Eugene got a taste of the homophobia and hatred for diversity that’s been cropping up across the country in regard to drag queens and LGBTQIA+ folks when right-wing extremists moved their online attacks in-person at Old Nick’s Pub. About 50 anti-queer, anti-drag protesters showed up at the weekend drag queen storytime event, hurling unfounded accusations of pedophilia and bigoted slurs, as well as smoke grenades and rocks, at 200 or so counter-protesters. Meanwhile, the storytime continued peacefully inside the pub featuring costumed drag queens and 11-year-old Vanellope MacPherson DuPont, the tween drag queen whose presence was apparently triggering to some of those ignorant of the art and culture of drag. You can check out our coverage at EugeneWeekly.com (1,2) and support Old Nick’s, which had to spend $2,000 on extra security by contributing at GoFund.me/96438226.

• Many voters in the 4th Congressional District have likely received an anti-Val Hoyle flyer in the mail by now that claims Hoyle is someone who’s with “them,” the corporate elite, and not “us.” The mailer isn’t supporting Republican nominee Alek Skarlatos, though — it’s for Progressive and Pacific Green Party nominee Mike Beilstein. Green Oregon, a recently formed independent expenditure group funded by mysterious sources, paid $37,000 for the mailer, but don’t let the “green” name fool you. Beilstein and former Democratic primary rival Doyle Canning have both disavowed the flyer, saying it’s a desperate attempt to discourage voters from supporting Hoyle. We agree with Canning when she says it’s an attempt to sow confusion in the Nov. 8 general election to boost ultra MAGA candidate Skarlatos, who’ll side with polluters and threaten our fundamental freedoms. 

• If interim University of Oregon President Patrick Phillips is interested in becoming UO president, we hope the trustees will consider him rather than dismissing him outright because he would be an inside candidate. Prof. Paul Olum, a mathematician, was an inside candidate — a provost who became president — and served with distinction. Phillips recently gave a fine speech at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, we are told, showing an interest in art that former Pres. Mike Schill never showed. We’d also like to see diversity on the trustees’ list of possible candidates. We are more than a little worried that the search committee’s first question in looking for a new president is going to be “Does Phil Knight approve?” And, “Can this person raise buckets of money?”

• Is Betsy Johnson the Caped Crusader of Oregon? She’s no superhero, but the wealthy gubernatorial candidate, who’s raised a ton of money from her fellow rich Oregonians, went on a 10-city 48-hour air travel tour of the state, and her campaign told Oregonians to look out for the “Bets Signal,” a reference to DC Comics’ Batman. Like Bruce Wayne, the Gotham City playboy who fights crime and super villains as Batman, Johnson has too much money to burn and outdated views on criminal justice. 

• Philadelphia cops greased the center city light poles, now kind of a tradition in that city, but wild  baseball fans still slithered up the poles to celebrate the Phillies’ win over San Diego last Sunday, Oct. 23.  They will play the Houston Astros in the first game of the World Series on Friday, Oct. 28, and are the underdogs, but Eugene Weekly’s resident sportsball fans hope to see more greasy poles in Philly’s future. 

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