• In Eugene Weekly embezzlement news, Eugene police and the Lane County district attorney have let us know that Elisha Young, EW’s former business manager who faces five felony charges in the case, has been arrested once again. Young was arrested in May but released after Gov. Tina Kotek’s office denied the extradition. This brought to light that the Governor’s Office had also denied the extradition of a suspect in a ring of burglaries targeting Asian American households locally and across the region. Both decisions were reversed after public outcry. Young surrendered to the Franklin County Jail on June 12 after the U.S. Marshals Service tracked her down.
• Damn kids, you showed up! In Eugene estimates of 7,000 to 10,000 protesters hit the streets for the No Kings protest against the Donald Trump regime! (Looked like 10,000 to us and sure felt like 10,000). The folks in Corvallis say they had a good 7,000 in the land of the beaver. Veneta had around 300 people, organizers say. And the “walker brigade” let us know their group of seniors — who don’t feel comfortable in massive groups but do want to protest — met on Goodpasture Island Road across from Delta Ponds “with or without our walkers and signs.” Let’s take this energy and make change!
• The news made it as far as The Kyiv Independent! On June 10, Springfield officially changed the name of one of its streets from Kiev (the Russian version) to Kyiv (the Ukrainian form).
• With the shootings and murder of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, the bombs in Gaza, Israel and Iran, the plane crash in India, the world feels like a little too much right now. What are you doing to keep calm, stay informed but not be overwhelmed? Here at the Weekly, for some of us it’s romping with the office dogs and for others it’s a simple walk around the block. Got a coping mechanism you want to share with the world? Letters@EugeneWeekly.com. You can also rant, if that makes you feel better.
• Our reporter and calendar editor Emma J Nelson is off to Jefferson Public Radio for 10 weeks through the University of Oregon’s Snowden Internship for Excellence in Journalism. Emma J (and her rubber duckie collection) will be missed. But while she is gone, please welcome Seira Kitagawa, a University of Oregon journalism student who starts this week as EW’s first Snowden. She will be reporting through August. Fellow UO student Savannah Brown will be doing calendar duties (and writing with her signature style), so please tell them both, hi!
• Former Lane County Commissioner Rob Handy died quietly in May. Handy was on the Lane County Commission from 2009 to 2012 representing North Eugene, and while his name was associated in headlines at the time — thanks to attacks from the political right — with the commission’s political fracas and subsequent lawsuits, those who knew him remember him for his gentle nature and efforts as a commissioner and a citizen to preserve Oregon’s environment.
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