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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2012)
slant • Waldo Lake’s quiet wilderness ambiance got a reprieve Tuesday night in Springfield with a 3-2 decision by the Oregon State Marine Board to maintain the long-fought ban on gas-powered motor boats and float planes. The fight is not over as a lawsuit continues in the Oregon Court of Appeals, but this is good news and shows that the voice of the people can sway sometimes intransigent agencies to do the right thing. It might take the Legislature to put an end to the legal squabbles. Kudos to Oregon Wild, the Sierra Club and other groups and individuals who have worked on this ongoing effort to protect this rare gem of lake. Last week, former congressman Jim Weaver spoke at an Oregon Wild gathering about his work in Congress in 1984 to create wilderness designation for 36,500 acres of forest surrounding Waldo on three sides. He said the struggle over wilderness “rivals any religious war.” He said, “I’ve been shot at, hung in effigy many times,” and said his “big enemy” at the time was timber baron Stub Stewart. “His family is still fighting me over the ban of motors on Waldo.” Weaver said he was surprised to learn many years after the wilderness designation that Waldo Lake itself was not protected. “That was the intent of Congress,” he said. “I was the intent of Congress — to include the lake and not allow motorized traffic.” • Eugene was Track City USA and Dance City Oregon on April 7 when national track athletes competed in the Pepsi Team Invitational and Oregon dance athletes performed and practiced in the first Northwest Dance Festival. Sponsored by the Eugene Youth Ballet, the official youth division of the Eugene Ballet company, the festival brought young Oregon dancers from five companies for workshops at the UO, a sparkling show at the Wildish Theater in Springfield and a reception at June restaurant across Willamette Street from the dance studios. At the end of the day, the UO men and women both won the big track meet and all the dancers “won” in their own ways. • “Don’t be surprised,” we wrote in Slant back in Feb. 2, “if Occupy becomes a major issue for conservatives seeking city office,” and we saw a bit of that at the City Club forum April 6 when mayoral candidate Kevin Prociw said the “city climate has degraded because of Occupy Eugene,” and said if he were mayor he would not allow anyone to camp in city parks. He’ll pick up some votes for that stand, but we think most Eugeneans appreciate the way Mayor Kitty Piercy, the city manager and police chief responded to Eugene’s Occupy camp. Piercy’s other challenger, John Walrod, didn’t have much to say other than that he’s a “conservative, economically, socially and environmentally.” Do You Qualify for Your Oregon Medical Marijuana Card ? - Weekly Clinics - Professional and Private Setting O fice hours 10am - 5pm Monday thru Friday. - Free Record Review - New Patients and Renewals Welcome Call Today 1-888-920-6076 www.OMMPCard.com Northwest Alternative Health is now serving the Greater Eugene Area • It appears the only real race at the city level is between longtime Councilor Betty Taylor and challengers Juan Carlos Valle and Jim Ray. The eloquent Valle says he wants to “continue Betty’s legacy” on the council, and they likely agree on many things. But Taylor is very clear in her positions on many issues, including her firm opposition to tax breaks for private developers, support for making downtown inclusive for all Eugeneans, and protecting our environment in specific ways. So far we have not seen that clarity from Valle. Regarding the tax breaks for private developers, Valle said, “We need to talk about it.” Ray called for “cleaning up the drugs” in public schools and to “get rid of panhandlers to attract more people downtown.” Well, as it turns out, panhandling is constitutionally protected as free speech. SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard biz beat GloryBee Foods will host its annual Bee Weekend April 13-14 at its new location, 29548 B. Airport Road. This community event is “packed with beekeeping education, distribution of pre-ordered packages of live bees, honey sampling and additional activities.” Dick Turanski, founder and beekeeper, will demonstrate bees installation into hives. Friday demo times are 9:30 and 11 am, 12:30, 2, 3:30 and 5 pm, and Saturday at 8:30, 10 and 11 am. The store will be open until 12:30 pm Saturday. Need cheap office space? We hear Growers Market, 454 Willamette St., has an office for rent starting May 1. The space is 132 sq. ft. and rents for $100 per month, including utilities, internet access and additional meeting space. Contact the building manager at growmgr@gmail.com Local ad agency bell+funk has moved to new offices in the Broadway Commerce Center, 44 W. Broadway, Suite 210. The full service agency offering marketing, advertising, design and research is headed by David Funk and Jennifer Bell. Call 653- 8969 or visit bellandfunk.com Scott Landfield of Tsunami Books at 25th and Willamette says his new and used book business “keeps improving since Borders closed its doors,” and “It’s actually growing faster than we have cash flow to deal with; an interesting dilemma.” Landfield says he only has three years left on his 20-year lease, and someone will need to buy the building “for us to continue beyond the lease.” He says Lawson’s Piano Store across the street has closed after 30 years, but the South Willamette shopping district is “becoming one of the hippest spots in town.” A two-day intensive biogas workshop is being planned for April 14-15, and the instructor is Warren Weismann, owner of HESTIA Home Biogas and “an internationally recognized expert on biogas and anaerobic digestion with over 20 years experience as a builder, heavy equipment mechanic and power plant operator.” Cost of the workshop is $225. Email weiswar@yahoo.com of call 337-5690 for more information. Fifth Street Public Market has two new businesses opening this month at the base of the new hotel. Outdoor Elements, owned by Wendy Jacobson and Mike Jacobson offers “modern eclectic furnishings, accessories, home accents, gifts and art for the garden, patio, kitchen and indoors.” The H Boutique, owned by the Ritchie family, is a jewelry and fashion store that will offer “plush interior amenities and an air of fresh exuberance in customer service,” says Melanie Diamond, general manager of the market. Need a laugh? The Tai Chi Yoga Center is offering an all-day laughter yoga retreat from 10 am to 3 pm Saturday, April 14, in Elmira. Call 515-0946 or visit taichiyogacenter.com Send suggestions for Biz Beat items to editor@eugeneweek- ly.com with “Biz Beat” in the subject line. WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM LOW, LOW RATES ON RV, BOAT AND ATV LOANS. Up to 180-month terms for affordable payments with Northwest Community Credit Union. Because fun has taken a back seat long enough. northwestcommunity.com All loans are subject to approval. Loan terms available may vary depending on amount borrowed, credit history, length of contract, or payment method. NCUA insured. EUGENE WEEKLY APRIL 12, 2012 9
