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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes. News: News: Happening Person: Terry McDonald
PERMACULTURE GUILD PLANS GATHERING The Eugene Permaculture Guild is organizing a one day conference on Saturday, June 19 titled, "Towards a Vision of an Enduring Bio Region." The gathering will include five panels, plenary sessions, lunch, evening potluck, social time, and a showing of the newly released film The End of Suburbia.
Topics range from neighborhoods and local culture to "consciousness transformation." Presenters include Jan Spencer, Hope Marston, John Zerzan, Allen Hancock, Rob Bolman, Ravi Logan, Cary Thompson, Mark Robinowitz, Jan Vandertuin, Todd Miller, Jude Hobbes, Jen Anomina, Steve Shapiro, Desta Moore and Susan Muir. Muir is with the city of Eugene Planning Department and will participate in the mid-morning workshop on "The Two Sides of the Emerging EcoVillage/EcoCity Paradigm." The gathering will run from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm Saturday at the Dharmalaya Center, 356 Horn Lane, off River Road. Cost is $10 to $25 sliding scale and work trade is available. "The scope of the conference is to examine a variety of attributes of an enduring bio region such as local economics, civics, neighborhoods, appropriate technology, communications, urban design and consciousness for a new culture," say organizers. "The intent is to distill the discussions and presentations down into practical strategies for making healthy personal and community changes and a 'Green Paper' to be presented to the city in the fall." The End of Suburbia looks at what might happen to suburbia when the rising cost of energy and resources makes our suburban way of life unaffordable. The concept of "peak oil" is explained and discussed. Interviews with researchers, petroleum industry insiders and journalists present an image of the near future, 10 to 20 years from now. The following day, Sunday, will be a land use bike tour of Eugene, visiting positive examples of land use designs and identifying trends. Meet at noon at the Eugene Public Library, Olive and 10th. The conference will include planning for the big Norwest Regional Permaculture Gathering coming up Sept. 11-12 in Eugene. For more information, call 344-0553 or 686-6761 or visit www.heliosnetwork.org/epg/events.htm
AIDES: BUSH BECOMING 'ERRATIC' AND 'PARANOID'
A June 4 article in the online political newspaper Capitol Hill Blue says worried White House aides are describing President Bush as becoming "increasingly erratic" and "a man on the edge, increasingly wary of those who disagree with him and paranoid of a public that no longer trusts his policies in Iraq or at home." The story by Publisher Doug Thompson quotes the unnamed aides saying Bush's inner circle is shrinking and the president is prone to "obscene tantrums against the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as 'enemies of the state.'" The full story is at www.capitolhillblue.com
PETA PROTESTS CRUELTY IN PET FOOD TESTING Eugene animal rights activists put on striped prisoner suits and dog masks and crowded together into small cages this week in a protest against allegedly cruel laboratory testing on behalf of the pet food company Iams. The protest was held June 15 near PetsMart off Chad Drive in north Eugene.
The protest is part of PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) international campaign against the Ohio-based Iams, which was launched last summer after what PETA calls "years of failed negotiations." In June, PETA filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Iams and its parent company, Procter & Gamble, for making allegedly false claims on the Iams website regarding the care provided to the cats and dogs used in the company's research. "A recent PETA undercover investigation revealed deplorable conditions at an Iams contract laboratory," reads a statement from PETA. "At least 27 dogs were killed, while others died of illnesses that went untreated." The full report is available at www.iamscruelty.comA spokesperson at Iams could not be reached for comment. The company website (www.iamsco.com)says the company meets or exceeds animal testing standards of both the U.S. and European Union and says, "We will not fund or participate in any study requiring or resulting in the euthanasia of cats or dogs. We will conduct research that is the veterinary equivalent to nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people."
COURT STOPS LOGGING IN OLD-GROWTH RESERVE A federal court this week halted logging inside a protected old-growth forest in southwest Oregon in what is seen as a major test of the Northwest Forest Plan. The court June 15 stopped logging temporarily until the case can be further reviewed. Conservation groups raised concerns that the proposed logging is located in a legally protected old-growth reserve, a salmon refuge, and in critical habitat for the recovery of the northern spotted owl. Elk Creek, a tributary to the famed Rogue River, is "already abused by industrial logging on nearby private forestlands, but our public forests still help provide valuable salmon habitat and clean drinking water for cities downstream," says Doug Heiken of the Oregon Natural Resources Council in Eugene. "Aggressive logging around Elk Creek will devastate the natural treasures that make Oregon such a special place to live, work and raise and family. We owe it to our children to protect our public lands." The proposed logging area near Shady Cove was affected by the 27,000 acre Timbered Rock fire in 2002. The area includes 19 spotted owl territories and 18 miles of coho salmon habitat within the fire perimeter.
