• The snow was pretty the first couple hours it fell last week. Then tree limbs fell, roofs collapsed, power lines went down and the light and heat were gone. Thank you to The Register-Guard, KLCC and the local TV news for braving the roads and dealing with lost electricity and phones of their own to keep us posted on storm damage and the ceaseless work of the power companies and road crews to get us going again.
• Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley has bowed out of the presidential race, but if you’re desperate for another enviro-friendly socially conscious white guy from the West Coast, there’s always Jay Inslee. The Washington state governor has been forward-thinking on the environment and clean energy, and while he might be obscure to the rest of the country, so was Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas — and whoever thought Donald Trump would be president?
• Eugene plans to put up a parking lot where City Hall used to be — where plans were canceled to create a camp for the homeless — and Eugene’s city parking manager, Jeff Petry, described a downtown parking crisis in a Feb. 17 interview with The Register-Guard justifying the plan. “Downtown Eugene’s parking demand is one of the highest it’s ever been in decades,” he said. “Every parking garage has a waiting list (for monthly permits) and every parking garage is full.” We found plenty of spaces when we visited one of those “full” lots — the Parcade Garage at Seventh and Willamette — several times on Feb. 19. Petry responds, “That is good to hear there is parking availability for our hourly and daily parkers. The Parcade Garage is a key downtown location.” Does that mean we can build a homeless camp now instead of a parking lot?
• Kelsey Juliana and Our Children’s Trust may not win their climate case against the federal government in the court of law, but they are already big winners in the court of public opinion. The March 3 coverage on CBS’s 60 Minutes was a compelling segment of these kids in Eugene and all over this country feeling the impact of extreme climate change and trying to do something about it. Couple that with the kids’ climate marches scheduled for March 15 worldwide. Where are the so-called grown-ups in this fight? It’s past time to throw the climate deniers out of office and vote in adults to work with these kids.
• Speaking of climate deniers, Art Robinson already has announced that he is once again running against Congressman Peter DeFazio, probably with the help of the deep pockets of the Mercer family, buddies of Donald Trump. We would like to brush Robinson aside but better take him seriously, despite the whole collecting pee and a little nuclear radiation is good for you thing. The country and Pete cannot lose in 2020.
• During Lane Arts Council’s First Friday ArtWalk March 1, we dropped by the New Zone Gallery, now located — at least temporarily — in the elegant space that once housed the defunct Opus VII. New Zone, with work from PhotoZone at the back, was a gallery transformed, and we hope the collective can stay in the new space a long time. Around the corner, a new show of paintings by the late Oregon artist Charles Heaney at Karin Clarke Gallery and She Flies With Her Own Wings: Celebrating Female Artistry at White Lotus transformed downtown into a happening art scene that we hope continues to grow.
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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