State Of The County To Be Held Monday, January 5 - 12/11/25

Lane County’s annual State of the County Address will take place on Monday, January 5, at 10:00 a.m. in Harris Hall (125 E. 8^th Avenue, Eugene).

Board of County Commissioners Chair David Loveall will look back at 2025 and help usher in the new year at Lane County Government.  

Local band the WINKS will perform. Erika Martinez Robison will sing the National Anthem, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office will lead the presentation of colors (flag ceremony).

Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The event will also be livestreamed at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/webcasts and broadcast on Comcast Channel 21 in the Eugene-Springfield area.

The first Board of County Commissioners meeting of 2026 will be held the following day, Tuesday, January 6, at 9:00 a.m.

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Lane County Awards $200,000 In Grants To Support Economic Development - 12/10/25

Seven local nonprofits will receive grant funding from Lane County’s Community & Economic Development Program to support programs and projects focused on creating economic growth.

 “At Lane County Community and Economic Development, we are focused on building opportunities that increase prosperity and improve lives,” said Samantha Roberts, Lane County’s Community & Economic Development analyst. “These grants support our communities to develop and implement impactful economic development programs and projects throughout Lane County.”

Grant applications were accepted in early October 2025. Cities and 501c3 nonprofits serving Lane County were eligible to apply for funding to attract and expand business investment, assist small businesses, develop Main Streets, support start-ups and emerging entrepreneurs, as well as address workforce training needs. Applicants could request $5,000–$30,000.

This year’s selected projects focused on supporting working families by strengthening the childcare workforce, investing in rural downtown development, enhancing workforce development in critical industry sectors like healthcare, and providing technical business assistance and financial literacy. Services provided by grant awardees extend throughout Lane County.

 ***Media Opportunity: Lane County Community & Economic Development Analyst Samantha Roberts is available for interview. She can also connect media with two grant awardees for interview: Black Cultural Initiative (BCI) Executive Director Talicia Brown and Viking Textile Maker Hub Board President Mitra Gruwell. Ms. Brown can also connect media with businesses served by the BCI Business Incubator.

The seven grant recipients are:

Black Cultural Initiative (BCI)
The Black Cultural Initiative provides financial literacy workshops, workforce and vocational training, Black business incubation, and more. BCI seeks to provide financial literacy training for up to 120 people, workforce readiness and skill development for up to 80 participants, and technical business assistance to more than fifty businesses in 2026 through the grant award.

Catholic Community Services (CCS)
Catholic Community Services of Lane County offers immediate help to anyone in need through food, rent, utility, and housing assistance, emergency shelter, and resettling refugees and immigrants in Lane County.  CCS’s Refugee & Immigrant Services Program (RISP) is the largest provider of employment placement services for immigrants in Lane County with the majority of participants of Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The 2026 CED grant award will enable the RISP program to provide business technical assistance to immigrant-owned businesses and provide LEP workforce training and employment placement for healthcare and manufacturing businesses.

City of Creswell
The City of Creswell, home to over 5,600 residents, covers 1.72 square miles and is bifurcated by I-5, Highway 99 and Central Oregon and Pacific Rail. With the 2026 grant award, Creswell will create a façade improvement program within the City’s 12-block Downtown District to assist property and business owners with façade improvements to help develop their storefronts.

Eugene Springfield NAACP
Since 1976, the Eugene/Springfield NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has served as a source of cohesion for our local communities of color. In Lane County, it implements education programs, public awareness events, community building, and coalition work toward cultural inclusion. With the 2026 grant award, the local NAACP office will enhance its Healthcare Careers Pathways program to train 30 youth to obtain medical certifications and job shadowing and apprenticeship placements.

H.O.N.E.Y., Inc.
H.O.N.E.Y. Inc. (Honoring Our New Ethnic Youth) has served multiracial and ethnically diverse youth from birth through age 24 and families across Lane County since 1983. Afterschool and no-school day enrichment programs operate like essential childcare services, providing a safe, culturally responsive, and enriching environment for youth. The CED Grant award will support 200 working families with free childcare and improve the wages of childcare workers in the industry.

