Fire Lines
Firefighters travel far to battle flames close to Eugene
Firefighter Mike Simon III has slept in a tent on the beach of the Dexter Reservoir in Lowell since Aug. 16. His exhausted brother, nephew … Continue reading
Jeslyn Lemke
Author: Jeslyn Lemke
Square to the Dance
Do-si-do in the gay community
Am I allowed to fall in love with a 60-plus gay man on the dance floor? Can I do that? I, a person who identifies … Continue reading
Much Needed Slaughter
Demand for locally raised meat has grown
I’m peering in at a cluster of dusty, nervous sheep in a cattle chute while standing next to sheep farmer Lynne Miller. She just drove … Continue reading
Wet, Dirty, Sometimes Fruitless Mushroom Hunting
The joy in the pursuit of fungi
If you’ve never battled your way through wet Oregon undergrowth for hours and hours, hoping to collect two to four ounces of mushrooms to take … Continue reading
School Board Race
May 16 election to fill three open 4J school board positions
Candidates in the race for the Eugene’s 4J School District board — a four-year-long commitment — are not happy about the Feb. 7 appointment of … Continue reading
Underground Power Lines?
December’s record-breaking ice storm in Eugene knocked out power to thousands
An immense old oak tree crushed Kaye Parsons’ garage roof during December’s record-breaking ice storm in Eugene that knocked out power to thousands. Parsons can … Continue reading
Centro Latino Americano’s Work Aids Immigrants
The first stop for many newly arrived Latino immigrants, many of whom don’t speak English, is Centro Latino Americano on 5th Avenue. This nonprofit describes … Continue reading
Why Does Winter Weather Close the County Down?
There were 21 reported car crashes on the morning of Dec. 8, mostly from drivers taking their morning commute along the Beltline or Delta Highways … Continue reading
No Resources
Nathan Anderson is looking back at me through the visitor’s window at the Lane County Jail. He’s wearing inmate scrubs and has old, shiny scars up his left forearm. He holds a note up to the glass. “PTSD, depression, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder,” the note reads. I hold up my response to the glass: “When you were on the streets of Eugene, what were your daily symptoms?” Continue reading
Molding Mount Olympus
Bas-relief sculptor Mike Leckie
Mike Leckie was lugging an armful of his hand-cast sculptures of athlete Ashton Eaton up the stairs at the 2012 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field when someone from above offered him a hand. It was Eaton himself, the new world-champion decathlon runner. Oddly enough, Leckie was bringing the sculptures up the stairs as a gift to Eaton and his mother for the racer’s new 2012 world record. Continue reading