The Register Guard (Eugene, OR) articles from August 2003

The Register Guard (Eugene, OR) archives from August 2003

University of Oregon President Approves Plan to Build New Basketball Arena.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 1--The University of Oregon will put a new athletic landmark on the campus map following UO President Dave Frohnmayer's decision Thursday to go ahead with a basketball arena expected to cost upwards of $100 million....

Eugene, Ore., Group Has Eyes on Summit Bank.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 1--Gretchen Pierce, Dennis Orem, Alan Evans, Jack Courtemanche, Michael Coughlin -- well-known Eugene business people all. And they all have a new common bond: They plan to start a bank. But first, the people...

Casino Talks with Lane County, Ore., Get Ugly Start.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Winston Ross Aug. 1--Casino negotiations between a Coos Bay tribe and Lane County got off to an ugly start Wednesday, as commissioners launched angry jabs at the coastal Indians and each other, leaving tribal leaders seething. ...

Lane County, Ore., Food Bank Works to Set Policies for Credit Cards.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Susan Palmer Aug. 1--FOOD for Lane County board members have begun crafting new policies for credit cards used by food bank staff members, including a prohibition on personal charges, spending limits and a provision for firing...

Hospital Lobby in Oregon Eases Resistance to 'Provider' Tax.
August 1, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 1--SALEM, Ore.--The financially troubled Oregon Health Plan received a booster shot Wednesday when the hospital lobby consented to go along with a tax on its industry to raise more money for health care. The...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., Retail Notebook Column.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 1--SPRINGFIELD TARGET UNDERGOES $4 MILLION RENOVATION: If you think the remodeled Target in Springfield's Gateway Mall seems bigger and brighter, you're right. The renovation added 10,000-square feet of sales...

Officials, Residents in Dorena, Ore., Reach Compromise over Forest Issue.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 1--DORENA, Ore.--When Janine Nilsen escorted Ray Jones into her favorite grove of ancient fir and cedar trees east of Cottage Grove, she was prepared to lay out all her reasons his logging company should forget...

Oregon House Agrees to Extend In-State Tuition Breaks.
August 2, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 2--SALEM, Ore.--Students whose parents aren't legal residents won a victory in the House on Friday, when lawmakers passed a compromise bill allowing some of them to qualify for in-state tuition. The bill,...

Keep Goal in Mind when Crafting Resume, Experts Advise at Eugene, Ore., Forum.
August 3, 2003... Aug. 3--If the last time you updated your resume was before the Ducks or Beavers had a winning football season, you may be wondering where to start. Your resume is your sales agent. Human-resource directors have limited time and receive...

Budget Standstill Drives Oregon Legislature toward Record Session Length.
August 3, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 3--SALEM, Ore.--Sen. Vicki Walker's two worlds are colliding as the Legislature's endless summer rolls on and on and on. While her colleagues made speeches and parliamentary motions on the Senate floor...

Lane County, Ore., Court Sees No-Show Rate Soar Thanks to Backlog.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Bill Bishop Aug. 4--More than 40 percent of criminal defendants are failing to show up to face charges in the backlog of cases that built up in Lane County Circuit Court after the Legislature slashed budgets for public defense...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., On the Job Column.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Dan Grinfas Aug. 4--QUESTION: Can we prorate an employee's family leave entitlement if he works less than full time? We have an employee who works four days a week, which amounts to 32 hours or 80 percent of full time. The...

Judge Halts Logging in Oregon National Forest Pending Hearing.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 4--A federal judge Thursday suspended logging on three Willamette National Forest timber sales after environmentalists objected to the cutting of old-growth timber. U.S. District Judge Garr King halted cutting...

Oregon Pesticide Reporting Program Won't Get Funding in New State Budget.
August 4, 2003

Custom-Home Project Turns Into a Nightmare for an Elmira, Ore., Couple.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Joe Harwood Aug. 5--ELMIRA, Ore.--Walking through what he used to call his dream house, on five wooded acres 20 miles west of Eugene, Jim Varco talks about the nightmare lurking inside the walls, under the floors and above the...

University of Oregon Instructor Takes on Computer Waste Issue.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 6--Amid a garden made of plastic computer housings, wiring and circuit boards, Irene Smith is planting seeds. Smith, an instructor at the University of Oregon's College of Education, toils in the field of...

Oregon School Official Criticizes Education Spending Package.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Anne Williams Aug. 6--Speaking to a roomful of Oregon school administrators Tuesday, Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo had harsh words for lawmakers who back a $5.05 billion education spending package she described as "a...

