• So many wonderful words have been written about the remarkable Ruth Bader Ginsberg since her death Sept. 18. But our favorites are her own words about how to live your life reprinted in the Sept. 20 New York Times. One gem: She was told by her mother-in-law, “In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.” The Notorious RBG writes that not not only did she follow that advice at home, but “I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.” Read that and you will understand how one courageous woman changed our world. She deserves a worthy successor, even if, in this political climate, that seems unlikely. 

• The global COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going away any time soon, and it’s gotten no less dangerous. Cases are spiking in Lane County. We are all sick of it, and still anxiously awaiting better testing and vaccine news. It’s been a year of civil unrest — finally calling the world’s attention to police abuse of people of color — and now, here on the West Coast, massive wildfires. Before we took a breath to ask, “What’s next?” RBG died. With a presidential election on the horizon that could wind up in court, we are sincerely hoping 2021 doesn’t look at 2020 and say, “Hold my beer.”

• Friday night lights are glowing at Civic Park. About 20 local high school football teams are gathering each week for an eight-game season of 7v7 flag football — just like we used to play as kids. Hats off to the athletic directors, coaches, KidsSport and Civic Park for letting the kids play, as COVID-19 safe as you can these days. 

• Speaking of KidsSports and football, Eugene’s former Duck, now Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had his NFL debut Sept. 20. Herbert told a Bleacher Report reporter that he was told about five to 10 seconds before kickoff that he’d start against the 2020 Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs. Herbert went on to rack up one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown. The Chargers lost in overtime to the Chiefs, but it’s amazing to see how well Herbert can play when he isn’t chained to the Duck’s otherwise vanilla playbook. 

• Seven months into the global pandemic, and some massive wildfires later, we are still printing. Sure, we are a little thin these days, but we aren’t going away, and your contributions and our advertisers have helped us hang in there. Thank you! We promise your T-shirts are coming! For those of you who prefer print: We do, too, and as soon as we can afford more pages, we will print them. Until then, in addition to our print stories, don’t miss our online political and wildfire coverage at EugeneWeekly.com, from the firefighters and Baby Yoda to local inaction on getting the homeless safe from the smoke. 

Comments are closed.