• It’s a cruel irony that a Black leader who has been actively advocating for non-violence in the Eugene protests against systemic racism would be violently hit by a car while leading children in a little march in the Whiteaker neighborhood. That’s what happened to 29-year-old Isiah Wagoner on Sunday evening, June 28. The white driver of the car was detained and questioned by Eugene police, and the police are asking if anyone has a video that shows exactly what happened. This is a critically important investigation that must be monitored by the leadership of our city, and a sobering reminder that people of color are putting themselves on the line as they march week after week. Black Lives Matter. Be an ally in deeds, not just words on Facebook.
• We applaud the University of Oregon’s choices to (finally) rename Deady Hall and to stop calling the annual football game against Oregon State the “Civil War.” It’s taken way too long to ponder the differences between documenting history versus aggrandizing racism. We are also down with Gov. Kate Brown’s order to start wearing masks in public spaces after Oregon started seeing a substantial increase in daily cases. It’s really not that hard to protect others from COVID-19.
• Hats off to Ed Ray, who finished his 17-year run as president of Oregon State University at the end of June. That’s the longest run for any president in Oregon higher education. He’s been a perfect choice for OSU. Ray displayed some of his talents in his farewell interview on OPB on June 29: plain-spoken directness, positivity, an ability to inspire confidence. Tough times clearly are ahead for OSU and all of Oregon higher education thanks to COVID-19. State funding, already skinny, probably will drop. No students in the dorm beds or eating dining hall food. International student enrollment down. Probably no football — the big revenue sport. All that means huge budget cuts, but Ray said 2020 fall enrollment at OSU seems to be holding at 2019 levels. As Ray put it, we’ll manage.
• Uncertainty was the key word in the City Club of Eugene virtual forum June 26 on re-opening for business in Eugene during COVID-19. As Casey Barrett from Obie Development Partners, owners of the Fifth Street Market, put it, “It’s hard to have a gathering place when people can’t gather.” He said the big expansion west of the market is on track, no matter how uncertain the future. Brittany Quick-Warner, president and CEO of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, cited a 14.7 percent unemployment rate in Lane County. The hardest hit businesses are restaurants, health care, retail and manufacturing. John Barofsky, co-owner of LaPerla and Beppe and Gianni’s, said customers are coming back, but very slowly. And Dr. Stacy Chance, chief medical officer of Oregon Medical Group, talked about how we have to be nimble and willing to change. It was a sobering forum that left us, like everybody else, uncertain about the future of our city.
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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