Sami Edge is the 2014-2015 editor-in-chief of Emerald Media Group, the organization’s board of directors decided Tuesday evening. Edge is currently an assistant news editor.

Edge, a sophomore from Reno, Nev., started at The Emerald as a news reporter in February of 2013. She was promoted to the paper’s investigative team for fall term 2013 and then to assistant news editor the following term. She’s double majoring in journalism and international studies with minors in Spanish and Latin American studies.

Edge will lead the media group’s editorial department through the third year of its “Revolution” — the news operation’s daily product, The Oregon Daily Emerald, was replaced with a bi-weekly news magazine with an emphasis on digital reporting in 2012.

Edge said that she wants to improve The Emerald’s print and online products in addition to focusing on community service journalism.

“At least some part of every print edition should have relevance for 100 percent of our audience,” she said. “Our reporters have a lot of passion and I’d like to see more of that. We all — myself included — have room to improve.”

Edge graduated from McQueen High School in 2012. She was the editor-in-chief of the school paper, The Excalibur, her junior year and worked at The Reno News & Review her senior year as a reporter intern. She spent last summer as an intern at The Sparks Tribune in Sparks, Nev.

Edge is spending the summer as a reporting intern at the Willamette Week in Portland, where her predecessor, Sam Stites, also spent the summer of 2011. Her news judgement and newsroom expertise factored in the board’s decision to hire her as editor. Edge is the first junior to be appointed to the position in Peter Milliron’s five years on the Emerald board.

“What gave Sami the edge is that she had a very well-developed strategic plan and vision for this next year,” said Milliron, the board chair. “The Emerald has come through some major changes over the past few years through the Revolution and we felt that in this next phase, with a new publisher coming on board, Sami would be a good fit in moving us forward.”

Charlie Weaver, The Emerald’s new publisher, starts later this month. Weaver was previously the production and digital media director for The Iowa State Daily. He replaces Ryan Frank, who helped guide The Emerald through the Revolution. Frank also supported the student staffs in the marketing department and The Venture Department, The Emerald’s in-house creative agency. He stepped down at the end of March and is now the politics editor at The Las Vegas Sun.

Both Milliron and Edge said that a positive relationship between the new editor and publisher is a key component in moving the company forward. The fact that Edge is taking the reins as a junior — the other two applicants will be seniors in the fall — was of little concern to the board. Edge doesn’t believe that it will be much of a problem, either.

“I’m certain I can overcome any obstacles that I come across because I’ve only been at The Emerald for a year,” she said.

Whether she was an editor or reporter, it wasn’t uncommon to see Edge in the Emerald newsroom at 8 a.m. most mornings. She says it’s the people she works with that keep her coming in every day.

“The Emerald believes in me. Ryan Frank and Sam Stites made a point of giving me opportunities to excel,” she said.

Edge wants to give her staff — new and returning — the same opportunities. And she has big plans for anyone who joins the newsroom team for the 2014-2015 academic year.

“Call me a fool for wanting to change the world but I think we can get there,” she said.

The stretch of floor at McShane’s Bar and Grill that connects the tables in the back to the bar can’t be more than 25 or 30 feet long. Even on the busiest nights, there’s plenty of room to move — it’s not like the claustrophobic thoroughfare from the front door to the patio at Max’s or the shoulder-to-shoulder cluster at Taylor’s on Wednesday evenings.

But when you’re sitting on an adult-sized tricycle, that stretch of floor can seem a mile long.

That’s right: McShane’s has adult tricycles. And every Tuesday night at 10 p.m., the furniture is cleared out and customers race around the bar for a shot at $25 and free drinks.

Signup sheets sit on a table to the right of the front door and registration starts at 9 p.m. Once a customer signs up, he or she also fills out a waiver — these trike races are serious business. As soon as 10 p.m. rolls around, employees round up the volunteers and position them at the starting line. Women race first followed by the men. Two or three racers zoom around the bar at once. Winner advances to the next round. And so it goes until there are two left. The male and female champions then compete for the grand prize.

Tim Lawlor and Jennifer Aleshire work for So Delicious Dairy Free and usually head to McShane’s when their boss is in town.

“The trike races are what we love about it,” Lawlor said. “To have a whole bar cheer for you as you race around — it’s a unique thing you don’t find anywhere else.”

On this particular evening, Lawlor and Aleshire competed for the top prize. Lawlor edged out a win, but both say it’s not about who wins or loses.

“It’s energizing and competitive,” said Aleshire, director of research of development for So Delicious. “It doesn’t matter who wins. It’s fun. It’s anybody’s game.”