GOVERNOR CALLS FOR WILLAMETTE CLEANUP Gov. Ted Kulongoski is pitching his plans for how citizens can join government, business and industry to help restore the health of the Willamette River. In a statement sent to selected newspapers along the river, including EW, praised the work of SOLV's "Down by the Riverside" program and made the following suggestions to citizens:
* Planting more shrubs or plants in gardens or using straw, mulch, or plastic sheeting will help to stabilize soil and prevent damaging run-off. Switching from hosing to sweeping a driveway it is another simple way to reduce contaminants seeping into the river and to save water. * Conserving water on our lawns and in our homes not only lessens the water bill, it also lessens the high costs and environmental impacts of new dams, pipes and treatment plants. Even in Oregon, water resources are limited and we must take care to keep them clean and useable. * Reducing the number of on toxins on our lawns, such as pesticides or excessive fertilizers, and increasing our use of environmentally friendly products in our homes are other small ways we can each contribute to a cleaner Willamette River. The suggestions are part of the governor's Willamette River Legacy.
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruling against PeaceHealth June 9 appears to leave the hospital with few easy options in its plans for a massive complex on the banks of the McKenzie River on the outskirts of Springfield. The court ruled against PeaceHealth and its squad of attorneys — some of the most expensive in the state — and said the hospital plan failed to meet land use and transportation rules. On land use the court found that the hospital could not build its huge facility on land zoned residential. To get around the ruling PeaceHealth has five apparent options: * Change the local metropolitan plan to allow such large-scale hospital development in residential areas. This would likely require the approval of both Lane County commissioners and the Eugene City Council. Many of the elected officials on the two bodies have expressed opposition to moving the hospital from downtown to the edge of the urban growth boundary. * Change the local metropolitan plan to rezone PeaceHealth's land to commercial. This would also likely require Eugene and Lane County approval and would also face similar opposition. In addition, to balance available land in the region, other property may have to be down-zoned from commercial to residential. * Dramatically scale down PeaceHealth's plans for a hospital complex to fit requirements that it be an "auxiliary" use to the residential zoning. PeaceHealth officials have shown little willingness to reduce the height or size of their hospital complex. * Change state law. PeaceHealth can use its big revenue surpluses to pay for top lobbyists. But the state's leading corporate fixer, Neil Goldschmidt, is now unavailable due to a sex scandal. * Pick another site for the hospital or return to earlier plans to expand at PeaceHealth's current site. PeaceHealth has already reportedly invested over $20 million in the RiverBend site, largely in providing profits to land speculator John Musumeci, and may be unwilling to give up. On transportation issues the court found that PeaceHealth must mitigate traffic impacts before completing its hospital. To get around this ruling PeaceHealth has seven apparent options: * Change regional transportation plans to quickly build more roads to serve PeaceHealth's development plans. This would require Eugene and county approval and would likely require the cancellation of many, if not most, other planned road projects in the region to fund roads for PeaceHealth's sprawl plan. * Change regional transportation plans to allow more congestion to encourage the use of alternative transportation modes. This would only work if far north Springfield had a dedicated bus or light rail corridor that could jump around cars stuck in traffic. There is no funding or plans to immediately extend Bus Rapid Transit to serve PeaceHealth. It's also uncertain how alternative modes could successfully serve such sprawling development on the edge of town. * Dramatically scale down the huge hospital complex to reduce its impact. Same problems of PeaceHealth opposition. * Change PeaceHealth's hospital plan to dramatically lessen car use by increasing alternative modes. Again, it's unclear how alternative modes would succeed on a site near a freeway on the edge of town. * Change state law. There's no Goldschmidt to help, but PeaceHealth may have the backing of the League of Oregon Cities. PeaceHealth reportedly paid for the League to hire Eugene's city attorney to write a brief supporting the hospital on land use issues (see EW news story March 11). * Pick another site for the hospital or return to earlier plans to expand at PeaceHealth's current site. A downtown site closer to existing alternative modes, road infrastructure and hospital users would cause far fewer transportation problems, but PeaceHealth has so far refused to consider less sprawling options. * Pay tens of millions of dollars to fund the construction of additional road capacity that will be ready by the time the hospital opens. PeaceHealth has so far refused to pay for its full traffic impact. The cost of this option could be reduced by PeaceHealth redoing its traffic analysis to claim additional alternative mode use and/or less traffic. But such a move might face legal challenge. PeaceHealth does have another option to all this: simply appeal the Appeals Court ruling. But last time the hospital appealed, its legal problems only got worse.
