IT’S NOT ‘PIDDLY-ASS SHIT’

Bentley Freeman’s article on The Register-Guard reunion (EW, 07/03) left me grieving about the death of print journalism in this country. However, Jacqui Banaszynski’s comments on the work of many female journalists both saddened and enraged me.

I am a 1981 graduate of the UO School of Journalism. Some years later, after working on technical trade magazines, I worked for the Tri-County News in Junction City and the West-Lane News in Veneta. Much of this work was with school board and city council meetings. In particular, I did school stories. This, I learned from Banaszynski, was “piddly-ass shit.” Although the pay was minimal and the hours irregular, I loved what I was doing. Many members of the community appreciated it as well. 

I know it doesn’t compare with the glory of a Pulitzer Prize, but many of us worked just because we cared about making a better community. In addition, so did many women who submitted bureau stories to The Register-Guard in the old days. 

Please do not interpret this as envy. It simply hurts to see something I devoted eight years of my life to dismissed in such a callous manner. Remember, “real stories” are in the eye of the editor. As public schools decline nationwide, I wonder what it would take to make them worth covering again. If any papers remain to do so.

Gayla Leopold

Marcola

WARNING SIGNS?

Since Eugene is fast becoming the bike theft capital in the U.S., the City Council should place a warning label under the “Welcome to Eugene” signs: Warning: You may experience bike theft while visiting our lovely city. Alcohol and cigarettes are not as harmful.

Richard Hughes

Eugene

CORRECTING MISINFORMATION

I’d like to address a misinformation campaign regarding the city’s redesign of Scobert Park in the Whiteaker, the subject of a recent full-page ad (EW, 6/27).

The city has held multiple meetings and surveys, and the current design incorporates that input. Many residents requested fencing the park to address ongoing security issues; they have also applauded moving the play structure to the front to discourage inappropriate adult use.

And the area of the park that was fenced off 20-plus years ago will be expanded beyond immediate neighbors to incorporate the work of a nonprofit and community programs. That area, sometimes called the “dogleg,” is not visible from the street and has attracted daily illegal activity. The neighbors now have a park volunteer agreement with the city to maintain and improve the area, not a backroom deal. I am one of those neighbors.

The current park redesign plan is not perfect and will never please everyone, but there is opportunity for further changes. I agree that more trees are needed, and park officials have assured us that more trees can be incorporated.

Check out the city’s project page and its FAQs at Engage.eugene-or.gov/scobert, where you can take a survey and get real facts rather than innuendo.

Shelley Hoose

Eugene

A VOTE FOR JOE CAMEL

OK, OK, let’s analyze the situation: no Savage Love… no Savage Love… no Savage Love… no Savage Love… Joe Camel, Savage Love… no Joe Camel, no Savage Love… no Savage Love.

Bring back Joe Camel!

Richard Leach

Coburg

MORE SMOKE AND NOISE

This is a warning to Jefferson Westside neighbors! After complaining to Lane Events Center manager, Corey Buller, about the noise and air pollution from the recent (June 28-29) shred show/drifting event, I received a cordial reply that there would be no more “drifting events.” 

I would like to let everyone know that it’s time to email Buller again before August 10. That’s when “PNW, Smokeshow and Shine” is scheduled. This is an invitation to register vehicles — “semis welcome!” — to be included in the “burnout competition.” You can see the advertisement at EugeneCarShow.com.

This competition is about spinning wheels to create “smoke” and noise. Lots of vehicles. They will begin parking by 9 am and the show goes from 10 am to 4 pm.

I am weary of car culture in a time of climate disaster.

Joanne James

Eugene

THE WOW HALL SHOOTING

What has the Eugene Police Department done since The WOW Hall shooting? Is it solved? No. Leads? Doubtful. Did a sexual assault happen within an eyeshot of the Olive police station? Yes. Another incident within a mile from the police station was that they pleaded for public help because without us they wouldn’t find them.

What have I done?

I went to therapy for the PTSD from that night, applied, was accepted, and graduated from a state university, with a degree in psychology, left a toxic job for a happy and healthy one, got married to my best friend, had three birthdays, celebrated life, moved and got accepted into masters program for counseling.

Oh, I also found a stolen car.

Maggie Morello

Eugene

A 911 REALITY CHECK

Until last week, I thought if I were ever in an emergency situation, 911 would send help. We encountered a person sprawled out on the sidewalk; personal items strewn nearby. They were breathing, bleeding from the face and unable to respond to questions about how we could assist. Their speech was unintelligible and they were unable to sit up.