Although much of the building’s first floor is cleared out for the races, the second floor provides the perfect perch for spectators.

Although McShane’s location is a bit inconvenient — it’s nestled on a small road across the highway from Lane Community College — the atmosphere and trike races are well worth the trip. So are the nachos.

There was a time when Thursday nights and the first and third Saturdays of each month were wacky staples in the downtown party scene. The now-shuttered John Henry’s once played host to ‘80s Night — music from arguably the best decade was spun all night long — and G.L.A.M. Night, where a drag show punctuated the evening and kitschy music blared as bar patrons paraded on stage and showed the crowd their moves. Since the bar’s closing, both events have had to find new homes.

G.L.A.M. fans can now head to Luckey’s Club on the first Friday of each month to get their fill. Entrance to the event runs $5 and although there’s no raised stage to dance on at Luckey’s, patrons enjoy two shows rather than one.

Head to the other side of town in the Whiteaker neighborhood and you’ll find John Henry’s other legacy — Blairally Vintage Arcade has taken on hosting duties for ‘80s night. Every Friday beginning at 9 p.m., The Church of the ‘80s begins. It’s $3 to get in and the bevy of pinball machines are a perfect accompaniment to the retro tunes.

On Mondays, a quick walk to Sam Bond’s Garage yields yet another off-beat night-time staple: BINGO night with Tom and Scott. Prizes for the event include free food and drinks in addition to the occasional garage sale find (It’s not uncommon to win a 20-year-old copy of Monopoly or Scrabble).

There you have it. The next time you’re planning your week and looking for an alternative to $1 beers, it might be worth considering any of these opportunities for shenanigans.

There’s nothing quite as terrifying as watching Baby Mario float away in a bubble as a big red 0 materializes in the top right corner of your game screen. That’s as true in “Yoshi’s New Island” now as it was back in 1995 when “Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island” first introduced Nintendo’s signature plumber as a secondary character to his prehistoric steed.

In his Nintendo 3DS debut, Yoshi packs many of the same tricks he did nearly 20 years ago — he can gobble up enemies and turn them into eggs (for shooting, of course), morph into vehicles at certain junctures and, as his plumber friend before him, hop on enemies to defeat them. Just as Mario in the New Super Mario Bros. series, Yoshi has a couple of jumbo powerups this time around.

The first of these is merely an egg that’s four times the dinosaur’s size. At certain points in the game, a giant Shy Guy will pop out of a pipe and require a bit of effort to turn into an egg. This projectile can knock over certain walls, uncovering collectibles and secret paths. The second new powerup is the giant metal egg, which functions much like its non metallic brethren, but with the added bonus of allowing Yoshi to walk underwater.

“Yoshi’s New Island” greatly benefits from the hardware it’s running on. The game looks gorgeous. It’s the perfect mix of 2D crayon art backgrounds and 3D character models. Online screen grabs and video don’t do the game justice — there’s nothing quite like traversing this updated Yoshi’s island.

But that doesn’t mean the game isn’t without its flaws. The vehicle sections exclusively use the 3DS’s gyro controls, which aren’t ideal for navigating meticulously through, say, an underwater tunnel as a Yoshi submarine.

The standard controls also feel a bit more sluggish than they did in the SNES game. Whereas Yoshi could practically turn on a dime and unload an egg instantaneously in his first solo adventure, it takes the dinosaur a bit longer to complete these actions. The platforming, fortunately, doesn’t suffer too much from this mechanic.

“Yoshi’s New Island” is, at times, a punishingly difficult platformer. There are segments where movements need to be so precise that a single misstep has Baby Mario wailing uncontrollably as you chase after him, tripping over hazards and repeatedly hurting yourself all the while. The game ranks right up there with contemporary platformers like the “Donkey Kong Country Returns” series and latter challenges of the “Super Mario 3D” games.

It’s unfortunate, then, that music in “Yoshi’s New Island” doesn’t quite fit with the ruthless sentiment the game world conveys. Much of the tunes are a riff on the original overworld theme, which is a tad on the cheery side. Even this game’s version of the athletic theme doesn’t do much to instill a sense of urgency in the player.

Nit-picky complaints aside, “Yoshi’s New Island” is well worth the $39.99 price tag that it commands both at retail and on Nintendo’s eShop.

You’ve been there before.

You just took a final (or a midterm. Or maybe even just a really hard test). It’s only 2 p.m. and you’re done for the day. How do you reward yourself? It’s simple: A pitcher and a basket of cheesy bacon tots to share with a friend.

