• Bern Johnson, who is retiring as executive director of Environmental Alliance Worldwide, tells reporter Corin Antonio in this week’s cover story that when his mom asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he knew he wanted to save rivers. His mom, Anita Johnson, was one of the longtime owners of Eugene Weekly; we still miss her and her deep involvement with the paper. She died in December 2024 at the age of 95, and her legacy continues. This commie rag is locally owned, not run by an out-of-state corporation, and still seeks to make this community and the world a better place. Not easy in these troubled times, but worth the time and these print pages! Support the local legacy at Support.EugeneWeekly.com or buy a damn fun T-shirt!
• Speaking of celebrating local! It’s Best of Eugene time (and by Eugene, we mean all of Lane County), so go to Vote.EugeneWeekly.com and cast your ballot for all things favorite. Vote for a nominee or stage a write-in campaign to try to catch up to the first round winners. Most of all, have fun and congratulate the folks you Weekly readers love! Vote local and try to vote in at least 10 categories so we know you are a human!
• Another success for chef Isaiah Martinez and bartender Nico Centanni of Yardy Rum Bar and the crew! The New York Times recognized Yardy as one of the top 50 restaurants in the country. From the food cart at ColdFire and bar cart near Mazzi’s to James Beard recognition, the West Indian inspired eats and perfectly matched rum drinks Yardy on Lincoln Street is what the Lane County food scene is, could be and inspires.
• Got a success? A local show? A protest? A cool protest photo? Send news to Editor@EugeneWeekly.com, events to Cal@EugeneWeekly.com and your own pithy observations and snark to Letters@EugeneWeekly.com.
• Music news! Longtime local musician Walker T Ryan has been playing a personal series of shows about his journey in music. The fifth is Sept. 20 at Houndstooth PublicHouse, “The Blues Continued.” The sixth and last show of the musical residency will feature the Walker T Ryan Trio with Jeremy Wegner and Tanya Bunson. Find more, in print and online, in Eugene Weekly’s What’s Happening Calendar and celebrate local music scene legends. Not local, but playing locally, check out Savannah Brown’s interview with Art Alexakis, lead singer of ’90s band Everclear. Everclear plays the Cuthbert Amphitheater Sept. 12. Alexakis tells Brown he didn’t move from California to Oregon to capitalize off the PNW’s grunge scene, way back when.
• Also this week in online extras at EugeneWeekly.com, check out Samantha Sobel’s spotlight on the Muse Collective’s bi-monthly cabaret show “Gettin’ Slizzard,” performing Saturday, Sept. 13. Also, find Savannah Brown’s interview with comedian Liz Glazer, who performs Sept. 13 at the Wildish Theater in Springfield as part ofQueerly Beloved. Read about how it took her 14 years of becoming a tenured property law professor to realize that she actually wants to be a comedian instead (after one improv class).
• How can we bring back CAHOOTS? That’s the topic at noon Friday, Sept. 12, at City Club of Eugene. The contract between the nationally known crisis intervention service and the city of Eugene ended earlier this year. Supporters have urged the City Council to bring back the compassionate, non-police service. Speakers Alese “Dandy” Colehour and Laurel Lisovskis from Willamette Valley Crisis Care, and Jacob Trewe from Friends of CAHOOTS, will talk about their efforts to bring back mobile crisis services to Eugene. The City Club meets at WOW Hall, 291 West 8th Avenue. Admission is free; lunch is available for $15.
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