Eugene Weekly

Oregon’s seven public universities enter a new era this July: No more Oregon University System, no more Board of Higher Education and no more OUS chancellor.  Instead Oregon state universities will be run by their own independent governing boards, as pioneered by the University of Oregon, Portland State and Oregon State University. Senate Bill 80, passed by both houses (not yet signed by governor as of this writing) will legally abolish the OUS.   Continue reading →

In Oregon, the terminally ill can take advantage of our “right to die” (aka death with dignity) law. Should the terminally ill have access to experimental therapies? A “right to try,” as it were?  The federal government says no, but 22 states have passed laws that say yes. Oregon could be the next to do so this July as the Legislature winds to a close.  Continue reading →

Social media and simple image sharing have strained and twisted modern privacy laws. Now, the Oregon Legislature might pass a privacy bill to establish the crime of “invasion of personal privacy” in the first degree as a felony in Oregon. The crime could be punished with up to five years imprisonment.  Continue reading →

Oregonians convicted or arrested for marijuana offenses could have their records expunged this year if a recent amendment in the Oregon Legislature passes. Dense and lengthy House Bill 3400 is the Legislature’s catch-all bill for regulating Oregon’s burgeoning recreational pot industry and aligning it with the state’s already legal medical marijuana commerce and production.  Continue reading →

In the last five years, several states have taken up regulating or banning surgeries to declaw cats or devocalize dogs, also known as “debarking” or ventriculocordectomy. Now it’s Oregon’s turn to wrestle with the issue.   Debarking is illegal in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Several California cities, including Los Angeles, have banned declawing outright. Continue reading →

There’s no shortage of demand for good homes in Eugene these days, especially for those with low or little income. Now the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International has its fingers crossed that the nonprofit will be able to put up a few more houses every year if the Oregon Legislature passes House Bill 2690-1 this summer.  Continue reading →