Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2013)
NEWS Noted herbalist Rosemary Gladstar will be offering a free lecture at 7 pm Friday, Aug. 9, at Mount Pisgah Arboretum, following a free educational plant walk at 5 pm. Mountain Rose Herbs is hosting the event and will provide organic tea. Profits from the sale of event merchandise, DVDs, books and other products will be donated to United Plant Savers, a nonprofit that protects native medicinal plants in the U.S. and Canada. This is the first in a series of events as part of the Free Herbalism Project. See freeherbalismproject.com or mountainroseherbs.com. The Eugene Celebration is coming up Aug. 23-25 and we hear Saturday Market will be open for business as usual from 10 am to 5 pm that Saturday, and you won’t need a wrist band to get in. The SLUG Queen competition and coronation will be at 6 pm this Friday, Aug. 9, at the Saturday Market Stage. Candidates are Gloria Slimem, Professor Mildred Slugwalk Dresselhaus, Nina T Slime, Professor Bulbus Slimebodor and Jeannine. Good idea to bring your own chair to the competition. The Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival supporting human rights and civil rights organizations will be from noon to 7 pm Saturday, Aug. 10, at Alton Baker Park. Basic Rights Oregon, Human Rights Campaign, DonateLifeNorthwest, Planned Parenthood, Womenspace and HIV Alliance are among the groups participating. See eugenepride.org or call 342-5088. We hear the Eugene Jewish Film Festival has gotten off to a great start, selling out the Bijou’s downtown theater twice. “We had to turn so many people away, we decided to add a second showing and discussion,” says Shmuel Shalom Cohen, the executive director of Jewish Events Willamette-valley (JEW). Hava Nagila: The Movie (2012) will be the second feature of this once-a-month film festival, to be shown at 2 pm Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Bijou downtown, with a discussion to follow. Ticket prices are $5 with donations above $5 going to JEW. See JewishEventsWillamette-valley.org and Bijou-cinemas. com/bijoumetro. Savona’s bitchin’ bohemian boutique is now open at 285 E. 13th Ave., next door to Full City Coffee. Owner Savona Cook tells us she is the daughter of Andrea Proudfoot, “who owned the first hippie clothing and fabric shop in Eugene, called Andrea’s Clothes and Cloth,” and was one of the original members of the Oregon Country Fair and Saturday Market. Savona sells new and used clothing, jewelry and accessories “in that beautiful, casual, Eugene bohemian style.” Find her on Facebook or call (206) 708-0240. Gemini II Enterprises is a new Springfield business offering several products and services at 637 W. Centennial Blvd., a location previously occupied by a travel agency, tanning salon and animal rescue organization. Owner Andie Williams says she’s offering e-cigarettes and other tobacco alternatives, a Zodiac Wedding Chapel for walk-in weddings, other wedding services and a professional sound system. She also does karaoke for parties and special events. Phone number is 246-8679. The nonprofit Mobility International USA in Eugene is about to publish its new book, the Brilliant & Resilient Photography Book, featuring profiles of 50 disabled women activists from 41 countries. A book launch event is planned for 6 pm Thursday, Aug. 15, at the Ford Alumni Center, 1720 E. 13th Ave. on campus. Email sdunn@miusa.org or call 343-1284 for more information. Chocolate Decadence, a locally owned maker of fine chocolates, has opened a retail store at 5th and Olive in the Down to Earth complex. Owner Larry Bradley says the store offers a full line of chocolates, gifts, art from New Zone Gallery and ice cream from Red Wagon Creamery. See chocolatedecadence.com. The Eugene support branch of India Partners is seeking to provide emergency aid to poor families in Andhra Pradesh, India, after sustained flooding forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes. For more information, visit IndiaPartners. org or call (877) 87-INDIA. A date of Sept. 8 has been set for the fifth annual BRING Home and Garden Tour, a self-guided tour of 12 homes and gardens that exemplify the art of sustainable living. See bringrecycling.org or email tour@bringrecycling.org. 10 A ugust 8, 2013 • eugeneweekly.com JOSE ORTAL RUNNING FOR EAST LANE COMMISH The name may not be familiar, but the ideas might be refreshing in relatively conservative east Lane County. Jose Ortal is one of the challengers eyeing incumbent Faye Stewart’s East Lane County commissioner posi- tion in 2014. Also on the record planning to fi le are former EWEB commis- sioner Joann Ernst and longtime environmental land use activist Kevin Matthews. Asked why he decided to run, especially