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Can small sea birds save a forest? Conservation groups like Cascadia Wildlands hope so. Next month the State Land Board decides whether or not to dispose of three parcels of the Elliott State Forest by selling to private buyers, which include interested parties from the timber industry. In a Nov. 10 letter, Cascadia Wildlands and other conservation groups asked the State Land Board, which includes Gov. Continue reading
In the midst of the city’s budget crisis, the Library Journal rated Eugene Public Library a three-star library. The journal looks per capita at circulation, visits, program attendance and public internet terminal use and ranks libraries across the U.S according to their budget class. By the Library Journal’s metrics, a three-star rating equates to being in the top 3 percent of a library’s budget class in terms of cost-effectiveness. Continue reading
Over the past couple years there have been cuts in Lane County’s budget to the animal shelter, cuts in funding for Womenspace and cuts to other groups that provide aid to women, children and others in need, while at the same time the Lane County administrator who was making more than $150,000 a year was seeking to have her salary raised. If these county financial issues have raised your ire, now is the time to do something about it and weigh in. Continue reading
On Nov. 17 a mural sprung up on the side of Arriving by Bike on 27th Avenue and Willamette. Far from graffiti, this work speaks to the civic engagement that a group of Eugene youth been involved in the last three months. A group of students ranging in age from 8 to 18, with the support of local nonprofit Our Children’s Trust, have attended every Eugene City Council meeting since Sept. 23 to present their argument for solidifying law on climate change in the city. On Nov. 11 the group submitted a Climate Recovery Ordinance for the council to consider. Continue reading
This year’s annual Project Censored list of the most underreported news stories includes the widening wealth gap, the trial of Chelsea (formerly known as Bradley) Manning for leaking classified documents and President Obama’s war on whistleblowers — all stories that actually received considerable news coverage. So how exactly were they “censored” and what does that say of this venerable media watchdog project? Continue reading
How has recent growth been shaping Eugene’s neighborhoods? It’s hard to know without data, and the city no longer provides reporting of residential building permits issued by year — let alone by type and neighborhood. Continue reading
• John Nichols and Bob McChesney will speak on “Dollarocracy: The Money and Media Complex that is Destroying America” at 7 pm Thursday, Nov. 14, at the UO Knight Law Center, Room 175. The event is sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center on campus. Their new book The Death and Life of American Journalism investigates the role of money and the control of news media. Continue reading
It’s too late to register for the Regional Prosperity Summit that began Thursday morning, Nov. 14, at the Ford Alumni Center, but the event carries over at 8:30 am Friday at Hilton Garden Inn, 3528 Gateway St. in Springfield. Contact Beth Forrest at 682-5882 or email beth.l.forrest@ci.eugene.or.us. Continue reading
A 2003 graduate of Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash., Kate Wheeler majored in astrophysics on a swimming scholarship at the University of Nebraska. Afterwards, she traveled to Micronesia as a volunteer teacher of high school physics and math. “I stayed three years,” she says. “After the first year, I taught part-time and worked on nutrition projects for the public health department.” On her return, Wheeler moved to Atlanta for grad school in public health at Emory University. Continue reading