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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2005)
Bill Wood takes a painful plunge. WAYNE ECKERTSON GREENS JOIN IN GOV RACE NUTRIA POOP SINKS SKATER Avid ice skater Bill Wood blames nutria feces or some such organic matter for weak- ening ice more than an inch thick that would normally bear his weight. Wood broke through the ice on a shallow pond near Stewart Road Saturday morning and was rescued by a friend, Wayne Eckertson, who pulled him out after pausing to take a few photos. “I have ice skated all of my life and I like any opportunity to skate new ice,” says Wood, who had been watching the ice build-up on the pond for about 10 days and had been waiting for an opportunity to skate. “I knew the thickness of the ice on Friday and monitored the temperature at home that night. On Saturday morning I saw that we had had prolonged overnight tem- peratures in the lower 20s. I also knew that warmer weather was on its way and this might be my last chance to skate that pond.” He brought along a rope and small tire, and a friend, just in case. “The water was not especially deep where I went in, but Wayne threw me a rope anyway and took some pictures. I don’t mind icy water unless it is in a large river or in deep water far from shore. In this case the ice was substantial enough to cause hemor- rhaging in my leg, and to bruise and sprain my ribs as I fell through it.” “The normal rule is that one inch of ice will safely hold a person,” he says. “I am certain that impurities in the pond water, perhaps from nutria, contributed to the low ice strength.” Wood has been planning to skate at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris early next month and says, “I hope that my ribs heal enough by then.” — TJT PEACEMAKERS STILL MISSING Eugene-area people are joining with or- ganizations around the world this holiday season in response to four members of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) who are missing after being kidnapped in Baghdad. The four were taken Nov. 26 by a militant group that has twice threatened to execute them if all U.S. detainees in Iraq were not released. The deadlines have passed, “and now there is silence,” says Peg Morton of Eugene. “There has been no word.” The four are Tom Fox, 54, from Virginia; Norman Kember, 74, from London; James Lney, 41, from Toronto; and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, from Montreal. Morton says the CPT has been a pres- ence in Iraq since six months before the U.S.-led invasion, and has been monitoring and documenting detainee abuse along with legal and human rights issues. “The four men are not forgotten,” says Morton, “nor are the thousands of detainees in Iraq and elsewhere who suffer abuse and from the lack of basic human and legal rights, nor the Iraqi people who suffer daily from violence and deprivation. We pray for their release and a resolution to the tragic circumstances in Iraq that throw a large shadow over the world. Matt Chandler of Springfield has served in the Middle East with CPT and has been giving talks about the organization and showing slides. For more information, call Morton at 342-2914. Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson made it official last week, joining incumbent Ted Kulongoski in filing for the May 16 Democratic primary for governor in 2006. Sen. Vicki Walker and former Gov. John Kitzhaber are still considering running on the Democratic ticket. On the Republican ballot so far are Kevin Mannix, William Spidal and David Beem. The deadline for fil- ing for the primary is March 7. The Pacific Green Party (PGP) is seeing its first contested gubernatorial nomination in the party’s history. The candidates are forest activist Joe Keating and socially responsible investment pioneer Ed Winslow. The PGP plans a nominating convention March 11 in Corvallis. “The Dems primary will be interesting, especially if Kitz gets into it, but unfortu- nately, Sorenson won’t survive either way,” says Blair Bobier of the PGP. “The primaries are a good indication of why we need instant runoff voting. Under the current system, the progressives could split the pri- mary vote and either of the Big K’s could win. Regardless, the Dems won’t have a pro- Joe Keating gressive candidate. The PGP will.” Sorenson, campaigning as “A Real Democrat for a Change,” an- nounced his candi- dacy for governor in January 2005, and since then has trav- eled more than 12,000 miles through- out the state. Ed Winslow “The current gover- BY PAUL NEEVEL JILL WINANS Fed up with hot weather and the rat race, Southern California native Jill Winans headed north 13 years ago. “I wanted to go where it always rains,” she says. “I came here and opened a boarding kennel for cats.” In the 10 years she operated her business, the CatSpa, Winans became increasingly involved in animal rescue. “Greenhill needed a place for victims of domestic violence to leave their cats,” she says. “I had as many as 15 at a time.” As a board member of the Stray Cat Alliance, she organized an adopt-a-thon in 2003 and brought the Oregon Neutermobile to town for two months in ’04. “We altered 611 dogs and cats,” she notes. “But we estimate 40,000 stray animals in Lane County.” Winans and two fellow cat fanciers started a new non-profit, the Willamette Animal Guild, dedicated to raising funds for a full-time, low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic in Lane County. In April this year, WAG opened Pick of the Litter, a consignment shop at 329 W 4th Ave., run by volunteers and open 10:30 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday. In the photo, Winans holds Silk, the shop cat, available for adoption but living with Winans in the meantime. nor has done nothing to alleviate the suffering that I’ve seen during the 11 months I’ve been working on this campaign,” Sorenson says. “Worse yet, he has no plans and, really, no as- piration to do things differently. Oregon needs to put more public money into educa- tion and health care. Oregon needs protection for our most vulnerable citizens and for pro- tection of equal rights for all. Oregon needs a sustainable and prosperous economy. Oregon needs tax reform.” Incumbent Phil Barnhart has filed for re- election to the 11th House District, as have incumbents Terry Beyer in the 12th District and Debi Farr in the 14th. So far, Farr will face either Rich Cunningham or Chris Edwards in the general election. Nancy Nathanson is the only candidate who has filed for the 13th House District. In Senate primary races so far, Jim Torrey has filed for Distrit 7, and incumbents Bill Morrisette and Floyd Prozanski have filed for Districts 6 and 4. — TJT SALVATION DOOMED Cottage Grove is about to lose one of its two thrift stores unless the 1,500 local resi- dents who have signed a petition can per- suade The Salvation Army to hold off on closing its store next to Bi-Mart. The local Goodwill store, with its higher prices, plans to stay in business. The Salvation Army pays nearly $4,000 a month in rent and is losing money each month, says Marla Miller of Save Our Salvation Army Store (SOS). But Miller says cheaper options are available else- where in town. She says at least two com- mercial properties with more space are available for purchase in the range of $225,000 to $250,000. With a small down payment on the cheaper property, Miller fig- ures the monthly mortgage payment would be $1,313 based on a 30-year loan at a 5.76 percent interest rate. SOS members plan to picket The Salvation Army store in Eugene this week and have sent letters voicing their concerns to the divisional commander of charity. They heard back: “While financial realities make it impossible for us to maintain the store at this time, we certainly hope to return to Cottage Grove in the future.” Miller says the organization does not ap- pear to be interested in looking at options. The store has seven employees who hope to be offered jobs at other Salvation Army sites. — TJT HOMELESS PRIORITIES Should the city of Eugene focus on help- ing those at risk of becoming homeless or those already out in the cold? That’s the question that the City Council struggled with at a recent meeting concerning a city initiative to address the homeless problem. Councilor Bonny Bettman said that the city needs to concentrate on helping the cur- rently homeless. “There are people living DECEMBER 22, 2005 9