Springfield, Ore.-Area Hospital to Ask for Permission to Start Digging.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Matt Cooper Aug. 6--SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- PeaceHealth will ask the city to change its annexation agreement so it can begin development on the 160-acre RiverBend hospital site before the council's final vote on the controversial...

Cottage Grove, Ore., Pilot Dies in Replica of Historic Plane.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Mark Baker Aug. 6--COTTAGE GROVE -- Jim Wright realized his dream last summer of building an exact replica of Howard Hughes' first airplane, then set a world airspeed record for the plane's weight class in September. But in...

Eugene, Ore., Utility Board, Partners May Finance Power Line.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 6--The Eugene Water & Electric Board and several partners in a proposed natural gas-fired power plant in Northeastern Oregon may form a financing agency to fund a $160 million electrical transmission line along the...

Court Opens Documents in Lawsuit against Federal Way, Wash.-Based Timber Giant.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Harwood Aug. 6--Internal Weyerhaeuser Co. documents unsealed by a federal judge on Tuesday may bolster an antitrust lawsuit against the Federal Way, Wash.-based timber giant. Five small alder sawmills -- including Westwood...

Walgreen Drugstore Firm Considers Five Locations in Eugene, Ore., Area.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 6--Eugene-Springfield residents soon won't be able to drive far without passing by a Walgreen store, if the drugstore giant based in Deerfield, Ill., has its way. The nation's largest drugstore chain -- which...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., Development Report Column.
August 6, 2003

Budget Swamp Deepens 'From Bad to Worse,' Oregon's Treasurer Tells Lawmakers.
August 7, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 7--SALEM, Ore.--State Treasurer Randall Edwards warned lawmakers and the governor Wednesday that failure to pass a budget is rapidly moving the state's financial situation "from bad to worse." In a bluntly...

Eugene, Ore., Planners to Review Plan for 39-Acre Mixed-Use Development.
August 7, 2003... Byline: Joe Harwood Aug. 7--One of the most densely packed mixed-use development proposals ever in Lane County will get its first public hearing next week before the Eugene Planning Commission. Arlie & Co. is seeking to build the...

Goodyear Dealer Wheels into New Location in Eugene, Ore., Shopping Mall.
August 7, 2003

Protesters Rally in Eugene, Ore., against Logging Old-Growth Federal Forests.
August 7, 2003

Measure Would Pose Potential Roadblock for Eugene, Ore., Bicycle Paths.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Joe Mosley Aug. 8--Congress is preparing a rude awakening for Eugene and other places of its bicycle-friendly ilk. An appropriations bill scheduled to be trotted out on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives next month...

Sprint PCS Seeks to Erect Cell Tower on University of Oregon Campus.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 8--Sprint PCS is seeking city approval for a 120-foot cell tower on the University of Oregon campus near Hayward Field's west grandstand. Sprint says it needs the tower to improve cell phone coverage on campus...

Eugene, Ore., Officials Stop Housing Project for Using Fill without Permit.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Bill Bishop Aug. 8--For a second time in 18 months, Eugene land use officials have stopped work on a housing development on Wendover Street north of the city -- this time because the developer placed fill dirt for home sites...

Oregon Lawmakers Approve Measure to Increase Speeding Fines.
August 8, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 8--SALEM, Ore. -- Get pulled over for speeding and you could find yourself paying an extra $52 or more under a bill passed by the House on Thursday. House Bill 2759, which passed on a 52-7 vote, would...

Federal Officials May Scrap Plans for Fish Improvement Project in Oregon.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 8--Federal officials may scrap plans for a fish improvement project at Blue River Dam in the McKenzie River basin, in part because they're spending more than expected on a similar project at nearby Cougar Dam. ...

Eugene, Ore., Internet Businessmen Sentenced in Drug Paraphernalia Sting.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Bill Bishop Aug. 8--Two Eugene men swept up in the multistate federal drug paraphernalia sting known as "Operation Pipe Dreams" in February were sentenced Thursday to five years of probation, and six months in home detention. ...

Federal Agency Orders Eugene, Ore., Utility to Remove Tree Stumps from Canals.
August 8, 2003

Oregon Legislators Downplay Long Session, Inability to Set Budget.
August 11, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 11--SALEM, Ore. -- If Oregon legislators harbored any sense of shame or urgency Friday at setting a new record for the longest session in state history, they kept it to themselves. If anything, lawmakers from...

