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Apparently Bomba Estéro's "Soy You" was a hit in 2015, but some of us didn't notice it until Torben Kjelstrup's music video hit computer screens last week. The catchy electro-cumbia song is a ode to empowerment, an idea that shines through to non-Spanish speakers in the video. Continue reading
Back in July, local white supremacist Jimmy Marr Tweeted a photo of himself playing the bagpies in the back of a truck he adorns with anti-Semitic, racist and pro-Trump slogans. He also tweeted a photo of himself shaking the hand of a Eugene Police Department officer. Marr's Twitter handle is @GenocideJimmy. Continue reading
Drivers on I-5 near Sutherlin have been confronted with the disturbing sight of an effigy of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton dangling from a noose on a crane, surrounded by signs bearing statements like "Vote Trump." Photo courtesy Scott Beckstead KVAL news talked to the man from Sutherlin, who mounted the political display: Continue reading
• David Oaks, founder of Mind Freedom International, tells us there will be a “family-friendly gathering and unscripted show at Kesey Square” 4 to 7 pm Saturday, Sept. 17, to celebrate Ken Kesey’s birthday and 5th anniversary of the start of Occupy. Bring drums. Open mic. Sponsored by the International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment. FREE. Continue reading
“My parents both taught piano,” says Amy van der Linde, whose father also taught math at Bennington College in Vermont. “When I was 6, they opened a summer piano camp in our house. I started teaching at age 9.” The camp, called Summer Sonatina, became so popular that the family moved, seven years later, into a 42-room mansion, previously a convent. “We had 26 pianos for 50 students,” she says. Continue reading
Get ready, beer-loving Eugene: The Lane Events Center will host the first Big Tree Beer & Cider Festival this weekend, Sept. 16 and 17. “Beer is king in this town,” says Rachel Bivens, marketing manager for the Lane Events Center. According to Bivens, the events center worked in tandem with its new beverage provider to create the new event. Continue reading
Standing still. Using the bathroom. Sleeping. These are things we all do and, in fact, all things we do to survive. But laws in some cities, including Eugene, penalize people for trying to meet their basic needs. Local advocates for the unhoused are teaming up with representatives from the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) to pass a Homeless Bill of Rights in three states, including Oregon. Paul Boden of WRAP will take part in a Sept. 22 forum discussing the Oregon Homeless Bill of Rights and Right to Rest legislation. Continue reading
The Oregon Electric Railway first arrived in Eugene in 1912, but its historical significance today remains relevant to the area — and especially to the city’s African-American residents. The Lane County Historical Museum is hosting an exhibit about the arrival of railroads to Eugene and the employment opportunities for African-Americans that came with it. “Rails Through Eugene: A Black History Connection” was put together by the Oregon Black Pioneers, a nonprofit group based in Salem that focuses on bringing Oregon’s black history to light. Continue reading
Numbers published by the Oregon Department of Education last week show that across Lane County, some parents and students continue to choose “opting out” of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, a standardized test introduced to Oregon public schools last year. In Eugene School District 4J, 12.3 percent, or 1,121 students, did not participate in the math portion of the test. The number of opt-outs has remained relatively steady from last year. Continue reading
It’s 1938 in Eugene, and Spencer Butte is in danger. If Eugeneans can’t raise $7,000, Spencer Butte and its iconic trees will be on the chopping block for the logging industry. Peeling through archived newspaper articles, Heather Kliever, curator of education and registrar at Lane County Historical Society, reads aloud descriptions of a daunting fate for the prominent Eugene landmark. Continue reading