The Register-Guard
DOLLY’S TIES TO OREGON
Musician, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died at age 80. ● With her larger-than-life personality and signature sparkling style, she was known as the “Queen of Country.” ● Parton’s death was announced in a video message from her family on...
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Specially Seasoned
Seasoned is elevating its offerings at the old Bo & Vine location. Since closing their burger joint, Northwest Burgers, last year to branch out their culinary offerings, Garrett and Felicia Kirsch have been hard at work to bring their fine-dining...
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Meta to pay Oregon $125M, limit kids’ screen time in settlement
Oregon will receive $125 million out of a “historic” settlement with Meta Platforms out of California federal trial. Meta agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion in a proposed resolution to a years-long, multistate case that claimed the company designed...
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Neighborhood loss
Randall and Pamela Fultz routinely walked around their Springfield neighborhood in the evenings, praying for each house and each neighbor around their block on Sixth Street. Randy volunteered his time to a local food coop and the couple sang together...
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New parking, trail work and more
The City of Eugene wants to add a parking lot to serve Cuthbert Amphitheater. According to bid documents, the city wants several changes to the venue. The popular outdoor concert venue sits in Alton Baker Park on Day Island Road. The City of Eugene...
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Homeless services funding cuts take hold
Eugene lost access to 20 transitional housing beds available to clients with special medical needs after the closure of the Tom Campbell at Chase Commons Safe Sleep Site on June 30. The site opened in March of 2023 at 175 Commons Drive with entry...
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‘It’s about delicious food made with love’
Fried catfish and chicken adobo live alongside each other on the menu for a small white food truck that sets up shop throughout Eugene. It’s where Lola’s Mahal co-owners Amara Anderson and Dominick Baker work side-by-side to bring steaming hot plates...
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Inside why Springfield parents are pulling kids from public schools
After years of frustrations, Courtney Steed made the difficult decision to pull her kids from Springfield Public Schools, quitting her six-figure tech job to start homeschooling this fall. Steed’s choice came from a number of factors, one of which was...
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Beyond Skinner Butte
A fire on Eugene’s Skinner Butte quickly spread to 2 acres Aug. 17, in a park which city officials have recognized as a fire risk in recent years. Following a series of brush fires in 2024, the city now closes the Skinner Butte summit parking lot...
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UO names two residence halls after native flora
Two previously unnamed dormitories at University of Oregon have been named Cedar Hall and Maple Hall after two tree genera native to Oregon. “The names Cedar Hall and Maple Hall reflect a connection to the natural environment and the sense of growth,...
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No clothes necessary
Tucked in the hills of the Willamette National Forest outside Springfield, nudists wear nothing other then handmade beaded necklaces that display their names, just in case they aren’t as recognizable after removing their clothing. The Willamettans, a...
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Hult Presents events to round out 2026
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts will host a science television sensation, an internationally recognized puppeteer and a show where patrons can choose their own admission price as part of its remaining 2026 offerings. The Hult Presents is the...
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Stay cool
Jackie Santiago builds trust within her community one cake pop at a time. The Springfield resident has run a small business off and on for four years and recently began selling her sweet treats out of a small cart she wheels outside her home a few days...
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‘The bus is going home’
For decades, a legendary symbol of 1960s counterculture sat buried beneath blackberry vines and overgrowth in a swampy portion of a Pleasant Hill farm property. More than 20 years after that emblem was heaved from the sludge, it will be given a new...
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From scrap to sculpture
Endless piles of what some might consider trash is stored in the back of the Pony Village Mall in Coos Bay. Not randomly, but methodically: sorted by color, material, size and thickness, these chunks of plastic populate room upon room, lying in wait to...
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Springfield’s Gateway has new welcome sign
Springfield put up a new welcome sign Aug. 11. The sign sits at the base of the Springfield Flame sculpture at the intersection of Gateway Street and Beltline Highway. The sign is a chrome-colored plaque 6.5 feet tall, 20 feet long that reads “Welcome...
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Your next thrift store find could be a house
St. Vinnie’s thrift stores are known for affordable finds that help shoppers turn houses into homes, including furniture, decor and appliances. But the newest items available at St. Vinnie’s are the homes themselves. Housing Options Production...
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A final farewell
On Aug. 11, The Chronicle announced it would publish its final edition after more than 100 years of informing the southern Willamette Valley. Founded in 1909, the publication served the Cottage Grove, Springfield, Creswell and Pleasant Hill...
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Hurdles hindering ambulance service
The Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District wants to start offering ambulance service to its rural residents and visitors, but is running into regulatory hurdles. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 40.8% of fire departments in Oregon are...
