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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2007)
WILLIAM C. MIDDLETON guzzling, emissions-spewing development patterns.” Republicans in Salem have advocated leaving Measure 37 alone. On the Democratic side of the aisle, discussion has centered on whether to try to repair in- equities in the legislation and reduce its en- vironmental impact, or simply send the en- tire measure back to the voters, gambling that it will be overturned. FROM PIT TO SHINING PIT A free guided tour of downtown Eugene areas near West Broadway being considered for redevelopment is planned to begin at 5:30 pm Friday, June 15, start- ing outside the Eugene Public Library. The “Pit to Pit Walk” is sponsored by Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA) and will include discussion of the two excavated lots known locally as the Sears Pit across from the library and Aster’s Hole on Willamette. The tour is expected to draw architects, designers, city representatives, business people and interested citizens. Public par- ticipation and input are encouraged. The walk “will provide a lively, infor- mal venue for talking about factors in downtown redevelopment such as public space, retail mix and local business, hous- ing options and affordability, historic preservation, and sustainability,” accord- ing to a statement from CPA. For more information or to get on the CPA e-mail list, contact cpasc@lists.opn.org WAR STATS Iraq War statistics as of June 4 include 3,495 U.S. military deaths, 111 U.S. mili- tary suicides, 25,242 U.S. military wounded, 398 military contractor deaths and 64,776 to 70,934 Iraqi civilian deaths due to warfare. Cost of the war is calculated at $431.7 billion. Sources are www.IraqBodyCount.org and icasual- ties.org and CostOfWar.com ECO-WARRIOR JEFFREY LUERS The case of environmental activist Jeffrey “Free” Luers has drawn the attention of activists both locally and worldwide since he was imprisoned in 2000, and every year protests and other events mark the an- niversary of his imprisonment. This year’s Day of Solidarity with Luers, the “Jeff Luers 7th Anniversary Event,” includes music, a showing of the documentary How I Became an Eco-Warrior and presentations on “green scare” sentencing hearings and Luers’ appeal. The event is at 7 pm Wednesday, June 13 at Cozmic Pizza. $5 suggested donation. Earlier this year the Oregon Court of Appeals re- versed Luers’ 22-year, eight-month sentence for set- ting fire to three SUVs at the Joe Romania Chevrolet dealership and attempted arson at the Tyree Oil depot. The court upheld the 2001 charges, but overruled the merger of some of his arson convictions. Luers will get a new sentence with a possible 10-12 year reduction. EW TAKES 18 AWARDS Eugene Weekly won a record 18 re- gional and state Excellence in Journalism awards for stories published in 2006, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) announced June 2 in Vancouver, Wash. EW won nine awards in the Northwest region SPJ contest for alternative newsweeklies and nine awards in the Greater Oregon SPJ contest for non-daily newspapers. Kera Abraham won two awards in the Northwest contest and four awards in the Oregon contest. In the Northwest competi- tion, she won a first place government re- porting award for “An Unwelcome No,” about the prosecution of a woman who spoke out at a Dick Cheney rally. She also won a first place social issues journalism award for “Flames of Dissent,” a series on environmental arsonists. In the Oregon contest, Abraham won a second place news feature award for “Flames of Dissent.” She won three third place awards including: comprehensive coverage in “The Battle of Biscuit,” about salvage log- ging; a profile of Charles Gray, “Peace Through Poverty”; and for science and health reporting for “Skeeter Heater: Mosquitoes Adapt to Global Warming.” Alan Pittman won four awards in the Northwest contest. He won a first place en- vironmental journalism award for “Boom! Jeffrey Luers’ supporters at www.freefreenow.org find his original sen- tence harsh, pointing out that no people were harmed and damages were moderate – less than $50,000. Supporters claim his po- litical views and not his actions were on trial. “We believe that Jeff received such a drastic sentence because of the political nature of the action he took,” reads a statement on the Jeff Luers Support Group webpage. They point out that more severe crimes re- sult in shorter sentences. Prosecutors viewed Luers as an eco-ter- rorist who lacks remorse and whose crimes could have led to more severe damage and even loss of life. Luers’ co-defendant, Craig “Critter” Marshall, pleaded guilty to charges re- lated to the Romania fire and was re- leased on parole after serving four and a half years. — Erin Rokita Who are the Real Terrorists?” and a first place business reporting award for “Which Way on Broadway.” He won a second place award for investigative reporting for “Besmirched: Files Show How EPD Failed to Stop Magaña,” and he won a third place education reporting award for “Deadbeat Legislature.” In the Oregon non-daily contest, Pittman won a third place investigative reporting award for “Besmirched.” Suzi Steffen won three awards in the Northwest contest. She won a third place education reporting award for “School de Verano,” a third place criticism award for “This Thing Called Infamous” and a busi- ness journalism honorable mention for “Labor’s Day.” In the Oregon non-daily contest Steffen also won a second place arts and criticism award for her “This Thing Called Infamous” film review. EW also won three other Oregon non- daily contest awards. Todd Cooper won a second place, page one design award for “Doomed to Demo.” Jason Blair won a third place arts and criticism award for Alison Shiboski Custom Work 343-4972 Showing at: Jeffrey “Free” Luers, August 2005 JUNE 7, 2007 9
