slant
• We were disappointed to hear conservatives on the Lane County Commission voted, on
an appeal, to cut financial support for Centro LatinoAmericano, a highly regarded local
agency that is doing vital work throughout Lane County in education, social services and
even environmental justice. Commissioners Handy and Sorenson voted to continue the
funding, while Commissioners Leiken, Stewart and Bozievich voted to cut it. Reading Mark
Baker’s story in the R-G April 10, one would think the decision was unanimous.
Last year the county provided $115,000 of the agency’s $400,000 budget. Centro Latino
provides services to low-income residents, directs people to community resources and
facilitates grant money from a wide range of agencies and private foundations. This bad
news comes at the same time Centro Latino is opening its new Springfield office. Show your
support by joining the ribbon-cutting celebration from 4 to 6 pm Thursday, April 15, at the
NEDCO building, 212 Main St. Can’t write a check? Volunteer your time.
• Our cover story this week on the need to reform our tax code is full of facts and figures
that need to be drilled into the brains of everyone who’s concerned about tax fairness and
the future of the U.S. economy. For example, the author documents how pay increases have
gone mostly to workers at the top of the pay scale under Republican administrations, and
the trend is continuing as Obama and the Democrats give in to pressure to revive and
continue the disastrous policies of Bush and Rove.
Will Americans remember how we got into this mess and vote the Tea Party wingnuts out
of office in the next couple of elections? We remain hopeful. Meanwhile, we all need to step
up and fight to protect our environment, social services and other threatened programs
and policies that define a just and sane society.
• Our own talented staff writer Rick Levin wrote great stuff about Warpaint, the “pop-
drone-jam band with deep roots in Eugene” in our March 31 cover story. A few days later on
April 4, The New Yorker magazine gave the four musicians an illustration and blurb about
their Bowery Ballroom show: “Warpaint practices a lilting, fragile sound that recalls both
the dreamy shoegazer indie pop of the nineties and Stevie Nicks at her most mystical. Despite
the sweetness of the group’s harmonies and guitars, there’s always something vaguely
eerie just below the surface.” Two of the four artists, Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman,
grew up in Eugene. The four were excited about playing on the new Eugene Weekly Stage
at the Eugene Celebration Aug. 26 to 28, but their manager now has them booked for more
lucrative gigs in big cities and at major music festivals. Off they go and we wish them well.
• Broke and can’t find a job in Lane County? Before you jump a freight train to North
Dakota where the unemployment rate is 3.7 percent, you might consider self-employment.
We hear a free seminar March 25 on micro enterprise was well attended, thanks in part to
a short story we ran in our March 24 issue. The resources talked about in this event are still
out there. Contact Oregon Microenterprise Network through http://wkly.ws/11u or see the
folks at O.U.R. Credit Union in Eugene. David Hazen (innercom@peak.org) helped organize
the event.
We just heard about some Eugene folks who are busy with their low-budget new
enterprise, creating fun art and kitchen gear from wine corks that would normally end up
in the landfill. Devon Brown and Tanita Roberts tell us their new biz, Creative Corks N’ More,
just launched on etsy.com and they have so many custom orders they haven’t had time to
build up an inventory and approach local retail outlets. What other consumer or industrial
waste is out there waiting for creative transformation?
SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any
good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com
LANE AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE
Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332, www.forestlanddwellers.org
• Aerial spray near King Estates: Western
Helicopter (503-538-9469) for Sharon/Linde
Kester (942-9264) on 295 acres near Hawley Creek
in Lorane with herbicides starting April 6 (ODF 2011-
781-00214).
• Near Fish Creek: Oregon Forest Management
Services (OFMS)(520-5941) ground spray herbicides
for Seneca Jones (689-1011) soon (#00137).
• Near Lorane Elementary School: OFMS will
ground spray 33 acres with herbicides near Norris
Creek for Fruit Growers (345-0996) starting April 3
(#00218).
• In Horton, Low Pass and near Lorane:
Weyerhaeuser (744-4600) will ground spray 330
acres with herbicides starting April 6 (#00220
and 00221).
• ODOT will begin highway spraying in Lane
County April 18. Call 744-8080, District 5.
• Near Junction City, Low Pass, Gillespie Corners,
Dexter: OFMS for Giustina (345-2301) starting
April 11 (No. 771-00223) and April 7 (781-00245).
• Near Parsons Creek, Springfield: Weyerhaeuser
(988-7502) will ground spray 24 acres starting
April 13 (#771-00227).
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
EUGENE WEEKLY
APRIL 14, 2011 9