Imagine a new stadium for the Eugene Emeralds in the northwest corner of the parking lot at the Valley River Center. The stadium would have a terrific view of the river. Fans could bike and walk to the games along the riverfront paths. It is not surrounded by a residential neighborhood that would be impacted by the traffic and noise of the games. There are wonderful restaurants and hotels and shopping adjacent to the site.
Instead, Lane County is proposing to build a stadium for the Ems at the Fairgrounds, causing noise and traffic congestion from three games a week for five months in the middle of a residential neighborhood with no restaurants or hotels or shopping nearby — at a cost of more than $100 million — to benefit a private organization whose owners don’t even live in Oregon. What a terrible idea. Not just Valley River Center, but also alternative sites along the river in Glenwood or in the hills at LCC would have been far better. I vote “no” on a new stadium at the Fairgrounds. Oh, wait, they aren’t going to submit it to a vote!
Jim Kocher
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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