• Did anyone else cough up a lung on Sunday or was that just us? A bank of hazy smoke settled in the Willamette Valley, blowing east to west from the wildfires burning east of Oakridge, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency Public Information Officer Matt Sorenson says. An increased chance of rainfall on Friday, Oct. 11, will see a guaranteed decrease in particulate matter — smoke and ash — in the air, Sorenson tells us. While the smoke will continue to linger until consistently cool and rainy weather, Lane County residents can expect clear, smoke free skies in the days to come.
• Animal lover alert — the Eugene Police Department is hiring an animal welfare officer. Find out more at GovernmentJobs.com. Also file under things to do with the city — Eugene is conducting a survey on community engagement. Fill it out and tell them you get your news from this little rag! Find it at Surveymonkey.com/r/L3C9QVD.
• This week in corrections and clarifications, in an online-extra story on 20 things college students in town need to know, we said students could get free sexually transmitted infection testing at the University of Oregon health center. Apparently, flocks of Ducks showed up, and the school asked us to clarify that STI testing might be free with health insurance. The good news is contraceptives are free.
• Stand with Teamsters Local 206 and 324 by boycotting local Pepsi products, vending machines and all Bigfoot Beverages locations. After negotiating a contract for three months, Bigfoot Beverages is changing employee pension benefits to a 401(k) — which they have been receiving for decades. Now entering its third week, the strike has picket lines from Bend to Newport. You may have already noticed several flyers posted on vending machines across Eugene — including on the University of Oregon campus — requesting you get your sugary drink somewhere else.
• This week in online extras, read about former Register-Guard reporter Karen McCowan’s experiences in the West Bank on Oct. 7, 2023 in a Local and Vocal opinion piece, and get an update on the Bigfoot Beverages Teamsters strike. Check EugeneWeekly.com for more!
• You know the best thing about Eugene? Its sense of humor! In fact, Eugene residents have been loving the comedy offered at the Women’s+ Comedy Open Mic so much that it went from a monthly to a weekly event! At 7 pm every Wednesday at Zagwe’s (298 Blair Boulevard), join new and experienced female comedians and storytellers as they get the diners so rowdy that they can’t get another bite of Zagwe’s authentic Ethiopian food into their mouths. Sign-ups start at 6:30 pm for the evening’s 5-10 minute slots. The best part? The laughs are on the house!
• Did you know that the Model Railroad Swap Meet & Train Show — hosted by Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club — is chug-chugging its way to the Lane Events Center in February 2025? Why are we mentioning it now? We are pretty damn sure that model trains take an incredibly long time to construct and we want you to perfect your miniature railroad before it’s too late. Go choo-choose what to showcase! Train puns!
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