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