Bags and Ballots!

Want to weigh in on the city fee, the Lane County tax levy or the 4J funding issue? Then be sure you are registered to vote here in Lane County, and if you are not registered, get er’ done by 4 pm Tuesday, April 30.

To check if you are registered with your current address go to this link at the Oregon secretary of state’s website.

Not registered? If you have a valid DMV number from an Oregon driver’s license, learners permit or ID card, then you can register here.

Otherwise go fill out this online registration card, print it out and either mail it (postmarked by 4 pm April 30) or drop it off at the Lane County Elections office, or go to the office and fill out a card there. The Lane County Elections office is located at 275 W.10th Avenue, on the corner of 10th and Lincoln in downtown Eugene. Public office hours are 9 am to noon, and 1 pm to 4 pm, Monday through Friday. On Election Day, May 21, 2013 the Lane County Elections Office will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. It’s conveniently located about two blocks from the Weekly, so feel free to stop by and pick up a paper or wave at the baby birds (starlings?) nesting and pooping over the employee entrance.

In other news, it’s bag ban time. April 3o is also notable in that it’s the last day that stores in Eugene can give you a single-use plastic grocery bag with your purchase. That’s why everywhere you’ve shopped in Eugene this past week from the liquor store to the Kiva has been cheerfully offering you (or forcing upon you) the last of their plastic bags. As of May 1 plastic bags (not including produce or bulk food bags) are verboten and it’s 5 cents to get a paper bag.

First time I ever wrote an article for Eugene Weekly about banning plastic bags, the ban was barely a gleam in the Eugene City Council’s eye. And I got my first grumpy letter. Awww.