Having only 40 years experience in real estate appraisal, including supervising and appraising right-of-way acquisition for LTD’s Pioneer Parkway, ODOT and Lane County road projects, I certainly do not have the transportation experience of a city councilor who majored in arts, but I can assure the reader that LTD projects are not about the climate, public need, profit or anything that makes practical sense. Their projects are about one thing: your tax money. Your tax money for designers, bus builders, staff, administration and construction contractors.
So when LTD’s River Road project shuts down two lanes of vehicular traffic so that their empty buses can travel freely while we have traffic backed up and idling at the eight stoplights between Santa Clara and their vacant new bus stop on River Road, be sure to write Clair Syrett and thank her for her valuable insight and just forget the emissions, wasted tax money and delays. Either that or send a message by voting to recall a councilor who supports ridiculous and expensive projects.
Doug Freeman
Eugene
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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