We’re so sorry that the Velvet Edge fashion boutique in the Fifth Street Market is closing at the end of May. Owned by Marjorie Taylor, this creative business will be replaced by a shoe store. One good note is, Taylor will show a dozen of her amazing long-legged “vegan taxidermy” fabric animals in a group show that opens July 14 at Karin Clarke Gallery on Willamette Street.

• The excitement and enthusiasm around school board elections was palpable this year. Eugene Weekly continued our tradition of interviewing as many candidates as we could and giving you our informed opinion. Congratulations to everyone who cared enough to campaign for these positions that matter so much to the future of our youth. Read the election results in this week’s issue.

• The flames from a fire that pierced the roof at McMenamins High Street Brewery & Cafe on May 18 will likely sideline the venerated west university area institution for some time, and that’s a shame. Beyond the good food and the array of micro brews, the brewery and cafe — shoehorned inside a renovated 1900s house — has always had a comfortable ambiance, whether inside, on the front patio or in the back. We wish the High Street Brewery & Cafe well in its rebuilding. As of press time, no cause for the fire has been determined.

•  How about Deborah Kafoury as the next governor of Oregon, succeeding Kate Brown in 2022? Chair of the Multnomah County Commission since 2014, Kafoury has not announced that she even wants the governor’s job, but rumblings of support are coming out of Portland for her. State Treasurer Tobias Reed is acting like a candidate, and then there’s Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum — and what about Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle? What Republicans are planning to go for governor? This should be fun for Oregon voters.

• The Turtle awards have been a part of the City Club of Eugene since 1991. Chosen by existing Turtles, these are local folks who “have stuck their necks out for the good of the community, often without much public recognition.” Longtime Black woman business leader and local TV personality Betty Snowden and Lane County Equity and Access Coordinator Mo Young will be named Turtles this year at the annual meeting noon Friday, May 21. New officers also will be installed: Kitty Piercy, president; Kaarin Knudson, president-elect; Scott Coltrane, past president; Skip Coburn, treasurer; and board members Andrew Kallock, Juan-Carlos Molleda and Sandy Smalley. This program will air on the City Club of Eugene Facebook and YouTube pages starting at noon May 21.

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