• We wrote last winter that the future of Janelle McCoy as executive director of the troubled Oregon Bach Festival was “unclear” (EW Feb. 21). McCoy was widely seen as instigating the still-unexplained 2017 dismissal of popular artistic director Matthew Halls, drawing unfavorable publicity around the world. Now McCoy’s future with OBF is completely clear: She is to be laid off at the end of this summer’s festival. The June 21 announcement by Sabrina Madison-Cannon, dean of the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, deftly solves two problems at once: The festival can meet a $250,000 budget cut ordered by the UO while pushing McCoy out the door without having to fire her. We look forward to seeing how Madison-Cannon helps OBF rebuild. See our story on the layoff last week at EugeneWeekly.com.
• As we went to press, it appeared that House Bill 2020, also known as Clean Energy Jobs, was dead. Senate President Peter Courtney surprised state senators and the legislation’s supporters Tuesday, June 25, when he killed the climate bill. EW talked with state Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, and it sounds like the combination of the Republican senators hiding in Idaho rather than voting and not enough Democratic support killed the bill. Renew Oregon, a coalition of organizations supporting climate legislation, told EW the dissenting Democrats were Sens. Betsy Johnson of Scapoose, Arnie Roblan of Coos Bay and Laurie Monnes Anderson of Gresham. Sources say Boeing was lobbying Monnes Anderson to vote against the bill. Beyer said that citizens could put a climate policy bill on the ballot, though it wouldn’t be as nuanced. Unless Courtney has a joker up his sleeve, it appears he’s let Republicans dictate policy once more, just as when Democrats conceded on gun safety and vaccinations in exchange for a quorum to vote on the Student Success Act. Time for new leadership in the Oregon Senate?
• University of Oregon economics Professor Bill Harbaugh, whose UOMatters blog seems to terrorize UO administrators, offers an interesting idea to deal with part of the current budget crisis. Why not eliminate baseball and transfer all the expenses of the Jaqua Center to the Athletic Department? Sometimes called the “Jock Box,” the Jaqua Center houses advising and tutoring for athletes, so it seems reasonable that the Athletic Department pay for it. As for baseball, it seems unlikely that it will go away. Harbaugh says the UO just hired a new baseball coach for at least $500,000 a year, at the same time that it is sharply cutting budgets for the arts and the Labor Education Research Center. There’s something wrong with that picture.
• As Trump’s anti-immigrant machinery ramps up — who knew it could get worse, but it has — Springfield-based Molina Law Group is sponsoring a free immigration clinic noon to 5 pm July 6. It’s “in response to the Trump administration’s recent announcement that they will be focused on deporting millions of undocumented families in the coming weeks.” Molina Law says that, “Everyone who participates will receive valuable legal information about what to do in case of ICE contact, as well as an analysis about any applications they may be eligible for now or while in ICE detention to be protected from deportation.” Call 844-654-2889.
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.