• Election season is back! Future politicians and community advocates are starting to file for office. The Lane Community College Board of Education has four seats up for grabs — the LCC board has long been a launch pad for future politicians. Appointed member Lisa Fragala announced she is running for her seat and has the endorsement of Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Val Hoyle, state Reps. Julie Fahey and Marty Wilde, and Lane County commissioners Heather Buch and Joe Berney. The 4J school board also has seats open, and Martina Shabram has announced she is entering the race for former Mayor Jim Torrey’s seat with endorsements from former Mayor Kitty Piercy as well as Wilde and the Young Democrats. Nationally known political economist Gordon Lafer of the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center is seeking a 4J board position as well.
• A recent study published in Nature Communications suggests that by 2080, Portland will feel more like Sacramento if greenhouse gases emissions continue at their current rate. The good news, though, is that Rep. Peter DeFazio announced last week that he would be an original co-sponsor of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, which would be a massive 10-year infrastructure plan to transition the U.S. completely to renewable energy.
• Good news from the courtroom battles to save the climate. A judge in Australia recently rejected a proposed coal mine because of its impact on the climate. The chief judge of the Land and Environment Court ruled that burning coal from the mine would increase greenhouse gas concentrations when we desperately need to be reducing them. We can only hope that governments and courts around the world grasp the wisdom of this decision.
• What we’re reading: McKenzie Funk, who grew up in Eugene and has become a nationally known writer on the environment, has a long and fascinating piece on climate change in the London Review of Books. He reviews four books on this subject, weaving the reviews with intimate details of his own family dealing with smoke caused by recent summer wildfires in the Ashland area. Go to EugeneWeekly.com for a link to the article. And if you want to discuss local action on climate change, go to the Climate Town Hall: Community Organizing for Solutions 6 pm Thursday, Feb. 21, at Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Avenue. Speakers are Kitty Piercy, Rabbi Ruhi Sophia and Matt McRae, with Climate Justice panelists from NAACP, Huerto de la Familia and Our Children’s Trust. More at world.350.org/eugene.
• The City Club of Portland studies issues for years and comes up with recommendations for governing our neighbor to the north. On Feb. 10, The Oregonian printed an op-ed from the city club research committee arguing for a city manager and a move away from the commission form of government, reducing the power of the mayor. That’s interesting for those of us in Eugene talking about taking power away from our unelected city manager and giving it to the council and mayor who answer to the voters. We will watch to see whether Portland’s government goes or if it stays the same.
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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