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• No Coal Eugene meets at 5 pm Thursday, Dec. 19, at Growers Market, 454 Willamette St. The group meets most Thursdays. See nocoaleugene.org. • A benefit for Womenspace in honor of Casey Wright, a recent victim of domestic violence, will be from 6 to 9 pm Thursday, Dec. 19, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. Grrrlz Rock is hosting the event with a theme of “Sing Through the Blues.” Suggestion donation $10-$15. Continue reading
Jason Isbell Southeastern $10.19. Continue reading
Winter would be lost without a new stack of books to enjoy while wrapped up in a blanket, and you can always feel good about sending one more book into the world. This year we bring a little less fiction and a little more of the rest of the written word. So bring on the frightful weather, and help your giftees enjoy it. Tenth of December By George Saunders. Random House, $26. Short stories. Continue reading
• Eugene’s mayor says Whoville is here to stay through the holidays — or, at least, the city has no plans to disperse the homeless camps before the City Council reconvenes Jan. 13. But the council’s refusal to officially approve four emergency rest stops before its monthlong vacation irked protesters, who say they’ve been harassed by police at the sites and want the council’s protection through the break. Continue reading
In Afghanistan • 2,290 U.S. troops killed (2,290 last week) • 19,514 U.S. troops wounded in action (19,496) • 1,452 U.S. contractors killed (1,452) • 16,179 civilians killed (updates NA) • $679.8 billion cost of war ($678.3 billion) • $281.1 million cost to Eugene taxpayers ($280.4 million) In Iraq • 4,423 U.S. troops killed, 31,941 wounded • 1,604 U.S. contractors killed (1,604) • 126,977 to 1.2 million civilians killed* (126,796) Continue reading
• The Lane County Chapter of the ACLU will present a free program on “Human Rights and Mental Health Care: Managing the Intersection” from 5:30 to 7 pm Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Eugene Public Library. Speakers will include clinical social worker Ron Unger. Contact lanechapter@aclu-or.org for more information. Continue reading
The campaign to raise state and federal minimum wages is going strong, and now Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler is calling for more transparency in corporate executive pay packages. Wheeler is the custodian of state funds and says the gap between the highest and lowest paid employees in a company is an indicator of that company’s long-term profitability. Such information can affect state investments in Oregon stocks, and Wheeler believes the public also has a right to know. Continue reading
• Local citizens concerned about the global climate crisis will gather at 12:30 pm Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, 1401 Willamette St., to give the Chamber a Golden Ostrich trophy, in recognition of the Chamber’s support for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its blockade of progress on addressing the climate crisis. Call 484-9167 for more information. Continue reading
City Club of Eugene is getting a new venue starting with its Jan. 10 meeting. We wrote about a City Club survey of its members in this column back on Sept. 19, and one of the preliminary top three favorites for a meeting place was the Downtown Athletic Club. Looks like the DAC beat out the Hilton and LCC Downtown Campus in the final selection, offering a “wider set of food options and price points, as well as a lower guarantee for the club,” according to the club’s website. Continue reading
• Eugene is a like a big family where the parents squabble but mostly get along, some of the kids are bright-eyed A students, some are rebellious, some are going through hard times and are homeless but will be OK in time. Benevolent in-laws are around to provide guiding hands, and there’s a crazy uncle running around without pants, scaring the kids and alarming the neighbors. The wild kids, crazy uncles and people temporarily without homes hanging out downtown are getting a lot of media attention lately. Continue reading