The shooting at the WOW Hall Friday, Jan. 14, rocked Eugene and Lane County. Six people injured, one critically, and a lot of people traumatized. We didn’t need another violent reminder that we need stronger gun laws. Our hearts go out to the victims, the witnesses and the WOW Hall. And our ire goes out to those who care more about their holsters than they do their own hearts. Gun control, now.
• If you want to escape all the bad news out there, we have a suggestion: Watch University of Oregon’s Duck basketball — both the women and the men. They don’t win every game, but when they do win, it’s terrific. On one trip to southern California, the men beat both UCLA and USC. Coach Dana Altman was even smiling when he left Pauley Pavilion after the UCLA game, and that is unusual. The women beat Arizona after falling far behind, mostly because of the play of Sedona Prince, the Ducks six-foot, seven-inch star, then took down ninth-ranked Connecticut on Jan. 17 at Matthew Knight Arena. You don’t even have to like basketball to like this.
• We’re sorry to hear that The Register-Guard, like Gannett papers across the country, will cut Saturday print publication in March, and we’re not sure what that means for the future of our daily paper. This community needs the Guard every day of the week, and cutting print sends the wrong signal to readers. Cuts or not, please continue to support the local reporters’ dogged journalism in the face of all the challenges.
• Speaking of the RG, we are disappointed to see that gubernatorial candidate Nick Kristof seems to be taking a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook and only speaking to media who he thinks will give him a positive report. Dan Kahle’s Jan. 14 column in the Guard was sweet, but we need substance from our political candidates. Eugene Weekly would be happy to interview Kristof, but he’s not returning our calls. We assume as a journalist he’s not afraid of the press?
• And on the topic of the governor’s race! EW has teamed up with Oregon Capital Chronicle and other media and nonprofits to find out what readers want candidates for governor to talk about as they compete for votes. Find out how to weigh in at EugeneWeekly.com.
• Thanks to the readers who let us know about the anti-vaxxers stapling propaganda to our pages in EWs around downtown. Petty acts by anti-vaxx folk like ruining print copies won’t change our science-based pro-COVID-vaccine editorial stance or change our readers’ minds, but they will annoy the people who want to do their crossword in peace!
• It was a good choice for 4J school board member Mary Walston to conditionally withdraw her complaint against two fellow members of the 4J school board. Her condition is that the board set up a work session with an outside facilitator to discuss staff and board communication. We will watch to see if that happens. What will it cost? How is the rest of the board responding?
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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