The last time I caught up on all of the people I meet and interact with was well before the ice storm. In fact, it might have been before Taylor and Travis started dating.
I’ve been joining a few members of the Twin Rivers Rotary Club for coffee at the Washburne Cafe the past few months, really enjoying the conversation with Les, Ralph, Ed, Larry, and John. … I had the privilege to make a public appeal to the County Commission during the public comment period a few weeks ago. I wanted to make the commission knew The Chronicle was the best value for taxpayers when it comes to publishing legal notices. I appreciated the questions and interest from Laurie, Dave, Pat, Heather, and Ryan. … Met Sherilyn, a Springfield homeowner also there to address housing issues with the commissioners. … Discussed public safety coverage in the paper with Sgt. Alex of LCSO’s Creswell office and Chief Cory of the Cottage Grove PD. …
Steven met with me at Seize the Cafe to discuss a variety of topics, including local development. … Visited with Matt at MVP Elite on Main Street in downtown Springfield. He’s got big plan for his athlete-training program, and is just getting started. …
It was a thrill to have Bob, a longtime Register-Guard columnist who has authored a few books, in our offices last week. He’s writing on Substack these days, and he was kind enough to autograph a copy of his latest book, My Oregon III. Later that same day, while at Mike’s Barber Shop, I learned that Geoff was good friends with the retired newspaper columnist. Small world. …
There are so many business leaders reaching out organically to advertise and get their messages to our readers in Springfield, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and Pleasant Hill. And Eugene, our fastest-growing area of circulation. Thanks to Jeannie of HealthMart, Joan with Boomerama, and Joe and Sue with the upcoming Eugene Boat & Sportsmen’s Show on Feb. 2-4 at the Lane County Event Center. … It’s been a pleasure collaborating with the leadership team at Prime Time Sports Bar & Grill throughout the high school sports season. Jason, Lindsey, Sarah, Milo, and Cesar are not just excellent in their roles at the bar and restaurant, but creative marketers, too. … Autumn of L&A Landscape let readers know about clean-up help after the ice storms and sisters Shawna and Camee placed an ad promoting a celebration of their dad’s 100th birthday. … Chatted with Del at the Lane County Health & Human Services division regarding public health messaging to our readers.
The Chronicle has been especially blessed with outstanding interns from the University of Oregon’s journalism program. Kallie, a photographer with skills and an eye well beyond her age and experience, and sports reporter Seth are both making significant contributions to our storytelling. … We’ve been speaking with Brent and Nicole who lead the Catalyst program at UO as we continue to build out our intern pool.
Erin, our executive editor, and I visited with GM Jim, news director Chris, and podcast host Mike at KLCC a few weeks ago to discuss opportunities to collaborate on news coverage. We also are applying for a grant from the Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism (FORJ), run by Jody. We’d use that grant money for a special reporting effort together. More to come! … We are so fortunate to work with such great colleagues and peers. Our lead photographer, Bob, continues winning awards for his work all over the southern Willamette Valley, and his photos differentiate our paper from everyone else. … Jody, a former editor and publisher, continues to counsel and mentor me and The Chronicle’s leadership team. Her insights have been a valuable resource during challenging times.
Neither one would want to receive any credit, but Seth of Blue Valley Bistro and Jessica at Farmlands Market in Creswell were out front helping folks during the ice storm. Creswell’s residents recently completed a survey regarding interest in a larger grocer coming to town. I doubt any of those larger operations would be accepting IOUs from people who needed food and supplies. … Karen called to let us know about food support in Cottage Grove. …
One of the people who stopped by the newsroom to chat was Bayne, the artist/muralist behind The Simpsons images around Springfield. The conversation was “not just good, but good enough!” …
The 2024 Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce membership guide was distributed with last week’s edition of The Chronicle. It’s the third year in a row we’ve produced this for the chamber; last year’s edition won 1st place in the ONPA state newspaper contest. Georgia, CEO at the chamber, is a great partner on this initiative each year. … I finally spoke with Michelle at the Creswell Chamber, and look forward to working with her. … Don, the new executive director of the Emerald Arts Center, visited and chatted about big plans for the Art Walk and other art endeavors in Springfield. … Barbara, who has her own podcast on KLCC, also reached out and we’ll be discussing ways to support each others’ storytelling.
We’ll have a significant news announcement regarding partnerships with the high school sports teams we cover – Springfield High, Thurston, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and Pleasant Hill. It was my pleasure to speak with athletic directors Justin, Audra, Tyler, Brandon, and Garrett. … I’m looking forward to a scheduled meeting with Chris of Area 51 – he’s always got his hands in cool projects. …
Lilly, a former high school intern with The Chronicle, came by the newsroom to tell us she’ll be graduating early from the Academy of Arts & Academics and will be attending Puget Sound University in Tacoma, Wash. As part of her application, she was required to submit an essay. The Dean of Students awarded her a $120,000 scholarship based on the essay, which was largely about her experiences working at The Chronicle. … Lydia, who also was a high school intern with us just before Covid, is now at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwest University. She told us her time at The Chronicle is what inspired her to pursue journalism. We couldn’t be more proud of them. …
As a kid, I was always the last one at the dinner table. Not because I was a slow eater; I was more of a no-eater. Particularly vegetables. Lima beans? Pole beans? Fish? No thanks. “But you grew up in South Florida,” as if that somehow made me predisposed to the taste of fish. Shrimp? Crawdads? “Bugs of the ocean,” I say. Gross. I met Molly recently, who advocates for good health through vegetable and fruit supplements. “My passion is helping people achieve good health so they don’t have to miss out on what brings them joy and what they love to do. Because when you have your health, you have everything. And when you don’t, nothing else matters,” she said. Check our her website: mdixon.juiceplus.com
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