It is a good thing that the state of Oregon regulates and inspects restaurants. I think that the public is entitled to know about all inspection results.
Today I wrote testimony to present at the April 10 City Council meeting in support of the West Eugene Public Health Overlay Zone, proposed by Beyond Toxics. To buttress my arguments, I decided to Google “Toxic waste statistics for Eugene, OR.” There were no statistics. I Googled “Toxic waste statistics for Lane County, OR.” No statistics.
Eventually I visited the DEQ site, which, to say the least, is user-unfriendly. I am still left wondering: Does nobody track the amounts of toxic materials used in Eugene? Where used? Where disposed of and how? Are violations reported in a timely manner and available to the public?
This lack of transparency is just one of the reasons that the Overlay Zone is needed, not just in West Eugene but for the whole city.
Jere C. Rosemeyer
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
Comments are closed.