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Friends rally for cyclist struck in Springfield
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026 | REGISTERGUARD.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Alan Torres The cyclist injured in a recent Springfield hit-and-run is working toward recovery, physically, emotionally and financially. Christopher Walters is something of...
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‘We want everyone to have access to this work’
When Hells Hill Fire sparked four miles south of Marcola on July 22, a panoramic camera on Buck Mountain detected smoke weaving between distant trees within minutes. This enabled firefighting personnel to react quickly, ultimately containing the fire...
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Oregon plagued by abandoned RVs
Bob Kennedy purchased a camper trailer in 1998. He used it for fishing trips and coastal camping, but after a decade of use and outdoor storage, Kennedy realized it was time to dispose of his beloved vehicle. It was too old to sell and local junkyards...
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‘CREATING WINDOWS AND MIRRORS’
Smokey air drove Springfield’s Indigenous Culture Celebration inside, but the 4th annual event drew over 300 people into Springfield City Hall on Aug. 5 to learn about and engage with indigenous culture. The event featured dance performances from the...
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Collab Youth HUB to take over former Youth Era spot
can learn and grow and be in community and be safe. “(Youth HUB will) pull in resources under one roof. We want to be able to have mental health and overall wellness support available here.” Nelson said Youth HUB’s focus is prevention and life...
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Surf the sand dunes at Sand Master Park
Dramatic sand dunes sculpt Oregon’s coastline, creating an ecosystem of shifting hills and valleys that border the ocean. Oregon beachgoers and residents are familiar with these dunes, hiking over them and driving by them to get to their next coastal...
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Art center honors Maude Kerns
One and a half centuries ago, a pioneering woman in the local art landscape and the University of Oregon’s first head of art education was born. Seventy-six years ago, she helped to found a local art center that she later became the namesake of – the...
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LEFT IN THE LURCH
A medication-assisted treatment center in Eugene closed suddenly, leaving patients scrambling to continue their care in the trepidatious world of addiction medicine and recovery. Equinox Clinics, previously located at 160 E. 18th Ave., closed after a...
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‘Living like a U.S. citizen, but without any rights’
Surrounded by family members and public supporters, 25 Oregonians from 11 countries became U.S citizens July 30 at Eugene’s Wayne Lyman Morse Courthouse. Encompassing five continents, the countries included Mexico, New Zealand, Columbia, Czech...
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Path to HEALING
Cory Teich held Molly by the reins and led her through the dusty barn next to a sun-kissed field. ● Teich smiled slightly as they rested their face against Molly’s soft brown muzzle. ● Teich met Molly as a teenager 14 years ago. ● Their relationship...
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Oregon places 39th on best state rankings
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2026 | REGISTERGUARD.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK A new study ranking all 50 states from best to worst placed Oregon toward the bottom. US News’s 2026 Overall Best State Rankings examined eight categories: Education, health...
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PeaceHealth outsourcing IT services in Nov.
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026 | REGISTERGUARD.COM Hannarose McGuinness PeaceHealth is outsourcing its information technology services and contracting with India-based provider Tech Mahindra and its U.S.-based healthcare subsidiary HCI Group, the company told...
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Firefighters make little progress on Sisters-area wildfire
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026 | REGISTERGUARD.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Bettina Wu Hot, dry conditions are contributing to the increased intensity of wildfires in Oregon, spurring fire activity not typically seen until much later in the season,...
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‘Double whammy’
Water managers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shared a pessimistic outlook on the agency’s 13 Willamette Valley reservoirs July 23. According to the engineers, 2026 is the Willamette Valley’s sixth-driest year since 1980 and the second-driest...
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BLUE-RIBBON BEEF
Three pink pigs snuggle together against pens inside a Lane County Fairgrounds barn, their snouts and bodies covered in glitter as people in cowboy boots shuffle past. Three girls donned pink button-ups and glittered braids, proudly standing with their...
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Industry vs. nature
An Amazon contractor has seemingly begun work on the site where the online retailer wants to place its Eugene distribution center despite a pending appeal of the company’s wetland permit. Work trucks were visible from Highway 99W raking and watering...
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SUING TO SAVE WILDLIFE
For the last half-century, if you wanted to build a parking lot on the wetlands where Oregon spotted frogs laid their eggs, there’s a good chance it would be denied under the federal Endangered Species Act. Spotted frogs are listed as threatened and...
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Looking for your new favorite restaurant?
IKingdom Koffee Kasumi House Samantha Pierotti t’s been a big year for restaurant news. ● The world of food and drinks in Eugene is constantly changing, with so many new restaurants opening that it is hard to keep track. So far in 2026, The...
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Fun foods to try at this year’s Lane County Fair
The smell of deep-fried fair food wafts far past the entrance to the Lane County Fair. The event brings rides, entertainment and displays to Eugene July 22-26, but in addition to being a place to face your fear of heights and test your resistance to...
