Articles

Whistleblowing former Lane County attorney Marc Kardell filed a lawsuit against the county on May 1, also naming County Administrator Liane Richardson and District Attorney Alex Gardner. Kardell says that he was fired in retaliation for questioning their actions. He says in his suit that the county is mismanaged, wastes funds and abuses authority.

There’s a rumor circulating in Eugene that suggests the city could be vulnerable to city-services-fee-based litigation like the city of Des Moines, Iowa, which has been fighting lawsuits since 2004. Due to differences in the type of fee, state laws and locally based federal agencies, experts indicate that type of lawsuit wouldn’t be successful in Eugene.

Up the bike chart we go! Every year, the League of American Bicyclists releases a ranking of states’ friendliness to biking, and Oregon jumped from number five to number three in 2013. The rankings are released to give kudos for bike-ability strengths and provide suggestions for improvements, such as the need for better infrastructure.

Women represent only 17 percent of Congress, and only one member of the Oregon delegation, Suzanne Bonamici, is a woman. Only 23 percent of elected officials statewide in Oregon are female. These are some of the reasons that Kamala Shugar is encouraging people to come support Emerge Oregon at its May 9 fundraiser. 

First National Taphouse is planning its grand opening May 9 during Beer Week. The brewpub and restaurant is the centerpiece of Master Capital Development’s renovation of the 1866 Bristow’s Brick Building at 51 W. Broadway downtown, known for many years as the Taco Time building. The building was home to the First National Bank of Eugene in the 1880s and still has its old vaults. Upstairs are 16 New York-style apartments and still under construction is the Bijou Metro Theater which is scheduled to open later this spring.

October 2004: One of two RNs with the Bethel School District, Annemarie Hirsch divides her time between Danebo, Fairfield and Malabon Elementary, Cascade Middle, Willamette High and Calapooya Alternative High Schools. “I try to go to each school one day a week,” she says. Hirsch grew up in Norway, then moved at age 18, to a commune near Crow. She got a nursing degree from LCC and worked at Sacred Heart before returning to school for a BS and certification as a school nurse. She started work for Bethel in 1998.

Lane County has been sued by another victim of “cultural changes” instituted by County Administrator Liane Richardson. If the county commissioners put the taxpayers’ interests first, they will let the Tea Party fight the culture wars — and encourage Ms. Richardson to spend all of her time angling for a salary raise.