, the education of our youth and the beliefs we hold on to in order to create meaning in our lives.
• “Riot control agents, such as tear gas, are considered chemical weapons if used as a method of warfare,” says the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, whose mission is to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention. The U.S. is a signatory of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which also says its members can use riot control agents for “domestic law enforcement purposes.” The U.S. recently used tear gas against refugees, including women and children in diapers, at the U.S.-Mexico border, and Donald Trump defended its use. The U.S. used a weapon against babies that is banned in war. Let that sink in.
• If you’re following EW’s online coverage, you know reporter Henry Houston was all over the Civil War game (and if you are like some of EW’s writing staff, who don’t follow the Ducks — yeah, they won). Go to eugeneweekly.com/category/blog to get online updates on Lane County issues from sports to the plight of the unhoused. Or pick us up in print Thursdays for the free crossword and sudoku. We know what you like.
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
Comments are closed.