Slant

If you wondered why your Register-Guard was not delivered on Labor Day, it’s because it was not printed. When we inquired, the recorded voice on the other end of the phone told us something about giving the staff the day off for the holiday. This is not a good sign if you want your daily paper to persist, as we do. It’s tempting to cancel your subscription, but please consider supporting local news, instead. And, hey, feel free to support Eugene Weekly, too. We have subscriptions available and can always use some more ads to print more pages! 

This week is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Whatever your politics are, that September day still chills us with the horror of the lives that were lost, and that were lost in the aftermath, and are still being lost in Afghanistan. 

It’s good news that Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek has announced that she’s running for governor in 2022. An able and highly respected Democrat from Portland, her decision has narrowed the field.  Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Val Hoyle definitely will not run. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury certainly will not run. What about Treasurer Tobias Read and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum? Kotek has led the House since 2013, demonstrating that she knows how to push the levers of state government in what we consider the right directions. So far, no strong Republican has surfaced. And then there is Nicholas Kristof, still undecided about whether to run. He has some big Portland money behind him.

• Burnout is real, and even firetrucks are not immune. When a blaze erupted between I-5 and the Willamette River south of Creswell Aug. 31, an engine from Eugene Springfield Fire suffered a mechanical breakdown and was towed from the scene. Luckily, firefighters were able to contain the 10- to 15-acre blaze sans broken truck by 8 pm that night without damage to nearby homes. South Lane County Fire Division Chief Joe Raade reminds folks that cooler temperatures expected this month doesn’t mean fire season is over. And clearly, firetrucks are exhausted already. Practice basic fire safety, and help emergency vehicles get some much-deserved rest.

We know most Eugene Weekly readers probably don’t get Editor and Publisher magazine, so just take our word for it that EW co-owner Anita Johnson was honored in the September issue as one of 15 people over 50 committed to ongoing journalistic excellence. We aren’t going to say how much over 50 she is, but her first newspaper job was in 1946.