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Tackling community issues. Celebrating local voices.
The early June heat wave that hit Eugene and Springfield is setting an unsettling tone for what’s expected to be a dangerously hot summer.
For years, public health and emergency managers have relied on cooling spaces — public buildings that open their doors when temperatures hit 90 degrees — to offer short-term relief. But as heat waves become more frequent and severe, local leaders are beginning to shift their focus toward long-term answers that better protect vulnerable communities.
“This weekend’s record-breaking heat in Eugene is a stark reminder that the climate crisis is here, and it’s hitting Lane County hard. We need real solutions that protect those hit first and worst by climate change,” said Joel Iboa, founding executive director of the Oregon Just Transition Alliance, a group dedicated to supporting communities on the front lines of climate change…