Portland Lumberjax become latest professional lacrosse team | 5 GON An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon www. dailyemerald. com Since 1900 \ Volume 107, Issue Oil | Tuesday, July 26, 2005 SB 1000 supporters rally at Capitol Demonstrators wanted to pressure Karen Minnis to put Senate Bill 1000, which would legalize same-sex civil unions, to a vote BY AARON BURKHALTER FREELANCE REPORTER Basic Rights Oregon demonstrated last Wednesday in Salem to show support for Senate Bill 1000, which, if passed, will legalize civil unions for same-sex couples and extend civil rights protection to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Demonstrators converged on the Capitol Building bearing signs and blowing whistles protesting Speaker of the House Karen Minnis’ stance on the bill. Minnis had indicated that she would not see the bill through to a vote. “I don’t understand why her very particular views should rule out a democratic process,” RALLY, page 4 Between 800 and 1,000 sup porters of Senate Bill 1000 rallied on the steps of the Capi tol Building in Salem on Aaron Burkhalter | Freelancer PRIDE in the Park The 14th Springfield/Eugene PRIDE Festival was a chance to enjoy the area's diverse community BY NICHOLAS WILBUR NEWS REPORTER A crowd of nearly 1,500 people came to Alton Baker Park for the largest annual gay pride event in Eugene on Saturday. The Springfield/Eugene PRIDE Festival held its annual celebration with the theme, “Life’s a Beach!... so bring your swim suit, sunscreen and sweetheart and join us for a day of fun in the sun.” The PRIDE Festival, which stands for “Promot ing Respect In Diverse Expression,” was recendy added as part the Equality Project, an organiza tion whose goals are to act as an information source, promote educational activities and events, build communities in local areas and be a strong ally on progressive human rights issues. Booth coordinator and Equality Project com mittee member Tim Matteson is in his 10th year organizing the event. “I started here because I wanted to be more in volved in the community,” Matteson said, “and I encourage others to do the same.” PRIDE is in its 14th year of providing this social venue “to advocate for and enjoy our diverse community” of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans gender people, according to its mission statement. Mayor Kitty Piercy did the opening ceremonies on the main stage and musician Josh Zuckerman Wesley McIntyre of Eugene and Octavio Guerrio of Seattle enjoy what they described as the “cutiest" pride fest so far, Saturday afternoon in Alton Baker Park. was the entertainment headliner for the festival. Zuckerman stopped in Eugene to spread his mot to: “Be who you are ... It's all about love,” before starting his tour in Thailand and Japan later this month. The PRIDE festival is largely a place for the LGBT community to celebrate together, but no one is excluded from the event. “There’s a lot more diverse culture here,” said Salem resident Calaya Williams, who recently moved from Fairbanks, Alaska, “and a lot more kids and dogs than gay pride events in Fairbanks. There are probably 20 times more people here, too.” Sue Hartman, PRIDE volunteer and creator of Rainbow River Womyn, a club for lesbians to get to know each other in a safe environment, said she would have liked to have seen more food op tions and more booths, but there was pretty good entertainment this year. “Portland’s (pride festivals) are a lot bigger, but this is okay. It’s building, but Bushenomics and money issues hit us hard; money’s tight.” The eight-hour function included music; enter tainment; bachelor and bachelorette auctions; FESTIVAL, page 4 Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame finds home at University After eight years in storage, the 49 photographs that make up the display are hanging in Allen Hall The Ore gon Newspa per Hall of Fame is on display on the first floor of Allen Hall Photo Illustration by Tim Bobosky BYGABE BRADLEY NEWS EDITOR The Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame has found a permanent home in Allen Hall at the University’s journalism school. The display was dedicated on July 14 in a small ceremony on the ground floor of Allen Hall; the display hangs on the wall opposite the student resource center. The Hall of Fame consists of 49 photographs of people who have impacted Oregon newspa pers in various ways throughout the years. The award was first bestowed in the 1970s. The first Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame was dedicated by then-Senator Mark Hatfield at the newspaper museum in Coos Bay in 1978. The original Hall of Fame had eight inductees. The display was later moved to the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association office in Portland. Then, in 1997, the display was put into storage where it stayed until recently. “The hall of fame was, at that time, in a col lection of boxes in the newspaper publishers’ office,” journalism school Dean Tim Gleason said. Gleason, who is on the board of the ONPA and the Oregon Newspaper Foundation, was a part of the effort to bring the Hall of Fame to the University. However, discussions to find a permanent home for the display had begun before Gleason was on either board. “This is not something that started with me,” Gleason said. “I was just fortunate that we were able to make it happen.” In 2003, the ONPA and ONF got serious about reviving the display “It goes back for quite some time,” Gleason said. “The leadership of the newspaper founda tion decided it was time to make it happen. ” This meant finding a designer and raising the approximately $20,000 needed to fund the permanent display. DISPLAY, page 3 Group aims to revamp campaign finance laws FairElections Oregon is collecting signatures to place Petitions 8 and 37 on the state's batiot BY TYLER GRAF FREELANCE REPORTER For many political observers from differing political stripes — conservative, liberal, anar chist, bemused non-participant — legislative politics is a money game. An axiom applies: ----.He who spends the most wins the most of ten. Or, to put it in the common vernacular of disgraced Pennsylvania congressman Ozzie Myers, who was barred from Congress after be ing caught on video tape taking a bribe, “Money talks and TONY ANDERSEN FAIR ELECTIONS OREGON bullshit walks. FairElections Ore gon, a self-described grassroots organiza tion, is attempting to use Oregon’s referen dum process to amend the state Constitution in order to reform the state’s campaign fi nance laws. “This is about democracy,” said Liz Trojan, treasurer for FairElections Oregon. “The per son with the most money inevitably wins; that’s a statistic.” Tony Andersen, an intern for FairElections Oregon and a Planning, Public Policy and Management student at the University, said that he was attracted to the cause because it split across party lines. He also said he be lieves in the cause. “It’s essential for the democratic system to be as fair as possible,” said Andersen. REFORM page 3 IN BRIEF Suspect in student's death held by police after turning himself in The lead suspect related to University student Phillip Julian Gillins’ death turned himself in Fri day evening at about 7 p.m. The Eugene Policed Department issued afl warrant tor tne i arrest of Darrell DARRELL SKY WALKER Sky Walker, 23, SUSPECT of Orange Coun try, Calif., on July 19, after Walker failed to surrender to good faith agreements con ducted in southern California on July 15. Walker is being held on manslaughter and felony assault charges. Walker was identified as having a signifi cant role in the incident after witness state ments, tips and other evidence that were gathered during the investigation of the June 10 assault, which resulted in Gillins’ death. Gillins was supposed to graduate from the University School of Journalism and Communication the day after the as sault. Walker remains in custody at the Lane County Jail pending trial, according to a press release. — Nicholas Wilbur