By EW editorial staff
• We weren’t the only ones excited to see Eugene Weekly pop up on Robert Irwin’s Instagram. The photographer and son of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was in Eugene with his niece and posted a photo of the two having a snack and catching up on events reading the Weekly. The Irwins have ties to Eugene: Robert and Bindi’s mom, Terri, was born here and met Steve on a trip to Australia. Moments like that sure make us glad we’re in print for you to pick up, peruse and do the sudoku!
• Tuesday, May 20, was a fabulous night at the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene’s BRAVA awards. The Soreng Theater at the Hult was absolutely electric — from moving speeches by award winners Vanessa Fuller and Don Dexter, to Fermata Ballet Collective’s inspiring performances to the fun videos created by Delene & Co. for Eugene Weekly (your favorite commie rag won David Hauser Business of the Year) and QSL/The Shedd on ABAE’s YouTube channel. Check out pics of the festivities on ABAE’s Facebook page.
• Another thing to celebrate! May 15 was Ducks Give, and the University of Oregon and the UO Libraries took on the project of digitizing old EWs dating back to the very beginning in 1982 and our What’s Happening days. Donors raised more than $80,000 to directly support the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program and student employment in the UO Libraries, and it will make sure access to past issues of the Weekly will always be free to the community — no paywalls, not now, not ever!
• Aside from the whole Gov. Tina Kotek denying the Lane County DA’s extradition request thing (see news), the Weekly is having a stellar week, so let the celebration continue! EW is up for three national awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Longtime photographer Todd Cooper is a finalist for his photographs of the art of Mexican horsemanship, the Weekly’s spicy Tuesday newsletter, “EW Extra” is up for best electronic newsletter, and Editor Camilla Mortensen is a finalist in explanatory reporting for her article on how to get an anti-stalking order in Lane County, “Seeking Protection.” Winners are announced in July. In the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s contest, also announced in July, former EW intern Eliza Aronson is a finalist for the prestigious Baker Family Public Service Journalism award.
• This week in what we are reading in the news, The Register-Guard reports that Eugene police are installing 57 license plate reading cameras around town. The cameras will not capture faces but the data from license plates will “provide real-time alerts to law enforcement when a license plate associated with certain types of crimes is detected.” KLCC has the deets on the Lane County Commission giving the unanimous nod to building fee increases due to a budget gap. The fees will increase the costs of different types of building permits, as well as the cost of electrical, plumbing and other types of construction fees.” KLCC also interviewed EW’s Christian Wihtol about the document digging he does for his Bricks $ Mortar column that turned up the info on a possible new McKenzie Willamette free-standing emergency department in Eugene.
• And this week in EW’s online extras — read about the joys of nonstop flights out of Eugene (except Avelo, see Activist Alert), see Mason Falor’s photo essay and story from his trip to Ukraine where he witnessed the funeral of three Ukrainian soldiers, read about the latest in the CleanLane recycling saga and the bill proposed in the Legislature and check out the annual Eugene Tea Festival May 25.
• University of Oregon students, faculty and staff declared their intent to engage in an ongoing rolling hunger strike in solidarity with starving Palestinians in Gaza starting Monday, May 19. The campaign is being organized and led primarily by the campus organization UO Jewish Voice for Peace. Find updates via @UOGazaHungerStrike on Instagram and TikTok.