Onward Eugene
Onward Eugene is the economic development arm of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. Onward Eugene is home to the Lane County Childcare Sector Strategist and is supporting a regional effort called the Lane Early Learning Registered Apprenticeship (LELA), serving Lane County childcare providers. Onward will use the CED Grant award to launch and scale a Lane Early Learning Registered Apprenticeship program to train and support at least 20 childcare apprentices resulting in increased employment, qualifications and wages with a focus on the Florence/Siuslaw region.

Viking Textile Maker Hub
Viking Textile Maker Hub (VTMH) is an industrial sewing makerspace dedicated to building skills, creating opportunities, and strengthening Lane County’s workforce. For two years, its Industrial Sewing Training Program has equipped unhoused and economically vulnerable people with marketable sewing skills, creating a much-needed pipeline of trained workers for local employers. VTMH will use the CED grant funding to train 36 unhoused or economically disadvantaged residents with industrial sewing skills to repair or manufacture more than 570 items and provide a repair and manufacturing resource to the region.

About Lane County Community and Economic Development

Lane County's Community and Economic Development Program partners with local business support organizations, cities, special districts and economic development agencies to facilitate community development and create economic prosperity.

The goal of Community and Economic Development is to support vibrant communities through furthering economic opportunity across Lane County with a specific focus on the rural and unincorporated communities of the county.

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ROAD CLOSURE: Office Covered Bridge (Old Mill Road, Westfir) - 12/01/25

Road Name: Old Mill Road 

Location: Office Covered Bridge in Westfir

Closure area: The full span of the Office Covered Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic. 

Date and time: Saturday, December 6, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Alternate routes: None

Reason for closure: Annual holiday lighting event

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Simplify The Holidays Waste Prevention Campaign Returns For Fourth Year - 11/25/25

Lane County residents are encouraged to once again take part in Waste Wise Lane County’s annual “Simplify the Holidays” campaign, running now through New Year’s Day.

Waste Wise Lane County, a part of the Lane County Waste Management Division, has led the campaign since 2022 to help residents and businesses reimagine their holiday traditions, reduce unnecessary waste, and find more meaningful, low-impact ways to celebrate.

“Waste is too often a centerpiece of the holiday season,” said Waste Wise Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator Daniel Hiestand. “This campaign is a reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way. With small shifts in habits, we can reduce waste and increase joy.”

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, Americans generate 36 more pounds of waste in December than in other months—roughly the equivalent of throwing away seven computer monitors per person.

A highlight of the campaign is the Holiday Leftover Recipe Contest, returning for its third year. Residents can submit recipes at wastewiselane.org/holiday. Those who share recipes will be automatically entered into a drawing for some great prizes, with contest winners announced in early January.

This year’s prizes include: Lovely All Day Cafe and BRING gift certificates, free enrollment in Oregon State University Extension Master Food Preserver workshops, and a collection of sustainable products from Main Street Market.

Follow the campaign on Waste Wise Lane County’s social media pages @WasteWiseLaneCounty on Facebook and Instagram.

About Waste Wise Lane County

Waste Wise Lane County— a part of the Lane County Waste Management Division—empowers residents, schools, and businesses with education, tools, and resources that can be used to reduce waste, conserve resources, and live more sustainably. For more information, visit lanecountyor.gov/wastewise.

About Simplify the Holidays

Simplify the Holidays is an award-winning program of the Center for Biological Diversity. Simplify the Holidays seeks to empower individuals and families to be more conscious of the impacts of holiday traditions and, in doing so, reconnect with meaningful and lasting celebrations. Learn more at simplifytheholidays.org.

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Free Community Holiday Meal Dec. 3 At Lane County Youth Services - 11/24/25

Lane County Youth Services invites the community to the 16^th annual FREE community holiday meal on Wednesday, December 3. The meal, which is open to everyone, is from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Lane County Youth Services (2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Eugene) and includes free food boxes to take home and a free raffle for prizes.

