Camilla Mortensen

Nightmare Before Christmas Gifts Gift giving is an art, and for some people, it can be a difficult one. While it’s hard to go wrong with floral soaps, gingerbread candles, pocketknives and dishware this Christmas season, we all ha…

For those in your life who dearly miss Halloween, here are some of the best local artists and businesses that will provide the most unusual Christmas presents.

Read about alternative gifts in Eugene Weekly’s Holiday Hoard issue!

Artist in the Aisle At the bustling Safeway under bright fluorescent lights, the constant beeps of self-checkout machines fill the air as customers navigate the busy station. Employee Tom Edison stands attentively to …

Tom Edison, a grocery clerk, poet and visual artist, is known for his warm demeanor and genuine interactions with regular customers at Safeway. Edison is also the author of five self-published poetry books.
Read more in Eugene Weekly!

This new apartment project would displace Onsen hot tub rentals.

VA Clinic Advances The developer of a planned federal Department of Veterans Affairs behavioral health clinic in Eugene is inching ahead on the project, recently clearing a couple of key hurdles. But it’s uncertain w…

The developer of a planned federal Department of Veterans Affairs behavioral health clinic in Eugene is inching ahead on the project, recently clearing a couple of key hurdles.

Read about what we do know about the planned VA clinic in Christian Wihtol’s Bricks$Mortar in Eugene Weekly.

Rising to the Occasion For 48 years, Eugene’s Metropol Bakery was owned by one person. But that changed on Oct. 1, when the longtime manager took ownership of the shop. Metropol is known for its artisan bread and pastrie…

For 48 years, Eugene’s Metropol Bakery was owned by one person. But that changed on Oct. 1, when the longtime manager took ownership of the shop.

Read about Metropol’s new owner and plans in Eugene Weekly.

Activist Alert “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. … The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” ― Frederick Douglass Upcoming Protests…

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. … The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” ― Frederick Douglass

Upcoming protests, rallies, marches, talks, gatherings and more in Eugene Weekly’s Activist Alert!

Preserving Natural Features Six years ago, a woman who owns 18 acres southeast of Cottage Grove called me as president of LandWatch Lane County, a nonprofit land use watchdog, to ask if there was anything our group could do t…

Bob Emmons of LandWatch Lane County writes in a Eugene Weekly Local and Vocal viewpoint: “A woman called me as president of LandWatch Lane County, a nonprofit land use watchdog, to ask if there was anything our group could do to protect her land from the degradation wrought by Weyerhaeuser Timber Co

Slant — Butternaise • Food security is still insecure (thanks, Donald Trump), and here at Eugene Weekly we are collecting food for Burrito Brigade’s Little Food Pantries. Find the list of pantries, from Eugene to Oakr…

From the trivial (Tillamook's new Butternaise) to the wistful (the new memorial for Frog) to politics, Eugene Weekly’s slant is full of what there is to know!

Paul Stamets Brings Fungal Wisdom and Prosperity to Eugene An Evening with Paul Stamets: How a Mycologist Helps Communities Thrive comes to the McDonald Theatre Nov. 11, bringing together science, community and a touch of Eugene history coming full circle.…

An Evening with Paul Stamets: How a Mycologist Helps Communities Thrive comes to the McDonald Theatre 6 pm to 8 pm Nov. 11, bringing together science, community and a touch of Eugene history coming full circle.

Read more at Eugene Weekly’s What’s Happening Calendar.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley speaks, holding Senate floor overnight to decry authoritarianism Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley held the Senate chamber open all night to protest President Trump’s “tightening authoritarian grip on the country” amid the government shutdown.

Sen. Merkley’s lengthy speech comes after Democratic Sen. Cory Booker broke the all-time record for longest continuous floor speech in April, also in protest of President Trump’s policies.

Local furs were walking during the lights parade in Eugene last weekend

Eugene Weekly's 2025 Fall Chow issue is out now! Go grab one at your nearest red box and read about Mexican spices, Indian savories and food with an impact.

Eating with an Impact Dining out is out of reach for some members of the community who struggle to feed themselves, and at the same time, the food service industry itself can be a gateway into jobs and financial stabili…

Dining out is out of reach for some members of the community who struggle to feed themselves, and at the same time, the food service industry itself can be a gateway into jobs and financial stability.
Read about Reality Kitchen, the Eugene Mission and Burrito Brigade in Eugene Weekly’s Chow issue!

Nelson’s Comes to Campus Nelson’s Taqueria food truck — and its neighboring restaurant Nelson’s in the Whit — are staples of the Whiteaker neighborhood. The food truck has been serving burritos, quesabirria tacos and other…

Nelson’s Taqueria food truck — and its neighboring restaurant Nelson’s in the Whit — are staples of the Whiteaker neighborhood. The food truck has been serving burritos, quesabirria tacos and other classic Mexican dishes for 10 years.

Read about Nelson’s in Eugene Weekly’s quarterly Chow issue!

‘What If It Had Been Life-Threatening?’ On the morning of Sept. 10, Sarah Reighley, a woman who was born Deaf, arrived at BestMed Urgent Care on West 11th Avenue seeking medical assistance for a bleeding head wound after hitting her head…

On the morning of Sept. 10, Sarah Reighley, a woman who was born Deaf, arrived at BestMed Urgent Care on West 11th Avenue seeking medical assistance for a bleeding head wound after hitting her head against a wall.

