• This week is Eugene Weekly’s Know Your Rights in the Trump Era issue, and it gives us hope to see how many organizations and institutions want to ensure that queer, trans, BIPOC, women, immigrants and countless others who are feeling fear right now are supported. Check out (and suggest additions to) our resource guide at EugeneWeekly.com and read online extra viewpoints from the community. And next week’s issue, in addition to being our annual Love and Sex issue, will have more fighting-the-reign-of-Trump stories.
• Overwhelmed with politics? Need a break? You’re always welcome to stop by and cuddle the office dogs — and on that note, check out Biggie in the What’s Happening Calendar this week. Speaking of our always-free, never-a-paywall community calendar, that’s one place to go to find events and other distractions to take a Trump-free breath (nothing says no politics like goat yoga, right?) You can also go online for a review of Into the Woods by Dan Buckwalter, photographs of Public Enemy and others performing at Restore & Rebuild LA by Todd Cooper and much more. Prefer it in print? Well, not gonna lie, we love our print pages, too. Support EW with a personal ad! No, really, go old school! Next week you too can express your love in an “I Saw You”! Tell us you love us, tell your mom you love her, tell your cat you love him! Give us a call at 541-484-0519 or email Classy@EugeneWeekly.com.
• Springfield-Eugene Showing Up for Racial Justice is organizing a rally from 11 am to noon Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza. SURJ says they expect County Commissioner Laurie Trieger to attend and to sign the pledge from SURJ National to protest and resist. Local elected officials, faith leaders and others nationwide are being asked to sign on: “I pledge to show up to protect the rights, safety and dignity of people in my community and resist Trump’s antidemocratic and immoral agenda consistent with the principles of nonviolence.”
• Not surprised but disappointed that the conservative-leaning members of the Lane County Commission tentatively approved, by a 3-2 vote, the controversial Old Hazeldell Quarry proposal on TV Butte near Oakridge. Old Hazeldell — associated with Ed King of King Estate Winery — is seeking the rezoning of 46 acres from forest lands to quarry and mine operations. The quarry is opposed by folks in Oakridge who have concerns over big game, noise, traffic, effects on the town’s growing mountain biking economy and more. The battle over TV Butte has been ongoing since around 2016, and we doubt it’s over yet. Sometimes the little guys win, we hope.
• Local long time social and political activist Thomas A.W. Brown passed away Jan. 22. He worked with Our Revolution Lane County, Lane County for Bernie Sanders and more. There will be a Celebration of Life 11 am to 1 pm March 8 at Theo’s Coffee House, 199 West 8th Avenue. Attendees are invited to bring remembrances and potluck offerings.
• Donald Trump doesn’t like the media and, honestly, we’re OK with him not liking this little alt weekly rag. But in an age where folks are screaming “news desert” and “fake news,” here at Eugene Weekly we want to give a shout out to the media in this community keeping us informed: KLCC, The Register-Guard, KEZI, KVAL, KMTR, Whole Community News, KEPW, Daily Emerald, The Torch, Eugene Magazine, The Chronicle, Highway 58 Herald, McKenzie River Reflections, Cottage Grove Sentinel, Oregon News Herald, Lane County Mugshots Uncensored and more. We’ve said it before — it’s not a news desert, it’s more like a news dessert (we’re sweet like that).
• We are sad to hear that Maude Kerns Art Center has made the hard decision to sunset its longtime Art and the Vineyard festival. The three-day festival of arts and music that took place around July 4 each year in Alton Baker Park was a community staple. The art center says the costs were too high and the weather “too unpredictable.” Also gone from Alton Baker is Eugene Pride, which has moved from August to late June and from the park to the Lane Events Center.