What should Phil Knight do next? After bringing the splendid World Athletics Championships to Eugene for 10 days, he has done all he can for TrackTown USA, so we suggest that he turn his team loose on the needs of the rest of the town and find housing and services for the people sleeping on the street of his university’s home city. He could do that; it just takes money and smarts. On July 23 a coalition of groups, including Stop the Sweeps, protested Oregon22 calling for “survival over sports.” The crazy high temperatures this week reinforce that rallying cry.

• Are you tired yet? The Oregon Country Fair, Oregon22, the Lane County Fair — lots of outdoor fun as COVID-safe as possible. As the summer goes on, the What’s Happening Calendar grows! Let us know what events you are looking forward to and tell event organizers to add them to our calendar online. This week we hear everyone is heading to George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic with Pimps of Joytime at the Cuthbert Amphitheater July 30. 

• Eugene Weekly is thrilled to announce that we won two national awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. EW wants to make the world — and this community — a better place, and help educate future journalists on how to do just that. So while winning a journalism award — or two — is always sweet, what is special about the recognition is that most of the writers were journalism students, and they were addressing issues like homelessness and caring for the elderly. So say congrats to EW Arts Editor Bob Keefer, Ella Hutcherson and all the writers of our homeless obituaries, who won for Best Column. The judge wrote: “By elevating the humanity of each individual, and shining the light of truth onto the societal failures that led to each individual’s death, this column brings the local’s most underreported and forgotten people into the foreground and forces the question: how could our community have done better by them?” And congratulate Brent Walth and Nicole Dahmen and all the students of Catalyst Journalism Project who won for Best NonProfit Collaboration. The judge wrote that Catalyst and EW won for “showing how sustained collaboration can help both a community, give newsrooms more reach and offer students a guided, first-hand experience doing what journalists do best: dig, dig and dig some more until you’ve got the documents and information to change the world.”

• More humorously, Eugene Weekly also got a shout out in Sport Illustrated last week. In a July 20 piece about pursuing a trip up the Hayward Tower (aka the Phildo, aka Phil’s Phalace) during Oregon22, SI senior writer Eric Bishop noted EW reporter Henry Houston’s satirical piece positing that the Phildo is actually a giant blunt. 

• “Remove the Lower Snake River Dams? The Competing Issues” is the timely and controversial topic for City Club of Eugene noon Friday, July 29. Speakers are Nancy Hirsh, executive director, NW Energy Coalition; Kurt Miller, executive director, Northwest River Partners; Todd True, staff attorney, EarthJustice; and Shannon Wheeler, vice chair, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. EWEB Executive Director Frank Lawson will ask the first question. City Club is live streamed available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel, as well as broadcast 7 pm Monday, August 1, on KLCC.

• Local anarchist and author of EW’s “From A to Z” column John Zerzan talks with author Mark Seely at Sam Bond’s Garage 8 pm Sunday, July 31. Seely’s Old Dog: A Traveler’s Tale examines civilization through a dog’s eyes. The book explores the modern human condition, so you can bet you’ll walk out of Sam Bond’s looking at civilization with a new pair of critical lense provided by Zerzan and Seely. 

• Some of you read the Weekly for the news and arts; some of you are in it for Savage Love and the crossword, and then there’s the artists that care about the cool graphics and photos. Well, you are in luck, EW Art Director Todd Cooper has an exhibit of his music photography at One Wall Gallery (above Epic Seconds at 30 E. 11th Avenue) for the month of August, officially opening on the August 5 First Friday ArtWalk. Want more of Coop’s photos once you see Sound Waves? Check out the photo galleries at EugeneWeekly.com.

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