• The report on the audit of the Eugene Police Department’s Property Control Unit (PCU), which revealed 1,116 missing items including guns, drugs and jewelry, was quite an eyebrow raiser. We met with Police Chief Pete Kerns and the civilian employee who requested the audit, and they said some policies and procedures have been ignored for years, leading to disorganization. Further investigations will hopefully determine whether the missing items are really gone from “The Vault” at EPD or just misplaced, and whether any criminal activity has taken place. EPD will be conducting its first-ever PCU inventory of all its items, and EPD is in the process of implementing the reforms in policy and procedure that the audit recommended.
Would this embarrassment have happened if the city had an independent performance auditor on board years ago when it was highly recommended by a citizen charter review committee in 2002? An independent performance auditor would have eyeballed every aspect of EPD, the city’s biggest department, including whether best practices and standards were being followed. Would an auditor have helped the city avoid a $6 million budget shortfall next year?
• It’s disturbing to hear five mental health professionals on staff in the 4J School District might lose their jobs if and when school health centers are shut down as a budget-cutting measure, and because of cumbersome new state regulations. We heard from one of the psychologists that the community and School Board are being advised that these five mental health professionals cannot function independently from the school health centers, but he says that’s not true — all they need are offices. We understand the district’s plan is to hire more nurses to help make up for the expensive health centers and mental health professionals, and perhaps contract out mental health crisis services. But is that the best way to deal with the hundreds of students, some suicidal, who are getting high-level, ongoing professional counseling at school? We have our doubts. We queried the 4J administration about these issues, but alas, everyone’s on spring break for their mental health.
• Last week in Slant we wrote about Joann Ernst and her intention to run against County Commissioner Faye Stewart in 2014. Now we hear Jose Ortal of Blue River might also be on the ballot. Ortal tells us he’s still exploring his options, but he’s tired of county politics “being driven by the McDougal Brothers of the world,” a reference to the conservative loggers who have become wealthy developers through less-than-enlightened land-use practices. Ortal has a master’s degree in history from UCLA and extensive credentials in higher education and Latino issues. Anybody else out there want to join the race? Stewart is considered vulnerable following a series of issues in which he’s stood up for big business interests over the citizenry, but booting him out won’t be easy. He has name recognition and big-buck backing. But having multiple candidates on the May ballot might split the vote and lead to a runoff in November. Stewart needs 50 percent of the votes plus one to stand alone on the November ballot. Another tongue-twister for ya: Faye’s days fading away? Stewart’s seat’s susceptible.
• You don’t need to like basketball to have fun with the sports psychology that’s going into March Madness and the Oregon Ducks’ dive into it. How does the coach prepare a 12-seeded team, Oregon, to beat the overwhelming tourney favorite, 1-seed Louisville? We’ll see at 4:15 pm Friday, March 29, on national TV. Nate Silver, better known for his remarkably accurate political odds-making, writes in The New York Times that “Oregon has only about a 5 percent chance of winning that game.” Forget the odds. Let’s give Oregon a 3-point win for out-psyching Louisville and turning it over to the final eight.
• Back on Dec. 27 we wrote about David Oaks and his nasty tumble from a ladder. He broke his neck and is facing a long and difficult recovery. Oaks is founder and director of Mind Freedom International with headquarters in Eugene, and he continues to be a strong advocate for mental health care reform. He tells us he spent some time at Craig Hospital near Denver, a center for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. At Craig he learned to use a wheelchair and to strengthen his arms with virtual reality exercise equipment. His wife, Debra, is supervising the remodeling of their home to make it more accommodating. The family’s financial needs are great and a fund has been set up at David W. Oaks Irrevocable Trust, c/o Chase Bank, 1100 Willamette St., Eugene 97401. Donations can also be made online at davidwoaks.com where he writes about his recovery, lessons he’s learned, and his specific needs.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519