The Divine Cupcake, a Eugene local organic bakery and café, is celebrating its second anniversary by offering a free cupcake to all store visitors on Saturday, March 17. The store will be open from 10 am to 10 pm and is located at 1680 W. 11th Ave.  

The two Lane County commissioner races heading for the May primary have narrowed their fields. Conservative City Councilor Mike Clark dropped out of the North Eugene race against current Commissioner Rob Handy Feb. 28, and on March 1 political newcomer Kieran Walsh gave way in the contest for the South Eugene seat held by Pete Sorenson. 

• Weyerhaeuser (744-4684) plans ground and aerial spraying on at least 753 acres in areas including Mohawk River tributaries, Ritchie Creek on the McKenzie at Leaburg, Crow Creek, Farman Creek, Kelly Creek, Horton, Lorane, Michaels Creek and Owens Creek.

Attempts to turn rural Parvin Butte into a gravel mine have turned the once peaceful hill and the town around it into a morass of legal and political controversy. In the latest twist, the decision to allow mining on Parvin Butte in Dexter without a site review was reconsidered by the Lane County hearings official on March 6, resulting in a partial victory for the Parvin Butte neighbors.

• Envision Eugene’s two-year process will wrap up over the next couple of months and City Manager Jon Ruiz will present his recommendations to the City Council after we go to press this week, drawing criticism from community members who are concerned that the manager’s secret analysis will short-circuit the public process. Adding to the concern is the manager’s canceling of a Tuesday morning meeting with the 70-member Community Resource Group (CRG) to preview his recommendations before they go to the council.

• Scholar Irfan Omar, Ph.D. of Marquette University will speak at LCC Thursday, March 8, as part of the college’s two-year Visiting Scholars on Islam series. From 1 to 2:30 pm Omar will present “Conference of the Birds,” selections of well-known Sufi writings. From 5 to 6:30 pm he will present “Dialogue of the Heart: Seeing the ‘Other’ from an Islamic Perspective” exploring historic interfaith discussions. Both public presentations will be in the Center for Meeting and Learning on the main campus, Building 19, room 226.

Animal advocates want to know why Lane County isn’t considering trimming salaries over $90,000 instead of cutting much-needed services. Budget cuts at the city of Eugene and at Lane County have led to a proposal that Lane County Animal Services be ended and a new plan put in its place. But no new plan has been drafted, and who and what would take over dealing with the area’s homeless pets from LCAS is unclear. 

The name of the anonymous company that wants to export six to 10 million tons of dirty coal a year from Coos Bay via trains running through Eugene might be made known at the beginning of April. Public records requests for more information on the secretive proposal have been met with charges of thousands of dollars.

THE PERSONAL PRICE OF CARE

Taking care of a loved one — or someone else’s loved one — is a virtuous thing, and that’s something that Eugeneans of all stripes can agree on. So why are caretakers so frequently economically penalized for their work?

Economist Nancy Folbre’s keynote speech March 8, “Women’s Gains, Mothers’ Losses: Capitalism and the Care Penalty,” will address aspects of something called the care penalty.

You might have noticed a chemical spill, a man foaming at the mouth and folks in hazmat suits if you were driving down Hwy. 99 by the Georgia-Pacific Eugene Resin Plant on the cold snowy morning of Feb. 29. 

• The Green Neighbors Faire, sponsored by the Neighborhood Leaders Council Committee on Sustainability, will be from 11 am to 2:30 pm Saturday, March 3, at First United Methodist Church, 1375 Olive St. The free event will include workshops and panels on a variety of topics, from backyard chickens to bike repair. At 10 am, before the free family event, author Richard Heinberg will speak on "Transitioning After Growth – Connecting, Community, Economy, Energy & Environment." Donations of $5-$10 will be asked to support Heinberg's talk.

Opus VII gallery at 22 W. 7th Ave. will be closing April 7 after a year and a half, according to a note to members from Executive Director Kaz Oveiessi and Artistic Director Sally Dietrich. The gallery’s purpose is “to recognize, reward and showcase mastery in art, architecture and design,” and “introduce the community to the creative world and win the hearts and minds of every visitor.” Oveissi says he will be moving his oriental rug store into the gallery space and intends that “we will go onward” with a “different project at a different time.”