Everyday Life Photo Contest
Thank you to all staff at Eugene Weekly for choosing my photo as the winner of your Everyday Life Photo Contest.
When I first took that snapshot, I thought, “Not too shabby.” After reading contest rules, I thought, this photo reflects Everyday Life at Skinner Butte Park.
An older digital photo, I ordered a free 8×10 at Walgreens. (Side note: Walgreens.com offers free enlargements from time to time, if you know the weekly coupon code. Sign up for free and watch your email for photo freebies.)
Once home with my free enlargement, I added a matching mat and prepared it for entry.
On opening day, I met 2026 Lane County Fair Photography Coordinator, Kat Tabor, at her tables with a photo booth. She couldn’t have been more happy for me because my photo had won their contest. It surprised me that she (also) works for Eugene Weekly.
Tabor’s smile and excitement was infectious. She wanted to take my picture for publication and interview me on the spot! Trying to be humble, she made a little fuss over me and made me feel pretty good about this accomplishment.
A big thanks again, Eugene Weekly. This is definitely a big win to remember, and meeting Kat Tabor was a bonus prize! I hope she comes back next year. She’s a bubbly, full of personality, very talented person and was the perfect photography coordinator for the Fair. I enjoyed meeting her very much. Thanks for your support, Kat! You’re a doll!
Cynthia Branen
Marcola
Editor’s Note: We will miss Kat Tabor while she heads off to Disney World for the Disney College Program for the next six months!
Spoiler Candidates
Eugene Weekly’s July 23 profile of Justin Filip’s Green Party run paints a picture of someone convinced he’s leading a “peaceful revolution,” yet nothing in his record or platform suggests he’s offering a serious path to governing. Filip’s sweeping promises — dismantling U.S. foreign policy, slashing the military budget by up to 70 percent and remaking the entire energy economy by 2030 — sound bold until you remember he isn’t accountable for delivering any of it. That’s the luxury of a fringe candidacy.
The article notes Filip’s 2024 run earned just over 10,000 votes, compared to Val Hoyle’s nearly 196,000. That isn’t a revolution; it’s a misguided protest vote. And protest votes don’t build policy, constituent services or durable coalitions. They just siphon attention from candidates who actually have to govern.
Val Hoyle has shown what real representation looks like: taking difficult votes, pushing for accountability in foreign policy and doing the unglamorous work required to move legislation. She works within the system because that’s how results happen — not through symbolic campaigns built on maximalist rhetoric.
The stakes in 2026 are too high for performative bids that can’t deliver. Filip may generate headlines, but Hoyle delivers outcomes. EW should be careful not to elevate candidates whose platforms collapse under the weight of reality.
Curtis Taylor
Eugene
Thanks OCF Fam!
I want to do a shout-out for everyone involved in putting together the Oregon Country Fair.
There really is no better place for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together than the Oregon Country Fair. Especially young people. The environment that is created is welcoming, inclusive, thoughtful, respectful, beautiful, fantastic and memorable. The music, food, grounds and ambiance are all something that is a pleasure for everyone to enjoy. The fair is a huge volunteer effort and, of course, has its challenges as well.
But given the size and scope of the effort, I am happy that I attended again this year, and I have all the reverence in the world for everybody involved who puts this festival on. I especially wanted to do a shout-out for all the neighbors in Veneta (and surrounding towns) who are inconvenienced by the traffic and number of people who come visit their area for this incredible festival. Thanks for having us, and I look forward to coming back next year.
Albert Kaufman
Portland
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Our Precious Forest Lands
It is dismaying that Rep. Val Hoyle is not stepping up to help our public lands (Eugene Weekly online) specifically our forests.
For some reason that I cannot quite fathom, no one seems to understand that we live in part of the largest temperate rainforest in the world. Surely everyone would want that rainforest protected.
This rainforest starts in Alaska and goes on down to Northern California.
Presently we have the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, all the State Forest services, plus huge companies like Weyerhaeuser and Sierra Pacific cutting down our trees. Much of this is done on our public lands.
We in Oregon produce more softwood than anywhere else in the country. Much of it goes out of the country to be processed and used.
If we indeed have the Roadless Rule rescinded and increase logging by 25 percent, which is what is planned by the Trump Administration, we will lose so much. The first big concern should be the loss of water to our communities, and the increased fire risk which will occur with this plan.
My hope is that many will call or email Rep. Hoyle and ask her to step up to protect our public lands.