Rape
by Cop Eugene Police Officer Roger Magaña anally and vaginally raped two women, the victims allege.
The accusations came in the second week of trial for the EPD officer, who was fired last year when allegations came to light. Magaña is charged with using his power as a police officer to rape, sodomize, kidnap, sexually abuse and/or harass a dozen women. The trial is expected to last until mid-July. A 51-year-old woman told the jury that she first met Officer Magaña in May 2002 when he responded to her apartment after she attempted suicide with sleeping pills. The woman said she was distraught over the death of her mother and had been drinking heavily. Two officers came to the door but the other officer soon left leaving her sitting in her bed alone, emotional, tipsy and sleepy with Magaña. "Officer Magaña sat beside me, fondled me, caressed me and hugged and kissed me. He didn't talk much about the suicide," the woman alleged. The fondling later moved out to Magaña's police car parked in front of the apartment, the woman said. There the woman alleges Magaña pushed her head down into the car so she fell on the front passenger seat and then anally raped her. She said while it happened she was hitting her head on something between the seats and looked down and saw Magaña's gun and holster on the floor boards. "I could have grabbed it and shot him." The woman said after the abuse, "I ran in the house and bled for two days." She said, "I cuddled up in a pile and went to bed and took care of myself." The woman said she did not call the police because Magaña told her he would harm her if she did and she was afraid. In June 2003 the woman says she was home alone just before midnight when she heard a knock on the door. She alleges she opened the door and in came Magaña uninvited, asking, "Do you remember me?" The uniformed officer claimed he was responding to a noise complaint and asked her repeatedly if she was alone while he looked around the apartment, the woman alleges. The woman alleges Magaña told her she was pretty and grabbed her hands and said he wanted her to touch his penis. She alleges Magaña fondled her breasts and butt and told her, "I want to bend you over and butt fuck you." "I kept backing away from him," she said. Eventually, "I pushed him out, shut the door and called the police." A live-in boyfriend of the woman also testified that he peeked briefly out the blinds and saw Magaña embracing and kissing the woman in his patrol car. He said he didn't do anything about it because he was angry with her. "Our relationship was over," he said. "I didn't give a shit at this time." Police Detective Scott McKee testified that the woman's story was supported by police records indicating Magaña was dispatched to the suicide call and unaccounted for during the second visit. Barnett asked, why did the woman not tell police about the alleged sodomy until later? "I was ashamed, I was victimized and I was threatened," the woman said. She said she waited until she knew Magaña was safe in jail. Was the woman motivated by a $1 million lawsuit she has filed against the city, Barnett asked. No, she replied, "Just as long as he's behind bars, I don't care." Barnett asked why the woman didn't use Magaña's gun to stop the rape. The woman said if she had shot the officer, "I'd be sitting there and you [would be] my attorney." Barnett asked if she had later accused another officer of trying to rape her. She said no, but she had later told a male officer that she preferred to be dealt with by a female officer. "I didn't want to have any male contact with a police officer other than a woman. That's for sure."
