Talking to candidates for Eugene Weekly’s endorsements is both intensely rewarding and kind of stressful (hell hath no fury like a candidate scorned or, as Taylor Swift would say, “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate”). Providing readers with our reasoning and analysis along with our election coverage is just one more tool for voters to make informed decisions. And based on our online hits and all the print copies of EW you all picked up, you used that tool in the primary! See our news section for the current election results.

• As long as elections are on our minds — if you missed it online, check out reporter Henry Houston’s story on how Lane County commission candidate David Loveall once patrolled Main Street in Springfield with a rifle during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest. The video proof we needed came from one of our readers, which is another reason we appreciate you picking up the paper — you inform us, too! Loveall currently leads in voting for the Springfield district. 

• Another day, another racist shooting. At least that’s how it feels — that people are both shocked and at the same time complacent about the murders that took place at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York. A racist shooter posted a white supremacist screed about the spurious “white replacement theory,” and then targeted a Black community. Ten people were murdered, 13 were shot. We cannot be complacent about guns or bigotry. 

• Here’s some good news. Civic Park is thriving. Kids play there. Memorials are held there. Groups of all sizes gather there. And soon Lane United will start soccer matches there. We also read that the YMCA is close to the fundraising goal that lets them put up a beautiful new facility for this community. We are watching The Nel, a Housing First project of Homes for Good and Lane County, get constructed on the corner of W. 11th and Charnelton. And the sun has been out and school’s out in a couple weeks. What’s making you happy these days in the community? 

• Kaarin Knudson, new president of the City Club of Eugene, will run the meeting Friday, May 20, from noon to 1:15 pm at the First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive Street. The 2022 Turtle Award winners are Lisa Arkin, of Beyond Toxics, and Eric Richardson, formerly of the NAACP; they will be introduced by previous Turtle winners Mary O’Brien, George Russell and Carmen Urbina. This award honors civic-minded residents who stick their necks out for the good of the community. John VanLandingham, the first Turtle Award winner, will preside over this part of the program. Live streaming is an option, and the program will air on the City Club YouTube page and KLCC.

• The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has issued a final report on its years-long investigation into 47 investor-owned corporations for human rights abuses tied to climate change. The report says that coal, oil, mining and cement firms engaged in “willful obfuscation” of climate science and obstructed efforts toward a global transition to clean energy. This report could add fuel to climate lawsuits around the world, according to The Guardian newspaper. The Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, headquartered in Eugene, has been a player in this huge effort. It’s a big win.

 • Watch out for Payton Pritchard, former Duck basketball player from West Linn, now playing for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are in a best-of-seven series with the Miami Heat, and Pritchard should be a star, one of the best three-point shooters in the game. 

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