Starting this fall, one small thing will be a little less stressful for young women attending in-person school: Menstrual products will be available in every public educational facility for free, thanks to the Oregon Legislature’s passing of House Bill 3294, the Menstrual Dignity Act. Puberty is stressful enough; making it easier to acquire a basic need is a good thing. On that note, donating basics like soap, socks, menstrual products and deodorant to nonprofits helping the homeless is never a bad idea.
• We’re watching Sept. 14 to see what California voters do in the recall election of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. It is important not only to Californians but also to Oregonians and the rest of the country. Our bet is on Newsom winning, but that depends on how many voters feel strongly enough about him to get out and vote. Newsom may not be as charismatic as Arnold Schwarzeneggar or as experienced as Jerry Brown, but he’s been the leader the Golden State has needed. Tell your Cali friends to get out there and vote because the alternative could be the ultra-conservative Larry Elder.
• There are valid overlaps between animal pharmaceuticals and human ones. But let’s be clear: Randomly taking horse wormers with no idea about dosage or use is a bad idea. Ivermectin is also used as a heartworm pill for dogs. You might like the beef flavored tabs better than the apple-flavored mouth numbing paste used for horses, but you still need to consult a real doctor, not FOX or the internet.
• Sen. Ron Wyden was fundraising in Lane County last weekend, Aug. 28 and 29, for his re-election campaign in 2022. He has some concern that Portland voters are in a mood to defeat all elected officials, but it’s hard to imagine that Portland voters, as frustrated as they are with local government and policing in the City of Roses, would risk losing the powerful chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and an overall champion of liberal causes.
• What we are reading: Cai Emmons’ books Weather Woman and Sinking Islands. (See the story about Emmons in this issue.) The local writer brings a sort of magical realism to climate change in her novels. With the world in chaos from Afghanistan to Haiti to our own wildfires, we need to ponder some supernatural powers to fix things.
• Correction: In “A New Dawn” (8/19) about Dawn Lesley, who’s challenging Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich for his west Lane County seat, Eugene Weekly mistakenly reported that Commissioner Jay Bozievich voted against the 2021 county budget because it was going to the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC). He actually voted against the budget because it didn’t have $80,000 for the Association of O&C Counties (AOCC), a pro-timber lobby group. Sorry Jay, we don’t like your politics but we do try to be accurate, and we appreciate you finally began to encourage people to vaccinate and mask up.
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