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Standing for justice and dignity
Marion Malcolm was a born leader, and even in death, she left a path for others to follow. Hundreds of people filled Venue 252 July 20 to celebrate the legacy of lifelong community activist and organizer Marion Malcolm, a woman who touched lives in...
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Vandals destroy trees at Petersen Park
Several trees were vandalized at Petersen Park, near the intersection of Royal Avenue and Berntzen Road in Eugene, the night of July 18. “These trees were meant to provide much-needed shade for park visitors and improve our natural environment,” Kelly...
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Santa Clara Community Park celebrates opening
Peals of laughter filled the summer air as a parade of around two dozen pets of different shapes, sizes and personalities marched the perimeter of the Santa Clara Community Park to the adoration of attendees. Eugene Parks and Open Space held the...
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‘I couldn’t be any happier’
Robert Wallace Lyons, 61, whose decades-old murder conviction was overturned under a new law discrediting the use of bite mark analysis in court, was released from custody at the Lane County Jail the morning of July 17. Lyons had been incarcerated for...
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Green Island is home to 150 species of birds
Agravel road in Coburg leads into 1,100 acres of land where the McKenzie and Willamette rivers meet. ● Here on Green Island, the two waterways constantly redirect their currents and mold the land over the course of decades. ● Colorfully painted...
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City installs traffic cameras downtown
The City of Eugene has installed four traffic cameras at downtown intersections to gather information for a streetscaping project. The city installed the cameras at the intersections where Sixth and Seventh avenues meet Oak and Pearl...
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Sam Bond’s Garage owners look to update building
Since Sam Bond’s Garage closed in late 2025, its windows have been covered with butcher paper and the community gathering spot has sat empty. Whiteaker regulars sorely felt the loss of the bar, which was a beloved live music venue and generally cool...
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University of Oregon Board chair calls ASUO president speech ‘selfish’
Amid a flurry of emerging lawsuits over free speech repression on university campuses, the University of Oregon Board of Trustees chair publicly criticized the student body president’s graduation speech. UO Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda...
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Bat tests positive for rabies in Lane County
A bat found in Lane County tested positive for rabies, and it’s the third one so far this year, Lane County Public Health warned July 13. In the announcement, county and state officials urged members of the public to vaccinate their dogs and cats...
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UNDER ONE ROOF
The bright yellow building overlooking Amazon Parkway is now St. Vincent de Paul’s Murnane Family Resource Center. Dozens gathered in the parking lot outside July 8 to watch SVdP’s executive director Bethany Cartledge cut a green ribbon with gigantic...
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‘We’re doing what we can with the funds we have’
After Lane Fire Authority’s levy failed and various positions were cut, the organization also did not receive an Oregon wildfire season staffing grant, which aids labor costs during long, hot summer days. In a Facebook post, LFA stated “summer wildfire...
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State opens investigation
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) opened a case into Springfield Public Schools board members regarding how they went about selecting an acting superintendent. ● Now-former SPS board member Nicole De Graff levied a complaint against board...
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Lawmakers promise to pursue airport funding
Elected officials representing the Eugene area said they will push for state and federal funding to expand the Eugene Airport at an airport-hosted showcase on July 7. Officials with the airport, the city, state and federal governments and both...
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Coyote Rising creates fair magic with giant puppets
Veneta, OR — On the Wednesday before Oregon Country Fair, Jill Talise and Steve Areen are dressing their puppets, like they do every year at the fair. Longtime fairgoers will recognize older staples of the troupe, some of which were built before the...
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‘The next big accomplishment’
The distance from the Canada border to the Mexico border of the United States along the Pacific Coast is around 1,650 miles. The route features an elevation gain and loss of nearly 80,000 feet. ● Lifelong cyclist and Eugene middle school teacher Tanner...
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Uneasy breathing
Eugene has been ranked one of Oregon’s most livable cities, but residents of Lane County must weigh the region’s natural wonders and outdoor access with its poor air quality, according to the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air...
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SEEKING KENNY
When jogging the one-mile loop in Amazon Park, it’s easy to run right past a bench at the top of the course dedicated to Eugene wrestling legend Kenny Cox. Born in 1978, he attended Churchill High School and, in 1997 during his senior year, was named...
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Creswell turns out for Fourth of July parade
Engines revved, music blared and candy skittered across streets in Creswell as eager children murmured in excitement, filling the air with a jubilant buzz on the Fourth of July. The city and members of neighboring communities gathered early to watch a...
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SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY
The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. ● If the first eight steps, rising amid the site’s...
