We've got issues.
In Afghanistan • 2,363 U.S. troops killed (2,363 last month) • 20,071 U.S. troops wounded in action (updates NA) • 1,616 U.S. contractors killed (1,599) • 16,179 civilians killed (updates NA) • $716.1 billion cost of war ($713.4 billion) • $286.4 million cost to Eugene taxpayers ($285.4 million) Against ISIS • $6.4 billion cost of military action ($6 billion) • $2.6 million cost to Eugene taxpayers ($2.4 million) Continue reading
• The Lane County Poverty And Homelessness Board meets from noon to 1:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Carmichael Conference Room, Lane County Youth Services Serbu Campus, 2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Call 682-3798 for more information. Continue reading
Cascade Manor rises two and three stories above the sidewalks on 29th and 30th avenues in south Eugene, and the large campus of up-scale retirement apartments and assisted living is often mentioned in discussions about the controversial plans to rezone and develop the nearby South Willamette neighborhood into a more urban area with high-rise buildings. “There is a common misconception that Cascade Manor has something to do with the city’s rezoning effort but they absolutely do not,” says Lauren Witt, a spokesperson for Cascade Manor. Continue reading
• We’re all looking for answers after yet another terrible tragic shooting in our country, again in our state. Are Americans so gripped with fear that they turn to guns to protect them from everything? Have we become a mean-spirited people, putting too many people in prison, offering meager social services and diminished public education, shrinking our mental health programs, including school counseling? Do we glorify violence all the way from endless wars, games and entertainment, to amped-up cheap crime coverage in the media? Are the arms merchants selling us out? Continue reading
PeaceHealth Medical Group (PMG) has a new anti-marijuana policy that was posted about the same time recreational marijuana become legal for adults in Oregon. The policy reads, “Our doctors are not able to sign Oregon State attending physician’s statements for medical marijuana, even though some of our providers have signed the forms in the past.” The memo was signed by Robin Virgin, M.D. of Vancouver, Washington, who is the medical director of primary care at PMG. Continue reading
• Blood banks in Oregon responded to the Umpqua Community College mass shooting Oct. 1 and are now trying to replenish their supplies of red cells, platelets and plasma. Blood types A along with B negative and O negative are needed. The Lane Blood Center is at 2211 Willamette Street. Drop by or better yet, call 484-9112 ext. 700 to make an appointment and avoid waiting. Continue reading
• It’s party time for the “kayaktivists,” some from Eugene, and “#ShellNo” protesters who delayed Royal Dutch Shell’s push into the Arctic from Seattle last summer, perhaps contributing to Shell’s decision Sept. 28 to indefinitely suspend drilling in that fragile region. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley also cheered, saying “This is tremendous news, and a credit to the many people who made clear that offshore Arctic drilling in unacceptable.” In July, Merkley introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015. Continue reading
• Lane County’s new Performance Auditor Shanda Miller will be available to talk about her work in a series of public meetings that will include at least one county commissioner. The next will be at 3 pm and again at 6 pm Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Siuslaw Public Library in Florence. Future meetings will be at 5:30 pm Monday, Oct. 19, at the Brewstation in Cottage Grove; 7 pm Tuesday, Oct. 20, at South Eugene High School cafeteria; and noon Thursday, Nov. 19, at Springfield City Club. Continue reading
• It’s hard to believe that this community, so dependent on education, has to poll, strategize, organize and work like crazy to pass a modest levy for libraries, but it’s happening, and the ballots go out Oct. 16. This levy would cost the typical homeowner $36 a year, and we realize that is more than some homeowners can spare. But it will add 22 hours per week to the Sheldon and Bethel libraries and restore Sunday morning hours to the main library downtown, plus other benefits to kids and education, and the restoration of materials and technology. Continue reading
Local businesses can benefit from a collection of useful web links regarding surveys, zoning, planning, building permits, flood hazard, wetlands, restaurant inspections and more at lanecounty.org. Lane County’s Geographic Information System and property records online have been updated into a new system that can be accessed by computer or cell phone. Look for “Maps and Property Info” under “Quick Links” on the county website’s home page. Continue reading