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1 week ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
As Eugene grows denser, city planners face the challenge of balancing housing needs with the protection of green spaces—an effort that ties land use, transportation, and climate resilience together. May 27, 2025 Eugene is growing. New housing, infrastructure and businesses continue growing across the city as more people are drawn to its vibrant community, lush surroundings and progressive values.
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1 week ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Facing a multi-million dollar shortfall, Eugene’s school board approved a 2025-26 budget that cuts over 30 full-time positions while spending over $20 million in reserves. Some district officials warn that the plan delays tough choices and risks deeper cuts. May 27, 2025 On May 21, the Eugene School Board voted five to two to approve the district’s 2025-2026 budget, moving forward with a proposal to reduce 38.25 full-time positions.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Many faculty, staff and students at the University of Oregon have been participating in the UO Gaza Hunger Strike, which began on May 19. Campaign members held a call to action rally outside the Eugene Federal Building on May 23, which marked day five of the ongoing hunger strike. Around 30 people attended the “urgent call to action” event at the Eugene Federal Building for roughly 50 minutes.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Eugene’s city-supported shelter sites face an uncertain future as state funding runs dry. Despite high demand and limited public opposition, the program’s long-term survival largely depends on upcoming budget decisions by state lawmakers. May 19, 2025 With funding potentially expiring soon, the long-term future of Eugene’s city-supported shelter sites — formerly known as safe sleep sites — is uncertain, even as demand for sanctioned shelter options continues to outpace supply.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
As climate change intensifies Oregon’s fire seasons and heatwaves, Eugene scrambles to protect its most vulnerable residents. But for those living on the streets, access to relief often depends on more than just availability—it depends on being seen. May 19, 2025 Tags: About the Contributors
Julia is in her first year as a member of Photo Desk for the Daily Emerald.
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1 month ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
If you take a walk through Eugene’s parks or along the Willamette River, you might notice the lush greenery — thick blackberry brambles, fields of white flowers and ponds buzzing with life. But underneath all that beauty, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Invasive plants and animals are spreading throughout Eugene’s natural spaces, pushing out native species and unraveling the ecosystems that have supported Oregon’s wildlife for centuries.
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1 month ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Leaves and trash blow in gusts of wind early in the morning along the streets of Eugene. The roads are empty and the city is peaceful, quiet, with no one in sight. On the sidewalk, Alika Leatherberry, 50, sits in his clothes protecting him from the weather but remains alert of his surroundings in case situations suddenly turn physical.
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1 month ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Jeffery Alan Voss, 31, was sentenced to five years of probation on April 9 for posting violent threats on Facebook and was in custody for six months prior, according to the US Department of Justice. The videos posted between Sept. 23 and 27, 2024, included two in which Voss held a firearm and in another discussing becoming “the next Kip Kinkel.” Kinkel was a school shooter who killed his parents and two people at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, in 1998 and injured 25 others.
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2 months ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
CAHOOTS, which stands for Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets, is ending its services in Eugene after laying off many of its workers two weeks prior and drastic budget cuts, announced by White Bird Clinic. Service hours for the CAHOOTS and Crisis programs were set to reduce to one shift per week on April 7, but things took a turn when it was announced on the same day that its services would no longer be available in the city of Eugene.
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2 months ago | 
dailyemerald.com | Joseph Chiu
Videra Oak Meadow, a small undeveloped property with wetland areas, is the center of a fiery dispute between residents of the Braewood Hills neighborhood in Southeast Eugene and Piculell Properties, an Arizona-based developer. The company intends to build 38 residential lots on 15 acres of the Videra Oak Meadow. Some members of the local community strongly oppose this development, claiming that the plans would encroach upon and harm the meadow’s ecosystem.