“It’s the only bar on campus where I’ve ever thought to buy food,” senior linguistics major Allison Orr said.

Rennie’s Landing (1214 Kincaid St.) is the perfect place to do it, too — no wonder you voted it Best of Campus. Just a stone’s throw away from the Lillis Business Complex and a quick walk from your English discussion class at McKenzie Hall, there’s no better place to grab a quick bite and a heaping pile of greasy bar food.

But it’s not all taters and bacon bits. No, sir. The menu ranges from breakfast — huevos rancheros, omelettes and more — to lunch items like our beloved bacon fries and tots, as well as heftier dishes — think burgers and corned beef hash.

And if you’ve been there, you know anyone would be hard-pressed to find a better spot on campus to enjoy those meals. The wooden tables and chairs inside the pub are sturdy and comfortable and the outdoor area on the first floor offers fire pits for you to huddle around with your friends. They’re particularly refreshing on cold winter afternoons and evenings.

The food and atmosphere are what got Michael Van Loon to apply to work there. He’s been a bartender for about six months now.

“Every time I come here, the atmosphere is just relaxed,” he said. “We don’t even have to have security here.”

Don’t forget the second story, where the bar hosts a trivia night every Tuesday. In fact, the bartenders start a $100 tab those days just to give out food. And if you remember them, they’ll remember you.

“Hey, didn’t you serve us during my 21st?” a customer asked bartender Candace Davis on a Wednesday afternoon.

“Oh, yeah! You were a fun one,” Davis said in response.

The Rec Center was evacuated at approximately 6:13 p.m. tonight as fire crews inspected smoke in Esslinger Hall. The building is closed for the rest of the night, although students are heading back in pairs to collect their belongings.

UOPD’s Scott Geeting confirmed there was a fire in the building but couldn’t confirm its size, although a UO Alert sent to students described it as small. An investigation is underway to determine the fire’s origin.

Chantelle Russell, assistant director of fitness for the Rec, told student workers the building was closed at approximately 6:50 p.m. before instructing them to lead students in pairs to pick up their belongings.

After the fire started in Esslinger, sprinklers went off upstairs in the Rec Center, leading to water damage that led to the decision to close the building. Rec officials are still assessing the damage.

Logan Maynard, a grad student in human physiology, was working out at the Rec for about 15 minutes before the fire alarm sounded and a building evacuation began.

“Fire alarm just went off and they kinda evacuated everyone onto the street,” he said.

The source of the smoke has not yet been determined and Eugene Fire Department officials positioned fans to blow the smoke out of the west entrance to Esslinger at approximately 6:30 p.m.

This story is developing. More to come.

Craig Garcia contributed to this report.

Eugene Police and the fire department responded to a three-car pileup in front of the Albertson’s on 30th Avenue and Hilyard Street Friday night.

The cause of the crash was brake failure on a late-model white Mercedes GLK 350.

Injuries are minor, Eugene Police officer Ryan Solesebee said. The area should be cleared up by approximately 8:45, he told The Emerald.

Everyone’s done the campus bar crawl. Start at Rennie’s, migrate to Taylor’s and get sick of it before heading to Webfoot. Head to Fathom’s afterward for a slice of pizza before closing out Max’s. But for those who truly want to experience the best of the Eugene bar scene, we’ve got quite the list for you. And what better way to experience it than to do like Simon Pegg and Co. in The World’s End and hit them all, one after the other, in what we’re calling Eugene’s “Golden Mile.”

Here’s the order:

Start at The Bier Stein and order a beer. You have one hour from the time you do so until you’re due at Falling Sky. Repeat and head on down to Olive Street and Broadway — or, as the area is better known, the Barmuda Triangle. We’ve laid out the three best bars to visit in the area, but feel free to wander to Cowfish, Luckey’s, Davis or the newly opened Sidelines, which replaced John Henry’s this year. Then end the night at one of the two bars farthest on the crawl, either Max’s or the Jackalope Lounge. Start as early as you’d like, but the goal here is to close out at one of these seven locations. And you know what’s just as much fun as heading out for a night of drinks with your buds? Doing it responsibly. Make sure you grab a bite at one of these fine establishments and grab a glass of water between drinks, too.

Bier Stein — (1591 Willamette St.)

This is the perfect place to start your journey through Eugene’s finest spirits establishments. The menu is fantastic — try the Pizzannini, which is exactly what it sounds like ($9.95) — and the staff is incredibly helpful in guiding you toward the best of what the bar has to offer. Upon entering, you’ll notice the enormous refrigerator full of craft beers and a board that describes each of the 30 beers on tap at any given time. It’s even available online if you want to plan your trip in advance.

