• We’ve been having fun with our brief (like one or two question) community surveys lately — so far we’ve learned folks don’t really know the candidates in the race for Lane County Circuit Court judge, really like reading this rag in print, and have great endorsement questions! Want to participate? Subscribe to our EW Extra Newsletter on Tuesdays — which is basically Slant with more pictures and some cuss words! Go to EugeneWeekly.com/newsletter to sign up.
• The May primary election is nigh! Some things to keep in mind: April 28 is the last day to register to vote or change your party affiliation. Oregon is a closed primary state, so you can only vote in the Democratic primary if you are a Democrat, and in the Republican primary if you are a member of the GOP. On April 29 ballots start to go out to voters. And April 30 is the day the Weekly publishes its endorsements. May 19 is election day — since we trust mail in ballots but we don’t trust the Trump administration when it comes to those ballots, get your ballot in early!
• The good news is that journalistic newcomers at Dissonant Times are celebrating their one-year anniversary! See EW’s What’s Happening Calendar for the details of the party. The sad news is that after more than 100 years, The Roseburg News-Review is no longer going to be a newspaper as of April 24 and has laid off its staff. Digital newcomers Lookout Eugene-Springfield came to town to raise lots of cash to save Lane County from being a “news desert,” and they, too, are celebrating one year. But, here at team bleeding heart liberal commie rag, we’re wondering how we can help the actual news deserts, like Roseburg, or the places teetering like the team at the Highway 58 Herald? Anyone want to help us fund a rural reporter to help? Contact our Publisher Jody Rolnick with ideas! Jody@EugeneWeekly.com.
• This week in shenanigans: The Lane County Board of Commissioners races are definitely popcorn-munching worthy! Remember the religious weirdness that was the State of the County as orchestrated by Commissioner David Loveall back in January? The Christian rock band? The prayers? As off-putting as that lack of separation of church and state was, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission found that it was separating his economic interests that might raise eyebrows. The OGEC said in its initial review that it had “substantial objective basis to believe” that Loveall may have violated the statement of economic interest provisions of Oregon government ethics law. Loveall gave a shout-out to his Masaka Properties during his State of the County address — the same business Loveall’s cronies like to say helped Loveall “save” downtown Springfield. Duly noted: Urban renewal, the Emerald Art Center, Richard E. Wildish Community Theater and Plank Town Brewing were big players in downtown’s renaissance. Also noted: This ethics complaint is a separate complaint from the one alleging he was retaliating against employees. The election’s in May, kids!
• This week in WTF is the news that U.S. District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai sided with Oregon Right to Life on April 14, finding that the 2017 Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Act that mandates health-benefit plans cover abortion and contraception violates the U.S. Constitution. Planned Parenthood Action Oregon said in a statement, “Abortion remains legal in Oregon, and Planned Parenthood health centers are open and providing care. But this decision has the potential to create real and immediate barriers, particularly for people who already face the greatest obstacles to accessing care.”
• You thought the WTF was gonna be Trump as AI Jesus didn’t you?