Morning Lookout: Voter Guide looks at Eugene library levy

Good morning, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,

Libraries are a special place in a community. But they are often targets when budgets get thin and cuts need to be made. Next month, Eugene residents have a chance to give the local library a vote of support. Grace Chinowsky examines the levy that would raise about $4.3 million annually for the library.

I wasn’t a theater kid in school. I liked theater, mind you, but I was a bit nerdy and had major stage fright. That meant if I wanted to be involved, I had to join the AV crew. So I did, for two years, running the one spotlight for productions of “Grease” and “Bye Bye Birdie”. I still randomly sing those songs in my head (and occasionally out loud). Last week, Annie Aguiar spent time at Sheldon High School watching the lead-up to the opening of “Newsies” and has a cool look at the work that happened backstage to make the production sing.

As Taylor Goebel writes, the owners who revived The Paddock hope it becomes a “third space.” And from her article, I could easily see it becoming a hangout spot for anyone wanting a good drink and great grub without any pretense.

Springfield has a new city councilor at the dais. Lillian Schrock-Clevenger was there for the swearing in of Jill Cuadros, who will fill the Ward 4 seat until the November election.

I have always felt there are two types of people in this world: Star Wars people and Star Trek people. Thankfully, I fall into the first. Not that there is anything wrong with the “Go where no man has gone before” crowd, but let’s be real, light sabers beat phasers every day of the week. So this one’s for my Star Wars comrades: Sunday, the Eugene Symphony will be playing a live score as “Return of the Jedi” is shown on the big screen at The Hult Center. And we have a couple of tickets to give away. Are you interested? Email Chris Condon at christina@lookoutlocal.com. The deadline to enter is noon, Thursday. We will notify the winner that evening and the tickets will be available to pick up at our office Friday morning. Good luck and may the Force be with you.

Stories you might have missed Tuesday …

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The Paddock, a decades-old south Eugene hangout, is reborn

By Taylor Goebel

Kirsten Hansen and Crystal Platt aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel with The Paddock. They just want to uphold its 78-year reputation as a neighborhood bar and eatery — serving unfussy, seasonal dishes they love to eat, with plenty of champagne and caviar to boot.

The show must go on — and does, thanks to a scrappy backstage crew

By Annie Aguiar

With creativity, duct-tape and a budget that ran dry long ago, a team dogged teens bring Sheldon High School’s production of “Newsies” to life — against a backdrop of districtwide financial uncertainty that has arts educators and students bracing for cuts.