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Happy Sunday, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,
Things are heating up in Community Voices. With the general election less than a month away, candidate and ballot measure endorsements are pouring in.
In fact, things are so busy, it seems like I barely have time in my day to write this. So let’s jump right into the week of local opinions.
Changes in store at Oregon State Hospital?
Anytime the Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board has something to say, it gets top billing in Community Voices Weekly. And the board had lots to say about Gov. Tina Kotek’s surprise announcement last week that she’ll push for a bill splitting the troubled Oregon State Hospital into its own independent state agency.
Kotek’s announcement, hours before the release of a blistering grand jury report highlighting patient safety and staff training problems at the state psychiatric hospital, was a bold move that ties the governor closer to the patient death and toxic work culture scandals that have engulfed it for the past 18 months.
“But without knowing more about Kotek’s vision, one has to wonder if the change would improve patient safety and staff morale, or if the governor is merely moving chess pieces around on a broken board,” the editorial board wrote.
Defending the Roadless Rule
Tuesday is a big day for forestland defenders. It’s the last day for supporters of the Roadless Rule, which bars road construction on nearly 45 million acres of national forestland (including about 2 million acres in Oregon), to object to the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to rescind it and open more forestland to development.
Lane County has a rich history of environmental activism, and judging by a trio of op-eds published last week, there will be plenty of local voices flooding the Forest Service’s inbox.
One might be Will Watson, a longtime Eugene environmental advocate, who wrote in a guest column that rural communities wishing for a logging revival from the Roadless Rule’s demise are being fed lies by big-city business leaders and politicians.
Another might be guest columnist Zeph Van Allen, who wrote that “protecting these roadless areas is not an obstacle to prosperity. It is an investment in the ecological systems that all prosperity ultimately depends on: clean water, stable climate, healthy soil and the wild places that renew us.”
One is certainly Eugene letter-writer Jack Dodson, who flagged Tuesday’s deadline and urged others to make their voices heard.
Election scoreboard
Election day is next month. Ballots get mailed out next week (!). Where do things stand in the all-important tally of endorsement letters for candidates and ballot measures? Let’s take a look at the current list of published endorsements. I’ve still got a giant digital pile of letters to read, so these numbers will grow.
Lane County Commissioner (District 5, East Lane)
Heather Buch — 4
Jake Pelroy — 1
Springfield City Council (Ward 4)
Callee Ackland — 6
Jill Cuadros — 2
Eugene Clean Energy Fund
Support — 3
Oppose — 0
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recent Letters TO THE EDITOR
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would be a climate disaster | Letter to the editor
Jill Cuadros deserves a full council term to deliver for Springfield | Letter to the editor
Feeling powerless about the climate? Consider going electric | Letter to the editor
Springfield voters will get a chance to correct the City Council’s mistake | Letter to the editor
Laurel Hill Valley concerns over housing plan are genuine, not obstructionist | Letter to the editor
In the e-bike safety debate, sometimes walkers are the hazard | Letter to the editor
Pay attention to Springfield council candidates’ views on mass surveillance | Letter to the editor
We need more energy-efficient homes. The Eugene Clean Energy Fund will help. | Letter to the editor
Eugene shouldn’t rubber-stamp dangerous housing developments | Letter to the editor
Springfield council, don’t stand in the way of healthcare progress | Letter to the editor
Springfield councilors keep throwing money at failed projects. We need change. | Letter to the editor
Heather Buch will keep corporate influence out of Lane County | Letter to the editor
Tomorrow is the fall equinox. Wake up early to catch this phenomenon. | Letter to the editor
For older walkers, e-bikes on Eugene paths carry serious risks | Letter to the editor
The key to successfully adopting a healthier lifestyle is having support | Letter to the editor
recent guest opinions
Why is the Eugene Chamber trying to delegitimize Jennifer Smith’s election to City Council?
Value of roadless forestland is immense. We must all join the fight to preserve it.
The bitter irony in the push to open more forestland to logging
How a small Eugene church is helping educate children half a world away
Send us your Letter to the Editor — lte@lookoutlocal.com
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