By EW editorial staff
• Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary quietly announced on March 11 that after 30 years with the city she plans to step down in December. She writes in an email to city staff, “Serving this community and each of you has been an honor and a joy. While there have been hard days, they are far outweighed by the great ones. Public service is rewarding, purpose filled work and I’m so grateful I found my way to this community and the City of Eugene.” She also states that to have a “thoughtful and planned transition,” she gave the city almost a year’s notice. Medary has been city manager since October 2019 when she was appointed interim city manager.
• City Club of Eugene hits the WOW Hall noon March 14 to discuss a hot-button issue — an “urgent conversation about Immigration in America.” City Club says, “We’ll discuss the changing shape of deportation policy under the Trump administration and its impact on the actions of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, as well as the administration’s effort to fundamentally alter birthright citizenship. The discussion is particularly timely as Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent legal resident, is being detained for deportation for protesting the war in Gaza last year. Speakers are Raquel E. Hecht, immigration attorney; Kuitlahuak Lopez Rojas, director of CALC’s youth program; and Joel Sati, University of Oregon School of Law.
• Biz Beat! If you knit and sew, where can you go locally to buy the yarn and cloth you need now that Joann fabrics is closing? Specifically, where can you go that’s not an anti-birth control and anti-LGBTQ antiquities smuggler (Hobby Lobby) or not a giant mega corp (Walmart)? Piece by Piece Fabrics on West 13th Avenue has fabrics and notions, JeanMarie’s Fabrics can be found in Springfield and on Etsy, and there is Something to Crow About for quilting, fabric and more in Fall Creek to start. You can also hit up places like Goodwill and MECCA for used curtains and sheets to upcycle. Also, Bi-Mart has yarn, as does Cozy in Eugene not far from Fifth Street Public Market as is Mindy’s Needlepoint Factory, and Eugene Textile Center is on Roosevelt Boulevard. Got more? Email BizBeat@EugeneWeekly.com.
• We love us a good print newspaper. So we oppose two bills introduced in the Oregon Legislature this session that, if passed, may cause financial hardship to, and subsequent closure of, small community print newspapers. The bills — Senate Bill 437 and House Bill 3431 — would allow publication of legal notices (such as those that appear on pages 21-23 of this print paper) to be placed online only, as long as the site contained 25 percent local news. This is a terrible idea and could result in anyone with a computer becoming the sole publisher of public messages deemed so important that laws require their publication and archiving in newspapers. If these bills pass, newspapers in our state that depend on legal notice revenue may be forced to close. Further, not everyone has the ability to access the internet to read published notices. There are so many threats to newspapers these days — we’re not even going to talk about those tariffs Donald Trump keeps adding and taking away — a tariff on Canadian lumber affects newsprint costs. We hope readers will urge their legislators to oppose these bills. And continue to keep Eugene Weekly in print at Support.EugeneWeekly.com.
• It’s barely spring but it’s not too early to plan for Juneteenth — the annual celebration of Black culture is planning its sixth celebration in Eugene. According to organizer Vanessa Fuller, Juneteenth will be noon to 6 pm Saturday, June 14, at the 5th Street Market Alley. She writes, “there will be a large stage for entertainment, Black-owned businesses and organizations, crafts and handmade goods, and children’s activities,” as well as a headline act. The event is looking for sponsorships, find out more at Juneteenth.freebyrd.pro.