New hiring announcements and more

New hires, office updates, business news and more

Good afternoon, 

We’re glad to keep you updated on the brick-by-brick building of Lookout Eugene-Springfield. Scroll below and you’ll see the office in actual building mode. Amanda Coers, our Community & Student Engagement Manager, has served as our building superintendent, a super skill we didn’t know she had. We’ve built out the place, ready for all the journalists and their business-side friends who will soon be populating it. And a special thanks to Rob Ness and the Guard Publishing Company for some of that furniture, gently used by the Register-Guard in days past.

And, as always, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends and neighbors! Sharing works, as our newsletter list is rapidly growing. THANKS.

Announcing two new correspondents

As readers, you’ll get to know our correspondents well. We place their photos on all the stories, and you’ll see them in the community and in Lookout Listens sessions.

Today, we announce two of them, and we are pumped about them joining us. 

Please welcome Vanessa Salvia and Ben Botkin to our team. Their wealth of Oregon experience will help us deliver the insightful, community-centered journalism you’ve asked for.

Ben Botkin will be our Politics & Policy Correspondent. Ben brings more than two decades of reporting experience from across the West, covering everything from state government and education to health care and criminal justice. His investigative work has led to policy changes and even criminal convictions, and he’s covered major national events such as the 2016 Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation and the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. Ben’s passion for journalism is rooted in holding the powerful accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday people impacted by public policy.

And he knows Oregon well. Since 2018, Ben has reported on Oregon state government, first for the Statesman Journal in Salem and then for The Lund Report, a Portland-based nonprofit that covers health care. His reporting on gaps in children’s health coverage led to state Medicaid policy changes.

Most recently, Ben worked more than two years at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered criminal justice, health and human services. 

Ben views journalism the same way we do at Lookout.

“Journalism is more than a profession – it’s also a calling,” he told us. “Journalists act as the eyes and ears of readers, serving up stories that increase civic engagement and hold the powerful accountable.

Vanessa Salvia joins us as our Food and Drink Correspondent. A fixture in Eugene since 1991, Vanessa has immersed herself in the region’s cultural landscape, covering everything from music to environmental issues. Her background includes nearly a decade as editor of Eugene Magazine, years of reporting for the Register-Guard, and a deep connection to the local food scene, thanks to her 15 years working in restaurants. When she’s not writing, Vanessa is busy with her blended family of four children, two grandchildren and an assortment of pets, or volunteering with Eugene Area Gleaners, a food rescue group for which she serves as board secretary.

“I’m thrilled to join Lookout Eugene-Springfield as the food and drink correspondent,” Vanessa wanted you all to know. “Having spent more than two decades involved in Eugene’s food scene from working in restaurants to covering local food as a journalist, I understand that food stories are about much more than just what’s on our plates. They’re about community, sustainability, access, and culture. Food isn’t just part of my profession — it’s my personal passion. When I’m not writing about food, I’m thinking about it. I devour cookbooks, experiment and make as much as I can from scratch in my kitchen at home, and am always exploring new flavors and techniques. I’ll bring my background in journalism and overall interest in food to talk about the many ways food intersects with politics, economics and social justice in our region.”

These hires reflect our commitment to providing the kind of local journalism that keeps you informed and engaged. We’re thrilled to have Vanessa and Ben on board, and we can’t wait for you to read their work.

Changes with Community Voices

And since change, and fast change, seems to be the way of the world these days, we’re also noting Jack Wilson’s already-changing role. Jack, the estimable Register-Guard opinion editor of 21 years, will continue to help us shape the Lookout Community Voices section as we launch, but will do it in a consulting capacity. However, he’ll do that by “sharing with everyone my fast-diminishing store of knowledge about who’s who in Eugene and Lane County. My role, at my insistence, will be less active than I originally committed to, but I’ll still be part of the team.

“Lookout will be better off with someone eager to prove himself, more skilled in using digital tools and with more gas in the tank,” he told Bob Welch this week. “I’ve offered to assist Ken with his venture in any way, except for taking a paid position requiring content production.”

