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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2017)
• The nonprofit Nobel Peace Laureate Project will hold its annual “Inspirer of Peace” Award Gala from 1 to 3 pm Saturday, Aug. 19, at Nobel Estate Urban, 560 Commercial St. Honored at the event will be Dr. John Alcott, Terry McDonald and Tsunami Books (Scott Landfield) for their dedication to peace education. The $25 entry will go to support the project’s ongoing work. Call 541-285-3309. • The Aug. 12 attack on counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, has us and others across the country reeling. One woman was killed, 19 people were injured and two law enforcement officers died in a helicopter crash related to the “Unite the Right” rally. How do you respond to such hate? For some with anger, for others, by showing love and support to our fellow humans. In this photo, Jack Klonoski, age 2, a nascent Oregonian activist, military brat and son of a former Eugenean, stands protesting with a heart outside the Virginia office of Richard Spencer, one of the white supremacist organizers of the rally. For a wrenching on-the-street view of what happened in Charlottes- ville, check out Vice’s “Charlottesville: Race and Terror” on YouTube. • Speaking of Charlottesville, a reader pointed out that Dino Costa, a Portland shock jock, called for people to run over protesters back in June. We wrote about it on our blog and asked Costa for comment in the wake of the deaths this past weekend. As of press time, Costa has not responded. But the Portland Timbers soccer team and the University of Oregon Ducks, both of which have ties to the sports radio station, quickly de- nounced the remarks and said they would review their contracts with the station. Free speech is in the First Amendment, but words have consequences. Read the story online at eugeneweekly.com. • Here’s some good news. Congressman Peter DeFazio reports that more people have contacted his office since the beginning of the Trump administration than ever before. By June, his office had received more mail and calls than all of last year. This is participatory democracy, maybe the only way out of this bad time in America. • Also in good news, we got great response to last week’s Pride issue, including actress Sara Ramirez (known for playing Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy) tweeting our bisexual erasure story far and wide. Despite 45’s moves against transgender and other LGBTQ+ people, support for them continues to grow, as it should. • Pope Francis, we hear, has directed the faithful to pray for “better appreciation” of the Earth this month due to his growing concern about climate change. This, alongside his encyclical on climate change that he handed our commander in chief during his Vatican visit, leads us to applaud the commander of the faithful. The Vatican is also promoting a hashtag, #BeautyOfCreation, for photos of nature. Pope Francis is ahead of the game on social media and the environment alike. The ball is in your court, Trump. • Many Eugene residents have gotten into the habit of bringing their own bags to grocery stores, but what sort of bags are we handing those friendly and hard-working checkers? Customers show up with all sorts of bags, backpacks and boxes, but we’ve heard some horror stories. Stained, damp and smelly bags with holes. Bags covered with pet hair. One checker tells us of being handed a bag with a pair of panties in the bottom. “Don’t worry,” the customer told her. “They’re clean.” Another checker reportedly contracted a bad case of poison oak on her hands from a dirty grocery bag. It’s great that we are keeping hundreds of thou- sands of plastic bags out of the landfill, but will we soon be seeing checkers wearing haz-mat suits? • Animal advocacy and rights organizations and local businesses are raising money to try to lower the costs for spaying and neutering pit bulls down to $10. Luv- able Dog Rescue is pledging $1,500 a month to a vouch- er program with the Willamette Animal Guild (WAG) and its clinic. Luvable, which has previously donated to Pro-Bone-O and Stop Pet Overpopulation Today (SPOT), is seeking an additional $1,500 a month from the com- munity so that $3,000 a month will be available for the vouchers. Edgewater Fine Furnishings has already con- tributed. Find information on any of the local groups’ websites or call 541-520-0295. • Discount Motorcycle Parts in west Eugene appears to be doing well under new ownership that began in March. Mike and Shery Wellington are using social media to pro- mote special events at the shop. The Skinners Legacy Ride has been set for Sept. 17 in memory of Steve and Annette Skinner, founders and former DMP owners who died in a car crash in August 2016. Suggested donation of $10 will support the Eugene Mission. • Eugene-based electric car maker Arcimoto has gone public. The company says, “For the first time, early adopters, brand believers and members of the general public — not just accredited investors — will be able to own equity in Arcimoto.” Go to arcimoto.com/invest for more info. POLLUTION UPDATE The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent Tom Hunton (president of Huntons’ Sure Crop Farm Service, Inc.) a warning letter on July 18 for placing wastes in a location where they were likely to escape or be carried into waters of the state. DEQ sent the warning letter in follow up to a May site visit that was prompted by a complaint about Sure Crop’s facility on Milliron Road in Junction City. During the site visit, DEQ observed wastes in a stormwater ditch next to Sure Crop, along with numerous hoses going to the ditch from a farm tank on the site. DEQ character- ized the situation as posing “a significant risk of envi- ronmental harm” and indicated that it had “significant concerns” about the situation. DEQ stated in its letter that it would refrain from referring the matter for formal enforcement if various corrective actions were taken. — Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project Cottage Theatre presents: 2017 Comical Russian tales infused with American wit August 11—27 By Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov Directed by Kory Weimer $25 Adult, $15 Youth (6-18) 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove • www.cottagetheatre.org • 541-942-8001 8 A ugust 17, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
