Eugene Weekly

• No surprise that the timber industry in Oregon still has enough lobbying power to stifle the Democratic Legislature when it comes to even minor new rules on aerial spraying of pesticides on private timberlands. The timber industry has a strong ally in Oregonians for Food and Shelter, which represents big chemical manufacturers and distributors. What can we do other than hold our lawmakers’ feet to the fire? Well, when the Legislature fails to make reforms, the people can rise up. Continue reading →

• After listening to Phyllis Barkhurst and Jeff Todahl at City Club of Eugene last week talk about 90by30, their initiative that seeks to reduce child abuse 90 percent by 2030, we’re even more convinced that we need more teachers, more counselors, more school nurses, more frontline professionals who interact with children and can recognize signals of abuse. To date, the education budget being debated in the Oregon Legislature this week doesn’t bring that about. We’re looking for the leadership that will. Continue reading →

• Help wanted! Look at these job openings in Eugene and Lane County. Tom Turner is heading to Florence, so we need a new Lane county sheriff. General Manager Ron Kilcoyne of Lane Transit Distict announced this week that he is leaving that hotspot after a new GM is found. The big slot, UO president, is still open. School District 4J just hired a new superintendent. Could be that this is normal turnover for the age of the shrinking attention span. Could be that this is a tough place for public servants. Continue reading →

• The May 19 4J School Board election got hotter last week as several new candidates squeaked in on the filing deadline. Incumbent Jim Torrey is facing off against two opponents: Oregon Democratic Party Regional Director Kevin Cronin (also EW’s “Best Local Hellraiser”) and Whiteaker Community Council member David Nickles. Torrey has served on the board since 2007 and is currently chair. Continue reading →

• We left the City Club of Eugene’s excellent debate on March 13 about manmade microwave radiation’s impact on human health undecided. Dr. Davison Soper, UO physics professor, and Dr. Paul Dart, MD, left us thinking that the science is not there on either side, although both expressed strong views. Soper was not concerned about wifi, cell towers and smart meters impacting human health. Dart definitely was. More science, please. Continue reading →

• Former UO president David Frohnmayer’s most powerful legacy to this community should be the strength and courage he and his wife, Lynn Frohnmayer, have demonstrated in battling Franconi anemia, the disease that took the lives of two of their daughters and affects a third. The Frohnmayers established the Franconi Anemia Research Fund, shepherded it through endless meetings and raised millions for it. Continue reading →

• An amazing cross-section of this community has come together to buy “the dirt,” 10.2 acres in the center of Eugene. This is the first and most difficult step in building a fieldhouse for kids, restoring a historic wooden stadium and installing a playing field for soccer and fun, adding a pocket park and a walking/biking path. What a lift in a world that seems to be coming apart more than coming together!  Continue reading →

• Springfield is in mourning, as are we all, for the pedestrian tragedy on Main Street that killed three children and seriously injured their mother Feb. 22. As we go to press we haven’t heard why the pickup driver hit the family, but regardless, the long and busy Main Street corridor has long been hazardous for walkers, bicyclists, pets and wildlife. Reducing the speed limit on this state highway would be an obvious first step. More pedestrian refuge islands are needed. Continue reading →

• John Kitzhaber grew up in Eugene. His father taught at the UO. His mother was state president of the League of Women Voters. We have never doubted his integrity and still don’t until proven otherwise through full due process of the law. We do have doubts about his judgment with the role of his “first lady,” fiancé Cylvia Hayes. As one of our readers quipped this week: “At a minimum, Kitzhaber needs a pre-nup.” Continue reading →

• A $35 annual vehicle registration fee is heading for the May ballot as Lane County struggles to provide basic services. We’re not fond of flat taxes since they exacerbate the gap between rich and poor, but this fee is a bit more progressive than some we’ve seen. Very poor (or green) households don’t even own a car, low-income households might have one car and wealthier households are likely to have several vehicles plus boats and trailers. Continue reading →