From change in leadership at St. Vinnies to Eugene Weekly hoodies in Slant

Slant by Editorial BoardPosted on
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• St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County (or as pretty much everyone calls it, St. Vinnie’s) hit with big news this week. The nonprofit that helps the homeless, sells cool used clothes and is the largest nonprofit social services agency in the county announced Nov. 28 that its board of directors voted to promote SVdP Deputy Director Bethany Cartledge to the position of executive director, and approved Terry McDonald’s transition to emeritus director after 39 years as executive director, effective Dec. 1.

• Columnist and one-time Oregon gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Kristof has a terrific piece in the Sunday Nov. 26 New York Times about how Houston is tackling homelessness. Several times Kristof mentions strong political leadership. That makes us wonder about Eugene’s political leadership and how strong it is. If it’s not strong enough, or if the current board of Lane County commissioners lacks the willpower to move the needle, how should we create the change? A different form of government for Eugene?

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• It’s been cold, and you know what you need? A bright red Eugene Weekly hoodie! We’re selling the sweatshirts to raise a little money and to remind readers to “choose the alternative” and support your locally owned paper! You can find the sweatshirts at EugeneEeekly.com/hoodie. 

• Those social media posts you are seeing about mysterious dog respiratory illness? It’s real. Oregon has reported 200 cases of the sometimes fatal illness, and the cause is under investigation. OPB reported that disease spread in the Jackson County Animal Services shelter, causing it to stop pet adoptions through at least Dec. 5. Don’t freak out. Make sure your pups are up on vaccinations, especially for kennel cough, and stay away from dog parks and other places where your dogs are in close proximity to strange canines. 

• For Duck football fans, it does not get much better than this. The Ducks stomped their (former?) in-state rival Beavers to secure a spot in the conference championship game. Now they will face the Washington Huskies for a chance to avenge their only loss. The winner of the Duck-Husky showdown probably secures a spot in the College Football Playoff and a shot at the national championship. And quarterback Bo Nix proves he deserves the Heisman Trophy!

• Remember Hynix? That zombie plant in west Eugene that never quite manages to rise from the dead was the subject of a story in The Oregonian, which reports that the state offered Ohio company Stratacache, which owns the factory, $19 million in subsidies to get it restarted making micro-LEDs for electronic displays. But Stratacache is in court fighting over taxes with Lane County. Stratacache says the property is worth $11 million, while Lane County says it’s worth up to $50 million.