• Convicted felon and President-elect Donald J. Trump appointed Elon Musk as the head of a new oxymoronic government agency — the Department of Government Efficiency (also called DOGE, a reference to a cryptocurrency that Musk promotes) — to the tune of a $75 million campaign donation. Musk, the richest man in the world, promises to unilaterally reduce government spending, and it’s unclear how creating more agencies with more employees reduces “big government.” On Nov. 12, The New York Times quoted Trump referring to it as “the Manhattan project” of our time. Hopefully, Musk and co-appointee Vivek Ramaswamy don’t nuke our federal government.
• Longtime Whit watering hole and Eugene-area staple Sam Bond’s Garage announced Nov. 11 that “as of right now, we will not be open for shows or food” after Dec. 31 and that the almost 30-year-old business is up for sale. We’re crossing fingers someone buys the beloved auto-shop turned bar and venue that’s made memories for so many folks in Lane County. Until then, at least check out Western-swing band Petunia and the Viper Nov. 16 and get a taste of what you’ll be missing.
• At noon, Friday Nov. 15, City Club of Eugene will host a discussion of City of Grants Pass v. Johnson — the case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June that the Eighth Amendment allows cities to punish people experiencing homelessness for sleeping and camping in public spaces. Head over to the WOW Hall on 291 West 8th Avenue, or tune in live via City Club’s website at CityClubofEugene.org or tune in Monday nights at 7 pm to KLCC 89.7 FM.
• Later on Friday, you can check out the documentary 1-800-On-Her-Own about ’90s alternative rock legend Ani DiFranco at Eugene Art House. EW intern Savannah Brown interviewed DiFranco and filmmaker Dana Flor about the film. You can read all that and more at EugeneWeekly.com where we put all the news that’s fit to print, but didn’t actually fit into the print issue. Want us to fit more in the print issue? Call Cuchulain Kelly, the Weekly’s new business development manager (541-484-0519) who also sings a lot like Johnny Cash (you can read about that online, too, come to think of it).
• In this week of Lane County history, a whale exploded on a beach in Florence. More precisely, on Nov. 12, 1970, the Oregon State Highway Division (who we now all know and love as ODOT) detonated 1,000 pounds of dynamite under a 45-foot, eight-ton sperm whale. “The beach exploded in a 100-foot high column of sand and whale,” wrote Eugene Register-Guard reporter Larry Bacon. Bits of blood, sand and blubber rained down on the spectators, and 54 years later the city of Florence gathers annually in Exploding Whale Memorial Park to celebrate the occasion. Now Oregon State Parks policy is to bury dead whales, rather than to explosively send them to whale Heaven.
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