Those who visited The Bier Stein at its old digs on 11th Avenue may remember how cramped and crowded it could get. Although that’s sometimes the case here on Willamette, there’s much more floor space and you can almost always find a table, even on the busiest nights.

Falling Sky Brewing — (1334 Oak Alley)

Just a few blocks away from The Bier Stein sits Falling Sky, a small brewing outfit tucked into Oak Alley near 13th Avenue. If you didn’t grab a bite at the Stein, there’s plenty here to get your arteries nice and clogged. The poutine, a semi-french fry concoction topped with vegetarian gravy and garlic mozzarella cheese curds, is perfect for a couple of friends, albeit a bit spendy at $9. But, hey, regular fries will only run about $5 at this establishment.

Brews range in alcohol level from the 3 percent to just over 8 percent. The Walk on the Mild Side has the lowest alcohol content while the Doublespeak Belgian Dark Strong and Wet Earth Winter Ale are among the strongest the place has to offer.

Jameson’s — (115 W Broadway)

Once you’ve crossed 13th Avenue and headed on north, you’ll be sticking around downtown for awhile. Jameson’s should be your first stop on this part of the trip. There are admittedly fewer beers on tap here, but the bartenders are more than happy to whip up a Jack and Coke for you, which you’re not going to find at the Bier Stein or Falling Sky. Jameson’s offers both ample standing room and a couple of booths in addition to three indoor seating areas and a patio for the smokers in your group.

It’s also the first of two spots on this list that house a pool table for you to pass the time. Not a fan of billiards? The wait for the pool table might not do much to sway that opinion.

Starlight Lounge — (830 Olive St.)

After you leave Jameson’s, walk half a block north and you’ll find yourself at the Starlight Lounge. You can’t miss it: The stone lions guarding the entrance are a dead giveaway. Like Jameson’s, this is an excellent place to lounge around. With plenty of cushy couches in the main seating area and a bevy of armchairs and love seats near the entrance, there’s no shortage of places to rest your posterior as you get nice and chummy with the folks who agreed to accompany you on this tour of Eugene’s finest pubs and bars.

You’ll often find yourself humming along to a wide array of music — depending on who’s bar tending, you’ll relive the glory of the ‘90s or bounce to some classic hip hop — and if you make it here between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., one shot of Patron will run you $3. Not too shabby.

The Horsehead Bar — (99 W. Broadway)

Grab a Pabst and play some pool. It’s practically a ritual for plenty of folks who visit one of downtown Eugene’s most amiable bars. And for good reason. The outdoor seating area is an excellent place to mingle and the three pool tables in the back provide a great way to pass the time. As the evening nears its end, it might also be a good idea to grab an order of bacon cheese fries — a half order will run you $6.75 and a full one goes for $3 more. The kitchen is also operational until the bar closes, so you’ll never find yourself trying to sweet talk any of the bartenders into firing up an order of chicken wings for you ala Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy.”

And now that you’ve covered much of what Olive Street has to offer north of Broadway, you have a choice: Keep on this side of town or head toward campus to close out one of the most storied bars in town? Here’s how to do both:

The Jackalope Lounge — (453 Willamette St.)

Because of its distance from both the University of Oregon campus and the downtown area, The Jackalope Lounge is a place too few students discover until it’s too late. It’s probably the most homey spot on this list — even though there are 11 TVs scattered throughout the establishment dedicated to any and every sport you’re following — and if you’re looking for a relatively quiet end to your evening, make a point of having this be your last stop of the night.

Jackalope is about as far detached from the campus and downtown bars that you’re used to. The music plays at a reasonable level and you’d best keep the YOLOs to a minimum. As with plenty of other establishments on this list, the lounge has a lengthy menu and, best of all, plenty of its items can be ordered to-go for a 50-cent surcharge.

New Max’s Tavern — (550 E. 13th Ave.)

Of course, if you’re looking to end your evening in what has scientifically been proven to be the closest any UO student has ever come to experiencing what it’s like to be in a sardine tin, you’ll want to head to Max’s. Or, you know, if you’re looking for some semblance of familiarity after you’ve thoroughly explored downtown Eugene. Despite how cramped it gets in here, the bartenders are among the friendliest you’ll ever meet and the free popcorn nearly makes up for the 10 minutes you’ll have to wait to get in should you arrive after 1 a.m.

