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OUR SWEET OLD WORLD Thanks for the information-rich cover story “Extinction Sucks” July 16 issue. As our planet continues to move inexorably toward its sixth mass extinction, we Homo sapiens who acknowledge our collective responsibility for the unfolding tragedy look for ways to express our great guilt and boundless sorrow. Continue reading
• As we go to press this week, we don’t know who Gov. Kate Brown will appoint by Aug. 1 to be Lane County’s first female district attorney. We do know that an election for the tough job will be held in May 2016 and the incumbent, either Patty Perlow or Kamala Shugar, will have a whopping advantage. Hopefully, the unfair political attacks against Perlow for her very subordinate role in the taping of a Catholic confessional decades ago was not a factor in the governor’s choice. Continue reading
At the July 5 reunion show in Chicago, the author (in baseball cap) with the video monitor showing a young Jerry Garcia (Photo by Nate Wilson-Traisman) Continue reading
Why do so many homeless people have dogs? This question comes up a lot in our town, where many people hang around downtown with their animals. The first answer is a simple one: Homeless people have animals for all the same reasons housed people have them. It’s a great feeling to be loved and accepted without judgment, to have a warm companion to hug when you are feeling sad, and a friend who is always ready to walk with you—no matter how far you have to go. Continue reading
THE BIGGEST MYSTERY Continue reading
• Looks like Eugene’s urban growth boundary will be expanding onto farmland in order to accommodate future industrial growth, along with some parkland and school land. The majority on the City Council this week gave a nod to the expansion, and it goes now to city and county planning commissions and public hearings. Why do we continue to develop and pave over prime farmland when such lands will become more valuable, even critically so, in the future? Continue reading
The Oregon Legislature fizzled to a halt as expected. Now the real fun starts. You think paid sick leave for workers and carbon emission standards will not exact a price at the ballot box in 2016? The lack of compromise and the partisan fights over a transportation package and the minimum wage now spill over into the next initiative season, and it’s going to be an expensive ride. Continue reading
MUPTE IS MISDIRECTED I appreciate George Brown’s call [Viewpoint, July 7] for modification of MUPTE to include a meaningful and significant workforce housing component. But I would prefer that we end MUPTE all together. In my view, MUPTE is as unnecessary as it is misdirected. Typical of these programs, it lacks robust compliance oversight. It robs our community of needed tax revenues for the benefit of well-heeled developers. The evidence of an out-of-control program is all around us (see the Capstone site, if you can stand the sight). Continue reading
Illustration by Trask Bedortha Continue reading
• As we predicted, the Eugene City Council this week revived the Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption program, aka “tax breaks for the rich,” but at least it has some redeeming qualities. The council was under threat from Brian Obie and other developers that they would abandon their downtown housing plans without the tax breaks, but we’re not convinced they wouldn’t build anyway. Think about it. If you were a developer, wouldn’t you try to leverage every advantage possible to maximize your return on investment? Continue reading