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News Release
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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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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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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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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Lane County Youth Services invites the community to the 16th 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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Lane County Youth Services invites the community to the 16th 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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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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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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Lane County is committing $200,000 from emergency reserves to increase emergency food access for community members, as well as assist with the basic household needs of families disrupted by recent immigration enforcement activity.
Funding will be provided to Food for Lane County to help support efforts to feed our community while SNAP benefits remain unavailable. Funding will also be provided to support families in our immigrant and refugee communities in partnership with local non-profits.
Recent incidents in our communities have created distress and uncertainty for people who live and work in Lane County.
Funding for families affected by separations will help support basic household needs such as rent assistance, access to food, and utility assistance.
Lane County strives to be a place where all people belong. We live, work, learn, worship, play, and raise our families alongside one another. Our strength comes from connection and from the ability to live without fear that the simple routines of daily life, such as taking children to school, reporting to work, or going to the grocery store, might be disrupted in ways that tear families apart.
Our mission in Lane County Government is to improve lives. Providing emergency funds to support people in crisis during these times is consistent with Lane County’s strategic plan, which focuses on making Lane County a safe and healthy place to live, and supporting vibrant communities.
Our local non-profit partners will distribute the information and the emergency funds. If you need immediate access to resources, please call or email: 541-393-4672 and LCHSInfo@LaneCountyOR.gov.
“We are working to keep families housed and fed so they can navigate this challenging time in safety and with dignity,” said Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky.
**County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky is available for phone and Zoom interviews between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today. Call Devon at 541-515-8833 to schedule.**
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Lane County is committing $200,000 from emergency reserves to increase emergency food access for community members, as well as assist with the basic household needs of families disrupted by recent immigration enforcement activity.
Funding will be provided to Food for Lane County to help support efforts to feed our community while SNAP benefits remain unavailable. Funding will also be provided to support families in our immigrant and refugee communities in partnership with local non-profits.
Recent incidents in our communities have created distress and uncertainty for people who live and work in Lane County.
Funding for families affected by separations will help support basic household needs such as rent assistance, access to food, and utility assistance.
Lane County strives to be a place where all people belong. We live, work, learn, worship, play, and raise our families alongside one another. Our strength comes from connection and from the ability to live without fear that the simple routines of daily life, such as taking children to school, reporting to work, or going to the grocery store, might be disrupted in ways that tear families apart.
Our mission in Lane County Government is to improve lives. Providing emergency funds to support people in crisis during these times is consistent with Lane County’s strategic plan, which focuses on making Lane County a safe and healthy place to live, and supporting vibrant communities.
Our local non-profit partners will distribute the information and the emergency funds. If you need immediate access to resources, please call or email: 541-393-4672 and LCHSInfo@LaneCountyOR.gov.
“We are working to keep families housed and fed so they can navigate this challenging time in safety and with dignity,” said Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky.
**County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky is available for phone and Zoom interviews between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today. Call Devon at 541-515-8833 to schedule.**
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