Read the rest of the story in Eugene Weekly.

Turn on the Bright Lights The Eugene BRiGHT Parade returns Sept. 27. It is a free family-friendly event in downtown Eugene featuring a brightly illuminated showcase of human and electric-powered art. This year’s theme is “S…

The Eugene BRiGHT Parade returns Sept. 27, 7:15 pm to 8:30 pm. It is a free family-friendly event in downtown Eugene featuring a brightly illuminated showcase of human and electric-powered art.
Read more in Eugene Weekly’s What’s Happening Calendar!

The Life and Legacy of Jana Rygas: June 2, 1954 – March 27, 2025 “In campaigns, there’s a lot of pressure to be perfect all the time,” former Eugene mayor Kitty Piercy says. But in her 2004 campaign, Piercy says that Jana Rygas helped her “to joke and make fun o…

Jana Rygas was an active political organizer and strategist who contributed to civics in Eugene for decades.

Read about Jana Rygas’ life and work in Eugene Weekly.

From Britain To Eugene — Buckle Up He is your British everyman in Oregon — learning baseball during Symphony Night at a recent Eugene Ems game and knowing enough about local sports to say “Go Ducks” at the drop of a hat. He’s the 33…

He is your British everyman in Oregon — learning baseball during Symphony Night at a recent Eugene Ems game and knowing enough about local sports to say “Go Ducks” at the drop of a hat. He’s Alex Prior, and you can’t miss him on the podium, not with his shock of hair and flamboyant clothing styles.

Time Traveler Two decades and a couple years ago, a much-younger version of singer-songwriter Nellie McKay showed up for a New York recording session with the late sound engineer and producer Geoff Emerick. McKa…

Singer-songwriter Nellie McKay (yep you’ve heard her on Grey’s Anatomy) takes listeners on a trip down memory lane — her own memory, that is — when she performs in support of her new album at The Shedd on Sept. 10.

Activist Alert “We long to have a home where civil freedoms are respected, where our children will not be subject to mass surveillance, abuse of human rights, political censorship and mass incarceration.” — …

Read all the upcoming protests, letter writing, trainings and marches in Eugene Weekly’s Activist Alert!

Diamond in the Rough The huckleberries are ripe at Diamond Peak! Pick your fill along an easy 0.8-miles trail to Notch Lake. For a longer hike or a backpacking trip, continue another 3.2 miles to the spectacular alpine…

The huckleberries are ripe at Diamond Peak! Pick your fill along an easy 0.8-mile trail to Notch Lake. For a longer hike or a backpacking trip, continue another 3.2 miles to the spectacular alpine scenery at Divide Lake.

Read William L. Sullivan’s Oregon Trails for more on how to hike Divide Lake.

From Fathers to ICE to Gaza in Letters A Message That Strikes Home I was moved reading the words of Daniel Kahn’s father (EW, 8/21). The man killed by Springfield police and his plea that we see people with mental illness as human. It h…

Readers reach out with messages touching and fierce. Read them all in Eugene Weekly’s Letters to the Editor.

It’s newsletter writing time — what local topic or random thread shall I go off on tonight?

15 Press Organizations Send Letter To Eugene Mayor and Police Chief Regarding Public Information Coordinator ‘Press’ Controversy Yesterday, Aug. 28, more than a dozen press organizations sent a letter to Mayor Kaarin Knudson and Eugene Police Department’s Chief Chris Skinner admonishing Public Information Program Coordinator…

NEW from DSM: Yesterday, 15 press organizations sent a letter to Eugene's mayor, the chief of police, and the International Association of Police Chiefs regarding the EPD's use of press markers in an incident documented by filmmaker Tim Lewis on Aug. 12.

Read the letter and the response so far ⤵️

One of the weirder — & harder — things about being a journalist is seeing the names of people you know in press releases, especially when it's a car wreck or crime.
I steel myself whenever it's local.

Related but unrelated, I need to drop by court today in the embezzlement case.

I have definitely interviewed the ELF folks and agree the suggestion is weird. Feel free to drop by and chat next you do Eugene coverage.

Our Eugene Weekly reporter dug up this info through digging and public records requests.

I’m wondering what you call journalism that comes in claiming an area is a news desert and then half the stories it does are lifted and redone from the news outlets that actually exist?

News mirage?

Fire Near Oakridge and Old Hazeldell Quarry Site Shortly before 4 pm Thursday, August 7, a vegetation fire was reported along Highway 58 near milepost 37, just east of the city of Oakridge and about 40 miles from Eugene-Springfield. By 4:08 pm a …

Shortly before 4 pm Thursday, August 7, a vegetation fire was reported along Highway 58 near milepost 37, just east of the city of Oakridge and about 40 miles from Eugene-Springfield. By 4:08 pm a “Go Now!” Level 3 evacuation order was issued for Dunning Road residents and Hwy 58 was soon shut down.

How did I forget the armed bachelors?

D.C. Correspondent - The Seattle Times - Career Page We’re seeking a a D.C.-based correspondent to uncover how federal power touches lives in the Pacific Northwest!

The Seattle Times is hiring a D.C. correspondent. I'm excited to see this great paper once again reporting from our nation's capital. seattletimes.applytojob.com/apply/oVo010...