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Kaiser Permanente announced this week that it will open a medical office in Eugene in late 2015, according to a press release. Medical office sites are being evaluated to accommodate at least four primary care physicians and their staff. Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit provider of integrated health care services and insurance plans, serving 9.3 million members, including about 495,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Continue reading
The local real estate market appears to be doing well with residential sale prices improving in all areas, many by double digits, according to a flyer sent out last week by broker Sally Nunn. Nunn’s numbers compare June 2013 with June 2014 and show the biggest gains in the McKenzie Valley (16.9 percent) and Springfield (13.4 percent). West Eugene home sales went up 10 percent with other parts of Eugene showing single-digit growth. The number of closed sales in the metro area increased 3.7 percent and the number of new listings grew by 6.5 percent. Continue reading
Most contractors in Lane County are happy to provide would-be customers with their license number from the Construction Contractors Board (CCB), and many contractors even include it on their business cards. But that information might be out of date or just wrong. If you hire a contractor who is unlicensed and things go wrong, it can get very expensive. See our 2008 cover story “Cutting Corners” in our archives at wkly.ws/1s9. You can check the CCB website and see the status of contractors, but now it’s even easier. Continue reading
Emerald Valley Weatherization is going through transition to new ownership. The Springfield business, founded in 1993 and now owned by Lonnie Lee Stringer and Carla Dee Stringer, canceled some of its pending work orders last week and shut down its website, but is back in business this week, according to Kristin Mason, who tells EW she and her husband are taking over and buying the business. Mason is the daughter of Carla Stringer and says Lonnie Stringer, her stepfather, was wanting to sell but a pending deal fell through. Continue reading
Hard Times Distillery will be opening a tasting room at 547 Blair Blvd., across from Tacovore and next to Mame. “The neighborhood has become known for food, beer and wine, but now there are locally made distilled spirits as well,” says Ben Maude of Hard Times. Call him at 414-9752. Continue reading
Holy Cow is permanently closing its campus location in the EMU on the UO campus as of June 30. “Deconstruction is in full swing and we cannot afford to keep it open after business went down 50 percent due to construction,” says Kathee Lavine of Holy Cow in an email. “We are open on Willamette and our catering and products are available as always.” Lavine adds, “It is perhaps fitting that we are going out with the OUS system, both of us ending our involvement with the UO on June 30. Continue reading
The West Eugene EmX expansion is moving forward, despite vocal opposition and efforts to derail it. With this in mind, the nonprofit Better Eugene-Springfield Transit (BEST) is holding a public forum to “share diverse views on why transit is, or isn’t important to our community” from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Tuesday, June 10, at the LCC Downtown Center, Room 105. Continue reading
The Oregon Legislature last summer approved $3.75 million in seed funding for the South Willamette Valley Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network. RAIN’s goal is economic development for our region, which is slowly making the transition from a dependence on natural resources to a knowledge-based economy. RAIN is intended to help researchers at UO and OSU spin off private companies, provide mentors and create workspaces for tech start-ups. Continue reading
Kush MMD and Reign Inc. have opened a state-licensed and regulated medical marijuana facility (MFF) and wellness center at 221 W. 10th Ave. in downtown Eugene. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house was held May 12. The business has a provisional MMF license and “will wait until receiving the official state registration from the state before engaging in cannabis commerce,” says General Manager Lisa Della Croce. Continue reading
Two Eugene law firms have filed a class action lawsuit against the owners of the Little Big Burger chain claiming the company does not pay employees for earned overtime wages. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene by Leiman & Johnson, LLC, and Andrew Lewinter, PC, and seeks an unspecified amount in actual damages, liquidated damages, penalties, interest, punitive damages and attorney fees. One of the plaintiffs is Logan Vance, the former manager of the Eugene location at 1404 Orchard St. near campus. Continue reading