given his relatively low public vis- ibility compared to the oth- er candidates, Ortal says, “I believe I can provide a viable progressive alterna- tive to the sitting commis- sioner,” and that he is look- ing for the status quo to “be expanded beyond the usual.” He said the main themes of his campaign are “governance” and “public oversight.” “Let’s stop with the bickering already. Let’s get everybody more or less on the same page. Let’s con- duct the people’s business rather than posture,” Ortal says. He has expressed dis- taste for genetically modi- fi ed organisms (GMOs), posting a vocal support of the new bill to ban GMO crops in Eugene on the Facebook page for the Citizens League of Lane County. He has also been displeased with fi nancially based environ- mental decisions, saying he’s tired of county politics “being driven by the McDougal Brothers of the world.” The McDougals are local loggers, speculators and de- velopers often at odds with environmentalists. “Any commissioner has to be a commissioner for all the people, not the 1 percent or the 99 percent,” said Ortal. While Ortal sees no problem in big business solutions to our stagnant economy, he does say, “We must make sure these folks are good corporate neigh- bors.” He has more than once vocalized his dissent against budget cuts to com- munity college funding and worked even after his position at LCC ended to bring attention to what he felt were problems with the school’s infrastructure. He ran unsuccessfully for the LCC Board in 2009. Although he has not had as involved a career in local politics as either Ernst or Matthews, he does have some footing. Ortal moved to Eugene in 1996 from California when he was hired as the director of affi rmative action and diversity at LCC. His posi- J O S E O R TA L tion was eliminated in 2005 due to budget cuts. He now owns McKenzie River In- sights, a management consulting fi rm. In addition to a master’s degree in history from UCLA, Ortal has a his- tory of diversity-based interests. — Jordan Tichenor ‘I believe I can provide a viable progressive alternative to the sitting commissioner.’ park, the renovation project includes an urban plaza with food carts and outside vendor spaces, accessible pathways, bike racks, benches, drinking fountains, en- ergy-effi cient lighting and new restrooms. “It’s really an investment in an area that sees a lot of Warm up and get ready to roll! The renovation of reinvestment,” Proudfoot says. “It can be transforma- the park under Washington-Jefferson Bridge has be- tive for this area.” gun, and what will be the biggest covered and lighted The construction was postponed several times, and skate park in the country will reach completion in the skate park portion and park renovation combined March 2014. cost is much higher than expected: $2.5 million, with The project has fi nally materialized after years of the city covering $2.2 million. fundraising and meetings between the city and skaters. The high cost drew criticism in light of Eugene’s The real construction starts this week after a “demoli- budget woes, but the parks system development budget tion phase.” The 23,000-sq.-ft. skate park will be the can only be spent on renovation or construction of new only one covered, lit and public with a 24/7 facility parks, Proudfoot says. The skate park, the seventh in the access, says Emily Proudfoot, a landscape architect in area, represents $600,000 of the fi nal cost. More than Parks and Open Space Planning for the city of Eugene. $150,000 was raised by private donations through non- Even though the renovation is under way, the south profi ts in addition to a $173,000 grant from the state. part of the park between 6th and 7th avenues is still The skate park was designed by Dreamland Skate- accessible and frequented by homeless people. One parks, a world-renowned skate homeless woman, who goes by design and build fi rm. Brown Lilly, has been staying there for explains that this skate park will a couple weeks now. She says become a reference for skat- that she will stay until they tell ers in the country and hopes to her to go. She plans on going to attract people from outside the a shelter for the winter. BY RAFAEL ALDAVE state. Proudfoot doesn’t ex- “I think in addition of this County Administrator Liane Richardson clude the possibility of Eugene being a fabulous skate park, it’s demonstrated admirable qualities on hosting its fi rst big skate com- gonna be a fabulous park,” says the job. She had shown herself to be petition in the upcoming years. Janet Brown, a board member tireless, dedicated and ingenious. If she — Laetitia Béraud of Skaters for Eugene Skate- had only been working for us ... parks. In addition to the skate NEW SKATE PARK BREAKS GROUND lighten up