Student ride-along A 22-year-old college student testified that she met Magaña for the first time when she was 18 and the then nearly 40-year-old, married officer helped break up an underage drinking party. She alleged Magaña began calling her frequently and invited her to come on a ride-along with her while he was working. The woman said she went on about 30 rides with the officer. She said she continued to go on rides even after Magaña came on to her hard because she found it "very cool" to ride with the officer on calls. She alleged Magaña would stop by her retail job frequently and come to her apartment and give her beer. Magaña gave her an older woman's driver's license so she could get into bars while underage, she alleged. "It was getting pretty intense," the young woman alleged. "It was out of control." Magaña was calling two-times a day, frequently asking for blow jobs. Magaña followed her and her boyfriend home from a movie in his patrol car, she said. Once the woman said a female voice called and said, "stop fucking my husband." Referring to sex, Magaña told her she could "take a ride [in the patrol car] for a ride," the woman alleged. The woman said Magaña sent her Valentines flowers with a note asking for oral sex, "Think about my throat lozenge idea." The woman said she did kiss and grope Magaña voluntarily on occasion but refused oral sex more than 30 times. The woman's boss at the retail shop where she worked testified the woman once came to her "hysterical" about the officer "harassing her." The boss said she was afraid to walk to her car at night after work. "She was shaking." One night, the young woman said Magaña came into her apartment after she had been out drinking with friends. The woman alleged Magaña fondled her breasts and butt. The woman said she tried to move out from under him on her bed, "I was resisting," she said. She alleged she twice asked the cop to stop. "I said I really didn't want to." But she said she was drunk and alleged that at 5 ft. 2 in., she was overpowered by Magaña who used his body weight to keep her on the bed. "He began going down on me," the woman alleged. Magaña then said he wanted a blow job and gently pushed her head down to his penis, the woman alleged "It started for a second but it stopped," she said. "I pulled away." The woman alleged Magaña then put his penis in her vagina. "He couldn't keep an erection," she said quietly, reaching for a tissue in the witness box and taking her glasses off. "He ended up getting pretty frustrated and left." The woman said she did not call the police because she blamed herself because she was intoxicated and she thought the police wouldn't act against the officer. "I thought nothing would come of it." She said if Magaña wasn't an officer she would have told authorities and sought a court restraining order. But she said because he was a cop, "there really wasn't anything I could do." She said she continued to talk to Magaña after the incident on the phone. She said she thought, "If I kept talking to him, I could keep him at bay." She said Magaña told her last year that he was being investigated and suggested that she say they were just friends. Barnett asked the woman if she was motivated by a lawsuit her attorney had filed against the city. The woman, now attending college on the other side of the country, said she did not plan to pursue the lawsuit because of the stress and disruption involved. "I have no reason to lie about it," she said. "I'm getting absolutely nothing out of this. I've lost a lot of things actually." The ongoing trial continues to raise questions about how Magaña's long list of alleged crimes were possible without other officers noticing and about the apparent lack of effective supervision of EPD officers. Magaña's supervisor on the night the first woman called police, Sgt. Katherine Flynn, testified that she investigated the alleged sexual assault by simply asking Magaña and taking his word for it over the woman, who Flynn said sounded intoxicated on the phone. She did not send an officer to investigate or take fingerprints. "I believed him [Magaña]," Flynn said. It did not appear police were too busy that night to investigate the sex crime. Officer Brian Inman testified that it was "extremely slow" that night. The alleged victim, suspecting that police would not act without proof, had hoped to set up Magaña by inviting him over again and then calling police. But she said Sgt. Flynn, "blew it" by immediately telling the officer she had called. The police did eventually investigate when the alleged victim called back and gave information that led police to think Magaña was lying. The young alleged rape victim testified that Magaña would frequently report false locations on his radio and would talk to her with other officers present. Magaña told her "it was none of their business," she said. The retail shop boss testified Magaña frequently came to her shop to talk to the young alleged rape victim with other officers. At one time, she testified the manager of an adjacent store told her that Magaña and another uniformed officer "were basically having a party there."
In its 51-year history, the St Vincent De Paul Society of Lane County has had but two executive directors. The first was H. C. "Mac" McDonald, who took on the job, as a volunteer at first, in 1953. "I started in '65," recalls Terry McDonald. "I had a part-time job fixing small appliances." As a recent UO grad in 1971, he filled in as director while his parents took a round-the-world vacation. Afterwards, McDonald stayed on at the his father's request. He became director in 1984, when Mac passed on. Since then, the local St Vinnie's has grown from a few thrift stores into a multifaceted social and environmental agency. Salvaged U.S. textbooks are sold in Asia, and oak furniture discarded in England is sold in Eugene. "Our latest venture is a mattress deconstruction facility in Duluth," McDonald notes. "Mattresses are a nightmare in the waste stream." The revenue from these activities funds social programs, such as homeless services and affordable housing. "We've built 700 units of housing," he says, showing plans for a new building in Springfield. "The hallmark of our agency is the integration of community service and waste-based business." — Paul Neevel
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TERRY
MCDONALD
