The Eugene Weekly returned to print on Feb. 8, following an ongoing embezzlement scandal.
The EW’s financial crisis caused the paper to not print a weekly edition for the first time in over 20 years. It also forced the publication to lay off all of its employees.
In the paper’s first week back in print on Feb. 8, it featured an article thanking the many businesses that financially supported the publication during its six-week-long print edition hiatus.
Editor-in-chief of the EW, Camilla Mortensen, said it was a whirlwind of emotions when she realized the jeopardy the EW was in.
“This paper that I have worked at and done everything to keep going had no money, massive debt and no one was seeing a way forward,” Mortensen said. “Oh sh*t, we’re shutting down the paper,” Mortensen said after the scandal broke.
The entire 10-person staff was laid off on Dec. 22, 2023. As a direct response to the layoffs, The Weekly was provided with interns from the SOJC.
During its time of crisis, many local businesses stepped in and supported the Weekly with financial donations.
“People just sort of came by and were supportive,” Mortensen said. “Lots of little things, Nothing Bundt Cakes dropped off a bunch of cakes.”
UO sophomore Cai Rogers had heard of the paper’s absence during his Gateway to Media class.
“I have read the Eugene Weekly because it is frequently around campus or easily accessible in local stores,” Rogers said. “I have a couple covers posted on my wall.”
At the time of the shutdown, The Weekly was looking at around $200,000 in total losses and debt. Throughout January, community donations have surpassed $90,000 via donations on GoFundMe.
As of now, the Weekly has six of their former 10-person staff back full-time.
“[We] can sort of re-envision and use this as an opportunity to figure out ways the paper can come back stronger,” Mortensen said.
Local Tex-Mex restaurant Tacovore took to Facebook to spread awareness about the Weekly’s embezzlement and the paper’s halting of print editions.
Brooke Lovaas is the general manager of Tacovore and has lived in Eugene since 1992. “I feel like it’s been here a long time, [I’ve] lived in this area a long time,” Lovaas said.
On Jan. 4, Tacovore held a day-long fundraiser. Community members showed up to eat and to support the Weekly.
“Typically, when we do fundraisers here, we do usually between 8-10% of the daily sales,” Lovaas said. “We did a little over 7,000 [in sales] for the day, which is good for a weekday in the winter.”
For businesses that are not financially stable enough to donate a portion of their sales to a fundraiser, customers can donate themselves at the establishment.
“Some [point of sale] systems allow you to donate through the system,” Lovaas said.
Readers of the alternative paper can expect the Weekly in print every Thursday once again, thanks in part to the actions of its community.
“It’s not like we had some savior that stepped in and gave us a bunch of money; it was people writing checks for 25 dollars, 100 dollars,” Mortensen said.
