If you’re a running fan, look out for Ku Stevens, 18-year-old Nevada distance runner who is a Paiute Native American. Featured in a full-page story in The New York Times Nov. 17, he wants to come to the University of Oregon and is quoted as saying, “I want to run for Oregon.” If that happens, it will be fun to watch this young runner, who already has a national reputation.
• Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving Nov. 25, or just celebrating a day off from work or school, take a moment to honor the Indigenous Kalapuya People upon whose land those of us living in Lane County reside.
• Interesting that UO President Mike Schill is on the committee to pick the next president of Oregon State University. The UO Matters blog reports that he is one of only two full professors on that committee.
• Noah Strycker, Creswell’s internationally known birder and bird writer, will be on This American Life the Sunday after Thanksgiving in a show titled “Spark Bird,” which features “stories about birds and the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change.” TAL host Ira Glass flew to Oregon earlier this month to interview and go birding with Strycker, who then had lunch with him and his producer at the Creswell Bakery. Not to brag, but he’s EW Arts Editor Bob Keefer’s son. Hear the show online at ThisAmericanLife.org at 5 pm (Pacific time) Sunday, Nov. 28.
• On Nov. 22, Eugene Weekly attended a press conference with Rep. Peter DeFazio where he talked about President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislative package. Awaiting a Senate vote, Build Back Better is about $1.75 trillion for making childcare more affordable, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing rural development and more. DeFazio, who’s also chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said Build Back Better is the inverse of Trump’s 2017 tax cut: its benefits are for Americans who earn less than $400,000 a year. Read more at EugeneWeekly.com.
• Kudos to Junction City writer Danuta Pfeiffer, whose novel Libertas was a finalist in the Best Book Awards presented Nov. 16 by the online American Book Fest. Published by Eugene’s Luminare Press, her book tells the story of the daughter of a white plantation owner and his Black house slave and their flight for freedom. Pfeiffer and her husband own and manage Pfeiffer Vineyards and Winery.
• Don’t call it the Civil War. Instead, sit back and enjoy the fact that the Oregon-Oregon State football rivalry, renewed for the 124th time Nov. 27 at Autzen Stadium, is being played with the Pac-12 North Division title at stake. Oregon — 9-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play — peaked in early September with a win at Ohio State. The robotic Ducks have been short-circuiting since, and on Nov. 20 did an ugly face-plant at Utah to fall out of the national playoff picture. The plucky Beavers (7-4 and 5-3) enter with a two-game winning streak and are bowl eligible for the first time in seemingly forever. This should be a competitive game.
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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