Eugene Weekly

Occupy Eugene is tired of all the talk about the state of America’s health care system and is taking action by treating those in need of medical care for free and connecting them with other community services. On Sunday, Feb. 5, at the corner of 7th and Pearl, OE organizers set up a medical tent outside the old Federal Building with doctors and nurses available for basic medical treatment, and the group has a long-term plan to continue on every Sunday. Continue reading →

Oregon’s diminishing coffers have put many social services at risk, and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) is no exception. Money has been set aside for the program, but advocates fear it will get lost in the budget fray. ERDC subsidizes the day care costs of low-income families using a formula that accounts for income and child care costs in a family’s zip code. The income ceiling for a family of four is $40,800 a year. Continue reading →

Many plants rely on honeybees to pollinate them and facilitate reproduction, but colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is killing about one-third of bee colonies per year nationally, is making it much harder for bees to get their buzz on.  Continue reading →

Predator advocates are wary of the latest anti-wolf and anti-cougar bills that have been introduced to the current abbreviated session of the Oregon Legislature and call the bills a waste of time and money. Sally Mackler of Predator Defense says, “This is a session that’s supposed to be focused on the budget and on the economic crisis we are facing. If we had all the time we had spent on the cougar bill we could have fixed the economy by now.” Continue reading →

Chemical trespass is what the rural residents of Triangle Lake say they experience when a timber company sprays toxic pesticides that drift onto their properties, often affecting the health of those living there, their gardens and drinking water. There will be two rallies against chemical trespass on Feb. 11. In Lane County, the rally will start at noon on the shores of Triangle Lake on Highway 36. The other rally starts at 10 am in another heavily sprayed and clearcut area, Lake Selmac, along Highway 199 near Selma in Josephine County. Continue reading →

A ruling related to last week’s verdict that EPD Sgt. Bill Solesbee used excessive force to arrest Josh Schlossberg in 2009 added to Oregon’s existing case law, which recognizes the public’s right to tape police officers and others — in some cases with notification of the videotaped person and in some cases without it. U.S. District Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin ruled that Solesbee also violated Schlossberg’s rights by searching his camera without a warrant. Continue reading →