• June marks two big months for underrepresented communities. First, as most folks know, June is Pride month. Here in Eugene, however, we do our Pride celebration in August (August 10 for Pride in the Park at Alton Baker Park, to be exact). We’ve been told it’s so folks can go to other Pride celebrations elsewhere and still be able to put on our own great party. One party that’s not happening this year, but we hope will return, is the Eugene Juneteenth Celebration. Juneteenth, a federal holiday on June 19 since 2021, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., and the folks of Eugene Juneteenth have been putting on an event since 2020. Want to help them bring the Juneteenth party back? Go to EugeneJuneteenth.com.
• File under the little newspaper that could: Not only did Eugene Weekly come roaring back from our embezzlement with our investigation into now-departed 4J Superintendent Andy Dey, but we won some awards this past year! In the Society of Professional Journalists regional competition, EW was competing in the medium newsroom category (we are deeply unclear how our little embezzled newsroom could be medium-sized, but OK) against papers like Willamette Week, The Bulletin, Gazette Times and news sources across the Northwest. Catalyst Journalism Project student writers Anna Kaminski and Winter Wagner, took first place in Health Reporting for “Crisis Mode” on Lane County’s struggle to build a mental-health crisis stabilization center. And winning in Investigative Reporting was Alexis Weisend’s “Fast and Furious” and “City of Eugene Ignores State Law on Camping,” on how the city of Eugene routinely ignores state laws when it evicts thousands of unhoused people from camping in public spaces every year.
• But that’s not all! The Portland chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association announced its 2024 AAJA Diversity and Inclusion Awards competition winners on June 9, and EW intern and part-time calendar editor Brianna Murschel, competing against full time professional journalists, took first place in politics reporting for her story, “Fear, Intimidation and Justice,” about racism and policing in Springfield. We are delighted by the recognition and even more delighted that because of the support of readers like you, we have been able to report on stories that matter. Support Eugene Weekly!
• Oregon asked for nominations last year for the state’s next poet laureate, to be named this spring by the governor. The state got 151 nominations for the post, suggesting 71 individual poetic nominees, says Lucy Solares-Steger, program coordinator for Oregon Humanities, which administers the selection process. Out of those, she says, 40 accepted the nomination — and one has been chosen for the governor’s approval. “Look out for that press release in May-ish for the big announcement,” Solares-Steger emailed in March.
Well, we did look out, and now it’s June-ish, and not a peep. What gives? “Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten word either,” she emailed in late May. “We’ve reached out to our governor’s office liaison a couple times, but they seem pretty busy over there.” She’s now awaiting a decision by mid June. We know Gov. Tina Kotek has a lot on her plate, but this looks like a clear case of poetic injustice.
• Last weekend in Eugene kicked off with a major track meet and ended with a major concert. Pink Martini, the Portland fusion orchestra, played to a packed Hult Center on Sunday night. Pink Martini’s singer-songwriter China Forbes even sang a number she had written to Eugene early in her career. Don’t you just love living in a town like this?
• On the good news front, our friends at KLCC recently hosted a benefit with NPR’s Ailsa Chang from NPR for its Amplifying Oregon Voices campaign. The event pushed the radio station fundraising past $3 million, helping them to stay on the air with excellent news and other programming.
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