We’ll miss Jack’s fuller involvement but still look forward to providing you a robust Community Voices section.

City Club to host discussion on journalism

The City Club of Eugene is hosting an important discussion on the future of  digital media on Friday, February 28, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:15 p.m. at WOW Hall. The event will also be streamed live on the City Club’s Facebook and YouTube pages. I’ll be speaking alongside Chris Lehman, news director at KLCC, and Camilla Mortensen, editor of Eugene Weekly. With newspapers cutting back and digital platforms stepping in, local journalism is at a turning point. Lookout Eugene-Springfield is built on the belief that strong, independent local news is essential to democracy and civic engagement. I’ll be sharing how we plan to fill gaps in coverage, build a sustainable business model, and connect with readers in a meaningful way. This is a critical conversation, and I look forward to hearing from the community about what matters most to them.

Carrying the story forward at 771 Willamette

There’s a certain weight to history, a presence you can feel even in something as ordinary as a desk. As we settle into our new downtown office at 771 Willamette St., there’s more than just furniture filling the space. Thanks to Amanda’s efforts coordinating delivery and installation, the newsroom now hums with the echoes of the past. It is anchored by cubicle desks once used by journalists at the Register-Guard in the 1990s. They carry with them the faint scent of toner and ink, a whisper of deadlines met, stories told and history recorded.

But this isn’t just about nostalgia. Every part of our downtown office is designed to be a living, breathing community space. It is a place where history meets the present. Through Lookout Listens sessions, member events and partnerships with local nonprofits, we’re creating a newsroom that doesn’t just report on the community but welcomes it in. Local art will adorn the walls, threads of connection stretch from desk to door, and the spirit of Eugene and Springfield’s rich journalistic history lives on. 

As Amanda puts it, “Recognizing the powerful history of news coverage in Eugene and Springfield grounds us in our purpose. It’s an honor to carry that legacy forward while building something new for the future.”

Business in Lane County, 2025

As part of our launch, we continue to meet with many groups, including the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. As part of that, Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s Advertising Manager, Morgana Dundon, had the opportunity recently to dive into the Eugene Chamber’s new five-year plan, Elevate 2028, hosted at The Marquis on Country Club Road. Brittany Quick-Warner, EACC’s president and CEO, laid out the strategy crafted with Onward Eugene, targeting four key areas: pro-business support, job growth, talent development, and enhancing our sense of place. 

Its goal is to break down barriers, attract new businesses, strengthen the workforce, and revitalize downtown to make it as welcoming as your own living room. Quick-Warner highlighted the importance of creating an environment that encourages people to return to, live and invest in the community. She compared downtown to a living room, noting that just as you’d want your living room to be inviting to guests, downtown should be a space people feel drawn to and comfortable in.

We look forward to covering the initiative and all the longstanding and knotty issues and questions of economic development in Lane County.

If you haven’t yet, sign up for Lookout Listens

Starting soon, Lookout Listens will bring together small groups of readers and Lookout staff to talk about the news. We will discuss what’s happening, what should be covered, and how we can improve our reporting. These informal sessions spark fresh story ideas, provide direct newsroom feedback, and build real connections. Topics may focus on broad trends for 2025 or specific issues like homelessness, business, public health, the arts, and food insecurity. Sessions will take place at our office and in community spaces designed for open conversation. If you’re interested, fill out this quick form with your contact information and the topics you’d like to discuss. Join the conversation and sign up today.

Bringing the news to Eugene and Springfield

Thanks to the generous support of more than two dozen Lane County individuals and couples, along with five family foundations, Lookout Eugene-Springfield is preparing to launch. Every contribution, big or small, helps make this possible. Together, we are building a stronger, more informed Lane County. 

And as we name our current donors below, please help us reach our funding goal by the year’s end. Donations of any size can be made online and, for contributions of $5000 or more, we ask you to contact us or The Lenfest Institute, owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, by writing Charles Jun at Lenfest: charles@lenfestinstitute.org

That’s it for this week. You’ll hear from us again soon. 

Ken Doctor

Lookout Local CEO & Founder

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