On Friendly Street, 40 years of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

The J.H. Baxter plant is my neighbor. After two family deaths, I worry about my own health. | Letter to the editor

I live on Baxter Street, directly across from the former J.H. Baxter & Co. plant on Roosevelt Boulevard. The property is one of two that did not get cleaned up before state funding ran out. Last week, I hung a sign on the bicycle path telling people to NOT eat the beautiful cherries hanging over […]

Jennifer Smith's election to Eugene City Council showed the power of workers over corporate influence | Letter to the editor

Jennifer Smith’s declared victory in her Eugene City Council race sent a clear and important message. Ward 3 voters overwhelmingly rejected the local business establishment’s efforts to dominate city government. Residents of Ward 3 recognized that Smith represents our ward’s enlightened values and progressive policy goals. Voters were not fooled by the Chamber of Commerce’s […]

Eugene needs a stronger effort to redesign streets to make them safer

The world’s most livable cities tend to perform well not only on safety, but also on infrastructure, transportation, education, health and the overall quality of daily life. Eugene does not need to copy Copenhagen or Vancouver, British Columbia, to learn from that pattern. It does, however, need a clearer civic ambition: to become a city where safer streets, better transit, walkability, bike access and thoughtful land use all work together.

When will Oregon leaders turn our public schools around? | Letter to the editor

Joshua Purvis’ column about Oregon public schools, coupled with the recent article concerning the Springfield Public Schools board’s apparent inability to act like a functioning school board, is, to this writer, a terribly sad commentary on the state of Oregon education. I do not live in either Eugene or Springfield, but reading about the craziness […]

Dangerous dam gets official warning signs, but much is still unresolved 

A partnership of local agencies has installed warning signs at a hazardous low-head dam in the Willamette River between Eugene and Springfield after years of close calls. While advocates welcome the signs as a step toward improving public safety, questions remain over who is responsible for the dam and its long-term future.