• Eugene Weekly is one of 205 media outlets nationwide that won a two-year, $50,000-per-year grant from Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. More than 900 applications were submitted and 400 finalists were considered for a chance to share the $20 million funding pool. The $100,000 that we are receiving from Press Forward is more than just a grant; it’s a demonstration that national funders are investing in our spicy alt-weekly, in our community and in you — our readers! While the grant is great news, we still need local support to sustain our work and keep us in print. Feel free to pile on! Support.EugeneWeekly.com.
• If you are reading Slant in print — we love print, too! But we can’t always fit all the news that’s fit to print into those pages! This week, don’t miss intern Savannah Brown’s stint on The KLCC Conundrum, reporter Amelia Winkelman’s story on community college transfers and the extended story on Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology at EugeneWeekly.com, and sign up for our weekly email newsletters to get all the digital dirt we have to dish at EugeneWeekly.com/newsletter.
• Eugene is exceptional in so many ways. Right now Eugene is a city without an emergency room. There’s hope — McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center announced at a recent health care forum that it’s looking to establish a satellite emergency department on the Eugene side of the river. We are also a city without a second water source — we pull our drinking water from the McKenzie River, but EWEB is inching closer to a water treatment plan on the Willamette. In September, the utility submitted a joint permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon Department of State Lands to address environmental permitting for the project, which would not start construction until 2026. Until recently, Eugene was a city without a parade. Now that we have the BRiGHT Parade downtown, what about being a city with a celebration again?
• It wasn’t unexpected but it was disappointing. Lane County Commissioners David Loveall, Ryan Ceniga and Pat Farr voted Oct. 15 to grant more time for arguments in favor of turning Oakridge’s TV Butte into a gravel quarry — even after hearing testimony from over 50 Oakridge residents urging the board to deny the application, and even after the county’s own Planning Commission unanimously voted against it. Besides ignoring the environment and tourism issues at stake, the three commissioners failed to listen to their constituents or their own experts.
• The one thing — other than our readers’ everlasting support — that keeps Eugene Weekly running is coffee. That’s why we’re so jazzed about this October’s Coffee Shop Hop! All you have to do to join the fun is walk on over to one of the 17 participating coffee shops in downtown Eugene or one of the two in Downtown Springfield to pick up an adorably illustrated passport. What’s the point of participating outside of the caffeine kick? You’ll get the chance to explore the various cafés around Eugene and Springfield at a discounted price! Each shop offers a different discount, so be sure to check your passport for details, and note that food is not included in the offer. Each passport sticker counts for one raffle entry for the chance to win a $25 gift card to a coffee shop of your choice. Get walking, and visit WeWalkLane.org/2024-coffee-shop-hop for more info.
• Maude Kerns Art Center is hosting a free family fun day to view its annual Día de los Muertos exhibit, listen to stories, play games and do Día de los Muertos-themed crafts 1 pm to 4 pm Saturday, Oct. 26. The exhibit itself is up through Nov. 2 (10 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday, noon to 4 pm Saturday), so be sure to swing by if you didn’t get the chance on opening day, and remember that the artwork is for sale in person and online at MKArtCenter.org!