Happy New Year. As we expected, the news cycle only slowed down a little.

We closed out the 2025 holiday season with stories that will continue to ripple into 2026 and beyond.

For starters, Eugene city officials and advocates for people who are homeless are deeply concerned about pedestrian traffic deaths along Highway 99, a corridor that has industrial businesses and social services. 

One unhoused man we interviewed called this stretch “death row” in our story about the challenge.

Organizations do what they can to help houseless people stay safe along the highway and in other parts of Eugene. Lane Council of Governments, for example, has a program that distributes reflective vests and lights to people for free. 

Lane Transit District’s Sarah Koski, a community resource liaison, also distributes reflective gear to people on the streets.

“When we listen to souls on the street, we build a safer system for everyone,” Koski told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “Our vision for transit includes listening. Walking Highway 99 and spending time in conversation helps us understand where safety breaks down and where it can be strengthened.”

Gubernatorial candidates, gingerbread and more

Gingerbread brouhaha: Annie Aguiar, arts and culture correspondent, looks at a simmering legal dispute that involves the Old World Gingerbread Village on Highway 126 near Mapleton and Brittany N. Jones, who is running against Gov. Tina Kotek in the Democratic primaries. 

Loveall sends love to a Marion County colleague: Lane County Commission Chair David Loveall is among county commissioners in Oregon who have endorsed Republican Danielle Bethell, a Marion County commissioner seeking the GOP nomination in the governor’s race.

Loveall’s name surfaced on a wider list Bethell released of more than two dozen county commissioners who support her.

“These are executives who understand how government actually works,” Bethell said in a release. “They don’t have the luxury of ideology or headlines. They have to deliver results, balance budgets, and serve their communities every day. Their support means a great deal to me.”

Bethell is facing state Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, a high-profile frontrunner who ran against Gov. Tina Kotek in 2022. Coincidentally, Bethell also is facing a state ethics investigation, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. The OCC reported that news on Dec. 16, nearly a week before Bethell announced her endorsements.

New laws: Here’s a roundup of new state laws that kicked in Jan 1. 

The state of Lane County

Outgoing Lane County Commission Chair David Loveall gave an annual “state of the county” speech to elected officials and members of the public this morning. 

Money is key: Loveall laid out challenges for 2026, including funding for the short-staffed Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Lane Events Center’s potential new multipurpose indoor facility.

Loveall also highlighted bright spots, like the county’s deflection program that reaches people in drug addiction and praised county staffers and his fellow commissioners.

“We all need to be on the same page, be on the same team, heading in the same direction for 2026,” Loveall said. “Press on, fearless, on task and united.”

The event included music from local band, “The Winks.” The group’s lead singer Travers Lang got a shoutout from Loveall, also a Springfield developer, for his skills at music and plumbing.

After the event, Loveall told reporters he’s not planning to seek another year as chair. The commissioners pick someone different each year in a rotation, which they’ll do Tuesday. 

The event drew elected officials from across the region, including Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson and Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon, who is running against Loveall this year.

— Ben Botkin

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Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

City Council: Springfield city councilors return from their winter recess this week, but one member will be missing from the dais. Ward 4 councilor Beth Blackwell resigned last week. The council will begin the process of appointing an interim member. 

Bridge work: If you regularly use the green bridge over the Willamette River connecting Springfield and Glenwood, be prepared for a detour starting today, Jan. 5. The Oregon Department of Transportation is closing the westbound Main Street bridge for three weeks for repairs.

Park improvements: Willamalane Park and Recreation District received nearly $700,000 in grants to update a park in north-central Springfield. Read about the planned upgrades. 

In case you missed it: Results from Springfield’s Fiscal Stability Task Force survey show respondents favor new revenue options over cost-cutting. And, Mayor Sean VanGordon stressed the importance of community conversations and identified economic development as a key issue for this year.

beyond lane county

ICE arrests up: In 2025, immigration agents arrested at least 1,100 people in Oregon, a tenfold increase from 2024, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. 

Coos Bay shipping project: The Oregon Journalism Project published a deep dive that examines claims behind the potential Coos Bay shipping terminal project that Oregon Coast leaders want. If the terminal is built, trains would transport freight through Eugene and beyond. 

State employee hospital bills: The Oregon Capital Chronicle has a story about a study analyzing the effects of a 2017 state law that limits how much hospitals can bill state employee health plans. Here’s how much money the state saved. 

Public Meetings this week

Monday

  • The Springfield City Council will have a work session at 5:30 p.m. to review the city’s fiscal year 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and to provide feedback on whether to extend wastewater services to areas outside the current boundary.
  • At 7 p.m., Springfield city councilors will have a regular meeting to conduct a public hearing for an ordinance declaring Springfield Municipal Court a court of record and to accept the resignation of Beth Blackwell as Ward 4 city councilor, among other things.


Tuesday

  • Lane County commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. The agenda includes the county’s financial assistance agreement with the state for behavioral health services. 
  • The Springfield Library Advisory Board will have a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Springfield Planning Commission will have a work and regular session at 6:15 p.m. to review community engagement activities and provide direction for recommended capital improvement projects.

Friday

  • The Metropolitan Wastewater Commission will meet at 7:30 a.m.

Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them our way — ben@lookoutlocal.com | grace@lookoutlocal.com | lilliansc@lookoutlocal.com

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Dann Miller is the executive editor of Lookout Eugene-Springfield, bringing decades of leadership experience in both traditional and digital newsrooms.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.