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• 350 Eugene is having a New Year’s gathering from 7 to 9 pm Thursday, Jan. 14, at the First United Methodist Church, 1367 Olive Street. The agenda includes an expert panel on Oregon’s Healthy Climate Bill and updates on climate campaigns. Continue reading
• What’s the buzz with the Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing (OMC) project? “We’re still moving forward,” says Will Dixon, the local architect for the controversial project off River Road next to the Willamette River bikepath. “We received re-approval of our tentative PUD application back in October,” Dixon says. “No surprise, the opposition has appealed this once again to LUBA. On Nov. 12 we re-applied our final PUD application. Continue reading
• Eyes nationwide have been focused on Harney County this week, but Eugene’s federal courthouse has some interesting ties to the band of armed protesters who have taken over a bird sanctuary in Eastern Oregon. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff began after ranchers Steve and Dwight Hammond were convicted and sentenced for arson on federal lands. The judge who sentenced them for less than the congressionally mandated minimums was Judge Michael Hogan here in Eugene’s federal courthouse. Continue reading
We wrote about changes afoot at Wings Seminars in this column Dec. 10 and we’ve since heard from Wings founder Kris King that the company is for sale following a personal tragedy. “My son died a year ago and I realized I work too much. Working 28 days a month is not the smartest thing,” she says. “I have two offers and three more are coming in.” Finding the right new owner may be a challenge, she says. The new owner “needs to be ethically aligned … I’m not just selling a business. Continue reading
• The political film Merchants of Doubt will be shown at 6 pm Thursday, Jan. 7, at Bijou Art Cinemas on 13th Avenue. The film looks at the secretive group of pundits-for-hire who dispute the science of climate change and toxic chemicals. Continue reading
• It’s a dark and dastardly world out there so we’ve been cranking up the sunshine with some upbeat content in December. Our third annual “I Dream of Eugene” issue last week appears to be a big hit, and if you missed it due to the holidays, our office has extra copies. It’s great to see letters arriving in response to the funny, fanciful and thoughtful dreams we published for the Whiteaker, north Eugene, the city and Glenwood. We like dreams more than New Year’s resolutions. Dreams are visionary and visions have power. Continue reading
• The annual State of the County address will be at 11 am Monday, Jan. 4, at Harris Hall, 125 E. 8th Ave. County officials will talk about what has been accomplished in 2015 and plans and challenges for 2016. Continue reading
• Longtime Quaker activist Peg Morton died Dec. 19 and we were honored to have some one-on-one time with her before she began the dry fast to end her life at the age of 85. In an early January issue, we will be examining her fascinating life, her personal struggles and her controversial death. We will include stories and images from our files and our two interviews, and we invite her family and friends to also contribute memories, photos and letters to the editor. Continue reading
• Native-American author, activist, musician and actor John Trudell died Dec. 8 and a gathering in his memory will be from 6 to 9 pm Tuesday, Dec. 29, at the LCC Longhouse on the main campus. Trudell often visited Eugene, spoke about justice and human rights, and met with friends from around the state. A potluck dinner will be followed by the showing of the documentary Trudell. The event will wrap up with drumming, singing and memory-sharing. Call 687-1023 for more information. Continue reading
All staff pick We dream off a permanent publicly run, staffed and funded shelter for the unhoused, or series of shelters across Lane County. We could fund it by asking businesses like local breweries to “round up” on their purchases and donate to supporting a shelter and staff. Ted Taylor Editor Continue reading