It is sad that The Register Guard’s distant corporate owners ended letters to the editor and op-eds. These are critical parts of any newspaper’s voice. They can promote perspectives sometimes absent in the rest of the paper.
My letters and op-eds to the RG were the only times they mentioned legal problems of the proposed West Eugene “Porkway.” I was involved in stopping the highway from 1999 through its cancellation in 2007 (various versions were considered since 1951).
The WEP would have violated federal laws including section 4(f) of the 1966 Transportation Act, which bans federally funded roads through parks like the West Eugene Wetlands conservation park. This is why the Federal Highway Administration chose “No Build.”
Section 4(f) may be the strongest federal environmental law — it requires avoidance, not mere mitigation — but it doesn’t apply to the plan to widen Beltline Highway across the river from 10 to 16 lanes for a third of a billion dollars. ODOT and FHWA approved this in March without public notice.
The RG has run stories about Beltline widening, but the only dissent they have published has been my letters. As far as I know, the only time EW has mentioned this project have been similar letters.
My politics do not fit the conventional wisdom of either the RG or EW, so they relegated my contributions to the letters section, not as sources for news stories. SustainEugene.org has copies of the letters and detailed background.
Mark Robinowitz
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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