• The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association held its summer convention July 24, and Eugene Weekly came home with a passel of awards! We swept the Best News Writing category: First place went to former Catalyst Journalism Project reporter Brianna Murschel’s “Never Forget” about police killings, second to Catalyst’s Mirandah Davis-Powell’s “Proof” about a lawsuit against Franz Bakery and third to Christian Wihtol’s Bricks $ Mortar coverage of the Amazon warehouse. In Best Feature Writing, Catalyst and Snowden intern Seira Kitigawa’s “Thriving Under Fear,” about a Latino community garden, took second and Editor Camilla Mortensen’s “When Life Gives You Lemons,” about racing a junker car, got first. Our graphic designer McKenzie Young-Roy took first in Best Design for a climate change story, and Best Graphics for her illustration for “Proof,” and the Weekly took third in the prestigious General Excellence, Target Audience Publication. 

• Not to be outdone, Arts Editor Emeritus Bob Keefer took second place for arts coverage in the national AAN Publishers contest for his story, “Art of Politics,” about a University of Oregon student who was the target of an investigation for a small art installation on campus.

•  Anyone else counting down the days until Donald Trump is supposed to leave the White House? We say “supposed to” because we all know he’s angling for an unconstitutional third term. Google “Trump Countdown” and you will find several different clocks counting down to the Jan. 20, 2029, inauguration, which is sadly more than 900 days away. We found Logwork.com/countdown-h5o4, TimeLeft.now and the more staid PresidentialTermClock.com. You can also download the app “The Final Trumpdown,” which both counts down the days and features some of the current president’s weirder soundbites. 

• This week in online extras at EugeneWeekly.com! First, check out longtime Eugene-area photographer Todd Cooper’s shots of the Zach Bryan, Alabama Shakes and Fey Fili show, July 25 at Autzen Stadium. Then, because Saturday night was indeed all right, check out Will Kennedy’s write up and Best of Eugene winner Skyeler Williams’ photos of Sleater-Kinney from the WOW Hall. Did you know singer and guitarist Corin Tucker went to South Eugene High School? We also have news extras — Aishiki Nag went to the July 25 Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network rally against the ongoing U.S. military efforts in Iran and Palestine at City Hall (there are more rallies to come). She also has an update on the Trump administration’s attack on the Roadless Rule that might endanger some of our more pristine federal forests. Back to rallies! Activist Alert is online this week and here’s your reminder that you can also get it direct to your email inbox on Wednesdays via Eugeneweekly.com/newsletter. 

• Back to winners! We noted last week in Slant that Books With Pictures Eugene was up for the 2026 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer award July 24 at San Diego’s Comic-Con, an entertainment and pop-culture convention that draws more than 100,000 visitors annually. This week’s update is that the local comic book store won! The award recognizes comic book retailers who “have done an outstanding job of supporting the comic art medium both in the industry at large and in their local community.” In a press release, Books With Pictures Eugene owner Andréa Gilroy writes, “Winning the Spirit of Comics Retailer Award is deeply humbling. Every day, we get to watch someone discover a story that changes how they see the world — or simply makes them smile.” 

• Armed men posing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents kidnapped and assaulted a person near Woodburn July 17. According to the Oregon State Police, the victim was driving on Highway 211 when a vehicle stopped them with flashing red and blue lights. Two men, one of whom was carrying a rifle, told the victim they were being detained and placed them in the back of their car. There, the victim was assaulted and released approximately 15 to 20 minutes later. Woodburn has the highest Hispanic population per capita in Oregon. In an Instagram post, the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition says 54 ICE detentions were reported between July 1 through 23. These kinds of incidents appear to be on the rise, as multiple arrests in several states have taken place for people impersonating ICE. It seems like criminals are being emboldened by ICE’s brutal and unjust tactics.