The real charm of closing out Max’s, as plenty of you know, is the camaraderie you feel with your fellow bar flies when you’re belting out Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” or Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” at the top of your lungs after final call. And when it comes to affordability, you can’t beat a lipo — it’s what the bartenders call a concoction that’s half PBR and half espresso stout.

A Ford Explorer traveling westbound on 19th Avenue collided with a car near Columbia Street and pushed it nearly a quarter mile before crashing into three more cars near Agate Street, Eugene Police Officer Jed McGuire told The Emerald.

The Explorer was driven by an elderly gentleman whose license status will now be under review, McGuire said.

There were no injuries — the three vehicles struck in front of the McMenamin’s 19th Street Café were unoccupied and the drivers of the other vehicles were also unharmed.

Chris Arndt, who works at Tom’s Market across the street from McMenamins, said he heard the crash and went outside to inspect with a customer.

“(The driver) tried to take off and tried to back off and pulled back,” Arndt said. “Kinda like he was trying to parallel park.”

Arndt then saw the driver wander around after the wreck and said the elderly man tried to walk off, responding surprised at the fact that he had just been in a car wreck. Arndt and the Tom’s customer then called 9-1-1 after asking the driver to stay put until police and an ambulance arrived.

It happens once every four or five years: The big console manufacturers release a new box with greater graphical capabilities and more features than their predecessors. The Wii brought us motion control. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 brought us 720p and 1080p output in addition to the inclusion of streaming video as a standard for television hardware.

The Xbox One and Playstation 4 were released last month to generally favorable reviews by the gaming press and users at large, despite a few issues that have popped up (Blu-ray drive failures chief among them, but it should be noted that these problems account for very few of the consoles sold).

But do Sony’s and Microsoft’s new boxes warrant a $400 or $500 investment? Maybe, but on most fronts it’s a no.

You shouldn’t buy either of this year’s new consoles if you already have a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 and you own fewer than 10 games for either. Because if you’re in this boat, there are a ton of great titles that you’ll find out there on the cheap. If you missed out on such games as this year’s “Tomb Raider” or any entry in either the “Mass Effect” or “Bioshock” series, you haven’t made the most of your seventh generation console. And those are just the cross-platform offerings.

Microsoft’s “Gears of War,” “Halo” and “Fable” series are worth the $10 or $15 you’ll spend on them at any used games store, and Sony’s “Uncharted,” “Killzone” and “Twisted Metal” games are more than worth it at those same prices. Take a trip to Big City Gamin’ (1288 Willamette St.) or CD/Game Exchange (30 E. 11th Ave.) and check out the offerings.

Also stay away if you don’t have a TV with an HDMI port. Although the 360 and PS3 accommodate component input, their successors do not. It’s admittedly a rare concern among those who would consider a purchase this early in the console cycle, but worth pointing out because of just how much you’d shell out for new hardware.

You should buy one of this year’s new consoles if you’d like to start broadcasting your gameplay and sharing it with the world. Both consoles are compatible with the Twitch streaming service, which lets you record snippets of gameplay and upload them to YouTube. In fact, the Xbox One automatically records the last five minutes of gameplay while the PS4 does so for 15.

Other than sharing in the joy of being an early adopter, there’s honestly not much else either console has to offer over its predecessor. Sure, they’re capable of better graphical output and allow you to multitask more efficiently than the Xbox 360 or PS3, but developers haven’t fully realized either new machine’s potential and multitasking is small potatoes compared to the sheer number of affordable titles out for the last crop of consoles. Until the Xbox One and Playstation 4 offer a game library that truly takes advantage of the new hardware, there’s not much reason to spring for one, particularly since neither system allows you to take advantage of its predecessor’s back catalog.

The Wii U offers a new enough experience that it’s worth an upgrade from a Wii — from HD output to a unique controller and backward compatibility — but third-party software support is so iffy that it’s a risky choice for all but Nintendo diehards.

The flip side of this argument is that developers are less inclined to produce games for these machines if they’re not selling. I still vote to wait it out until one of these consoles offers a title you absolutely need to play — I’m waiting for the recently announced “Uncharted” title to come out to pick up a PS4, myself.

No matter which way you cut it — from $500+ machines that are sure to get libraries that will produce must-plays to their last-gen counterparts with a bevy of affordable titles — it’s a great time to be a gamer.

We told you it would happen and it’s finally here.

Okay, so it was the National Weather Service that forecast up to three inches of snow in the Willamette Valley today on top of the layer residents arose to find on the ground. Every K-12 school in Eugene is expecting at least a two-hour delay, and the University of Oregon is closed at 2 p.m.