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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2012)
slant • Lane County Commissioners voted on a tight and ugly budget on June 25. The vote, like so many of the board’s votes these days, was 3-2 with the conservative majority for it and the liberal minority against it. Commissioner Jay Bozievich trotted out the same-old same-old about wanting to cut more trees on public lands. We’d ask him about that tired old anti-environmental stance, but he’s told us he’ll only talk to EW if we file a public records request. But the county policy recently has been to charge even for researching a public records request. We’d like some innovation in county funding, but charging for government transparency is not the way to go. Why doesn’t the county look to Commissioner Rob Handy’s proposal to go to the Legislature to raise the absurdly low taxes on private timberlands? The reason, of course, is that conservatives on the county board are in the pockets of the timber industry. Let’s work on getting some better commissioners elected. • Too bad for all of us that the American Civil Liberties Union office in Eugene is closing in September. Because of budget cuts, Claire Syrett left in May and Bonnie Souza will be leaving in September. Dave Fidanque, ACLU state director, said it all in his invitation to their “thank you” party June 27: “Please help celebrate their dedication and accomplishments for civil liberties and civil rights in Oregon.” We look forward to the day when that office can reopen in Eugene. We need it. • EWEB has decided to put its smart meter program on hold for a couple of years and that’s good news. The technology is constantly improving and the utility has lots of other big projects and concerns in the works. Families for Safe Smart Meters can probably take some credit for the delay, but we’re not sure all their concerns are justified. We’ve been hearing horror stories about electromagnetic fields and radio frequency radiation for 30 years and the science is inconclusive and contradictory. Liberal Ashland has come up with a solution of sorts regarding its smart meters: Customers who are hypersensitive or worried about exposure to electrical devices can opt out without paying any extra fees to have their old meters read manually. • What’s going on inside the R-G? We blogged last weekend that Chief Operating Officer David F. Pero is no longer on staff and his LinkedIn profile confirms that his five- plus-year reign has ended. The last day his name graced the top of the Opinion section was Friday, June 22, but no word of his departure so far in the daily, nor clues to what comes next. Seems unlikely that the Baker family will resume managing the daily operations in these challenging times for print media. • How has Portland dealt with its homeless population? Portland Commissioner Nick Fish oversees the city’s Housing Bureau and spoke at City Club June 22 outlining Portland’s innovative and comprehensive efforts to get more people out of the cold. He talked about preventing homelessness as the “best and most cost-effective strategy,” the need to “marry housing and services,” and the importance of “wet beds” — housing for people who are active alcoholics and drug addicts. The big lesson here for Eugene (and Lane County) is that it’s cheaper over time to provide or subsidize housing for the homeless than it is to fund all the costs associated with police intervention, courts, jail beds, ambulances and emergency rooms. S OUTHERN AND N ORTHERN I NDIAN C UISINE EW's BEST ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET 2008-2009 L UNCH B UFFET 7 Days a Week 11:30am - 2:30pm * Dinner 5–9:30pm * 5 Years in Eugene E AT & P ARK F REE P ARKING E VENTS AT * 1525 Franklin Blvd. Eugene, OR * 136 SW Third • Corvallis, OR * 541-343-7944 541-754-7944 • Bakery • Pasteries • Fruits • Vegetables • Fresh Meats • Taco Shop • Beer • Panaderia • Pasteleria • Frutas • Verduras • Carnes Frescas • Taqueria • Cerveza • ODOT is spraying highways in Lane County. For more information call (888) 996- 8080. • Rosboro LLC, (541) 746-8411, is hiring Western Helicopter Services to aerially spray Sulfomet Extra, Accord XRT and Chopper with Phase on 98 acres near Wycoff, Quartz and Sugar Creeks and another 110 acres near Quartz Creek, in the Finn Rock area. See ODF notices 2012-771-00484 and 2012-771-00503. • Roseburg Resources, (541) 935-2507, plans to ground spray Atrazine, Clopyralid, Glyphosate, Hexazinone, Imazapyr, Metsulfuron Methyl, Sulfometuron Methyl, Tryclopyr Amine and/or Triclopyr Ester with surfactants on 6516 feet of roadside in Sections 29 and 30 of Township 19S, Range 03W southwest of Creswell. See ODF notice 2012-781-00450. OPEN Till 9pm DAILY )SHPY,\NLUL 541 338-9086 541 743-0779 We Accept WIC & EBT Cards 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 COUNTY AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE M ATT K NIGHT A RENA WHEN YOU DINE WITH US • Congrats to Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy for winning the 2012 Lynne Angland Award for “contributions to the improvement of child care in Oregon.” The award was presented by the Oregon Commission for Child Care last week in Portland. Piercy has served on the Oregon Commission for Child Care since 1996 when she was a state representative. Part of her ongoing work has been on affordable child care that she says is “key to the employment and economic well-being of Oregon families.” • The final home game of the Eugene Metro Fútbol Club’s Azul team will be at 2 pm (note the earlier time) Saturday, June 30, at South Eugene High School, vs. Emerald City. The inaugural season of this women’s premier soccer league is wrapping up and we’re pleased to see the big turnout of excited fans. Follow the Azul on Facebook or check out www.emfc.org FOR V Nachos Veggie Choice B u Burrito of Meat $ 3. 99 *OPSHX\PSLZ ^P[O,NNZ a att Choice of Meat 4. 99 $ 6. 99 $ Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332, www.forestlanddwellers.org traveling soon? medical advice for global travelers t he t ravel c linic John D. Wilson, M.D. 1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560 541/343-6028 www.TravelClinicOregon.com Questions? Email us at travelclinicoregon.343-6028@gmail.com Questions? Email us at travelclinic3436028 @ gmail.com WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY JUNE 28, 2012 11
