News Briefs

Is arranging an emergency meeting through serial emails and phone calls a violation of the open meetings law under the ruling by Judge Michael Gillespie? Recently released emails show the Lane County Commission’s conservative majority decided to have a meeting to vote on an issue with less than 24 hours’ notice. They did not contact progressive Commissioners Pete Sorenson and Rob Handy until less than an hour’ and half before the 9 am meeting on May 3. 

Lane County’s budget misery has only just begun. The county’s budget committee approved the proposed budget in May, and the cuts kick in at the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1, with cuts already taking place.

Though much of the media furor has been over issues such as cuts to the jail and the sheriff’s office, the cuts are hitting the public services designed to keep people out of jail and healthy just as hard. And local AFSCME union representative Jim Steiner says some of the cuts may cost more money than they save. 

If you’re headed through the Whiteaker on June 10, there’s a good chance you’ll run into masked and caped avengers sweeping through to pick up trash. 

This Sunday will be the fifth annual Whiteaker Clean Up and Community Celebration, an idea generated by Wayde Love. “It started out with me being on the community council and just wanting to make a really fun, cool clean-up,” he says. 

As Lane County prepares to turn running its animal shelter over to a nonprofit agency — Greenhill Humane Society submitted the only proposal — local animal advocates remain concerned about keeping the county’s focus on saving, not euthanizing, adoptable animals.

 When it comes to euthanizing dogs and cats, “there needs to be an oversight committee and people from various rescues involved with that oversight committee,” Lisa Warnes of Save the Pets says. 

The certainty of a 1,200-student housing development at 13th and Olive is growing more questionable. Neighborhood advocate Paul Conte filed a second appeal of the proposed development by Capstone, an Alabama-based student housing developer, May 29.

Pot smoked other issues as the hot topic in the May 15 Oregon attorney general primary race, in a sign that Oregon voters don’t see enforcement of marijuana prohibition as a law enforcement priority. It’s continuing as an issue thanks to petition drives asking voters to put legalizing pot on Oregon’s November ballot.

While Lane County’s administrator and conservative board majority moved quickly to release the public records that may have contributed to progressive Commissioner Rob Handy’s defeat in last week’s primary election, the county is dragging its feet on releasing public records relating to the “emergency meeting” it held as well other information surrounding the case.

• ODOT District 5 plans to spray Hwy. 99 between Eugene and Junction City, I-5, Beltline and I-105 shoulders and ramps and connecting highways such as Hwy. 99 South, Cloverdale and the lower end of Hwy. 58. Call (888) 996-8080 for more detailed information.

• ODF, 935-2283, is hiring Nick’s Timber Service, (503) 910-1120) to ground spray state forestry roadsides on their land throughout Lane County. Chemicals include Element 4, Element 3A, Oust XP and Forester’s with Agri-Dex surfactant. See notice 2012-781-00363.

There will be no animals at this Saturday’s Bingo Beach Dance Party, the second-annual celebration of the Willamette Animal Guild (WAG), “just party animals!” says Vanessa Wells-Horner, outreach coordinator at WAG. She is hoping to get lots of tails wagging out on the dance floor as the nonprofit celebrates the more than 20,000 spay and neuter surgeries it has performed on pets and feral animals since January 2008. 

A lone maple tree remains near the 5th Street Public Market and the new boutique Inn at the 5th. But not for long. Cutting Eugene’s urban forest has long been a sore point in town, and once the orange signs were posted warning of the tree’s fate, people began to question why this tree has to go.

If you want to enjoy an inordinate amount of wildflower-frenzy this weekend, Mount Pisgah is the place to be for the Wildflower Festival Sunday, May 20. Not only can you look forward to a languishing in a splendor of earth-borne colors in peak petal form, you may also wish to wander the native plants sale or sniff out the food vendors while taking in a different bands’ set-list at the top of every hour starting from 10 am and ending with marimba beats at 4 pm. Parking will be free but a $5 donation from those over 12 will be asked at the entry.