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.
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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