Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the At Lookout Eugene-Springfield, we strive to make an impact on our community through our journalism and civic involvement. We know that holding those in power accountable is a key part of our role and it is key to our journalism. Part of our mission is to stir public conversation around issues important to this community.
Here is a sampling of stories we have produced that made an impact on Lane County. In each of these stories, the public saw action, driven by good community journalism.
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Awards and recognition
Lookout Eugene-Springfield journalism has been recognized with national and regional journalism awards.
Bruce Baer Award:
Ben Botkin received Oregon’s top journalism award for public affairs reporting, for his coverage of the Oregon State Hospital.
Society of Features Journalism
First place — Features Series of Project
“Food Insecurity in Lane County”
Third place — General Feature
Annie Aguiar: “Under the Bridge, a Woman Who Wants Everyone To Have Breakfast”
Honorable Mention — Sports Feature
Tyson Alger: “‘Just Like Me Growing Up’: In Junction City, a Former Duck Finds What He Always Loved About the Game”
Associated Press Sports Editors
First Place — Short Feature
Tyson Alger: “Memories flood back as Mac Court comes alive again”
First Place — Action Photo
Isaac Wasserman: Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in the women’s long jump at USATF championships.
Best of the West Journalism Contest
First Place — Short Form Feature Writing
Annie Aguiar: “Timothy and Siena go to the fair”
First Place — Project Reporting
“Food Insecurity in Lane County”
Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Chapter
Second Place — Spot News Photography
Isaac Wasserman: “Hideaway Hills Fire”
Second Place — Environment & Natural Disaster Reporting
Ashli Blow: “What’s Under Pre’s Trail?”
Second Place — Feature
Annie Aguiar: “Timothy and Siena go to the Fair”
Honrable Mention — Poverty & Homelessness Reporting
“Food Insecurity in Lane County”
Third Place — Sports Feature
Tyson Alger: “‘Just like me growing up’: In Junction City, a former Duck finds what he always loved about the game”
Lookout for Teachers
Lookout for Teachers provides middle- and high-school educators free access to Lookout Eugene-Springfield, a weekly educator newsletter and classroom-ready resources—including discussion questions, quizzes, lesson plans and activities tied to local current events. During the 2025–26 school year, the program activated 450 teacher memberships, reached more than 5,000 students and engaged 70% of Lane County schools.
Lookout in the Classroom
Lookout in the Classroom connects Lane County students and educators with trusted local journalism, media-literacy tools and meaningful civic engagement. Lookout journalists lead workshops on interviewing, storytelling, evaluating information and understanding the press’s role in democracy. Annually, Lookout supports future journalists through the annual Journalism Scholarship Challenge.
Civic Partners
Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s Civic Partner Program helps Lane County nonprofits amplify their missions, strengthen community connections and reach new supporters. Through an ongoing, collaborative partnership, participating organizations gain greater visibility across Lookout’s trusted local platforms and receive practical marketing support tailored to their goals.
Marketing Partners
Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s Marketing Partners program connects local businesses and organizations with engaged local audiences through modern, effective digital marketing. Each program is tailored to the organization’s goals, combining trusted local reach with creative, flexible solutions designed to build awareness, generate engagement and support growth.
ACCOUNTABILITY
PEACEHEALTH
Ashli Blow has been following developments at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend that included layoffs and the planned ouster of Eugene Emergency Physicians, who were set to be replaced by a group out of Georgia. Following Ashli’s reporting and significant public outcry, the hospital announced it would change course and renew its contract with EEP. Read our coverage
OREGON STATE HOSPITAL
This story launched Lookout Eugene-Springfield. And Ben Botkin continued to follow the dysfunction at the Oregon State Hospital that contributed to the death of Kenneth Hass, a Lane County man. Following our coverage, the hospital’s superintendent was replaced, and the Oregon Legislature held hearings with officials about reforms at the state institution. Read our coverage
ENVIRONMENT
J.H. BAXTER / PRE’S TRAIL
Waste from J.H. Baxter & Co.’s west Eugene plant was buried in barrels at the closed Day Island Landfill, where Pre’s Trail sits today. Among the chemicals detected in the landfill is the same type of pollution that helped trigger the Superfund listing of the company’s facility. But agencies say they have not looked at the landfill since the early 2000s. Environment and Health Correspondent Ashli Blow continues to press officials to ensure the public knows what is happening beneath their feet. Read our coverage
TRAINSONG
The city continues to fence off portions of Trainsong Park nearly four years after closing it entirely in early 2022, when the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found cancer-causing dioxins in the soil. Ashli Blow continues to follow this story.
EDUCATION
LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Infighting, charges of discrimination, investigations, and ongoing dysfunction. Those are some of the words that could be used to describe the Lane Community College Board of Education. Mike McInally has been following the developments on this board and its continued problems. Lookout Eugene-Springfield continues to report on the issues while looking forward to the future of the community institution.
Read our coverage
FOOD INSECURITY
IN LANE COUNTY
People are hungry all over Lane County. It’s a story often described but not always told. We hear about food drives and soup kitchens serving meals on the holidays, but we don’t often hear about what happens in between.
During several months of 2025, we traveled throughout Lane County to talk with people standing in line at the Dining Room in Eugene; visiting food pantries in Mapleton, Oakridge and Springfield; delivering meals along the McKenzie River alongside volunteers and workers determined to feed as many people as possible; and meeting farmers who grow crops to support this mission.
Read the three-part special project
FLOCK SAFETY
The rise and fall of license-plate reader cameras was one of the top stories of 2025 in Lane County. Lookout’s coverage started by attending a Police Commission meeting and reporting on Eugene’s contract for more than 50 of the devices, followed by Springfield and Lane County. Coverage was followed by the rise of community opposition to the devices over privacy concerns and the fear of constant surveillance. The year ended with Eugene and Springfield canceling or suspending contracts with Flock Safety.
Read over coverage
ICE ACTIONS / TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
This nation’s biggest story of 2025 was the Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The reverberations have been felt across the country — and in Lane County. A member of the wine community being taken by ICE, a father who never came home and a woman in Cottage Grove who was detained despite having lawful resident status. There were federal government cuts, a shutdown, reduction in services, tariffs, cuts to the forest service, and erosion of environmental policies.
From the beginning, there was a significant and vocal response to what was happening. There are weekly protests outside the federal building in downtown and two No Kings protests that brought thousands of people to the streets.
EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
At Lookout Eugene-Springfield we celebrate when communities and community leaders do well, while challenging them to improve and calling out issues that need to be addressed. Editorial leadership is something we take very seriously and Opinion Editor Elon Glucklich leads these efforts.
- The community needs to know that Alton Baker Park soil is safe. Test it now
- Without trust, Flock cameras must stay off
- Schedule Oregon State Hospital hearings now
- In a stalling economy, Lane County needs fresh ideas
- Lane County leaders putting bad behavior in the spotlight
- PacificSource, Trillium and unanswered questions on Medicaid
- Eugene’s downtown housing dreams collide with realities
- A cup of controversy stirs up Eugene