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You can join Oregon's fight for universal healthcare | Letter to the editor

Our healthcare should not be up for debate every four years. Decisions about our health should come from doctors, not corporations looking to make a profit. Families shouldn’t go bankrupt because someone gets injured or sick. People in rural communities should have access to the same care at the same price as people who live […]

Assuming a sports team is male in articles does a disservice to fans who support equality | Letter to the editor

My niece wrote me recently that the new thing to say at Portland Fire games is the MNBA – Men’s National Basketball Association, not the NBA. Since the WNBA has a W, she’s saying that men need a gender label too. The headline of Lookout’s article about Sporting Cascades FC said “Eugene’s upcoming pro soccer club.” Since […]

Why I love public art: It's always there | Letter to the editor

The Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene recently described public art as civic infrastructure, as essential to a thriving city as roads and sidewalks. I agree. And there’s something underneath that idea worth saying out loud: public art is always there, waiting for you. That is what I love about it. You round a corner […]

Visiting Eugene-Springfield Planned Parenthood, Kotek supports abortion access

Gov. Tina Kotek has signed laws this year that increase legal protections for abortion providers who are facing legal action from out of state and provide state money to fill federal funding gaps for Planned Parenthood.

A wildfire expert assessed my backyard: the good, the bad and the flammable

An environmental journalist shares her firsthand account of receiving a “defensible space” assessment of her own backyard by a deputy state fire marshal. It challenged some common assumptions about wildfire preparedness and helped her understand what it means to reduce risk.