Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2014)
NEWS Last week in this column we wrote about a late-night flight coming into Eugene Feb. 23 that was diverted to Portland. It took a few tries before we found someone to talk to at the Eugene Airport, but it appears we talked to a fellow who was ill-informed. The flight did not arrive after midnight so the tower was still open, there actually was a malfunction of the Automated Surface Observing System at the airport. ASOS is owned and operated by the Federal Aviation Administration, not the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And city taxpayers do not pick up the tab for overtime when the tower is asked to stay open after midnight to accommodate delayed flights. The airport is owned and operated by the city but has a “self- supporting enterprise fund” from fuel taxes, parking fees and other revenues, according to Cathryn Stephens, deputy director of airport services. One thing we did get right: “Ultimately it is the pilot’s decision on whether to land,” Stephens says. Eugene Weekly’s free Spring Wellness Summit will be from noon to 6 pm Saturday, March 29, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave., sponsored by International Fitness and 20 other local businesses and health care providers. Bev Smith of Kidsports will be among the speakers, and the event features fencing and martial arts demonstrations, organic makeup makeovers, group yoga, live music and much more. Booth and table spaces have all been reserved, but for more information, call 484-0519. Urban Waxx is a Portland-based company that does nothing but body waxes and the company will be expanding into Eugene with a store in the new Woolworth Building at 940 Willamette St. The store expects to open April 4. A Brazilian costs $70 the first time but only $50 for “maintenance.” What’s a Brazilian wax job? Use your imagination or read all about it at urbanwaxx.com. “It’s impossible to make us blush,” reads the website. Biologist and “It’s About Time” author and illustrator David Wagner will lead a workshop on “Draw Your Own Nature-Themed Greeting Cards” from 1 to 4 pm Saturday, March 15, at the yurt in Alton Baker Park. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Nearby Nature. Contact info@ nearbynature.org or call 687-9699. REVIEW OF FRISKING CASE PROMPTS POLICE TRAINING The Eugene Police Department’s Civilian Review Board (CRB) has reviewed two cases that were filed with the Eugene Police Auditor’s office in the past nine months regarding allegations of officers unlawfully frisking Afri- can-American women. On Feb. 11 the CRB discussed a case in which a male officer patted down a female while her car was being im- pounded for not having insurance. Police Auditor Mark Gissiner says pat-down searches can only be performed if the officer has reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous or if he or she is being taken into custody. “I found, based on her behavior, no reasonable sus- picion that she was armed or dangerous,” Gissiner says. “And because they turned off their ICV [in-car video] to have a discussion about strategy and then forgot to turn it back on again, there’s no indication that she consented in either case.” The case review prompted new EPD training on when it is appropriate to perform a pat-down search, or frisk. Police Chief Pete Kerns says some officers were under the impres- sion that a frisk must be performed every time a vehicle is impounded. “You can only frisk somebody when you have reason- able suspicion in this unique set of circumstances that a frisk for weapons is appropriate,” Kerns says. “But some of them had that mistaken belief that it was automatic. It’s not.” Gissiner says the office receives a few complaints each year regarding pat-down searches performed on females by male officers. Officers are not currently required to ask for backup from an officer of the same sex to perform a frisk, but Gissiner says it’s good practice to request it. He adds some officers may be deterred from asking because EPD’s female-to-male ratio is low, and it is unlikely a female of- ficer will be available. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable or a waste of time, and I think it’s what the community would want — particularly the female community for the most part,” Gissiner says. He estimates the Police Auditor’s office receives 10 complaints every year in which the reporting parties allege they were searched because of their race. Chris Wig, CRB member and vice chair of the Dem- ocratic Party of Lane County, says currently anecdotal evidence is all that is available to assess the legitimacy of claims that racial profiling is occurring. He says the race and gender data collection process EPD is embarking on will provide proof of whether officers are profiling citizens. “I think there is a broad consensus in this community,” Wig says, “including amongst the leadership and rank-and- file officers in the police department, that [racial profiling] is not OK.” — Missy Corr CONTROVERSIAL MCKENZIE WATER PERMIT DENIED Though speculating on water is illegal, WaterWatch of Oregon says Willamette Water Company was looking to do just that back in 2008 when it applied for a permit to with- draw 22 million gallons per day from the McKenzie River. On March 7, the Oregon Water Resources Department (WRD) issued a final order denying the Willamette Water Co.’s controversial application to control a large amount of the McKenzie’s water. Lisa Brown, staff attorney for WaterWatch of Oregon, which fought the permit, says, “Under Oregon law, Ore- gon’s waters belong to the public — not to private water companies hoping to profit by monopolizing the resource for future sale.” The McKenzie is the water source for the city of Eugene. Developer Greg Demers owns Willamette Water in partnership with the McDougal brothers; these developers The nonprofit Reality Kitchen has gone through big changes since it began in the Whiteaker neighborhood, then moved out to West 11th and is now in the former Wild Plum Bakery building at 645 River Rd. Reality Kitchen’s mission is to provide job skills training and a supportive gathering place for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To finance that mission, the organization runs a bakery and food service and puts on events. Businesses served include Sam Bond’s Garage, Tap and Growler, Rye Restaurant, Bricks in the 5th St. Public Market, Mothership Food Cart, Sam’s Place and Sam’s on Franklin, Agate Lab, LCC Food Services, Growler Guys, Grid Iron, Stacy’s Covered Bridge, Ax and Fiddle, Village Green and Blairally Vintage Arcade. The new location also serves as an incubator for other small businesses. Contact Jim Evangelista or visit realitykitchen.org. POLLUTION UPDATE Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently sent PeaceHealth a warning letter for hazardous waste law violations discovered by DEQ during an unannounced inspection last month at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. The facility is classified as a “small quantity generator” of hazardous waste because it generates between 220 and 2,000 pounds of hazardous waste per month. Violations included hazardous waste-filled containers positioned so tightly together that they could not be inspected for leaks; failure to submit a hazardous waste contingency plan to fire, police and other emergency responders; failure to keep hazardous waste containers closed; failure to inspect hazardous waste on a weekly basis (including inspecting waste only once during some months); and failure to store mercury waste in proper containers and to label those containers. DEQ is giving PeaceHealth the opportunity to correct the violations, and has requested a written response documenting corrective measures by April 5. Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project 8 March 13, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com HAPPENING TEACHERS BY PAUL NEEVEL JULIA HARVEY Born and raised in Eugene, Julia Harvey got interested in marine biology as a second-grader at Spring Creek School. “We did a unit on marine mammals,” she recalls. “In fourth and fifth grade, we went to see tide pools and the aquarium.” Harvey took every science course available at South Eugene High School, then enrolled at Occidental College in L.A. “We shared a boat with other small colleges,” she says. “We went out of Long Beach Harbor every other Friday for fish studies.” She graduated in 1990, joined the Peace Corps and found herself teaching high school science in an island village in the Kingdom of Tonga. “The students were respectful and eager to learn,” says Harvey, who stayed three years, fell in love with teaching, then got into a Peace Corps fellowship program at Wichita State University and earned a master’s in education. “I moved back to Eugene the next day.” Since 1999, she has taught biology and environmental science at her alma mater, South Eugene. “We take lots of field trips,” she says. “The kids develop protocol, do research and present results.” For three weeks last summer, Harvey lived her dreams of marine biology research as a NOAA Teacher at Sea. She served aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Dyson as a crew member on a walleye pollock survey in the Gulf of Alaska. Search “Julia Harvey NOAA” to find her detailed blog.
