By EW editorial staff

• ICE BOX: According to the Portland Immigrant Rights Commission’s Nov. 17 update, 96 detentions were reported to its hotline Nov. 10 to 16, and as of Nov. 1, more than 219 had been reported. PIRC says, “Detentions were reported in locations that had not previously seen heavy ICE activity: The Dalles, Hood River, Gervais, Lincoln City and the highest reported activity was in Salem, Beaverton and Hillsboro, as well as Cornelius, Forest Grove, McMinnville, Gresham, Sherwood, Woodburn, Fairview, Aloha and Portland.” PIRC says most of the detentions took place in vehicles, with people on the road en route to engage in daily activities like work. PIRC’s hotline is 1-888-622-1510, and the immigrant rights group asks you to call if you witness ICE activity or an ICE detention, or if you are looking for a missing loved one. Text with nonurgent questions or with photos of possible ICE sightings, like license plates (call first if urgent). Folks in Lane County are currently reporting increased ICE activity. Join the Lane County Immigrant Defense Signal group for updates via Linktr.ee/psleugene.

• What’s going on with the Springfield School Board? Check out the petition at Change.org via Community Alliance for Public Education at OregonCape.org. More than 500 people have signed the petition saying that students in Springfield “are not receiving adequate instruction in science, social sciences (history, geography and civics), art, health, technology or social-emotional skills as mandated by the state of Oregon.” Recent coverage of the vote to remove board member Jonathan Light from his position of chair was light on the politics behind that vote. Remember, school boards are at the heart of our communities and attending meetings and paying attention to who is on those boards is basic to local democracy. 

• This week in AI trainwrecks, the National Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to use artificial intelligence in permitting and rulemaking. What’s the bigger disaster, Trump administration folks working on issues affecting the environment or Trump folks using AI? 

• This week in Trump administration trainwrecks and WTF, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X saying, “Womp womp, cry all you want. These criminal illegal aliens aren’t getting released.” And goes on to call the detained immigrants at an ICE facility “some of the worst human beings on planet earth,” and tell the protesters, “Get a job you imbecilic morons.” In other news, how are those Epstein emails going? 

• In his 11/6 Viewpoint, “Preserving Natural Features: Conservation easements to protect the land,” the author inadvertently referred to the owners of a property with an easement near Yoncalla as the “Cha Tumenma,” which is the Kalapuya name of the property, not the tribe. The owners are members of the Komemma, a local band of the Kalapuya. The author regrets the error.

• If there’s a nonprofit you’d like to encourage others to support before the end of the year, send the name of the organization, mailing address, phone and website, as well as the full name and affiliation of a supporter (who doesn’t work for the nonprofit and is not on the board) along with their short, 30 to 50 word endorsement of the nonprofit’s work to Editor@EugeneWeekly.com by noon Friday, Dec. 5, to be considered for inclusion. Bonus points for a high-resolution photo of the nonprofit doing good deeds!