• This week we’re reading the Daily Emerald’s reporting on the University of Oregon Student Workers’ May 5 occupation of Johnson Hall as they strike over wages, pay periods and more. The protesters dispersed after about a dozen Eugene and UO police showed up, the Emerald reports. The Register-Guard reported on Eugene 4J’s controversial decision to move the K-12 Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School program from north Eugene to the south side, which the paper says, “some fear could fracture the tight-knit community and threaten the program’s stability.”
• We are also reading James by Percival Everett, which won the Pulitzer Prize this week. It’s a brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from “Jim’s” point of view that is both tragic and satirical. The audiobook version — narrated by Dominic Hoffman, who some of us remember from Grey’s Anatomy — is as delightful as reading it on page.
• The dull and artless Trump Administration announced May 2 a proposed budget for the new fiscal year that would, in part, entirely eliminate both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), both of which were founded in 1965. The administration’s knives are already out locally. Dave Moss, the executive director of the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, notes that the symphony received two termination notices for NEA grants totaling $50,000 — one for a grant to support a concert and residency by the jazz pianist Darrell Grant, and one to support work by the pianist Dan Tepfer. In a press release, Moss explains that “NEA grants are structured as reimbursement grants, meaning the Eugene Symphony has already incurred substantial contracted expenses,” and adding that “the symphony finds itself out of pocket for these costs, adding further to this year’s deficit spending and creating urgent financial pressure.” Moss told The New York Times that “this upheaval, unlike the pandemic, is entirely man-made, and just as we begin to recover from one challenge, we’re immediately thrust into another.”
• Also this week in WTF: On May 2, Lane County received notification from the Environmental Protection Agency that the $19.5 million grant to establish six resiliency hubs in communities across Lane County was terminated. The grant was a collaborative project with United Way of Lane County; the cities of Cottage Grove, Florence, Oakridge and Veneta; Bethel School District; and Willamalane Park and Recreation District. “It would have created safe places for people, especially in rural communities, to go during wildfires or other disasters,” the press release from Lane County said. The county is considering disputing the termination. We sense a unanimous decision from the County Commission on that one as wildfire season draws near.
• Prevention: The Heart of Public Health is this week’s City Club of Eugene topic. Local speakers include Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County’s senior Public Health officer and chief medical officer for the county’s Department of Health and Human Services; Anne Marie Mauricio, associate research professor at the University of Oregon Prevention Science Institute; Dr. Kim Ruscher, chief medical officer for PeaceHealth Oregon; and Jocelyn Warren, division manager for Lane County Public Health. EW just had two COVID cases in the office and between that and the fact a dude (RFK Jr.) with a worm in his brain is a vaccine-skeptical health secretary means the very real need for vaccinations are still a hot topic. City Club is noon Friday, May 9, at WOW Hall, 291 West 8th Avenue.
• Loving our Activist Alerts? Please keep sending us your activist events — folks have complained they don’t know about protests until they are over, so we are here to keep us all on the same page. Sign up at EugeneWeekly.com/newsletter to receive our newly launched newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday.
• A reader tells us that some members of the Nativity of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church in Springfield have worked for two years to get the name of Kiev Street changed to the spelling Kyiv that honors the capital of Ukraine — the Ukrainian name, not the spelling that Russia forced upon them. The city voted on the name change in the Ukrainian Village subdivision at its May 5 council session. A note from the city says the “Operations Division that handles streets/street maintenance agreed to waive the fee for the creation of a new sign. So, no additional payment is needed on the part of the residents.” Got a tip for Slant? Email Editor@EugeneWeekly.com.
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