“The meal means so much to our students, our staff and so many community members who come back year after year to share a holiday meal with us,” said the event organizer, Senior Juvenile Justice Supervisor Shellye Reynoso. “Our students especially get to show off their culinary skills and see how their efforts serve people around them.”

Food for the event is prepared and served by students in the MLK Education Center Culinary Arts Program. Students are taught a wide variety of culinary, catering, and workplace skills. Students work alongside professionals who mentor and supervise them to prepare three meals a day and small and large caterings. More than 400 community members were served during last year’s meal.

The event relies on donations to help provide the food, sponsor the food boxes, and provide raffle prizes.

About the MLK Education Center

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Center serves middle and high school students who have an active case with Lane County Youth Services. This program is a collaboration between Youth Services and the Lane Education Service District (Lane ESD). In addition to academics, the MLK Education Center provides vocational opportunities, including in the culinary arts. The Culinary Arts Program offers youth the opportunity to learn different jobs involved in food service and catering.

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2026 School Electronic Recycling Competition Seeks To Build On Record-setting 2025 Campaign - 11/19/25

Registration is now open for Lane County schools interested in participating in the 2026 Electronics Recycling Competition. Schools must register at  wastewiselane.org/ERC by December 12.

The competition (January 6-April 24, 2026) is a joint effort between Lane County schools, NextStep Recycling, and Waste Wise Lane County, a part of Lane County Waste Management.

Schools that recycle the most “e-waste” will win grants of up to $500 from Lane County Waste Management, a NextStep Reuse Store gift certificate, and a special recognition award.

During the 2025 competition, a record 48 schools collected 41,491 pounds of e-waste.

“We hope to build on the success of the 2025 campaign,” said NextStep Recycling Executive Director Jessica Ahrenholtz. “If you are a student, parent, teacher, administrator, or former school alumnus who wants to help your school gain waste prevention recognition, please tell your school’s principal about the competition.”

Eligible e-waste includes microwaves, TVs, printers, cords, cables, cell phones, computers, computer accessories (monitors, keyboards, mice, computer speakers, etc., whether in working condition or not), tablets, old or broken game consoles, remotes, and AV equipment (i.e., stereos, speakers, DVD players, etc.). But no plastic, non-electronic items (i.e., toys, vacuums, etc.).

Learn more at wastewiselane.org/ERC.

About Waste Wise Lane County

WasteWise Lane County offers education, tools, and resources that residents, schools, and businesses can use to reduce waste, conserve resources, and live more sustainably. Learn more about repair resources at fixitlanecounty.com

About NextStep Recycling

NextStep offers education, job training, and placement programs for youth graduating foster care, adults with disabilities, seniors, families leaving domestically violent relationships, migrant worker family members, and underfunded schools and nonprofits. Its mission is to provide technology and training to children and adults with barriers to employment and education while protecting the environment and community from hazardous waste.

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State Shelter Funding Reduction Impacts Lane County Shelter Operations - 11/19/25

• · 60 fewer state funded shelter beds. 
• · Three fewer shelter programs funded by state shelter funds (ShelterCare Medical Recuperation at 969 Hwy 99, Equitable Social Solutions Garden Way Medical Respite, and The Sandbox operated by Carry It Forward). 
• · 32.3 full-time equivalent fewer staff supporting shelter residents, many of whom lost their jobs.  
• · Little to no housing focused supports for shelter residents, resulting in a focus on simply meeting basic needs and maintaining shelter operations.  

• · A loss of six shelter beds at The Sandbox Shelter. Efforts are underway to either relocate or house clients.  
• · A reduction of approximately 10 shelter staff. This includes housing-focused case management staff, who work with shelter residents to develop and implement individual action plans and actively assist clients in looking for housing. 
• · A 50% reduction in funding for Egan Warming Shelter (about $151,000). 
• · Reduction to 3 Egan sites.