Lookout PM: Expect a cold, wet Thanksgiving

Good evening,

Well, a child just arrived home from college for a week, some holiday music found its way onto the stereo, I have a horrible cold, and as I write this it’s 5 p.m. and has grown dim out.

Yes, it’s Thanksgiving week! The forecast for the holiday and the weekend ahead presages rain and cold. And if you happen to be above 3,000 or 4,000 feet, you might see snow, too.

Nevertheless, Jeff Merkley seems to like it here. The Democratic U.S. senator was in town for a second day. After visiting Burley yesterday, he was at Head Start of Lane County today talking about the need to make sure the program for low-income kids is spared the funding instability it has so far experienced under the second Trump administration. Ben Botkin reports.

Also on the theme of winter, we have a guest column by Allan Benavides, the former general manager of the Eugene Emeralds baseball team. He takes issue with Travel Lane County’s assertion that a new indoor sports facility will boost Eugene’s winter tourism economy. Benavides says, no, actually the only thing that reliably fixes Eugene’s winter tourism economy is, well, the arrival of summer.

A jury decided in favor of the city of Eugene in a wrongful death lawsuit over the police shooting of Eliborio “Eli” Rodrigues Jr. in 2019. While the jurors, who returned their verdict today, found some negligence on the part of the officer who fired the fatal shot, Rodrigues’ estate will receive no damages. Jaime Adame reports.

And letter-to-the-editor writer Joyce Spence suggests the Eugene City Council has lost touch with its constituents.

What’s on your mind? Send us a letter (350 words or less, please): lte@lookoutlocal.com

Have a news tip on something we should cover: newsroom@lookoutlocal.com

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DAILY DIGEST

Cold, wet Thanksgiving weekend expected in Lane County

By Ashli Blow

Bundle up, and make sure the last layer is waterproof. A chilly, wet Thanksgiving weekend is on the way, according to National Weather Service forecasts.

Merkley visits Head Start in Eugene, hears about the need for funding stability

By Ben Botkin

Head Start of Lane County, like other providers of early child care services, has faced financial uncertainty under the Trump administration. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said he wants that to change.

Verdict favors city in police shooting civil trial

By Jaime Adame

The jury assigned negligence to both the officer and the man he fatally shot in 2019. Jurors assigned 45% of the fault to Eugene police officer Samuel Tykol. Because jurors assigned a greater percentage of fault to Eliborio “Eli” Rodrigues Jr., his family will not be awarded any damages.

Travel Lane County rewrites history after throwing Eugene Emeralds under the bus

By Allan Benavides

In response to Travel Lane County’s recent letter to the editor about the organization’s push for an indoor sports facility, the argument that Eugene needs a massive indoor sports facility to fix winter is based on a flawed premise. Winter in Oregon is slow because — newsflash — it’s winter. This is not some Eugene-specific […]