Eugene weekly., May 11, 2017, Page 11, Image 11

BY PAUL NEEVEL
HAPPENING PEOPLE
• A discussion of “White Supremacy, Anti-Semitism and
Building a Resilient Community” is 5:45 pm Saturday, May 13, at
Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Avenue.
• A campaign to divest the city of Eugene from US Bank is
gearing up in May as part of a national effort to weaken the fossil
fuels industry and “open up more space for climate solutions to
flourish,” according to Community Alliance of Lane County. Contact
Michael at CALC at 541-485-1755 or visit world.350Eugene.org.
• Eugene’s 21-year-old Toxics Right-to-Know Program has
announced that data from the 2016 Toxics Reports are now
available on the Toxics Program’s website eugene-or.gov/toxics, and
in printed form at the Eugene Public Library. The TRK program says
the 2016 materials balance reports have been filed electronically
by all 35 businesses that are required to report what toxics they are
using. The TRK program requires that “businesses meeting certain
criteria report their hazardous substance use to the city, that the
city make that information public, and that hazardous substance
users pay fees as necessary to operate the program.”
POLLUTION UPDATE
CARTER MCKENZIE
“I loved the mountains,” says Carter McKenzie, who spent her
childhood in Colorado Springs. She studied English literature at
Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, on her way to a
master’s from the University of Virginia, and she worked on
American history projects in the Library of Congress. “I was writing
poetry and short stories on my own,” says McKenzie, who got
married and followed her husband’s theater production career
from New York City to Berkeley. “Poetry has been my calling ever
since.” Daughter Ryan was born in California in 1992, and daughter
Eavan arrived in 1996, after the family had moved to rural Dexter,
Oregon. “I’m still living in the same house,” she notes, though her
marriage ended in 2000. She first taught poetry to kids as a
volunteer at her daughters’ elementary school, but since 2004,
when her chapbook Naming Departure was published by Traprock
Books, she has made a career of school residencies, summer
camps, and workshops for all ages.
“Poetry offers an opportunity to engage in language and
engage with the world in unexpected ways,” she says. “It’s a
subversive art that works against cliché.” Following the Charleston
church shootings by Dylann Roof in 2015, McKenzie joined the
new local chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a mostly-white
group opposing racism and white privilege. As convener of its
immigrant rights subcommittee, she has reassembled and
expanded the photography exhibit, We are Neighbors, portraits of
immigrants, first presented by Community Alliance of Lane County
in 1996. See it at the Springfield Museum, 590 Main Street, during
the Second Friday Art Walk on May 12 and through the month of
June.
Know anyone whose good work deserves attention in this space? Call the editor at
541-484-0519 or editor@eugeneweekly.com.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent the
City of Florence a warning letter on May 4 following an April
inspection at the city’s sewage treatment plant during which DEQ
noted multiple Clean Water Act violations. DEQ noted that the city
does not have an emergency response and public notification plan,
an operations manual, or a written quality assurance and quality
control program. DEQ has asked the city to correct these violations
by June 5.
Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project
• Poppi’s Anatolia, the popular Greek and Indian eatery at 992
Willamette Street, will be closing on Tuesdays beginning May 16 to
deal with “some deferred maintenance projects as we head into
summer,” says owner George Schaefer. The casual restaurant has
been open seven days a week for nearly 30 years. Schaefer says
Tuesdays were chosen since they are “typically the quietest of
days” at the restaurant. Find a menu and more information
at poppisanatolia.com.
• J. Michaels Books at 160 E. Broadway has been ranked #17
on the Huffington Post list of “50 Best Indie Bookstores in America.”
The business was launched by Jeremy Nissel and Linda Ellis in
1975 when they were fresh out of college, and managed to survive
not only the proliferation of big-chain bookstores but also the rise of
Amazon and other web-based booksellers. The owners say they
were surprised by the story that came out as they were celebrating
a 42nd anniversary party at the store. The Huff Post article describes
the store as “A cozy and colorful fixture of one of America’s most
colorful small cities. The owner is usually behind the counter,
obscured by his curated selection of new releases. His arrangements
never fail to compel even this most casual of bookworms to
purchase.” See jmichaelsbooks.com.
• On May 4, the Oregon Community Foundation announced
the creation of the Oregon Impact Fund, which will “provide impact
investments in organizations that are addressing problems facing
urban and rural communities, such as access to affordable housing,
health care, and jobs.” OCF plans to raise $10 million from donors
and match it dollar-for-dollar. Involved in this project are The Gray
Family Foundation, Dave and Christine Vernier, Randy Weisberg,
Tom Bowerman, Barre and Robert Stoll, Cindy and Duncan Campbell,
Chris and Tom Neilsen and The Headwaters Fund of OCF from
Central Oregon. More information can be found on the OCF fund on
the Oregon Community Foundation website.
• A career fair at HealthFirst Financial is 10 am to 2 pm
Saturday, May 13, at the company’s Springfield offices, 400
International Way, suite 320. The locally based and diversified
financial services firm is taking applications for multiple entry-level
and professional full-time positions. For more information, call 541-
393-3184.
• A small business clinic “Ask the Experts” is 5 to 7 pm
Thursday, May 18, at the Eugene Public Library downtown. For a
confidential, one-hour free appointment, call 541-682-5450.
Send suggestions to bizbeat@eugeneweekly.com.
eugeneweekly.com • May 11, 2017
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