2025’s Eugene Weekly Top 20

Before the ball drops let’s count down the top 20 stories on the Eugene Weekly website!

We took a look at the stories that got the most clicks. Because readers also pick us up in print, this is not a truly complete list because it doesn’t take into account what folks read away from their screens — isn’t it nice that there’s still one place you can read with no one stealing your cookies?

In what is going to be a familiar refrain, the 19th and 20th most read stories are both Bricks $ Mortar stories by columnist Christian Wihtol: A demolition for a shuttered Shari’s was number 20, and student housing at the PeaceHealth University District location was 19.

Story No. 18 was Savannah Brown’s piece on the Willamettans nudist club. She writes, “The Willamettans operate year-round, but when the Willies get chilly, ‘most of us don’t go outside,’ club President Alan Jaskoski says. However, ‘We are not against naked sledding, for the photo opportunity.’”

No. 17 was Eugene Weekly’s May primary election endorsements — we spend a lot of time talking to candidates so thank you for reading!

An obituary for housing activist and social justice advocate Candice King was the 16th most-read article in 2025. Also by Brown, she writes that among the “words and phrases that friends, neighbors and family used to articulate King to Eugene Weekly were ‘activist,’ ‘anarchist,’ ‘passionate’ and ‘compass.’ They also say she was ‘one of the most sophisticated thinkers I know,’ ‘a brilliant, bright star who was always burning in a lot of different directions at the same time,’ and ‘a revolutionary.’”

In 15th place, readers went retro! It was freelance writer Colette Sellers’ story on vinyl record stores featuring House of Records, Moon Rock and more. She writes: “In a digital era dominated by streaming apps, where consumers have access to millions of songs at the tap of their fingertips, vinyl records have made an unexpected resurgence.”

Nearing the top 10 and coming in at No. 14 was the story announcing that EW’s former business manager was charged in the newspaper’s embezzlement. She was arrested in Ohio following a five-count felony indictment by a Lane County grand jury.

Bricks $ Mortar re-enters the fray at lucky No. 13 with a story by Wihtol on the possible Amazon megawarehouse and distribution center being up for public comment.

Mirroring the top controversies of the year in Lane County was an online-only story “DeFlocking the Cameras” on Flock AI license plate cameras — specifically about a website tracking where the cameras were installed.

No. 11 was Bob Keefer’s tale of University of Oregon student Cassy Steuerwald and the art exhibit that led to a months-long investigation opening serious questions about free speech on a public university campus and the lengths UO is willing to go to silence — and even punish — a single student for an artistic protest.

And now for the top 10!

For those of you who think we don’t cover all things sports and sportsball: Photog and University of Oregon journalism prof Dan Morrison’s photo essay with a shot of gold medalist and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who won the Kettle & Fire Women’s 400 Meter with a time of 48.90 on Day 3 of the USATF Outdoor Championships was No. 10.

Bricks $ Mortar on an old car dealership being turned into offices for the growing Zip-O business, the longtime Eugene maker of specialty timbers and beams kicks off Bricks’ dominance of the top stories at No. 9.

20250619cs-lede2 — Eve Weston holds an AR-15 Style Rifle. Photo By Mason Falor.

No. 8 brings us back to controversies — reporter Eve Weston’s story on transgender folks arming themselves in light of attacks on queer and trans people, “Armed and Fabulous”/Are You Triggered?” got national attention and we’re pretty sure some of those clicks were angry rightwingers. We are less sure if they actually read it. The controversy over the cover made it all the way to the New York Times.

Nos. 7, 6, 5 and 4: All Bricks $ Mortar! They were: Bi-Mart on Willakenzie Road closing, land at Valley River Center being sold for housing, the massive unfinished vacant Wildfang house on the east side of Interstate 5 near Coburg dodging foreclosure and a possible emergency room back in Eugene.

No. 3: Best of Eugene!

20250703bricks-IMG_0529 — Winco building changes hands. Photo by Eve Weston.

No. 2: Bricks again! Tell us, was it the clever headline about Winco — or do you just love real estate? Or is it Winco you love? At any rate, “Chad Drive Property in WinCo’s Shopping Cart,” was a top story in 2025.

But the most read-story this year on the Eugene Weekly website was a satire piece by arts writer Will Kennedy called “Trump Announces Plan to Annex Oregon.”

20250401satire-oregon — Illustration by McKenzie Young-Roy.

It starts off, “President Donald Trump announced his plan this week to annex Oregon, telling reporters at a press conference delivered from the front seat of a Tesla truck that he only just found out Oregon exists. ‘I knew there must be something above Democrat-led California,’ he said, but he assumed it was Canada.”

Kinda scary how real it reads, huh? Bring on 2026.

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!