 My friend called 911. The operator told them other calls had been received about the situation and that they would be sending someone to help. After about 20 minutes, I called 911 and requested an ambulance. I was told police and CAHOOTS would be responding. I asked about sending an ambulance and was told the injured person was deemed a threat to medical personnel. We waited another 15 minutes for help to arrive and left. An hour from our first call, we heard a siren and could see an ambulance parked next to where the injured person was lying.

Why did it take over an hour to send help? Why was it acceptable to leave someone lying on a busy public sidewalk when they’ve been deemed unsafe for medical services? I hope this person got the help they needed and are on the way to a full recovery. I hope the 911 response system reassesses their mission to include promoting the health, safety and dignity of all the members of the community they serve.

Vicki Zeable

Springfield

THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY

The Ems are leaving, and two groups against the multi-use stadium have their own agenda. One, Travel Oregon, wants an indoor-use sports facility.

The need is due to the fact that our community indoor sports infrastructure is underbuilt. We need additional places for our kids and adults to practice, play and compete. Sounds good.

It would also draw people from across the Pacific Northwest and the projected economic impacts on this community.

It would boost our winter economy — over $850 million was spent by visitors last year on hotels, restaurants, cultural events and more. It would provide 10,000 Lane County jobs. Sounds good.

Is it family affordable entertainment? No, it is not open to the public. It is for tournaments that come from across the Pacific Northwest and not open to the public.

So why do we need this, since it does not provide a place for our kids and adults to practice, play and compete?

Travel Oregon was against the multi-use stadium, that it would not draw tourists and, I quote, “Watching baseball doesn’t provide physical health benefits.”

I ask, can a non-public facility be built at the Lane Events Center? I ask, can hotel tax money be used to build such a multi-use stadium and address the funding problem?

They start with addressing the needs of the community and end with it not being open to the public. 

If this is not misleading I don’t know what is.

Steven Hunnicutt

Eugene

THE RG’S HEYDAY

Thank you for your story about the former Register-Guard journalists recalling the paper’s heyday when it was locally owned and their dedication to informing our community to the best of their abilities. 

Their recollections reminded me of my own experiences working as a broadcast journalist in Eugene TV news between 1979 and 2012. Many of my colleagues and competitors who worked at KEZI, KVAL and KMTR recall the 1980s and 1990s as the “Golden Age of Eugene Television News.” As a TV news photographer, I considered the Register-Guard’s photographers — as talented as they were — the real competitors. Did their lenses capture moments of daily news events that I might have missed? Often, they did!

Speaking of photojournalism, I thought I recognized former RG reporter and columnist Don Bishoff in one of the Carl Davaz photos that accompanied your article. But I regret that none of the people who appeared in the photos were identified in captions. I am sure that if Davaz were asked, he could have supplied identities to your writer. It seems to me a shame that those fine journalists who contributed so much to their community remain nameless to your readers.

Bill Goetz

Eugene

PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR THE HOMELESS

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Johnson v. Grants Pass marks a pivotal moment in our nation’s approach to homelessness. By permitting states to criminalize individuals for sleeping outside, the court has endorsed a troubling trend that criminalizes poverty itself, despite passionate dissents from several justices.

In our local community, this decision prompts a critical question: Where do we go from here?

At a municipal level, it is vital that we commit ourselves to upholding human dignity and compassion in our policies, echoing Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s poignant reminder that sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime.

Yet, beyond policy, this issue demands political courage and public will. I challenge all Eugene Weekly readers, voters, civic advocates and neighbors to equip and empower themselves locally to take action. Let’s amplify the voices of those affected and dispel misconceptions about homelessness through grassroots activism. Let’s unite in fierce, yet compassionate action. Together, we must ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.

Sarah Koski

Eugene

ONLINE ONLY LETTERS

THE RIGHT TO EARN A LIVING WAGE

The latest U.S. Supreme Court finding about homelessness is questioned, in part, according to one argument, that it seems to disregard sleeping (even outside) as a human right. We don’t disagree with that sensibility. 

Yet, we suggest, to focus on this issue diverts our attention away from a much deeper problem — namely, our society’s deep-seated belief that our future will be guided by a highly unregulated and largely tax-free corporate system. What this ideology has brought us is a widening gulf between the wealth of owners and managers of large corporations (one paid so much he recently bought 98 percent of an entire Hawaiian island), while their workers suffer from wages so low they can’t even afford a modest apartment, medical insurance or a chance for a secure future for themselves and their children.

In Europe, there is a small movement in which corporate directors realize that their full-time workers should earn a living wage, even if this means fewer resources for managers and stockholders. We agree with their sentiment. Yes, sleeping is a human right, but we would like to see more attention paid to another: The right of full-time employees to earn a living wage.

Richard Blanton and Cynthia Bedell

Eugene

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