By EW editorial staff
• The year 2025 is upon us, and this new year will mark the first one in more than a quarter of a century that this column will not be written and overseen by Anita Johnson, longtime owner and contributing editor of Eugene Weekly. She died Dec. 15. Please read her obituary in this issue, and if you have a memory of Anita you would like to share with this community that she championed, send it to Editor@EugeneWeekly.com where we will add it to staff remembrances.
• What are you dreaming about for Eugene? For Lane County? Affordable housing? Googly eyes on every statue? Send us your 250-word dreams, large and small, funny or serious, for our Jan. 2 “I Dream of Eugene” issue with your name and a line about yourself. Letters@EugeneWeekly.com.
• President Joe Biden commuted most death sentences for federal death row prisoners shortly before Christmas. Like Biden, we condemn what those people did, and we don’t agree with the death penalty. Or trust Donald Trump.
• In this week’s online extra and other local news at EugeneWeekly.com is an update on the Bigfoot Beverages strike with workers soon to hit almost 100 days on the picket line. Lane Community College’s The Torch (LCCTorch.com) scooped the rest of local news with its report on the Board of Education’s attempted use of a form of ranked choice voting that had some board members refusing to list more than one choice and another abstaining from voting. No one was appointed to replace the last six months of now-Oregon Legislature Rep. Lisa Fragala’s term. EW’s editor advises The Torch, but the student-journalists make decisions about its coverage.
• The College Football Playoff is underway, another chance for schools across the land to rake in millions and millions of more dollars to pay the outlandish salaries of coaches and, increasingly, the eye-popping money to student-athletes through name, image and likeness. The Oregon Ducks, winners of the 18-team juggernaut Big Ten Conference, take the playoff stage Jan. 1 after a first-round bye to play the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Can the Ducks hold off the Buckeyes again? Or does the team named after a tree that bears fruit that contains a large and inedible nut extract revenge against the team with a Disney mascot for the 32-31 loss Oct. 12 at Autzen Stadium? A full house of 90,000 will pay to find out.
• Have a story we should chase, a note we should put in Slant? This paper is nothing without our readers! Send it to 541-484-0519 or, heck, snail mail it to Editor, Eugene Weekly, 1251 Lincoln St. Eugene, OR 97401. Just want to hear us rant? That’s cool, too. Sign up for our email newsletters at Eugeneweekly.com/newsletter. We recap what’s in the paper and what’s online — Tuesday’s note is spicy, Thursday’s is sweet.
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