• The death of a homeless person crushed by a vehicle while sleeping in a downtown parking lot early Monday morning is a reminder of how pathetic our community’s response is to the problem of housing. People are now literally sleeping on the street — in the path of truck tires — because they have no other options. We have to do better. No one should live that way; no one should die that way. Authorities had not provided the victim’s identity by press time, but Pastor Dan Bryant, who works with the unhoused at First Christian Church, wrote an eloquent farewell to a disoriented woman who breakfasted at the church the day before the accident. See his post “No one knows her name” on Facebook.
• And on that note of doing better for the unhoused, Springfield urgently needs someone to step up with a new location for an Egan Warming Center; the building that was used previously had been declared unsafe due to structural damage from this year’s big snow. Got ideas? Let the Egan’s Springfield team know at EganWarmingCenter.com or 541-683-9423
• It’s curious that Jay Inslee becomes something of a national hero when he withdraws from the Democratic presidential race. That’s because the governor of Washington has had the courage to stake his reputation on fighting climate change and has forced the conversation between the other candidates and the country. He says he’s going to run for a third term as governor of our neighboring state, but some say he should be the next secretary of interior. We’re proud of staff writer Henry Houston’s interview of “President Planet” in the Aug. 1 issue of Eugene Weekly with the catchy superhero cover by Chelsea Lovejoy. Inslee would be a fine president.
• This year more than ever it feels like a nonstop election season. Maybe that’s a good thing, since all we can think about it getting rid of that evil moron in the White House. Are his rantings really calculated chaos? The second coming of God? Buying Greenland? Locally, Rep. Peter DeFazio kicked off his campaign with a big event at Venue 252 with more than 400 supporters. That was followed by the local Dems’ annual chili cookoff at Alton Baker Park featuring “llamactivist” Caesar the No Drama Llama — a good reminder that sometimes politics can be friendly fun.
• Are you ready for some football? The currently No. 11 ranked Oregon Ducks and Heisman favorite Justin Herbert travel to Texas to play No. 16 Auburn Tigers, 4:30 pm Saturday, Aug. 31, a game that online betting sites predict Oregon will lose. If instead you’re ready for fútbol, EW will report UO’s women’s soccer team’s 2019 home games. The women’s team will play Portland State 7 pm Friday, Aug. 30, and Villanova 5 pm Sunday, Sept. 1. Check out EugeneWeekly.com for post-game coverage.
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