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ROCKETS’ RED GLARE
What comes to mind when you think of celebrating the Fourth of July in Eugene? Visions of hot dogs, cold drinks, and afternoons spent in the sun swim run through mine. After spending a day relaxing with friends and family, fireworks are a classic way...
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Why Oakridge was recently named in top 10 for mountain biking
“Trails are the common thread that bring us all together,” said Matt McPharlin, president and cofounder of Oakridge Trail Alliance (OTA), a nonprofit organization conducting trail maintenance and expansion since 2018. “If it wasn’t for a little brown...
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‘Actionable steps’
After years of effort, students have succeeded in pushing the University of Oregon to take “actionable steps” toward transitioning its heating system from natural gas to electric. The Board of Trustees took that step when it unanimously voted to...
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Fire transforming West’s public lands
Colorado’s two largest fires on record, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires, burned hundreds of thousands of acres across some of the state’s most visited landscapes in 2020. ● The fires scorched trails, campgrounds and beloved ecosystems in...
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Empowering decision
Eugene City Council advanced a measure that would require people selling homes in Eugene to disclose the home’s Home Energy Score to prospective buyers. City staff, recommending councilors pursue the requirement, said in surveying Eugene residents,...
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Banana Ball takes over Autzen
The Oregon Duck rode into Autzen Stadium on a motorcycle and fans sang the University of Oregon’s fight song and “Shout.” But instead of a raucous game of football, the crack of a baseball bat and the pandemonium of Banana Ball followed. The stands at...
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‘MY ACTIVISM IS EXTREME’
In a time when food delivery apps are a billion dollar industry and grocery prices are rising, one environmental activist is going to extreme lengths to prove the Earth provides all a human’s sustenance needs. ● Robin Greenfield is in the midst of a...
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Don’t sleep on this recycling program
Over the course of one year, Oregon recycled enough mattresses to stack 10 Mount Hoods on top of one another. Laid end to end lengthwise, they could stretch from Eugene to Medford. St. Vincent de Paul processes 250 mattresses each day, harvesting...
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Moss, a new cafe, opens in Poppi’s Anatolia’s old location
Katie Moss and Cody MacFadyen have been busy for the last four months. In February, their plan to turn Poppi’s Anatolia’s old location into a comfortable cafe was already underway. Now, the couple has recently soft-opened their space to customers,...
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Convicted based on ‘junk evidence’
On June 8, Robert Wallace Lyons, 61, became the first Oregonian to have a murder conviction vacated under a new law discrediting bitemark analysis. Lyons has been in prison for 35 years. “Mr. Lyons conviction was based on flawed and now-discredited...
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Eugene 4J is leasing to Bridgeway House
Eugene School District 4J is leasing one of its former elementary schools to a local nonprofit. Bridgeway House, formed by a group of parents, has been supporting youth on the autism spectrum since 2000. It achieved nonprofit status in 2002 and...
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BUILDING A BETTER GRID
Eugene Water and Electric Board staff have plans to “harden” the utility’s Monroe substation and surrounding electrical infrastructure to make the area more natural-disaster resilient. EWEB will primarily use grant money to replace equipment at its...
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Custard comes to Eugene at new yellow food truck
Maya Hamanishi and Ryan Rounkles’ new food trailer, Canary Custard, is a do-it-yourself triumph. Hamanishi hand painted the yellow and blue truck with dots and squares. Hamanishi also decorated the inside with blue polka-dot wallpaper. She wanted the...
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Whatever happened to RiverBend’s first babies?
Almost 18 years ago, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield opened its doors. Some of the first babies served there had unexpected starts. ● The mother of the first baby born at RiverBend was scheduled to work a nursing...
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25 million people lost Medicaid after pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people covered by Medicaid rose month after month – an unusual pattern for the government’s insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities. Why? A policy of continuous coverage during the...
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Costco in talks to build more parking, gas pumps
Costco wants to expand both its parking and its gas station pumps at its Eugene store, and has two ideas for how it could do so, both of which involve tearing down the closed Office Depot across the street. In a “Project Consultation” between Costco...
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New CEO appointed at McKenzieWillamette Medical Center
Mark Robinson will take over as chief executive officer for McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center effective July 20. The change replaces interim CEO Greg Brentano, who has filled the leadership role since McKenzieWillamette’s CEO and Chief Nursing...
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Miniature moves
One of Eugene’s tiniest hidden gems is growing through word of mouth. Coined through a Google Maps pin as “The (Unofficial) World’s Smallest Skate Park,” Riverside DIY is a skate park built just for fingerboarders. According to Spencer Hovland,...
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FIRE SEASON BEGINS
Do you live in an area where the risk of wildfire is high? Officials with the Eugene Springfield Fire department have identified the parts of Eugene and Springfield they believe are the most vulnerable to wildfire in the next five years. The...
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