Local briefs
UO officials say they haven’t
received a request to return
Grayson donation
Nearly a month after a court-ap
pointed state officer released a report
demanding the University return
donations made by Jeffrey Grayson
over the past five years, University
officials say they have yet to receive
a written request for the money.
Melinda Grier, the University gen
eral counsel, said University officials
will consider any official request.
“Obviously, we would take some
thing like that seriously,” Grier said.
“But until we get a letter we couldn’t
speculate about what would happen. ”
Grayson donated $800,000 to the
University, according to receiver
Thomas Lennon. Lennon believes
that the money should be returned to
the state because it was taken out of
fees charged to clients by Capital Con
sultants, a Portland investment firm.
Grayson, the former chairman of
the company, is accused of using
money taken from Capital Consul
tants clients to fund personal ex
penses and philanthropic projects.
The U.S. Department of Labor and
the Securities and Exchange Com
mission shut down Capital Consul
tants several months ago after inves
tigators began to suspect the firm of
mishandling union pension funds
and making fraudulent investments.
In 1997, the University renamed
Grayson Hall in honor of Grayson
and his wife, Susan, after the couple
promised to donate $1.5 million to
the University.
Officials with the University of
Oregon Foundation, which handles
donations made to the school, have
not publicly commented on how
much of the money pledged by the
Graysons has been received.
-By Kara Cogswell
Erb Essentials adopts stricter
policies on checking ID
Graduate students and high
school students alike now need
identification in tow every time they
buy tobacco at the Erb Essentials
store in the EMU.
EMU Director Dusty Miller said
the store recently applied for a new
tobacco license from the city, and
with the new license came strict
rules on checking identification,
even though most students are over
18 years old. Miller said the license
also carries heavy consequences for
stores that sell tobacco to minors.
Erb Essentials’ counters and win
dows are now adorned with stickers
declaring the store part of the na
tional “We Card” program.
-By Jeremy Lang
Vineyard kicks off classic
film series
Hinman Vineyards begins its first
classic film series Wednesday with
“Adam’sRib,”starringSpencer Tracy
and Katharine Hepburn. The show
starts at dusk and will be presented on
a large screen on a sloping grass field
at the vineyard. “Dial M for Murder”
will follow on July 25, and “The Sev
en Year Itch” on Aug. 29. Admission
is $8, which includes the film, wine
tasting and hors d’oeuvres.
On other Wednesday nights, the
vineyard will feature a variety of mu
sical entertainment, and admission
to those events is $5.
The vineyard is located at 27012
Briggs Hill Road, 10 miles southwest
of Eugene. F or more information, call
345-1954orvisitsilvanridge.com.
-By Jeremy Lang
Northwest Film Center seeks
student productions
The Portland Art Museum’s
Northwest Film Center is looking for
student films, shorts and documen
taries for its 28th annual festival. Stu
dents in western states and British
Columbia are eligible. The deadline
is Aug. 1. For more information and
entry forms, log on to nwfilm.org.
-By Jeremy Lang
Coquille Indian Tribe
donates funds for new
library collection
The Coquille Indian Tribe has do
nated $10,000 to create a new collec
tion of documents, maps and micro
film at the Knight Library. The
documents, recently discovered
among the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Anthropological Archives
and National Archives in Washington,
D.C., detail the history of Northwest
Indian tribes and their interactions
with the United States. The docu
ments can be found in the library’s Di
vision of Special Collections.
-By Jeremy Lang
Oregon brief
Democrats stage walkout
over redistricting plan
SALEM. Ore. — Democrats
brought half of the Oregon Legisla
ture to a halt Monday by refusing to
meet until majority Republicans
back off in a fight over redistricting.
House Minority Leader Dan Gard
ner of Portland said the Democrats
would refuse to provide a quorum to
do business until Republicans scrap a
tactic to push through a redistricting
plan that would bypass Democratic
Gov. John Kitzhaber.
Two-thirds of the 60 House mem
bers, or 40, have to be present to do
business. Republicans control the
chamber on a 32-27 count, with one
independent.
Gardner, D-Portland, said only
two Democrats came to the Capitol
on Monday.
If a redistricting plan is not enact
ed by June 30, the state constitution
says the task of redrawing legislative
districts goes to Secretary of State
Bill Bradbury, a Democrat.
Lawmakers have adopted a Re
publican-backed plan for reshaping
legislative districts that’s opposed
by all Democrats, and Kitzhaber says
he won’t sign any plan that lacks bi
partisan support.
Republicans pushed a measure
out of committee Friday that would
put the GOP-backed plan into a res
olution, which, unlike abill, would
n’t go to the governor.
Gardner said a law can’t be passed
without the governor participating.
House Speaker Mark Simmons
had no immediate comment on the
development.
Gardner produced a written
opinion from Greg Chaimov, the
Legislature’s chief lawyer, that says
although the state constitution is
not clear on the issue, ’’the most
persuasive reading” is that the Leg
islature “must reapportion legisla
tive districts through a bill that is
subject to veto.”
Charles E. Beggs, The Associated Press
l/l/ednesdays
Classic
luw^5 The Seven ^eai
August 29 ^.nd-mg Torres
^ Septet 5
012031
H INMAN
Vineyards -
„ , . PLEASE JOIN US FOR „
/ Wednesday at the l vinery
CLASSIC FILM NIGHT
Co-sponsored by Lorane Film Society
cafFe orsini catering
BRIGGS HILL ORCHIDS
27012 BRIGGS HILL ROAD, EUGENE, OR 97405 • 541.345.1945 FAX 541.345.6174 • www.silvanridge.com
oaBay
942-8730 484-1927
GOLF 9 HOLES $10
Students Only. Must show ID. (Monday ■ Friday)
011037
y/eV p'&pfe y/e*/ fu*. y/eV tTperipacz.
Don't miss out.
Work for your college paper.
For more information on how to freelance for the Oregon Daily Emerald call 346-5511.
Oregon Daily Emerald
Little Caesars
Oik
ritm
MEDIUM PEPPERONI
OR CHEESE PIZZA
1711 Willamette
(next to Blockbuster)
343-3330