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Oregon Daily Emerald
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kieckner
Managing Editor:
Jenni Schultz
Tuesday, July 2,2002
Oregon officials end special session,
agree on fix for $860 million shortfall
The budget package includes
a gradual income-tax break and
a delay of a payment to schools
By Jan Montry
Oregon Daily Emerald
With a collective sigh of relief, the
Oregon Senate and House ended their
third special session early Sunday af
ter agreeing on a budget to fix an $860
million shortfall. The package will
now go to Governor John Kitzhaber
for consideration.
The new bipartisan budget pack
age includes: a gradual phase-in of
Measure 88's income-tax break, delay
of a $267 million payment to school
and community colleges, reduction
of the state general fund and use of
Oregon’s ration of the national tobac
co settlement.
Budget committee member Sen.
Roger Beyer, R-Mollala, said the Re
publican budget plan proposed this
past week would have been more ef
fective at balancing the budget than
the budget passed Sunday.
“I think it was unnecessary to raise
taxes,” he said.
Before the budget crisis can end
completely, however, voters must
approve the Legislature’s plan to
raise cigarette taxes by 60 cents in a
September special election. Voters
will also decide whether to with
draw $150 million from an educa
tion endowment converted into a
rainy-day fund. If passed, the fund
will help schools balance their budg
ets but will not be available for use
during the 2003-05 biennium.
House Democratic Leader Deborah
Kafoury, D-Portland, said the
bill benefits K-12 but hurts higher
education.
“We cannot call this session a victo
ry when we are filling a huge portion
of the budget hole with credit cards,”
she said. “This budget borrows $225
million in bonds to cover basic servic
es and shifts $265 million of this
year’s school and community college
payments into next year.”
In an interview with the Emerald
this past week, Sen. Tony Corcoran,
D-Cottage Grove, also said aspects of
the bill will hurt higher education in
the future, especially converting the
endowment fund into a rainy-day
fund. He also said voters would only
accept the proposal if it were below
$220 million.
Legislators could face another spe
cial session in fall if voters defeat the
cigarette tax and endowment conver
sion; the two measures are pivotal to
the current budget plan.
Another looming problem is the
possibility of Kitzhaber vetoing
the plan. While he has not directly
threatened a veto, Kitzhaber has said
he disagrees with a short-term plan
that relies on one-time revenue and
borrowing.
“We won’t have anything until ear
ly next week,” Kitzhaber spokesman
John Coney said.
Contact the reporter
at janmontry@dailyemerald.com.
Annual Butte to Butte offers inexpensive
fun, exercise for 3,000 local participants
The 10-Kilometer Run and 4.5
Mile Mayor’s Fitness Walk span
between Spencer Butte and
Skinner Butte Park
By Brad Schmidt
Oregon Daily Emerald
Over the course of time, someone
coined the phrase “fun run.”
Come Independence Day, a non
participant might wonder just how
many of the expected 3,000 entrants
of Eugene’s oldest and largest road
race are truly enjoying themselves.
But for those involved, it isn’t
even a question.
“It’s darn good exercise,” said Eu
gene Mayor Jim Torrey, who will
briefly lead the 29th annual Butte to
Butte 10-Kilometer Run and 4.5
Mile Mayor’s Fitness Walk.
“It’s got a lot of history and sup
port in the community,” Torrey
added.
The run starts at 8 a.m. July 4, be
ginning near Spencer Butte at 43rd
Avenue and Donald Street and end
ing some 6.2 miles away in Down
town Eugene at Skinner Butte. The
less-grueling walk will begin min
utes later.
Race co-director Tom Jordan
said there is fairly even participa
tion in the two events, with about
half enduring the run and the oth
er half opting to walk.
Although the walk doesn’t begin
until about 10 minutes after the run
ners have left, Jordan said the last of
the walkers and runners will finish
at about the same time. The event is
expected to end by 10:30 a.m.
Jordan said he expects fewer than
100 University students to partici
pate but added that many Eugene
natives who attend college else
where will partake in the trek.
In general, Jordan said, the activi
ties have turned into a family event
that spawns recidivism.
“We find a lot of people who say,
‘Well, I’ve been doing this for 15
years,’” he said.
Race co-director Barbara Kousky
said a majority of the participants
will range from 20 to 40 years
in age.
“We’re seeing more and more
people who are walking for their
health,” Kousky said.
