Lookout PM: Existentialist football coach

Good evening,

Well, I escaped from a quick vacation to Idaho and returned to Eugene to find … football? In March? You people. Can’t get enough, can you? Of course, even this not-so-much-a-football-fan usually has fun reading the work of our sportswriter, Tyson Alger. That’s because good sportswriting is never just about sports. It’s about people.

And Tyson’s profile today of the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator, Drew Mehringer, is an unexpected and decidedly human story. First of all, his office smells like essential oils. The word “existentialism” comes out of his mouth. And he almost died when he was 20 years old.

Lane Community College President Stephanie Bulger has been chosen to participate in a yearlong national fellowship program to explore ways the school can better serve its students and the economic prospects of Lane County. She is one of just 23 community college leaders selected. Mike McInally has the story.

You, with the metal studded snow tires! Tomorrow is the last day to have them removed or you risk a fine, beginning April 1. And our partners at the Oregon Capital Chronicle use this moment to take a look at how some states have banned studded snow tires, and others, including neighboring Washington, have added fees to buy them — because they cause expensive damage to roads. And while there have been proposals to discourage them in Oregon, none have ever passed.

Oregon Capital Chronicle also reports that the acting director of ICE wrote to an Oregon congresswoman to say that the agency is not “currently” planning any new ICE detention facilities in Oregon. There has been speculation that ICE was considering setting up a detention center on the coast.

In our opinion section today:

Letter writer Ted Coopman says the city’s proposed program to score a home’s energy efficiency when it is put on the market probably won’t accomplish much — but more than that, it makes little sense to be implementing such a thing in the midst of a budget crunch.

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DAILY DIGEST

The existentialist in the coordinator’s room

By Tyson Alger

Drew Mehringer inherits a loaded Oregon offense. But his approach — shaped by survival, perspective and relationships — may matter as much as any play he calls.

LCC president tapped for national fellowship program

By Mike McInally

Stephanie Bulger is one of 23 community college leaders selected for a yearlong program that will allow her to explore ways to better serve students and help LCC build economic vitality countywide.