We hear that improved public transportation options are being looked at for the loop from downtown past Civic Park. We also hear that this is dangerous political territory in this cranky world. City Councilor Claire Syrett is facing a recall over issues of public transportation. We don’t always agree with her, but that’s a recall that should absolutely fail.
• Good to see that Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner continues to be on the New York Times nonfiction best seller list. A Eugenean who went to South Eugene High School, she heads the indie rock band Japanese Breakfast. In this book, published by Knopf, she describes creating her own identity after losing her mother to cancer. We’re now eagerly awaiting to watch the film adaptation, featuring music by Japanese Breakfast, on the HBO Max streaming service.
• A weather forecast of endlessly hot sunny days, one after another, hardly sounds like it should be a problem for anyone living in the chronically foggy and soggy Northwest. But that was before climate change. Now, as daily brush fires around town add smoke and anxiety to that generated by wildfires burning out of control on the Willamette and Umpqua national forests as well as in northern California, we’re reminded of the urgency to act on climate change and hope some rain comes our way in the meantime.
• Eugene’s live music scene is active, but we wonder where everyone is? Yes, we recognize there’s a pandemic and the new COVID-19 strain is infectious. But in the past few weeks, we’ve noticed half-full concert venues. So get out and support live music — the arts were there when you needed support in 2020, so buy some tickets for a weeknight show and don’t forget to spend money at the merch table.
• Eugene Weekly will be out and about in the community this weekend. EW will be at the annual Eugene Pride event at Alton Baker 11 am to 6 pm Saturday, August 13. We’ll also be at Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect’s 25th anniversary at Tyson Park, 3405 E Street in Springfield, 3 to 5:30 pm Sunday, August 14. So come by, say hello and check out our merchandise table of T-shirts and past issue cover page prints.
• After Eugene Weekly ran a cover story on Suspish, the popular street artist in town, and commissioned them to do a Suspish fish on the side of our building, we got letters complaining about glorifying graffiti art and graffiti artists, who sometimes don’t ask permission from building owners to do their work. On Monday, August 8, we came to work at EW and discovered that late on August 7 some taggers (three, actually — and dudes, we have you on security cam) had defaced our Suspish fish with the spray painted comment “I’m Your (No) Huckleberry,” referencing our story. We aren’t happy, and the poor grammar makes it worse. Suspish’s art makes folks happy, so what’s with the bad attitude?