The second and final round of Best of Eugene opened Sept. 7 and runs through noon Sept. 29. Don’t see a category you think we should have? Send us a note at Editor@EugeneWeekly.com or make a suggestion when you vote at BestofEugene.com. Are you one of the awesome people or places that was nominated? Let all your friends and followers know to vote for you! Spread it on social media. Heck, you can even take out an ad in the Weekly itself. Voting needs to be clean — you can only vote once — but campaigning is the Wild West!

Concerned about PeaceHealth’s proposal to close Eugene’s only hospital? Who isn’t? Check out Save Eugene’s Hospital Community Town Hall from 3 pm to 5 pm Friday, Sept 15, at Firefighters Union Hall, 160 Madison Street. Former City Councilor Claire Syrett says the program will include speakers addressing the impacts of the proposed closing of University District Hospital, which the nonprofit PeaceHealth says isn’t making enough money, and will allow attendees to share concerns and ask questions. More info is available at SaveEugenesHospital.com, which is run by the Oregon Nurses Association.

What are you missing if you don’t tune into EugeneWeekly.com? Mayor Lucy Vinis announces she isn’t running for office again in 2024 and threw her support behind City Club of Eugene past president and housing advocate Kaarin Knudson. Intern Josiah Pensado covers the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office’s efforts to educate the public about wildfire dangers and steps people can take to protect their homes and property. Want to track fires? The prolific Pensado also covers Watch Duty, the free app that has become the go-to tool for obsessive firewatchers all around Oregon in this season of out of control wildfires.

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The Prefontaine Classic comes to Hayward Field Sept. 16 and 17, which means Eugene will be briefly home to the fastest people in the world. The winners in the 100 meters at last month’s World Championships, Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles, will hit the track for the 2023 Diamond League Final, as well as other record holders. 

Also in sports, the Oregon Duck volleyballers are off to a roaring start, with a top 10 ranking and victories over strong teams. Want to see what it’s all about? Come out to see the Ducks take on the Beavers at Matthew Knight Arena at 7 pm Sept. 22.

At some point — say, when 10 schools decide to jump ship for better deals in other sports conferences and kill the Pac-12 Conference — the mudslinging and trips to a courthouse start to make the news. Oregon State and Washington state, the only schools left in “The Conference of Champions,” fired the first shot Sept. 11 when they were granted a temporary emergency restraining order that effectively stops the Pac-12 from conducting formal board meetings until legal clarity is established as to who controls what is left of the conference. Amid all the financial craziness, does anyone remember football?

The swifts are back doing their nightly deep dive into the old chimney back of Agate Hall at Agate and 18th. It’s quite a thrill to see these little birds circle and drop into the chimney at dusk and come out to continue their journey in the morning. If you are there in the evening you can get an ice cream at Prince Pücklers to eat while you admire the avian magic. Go to LaneAudubon.org for more details.

What we are reading: The Oregonian’s Sept. 3 issue reviews a second novel by Portland author Cecily Wong. Kaleidoscope “tells a story about a biracial family that moves from Eugene to New York, where long hidden secrets come to light.” We’re intrigued.

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