The cost of the event is $16 with
a T-shirt and $10 without. Registra
tion for the event is from noon to 6
p.m. today and Wednesday at the
Eugene Hilton. Participants can
also register on the day of the
event until 7:30 a.m. at Spencer
Butte Middle School. Same day
registration costs $22 with a T-shirt
and $16 without. Children age 12
and under accompanied by a par
ticipating adult will be admitted
for free. All profits go to the Ore
gon Track Club.
Contact the sports editor
at bradschmidt@dailyemerald.com.
Butte to Butte Race Course
News brief
Man drowns in Willamette River
The Eugene Fire Department re
moved a 22-year-old man from the
Willamette River near Arbor Drive on
Monday, according to Eup ^Mce
Lt. Mike Galick. The man * ^'o
nounced dead at the scene.
EPD had earlier received a phone
call from a person reporting that their
22-year-old friend was missing after
going swimming.
Police are still investigating the cir
cumstances of the man’s death. Offi
cers received differing information, in
cluding an on-scene account that three
teenage girls swimming in the same
area — near a popular rope swing
— had lured the man into the water by
pretending to need assistance. The
girls swam to shore safely.
The man has been identified but his
name is not being released until next of
kin have been notified.
— Michael J. Kleckner
Two unions file
charges against
Register-Guard
The organizations claim that, among other things, the
newspaper changed benefits without first consulting its
employees; the newspaper denies the charges
ByJillian Daley
Oregon Daily Emerald
Two local unions have again filed charges against The Reg
ister-Guard.
The Local 206 Teamsters Union filed charges with the Na
tional Labor Relations Board when the newspaper company’s
chief negotiator canceled a mid-May bargaining session, say
ing he had an “urgent situation.”
The union later discovered that the company’s representa
tive, L. Michael Zinser, an attorney from Nashville, Tenn.,
was attending another bargaining session in Hawaii. The
Hawaii meeting had been scheduled since early April.
Teamsters representative Ron Teninty said the company is
using cancel-and-delay tactics to avoid meeting with them, and
the cancellation “sparked our unfair labor practice charges.
“When it’s that blatant, it’s easy for us to go to the NLRB,”
he said.
Register-Guard human resource director Cynthia Walden
denies the charges.
“That’s not accurate at all,” she said. “We wouldn’t pur
posefully or knowingly commit unfair labor practices.”
Teninty said the union is levying additional charges against
The Register-Guard.
The Teamsters have filed charges alleging that the company
changed health and welfare benefits without consulting em
ployees, so it costs more to maintain the benefits, Teninty said.
“They are not allowed to do that without bargaining,” he said.
The union has also filed charges claiming that the compa
ny failed to provide necessary information for bargaining,
Teninty said.
The Eugene Newspaper Guild has also filed charges with
the NLRB against The Register-Guard, Guild president Adele
Berlinski said.
Most of the charges were filed, Berlinski said, because
Guild members are frustrated with the bargaining process.
Guild employees have been working without a contract since
May 1,1999.
“We just aren’t willing to accept unfair proposals, espe
cially when we’ve been willing to compromise so much,”
Berlinski said.
The company maintains that it is working with Guild
members to come to a consensus on the contract.
“It’s taking so long because we’re unable to reach agree
ment on a few outstanding issues,” Walden said.
Contact the reporter
at jilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.
News brief
Lane County Fair holds talent show
Calling all baton twirlers, magicians and singers: The Lane
County Fair is looking for contestants for its inaugural talent
show August 15,16 and 18.
Show organizers are looking for a maximum of 60 acts,
which can be anything from poetry readings to dances, musi
cal performances and magic acts. Organizers are not allowing
large bands and rock ensembles with electric instruments be
cause of the extensive setup time required.
Introducing a talent portion into the traditional jams, flow
ers and prize pigs of the fair makes Lane County something
of a latecomer in this respect, talent show coordinator Gina
Pixler said.
“The Multnomah County Fair has been doing (talent
shows) for years. They made the suggestion to us that we do it
at our own fair. We haven’t had anything like this in Lane
County,” Pixler said.
Two “Grand Supreme” winners of the talent show — one
drawn from the three under-16 age groups and one from the
over-16 group — will win $300 and get the chance to com
pete at the Oregon State Fair’s talent show in Salem on
Aug. 25.
Entry forms for the competition can be picked up at any
Lane County Bi-Mart store. Completed applications are due
by July 12. For more information, call 682-4292.
— Pat Payne for the Emerald