Cafe, Bakery in Eugene, Ore., to Close, as Lease Rate, Expenses Increase.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Joe Harwood Aug. 11--At 2 p.m. Sunday, Eugene will lose the popular, amiable and informal French Horn Cafe & Bakery. No more of those currant scones, fresh muffins or ham and cheese croissants. Say good-bye to the deliciously...

Mars Draws Explorers, Space-Travel Dreamers to Eugene, Ore., for Convention.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Jeff Wright Aug. 11--It's 2009 and the United States has just used a shuttle-like booster to send an unmanned Earth Return Vehicle to land on Mars. The ERV runs a pump to suck in the Martian air -- mostly carbon dioxide, which...

Big Employers in Lane County, Ore., Cut Jobs, Keep Tax Breaks.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald Aug. 11--Lane County employers who promise to create jobs in return for big property tax breaks have found that they can instead cut jobs and get tax waivers anyway. The Hynix computer-chip plant in west...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., On the Job Column.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Dan Grinfas Aug. 11--QUESTION: The air conditioning in our office building died in the midst of the recent heat wave, and it's one of those places that have windows you can't open. Our staff was sweltering by noon, and we decided...

Eugene, Ore., Firm's Frozen Meat-Vegetable Pet Food Wins Fans, Foes.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 11--Every summer, Martin Starr's Belgian Shepherd mix, Destiny, would chew off her fur in places, leaving ugly patches of raw skin. Starr could do little except apply a medicine that gave the 10-year-old dog...

Big Property Tax Waivers Yield Patchy Returns in Lane County, Ore.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald Aug. 11--Sony's sudden closure in April of its Springfield CD factory didn't just deal a blow to the plant's 277 workers, who all lost their jobs. It also gave a black eye to the enterprise-zone tax-break...

Annexation Could Settle Speedway Issue in Cottage Grove, Ore.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Randi Bjornstad Aug. 11--COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. -- The future of auto racing at the Cottage Grove Speedway has revved up again: The Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission has approved Cottage Grove's annexation of the...

Oregon Senate Leaders' New Spending Plan Immediately Criticized.
August 11, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 11--SALEM, Ore. -- A bipartisan group of Senate leaders issued a revenue plan late Friday to provide as much as $1.5 billion more for education, human services and other areas of the budget. The plan would...

Eugene, Ore.-Area Businesses Sought Expansion Despite Lack of Tax Breaks.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald Aug. 11--Do local manufacturers need property-tax breaks in order to prosper? Biosciences firm Molecular Probes Inc. didn't. Neither did heavy-equipment maker Peterson Pacific Corp. Nor did food maker...

Some Small Tax-Break Recipients in Eugene, Ore., Prosper.
August 11, 2003... Aug. 11--In the early and mid-1990s, businessman Mel Bankoff built a small factory for his salsa-making firm, Emerald Valley Kitchen, then expanded it. In return for creating jobs -- he now has 19 employees at the Woodruff Street plant...

Analysts, Politicians Divided Over Property-Tax Waivers for Businesses.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald Aug. 11--A growing number of academics and economists pan property-tax waivers for business. Last year, two academics wrote a book on the subject, broadly slamming enterprise-zone tax waivers as unnecessary and...

Concerns over Retirement Prompt University of Oregon Professors to Leave.
August 11, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 11--Twice the usual number of faculty members will retire from the University of Oregon this year, due largely to concerns over the state Public Employees Retirement System. Forty professors have notified the...

Fish Die-Off in Creek Puzzles Eugene, Ore., Officials.
August 11, 2003

Oregon Residents Receiving $160.7 Million in Child Tax Credits.
August 11, 2003

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., Development Report Column.
August 12, 2003... Aug. 12--A full-service day care facility is being proposed in the busy Coburg Road-Chad Drive area in northeast Eugene. Michelle Williams and her father, Lee Hughes, last month submitted plans to build an 11,100-square-foot day care...

Outlook Clouded for Land Grants in Oregon.
August 12, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 12--From the top of Mount Baldy in the Coburg Hills, the sounds of the city are a whisper on the wind. But the view shouts in all directions: You can see the McKenzie River and fertile farmland, all of Eugene...

Eugene, Ore., Councilors Reconsider Road Fees.
August 12, 2003... Aug. 12--Faced with an imminent repeal attempt, Eugene city councilors fudged Monday night on the transportation system maintenance fee they adopted earlier this year. Four councilors said they favor repealing an ordinance authorizing the...

Doubts, Debate Delay Movement of Oregon's Senate and House Revenue Plans.
August 12, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 12--SALEM, Ore.--They've put their competing budget-balancing plans on the table, along with boasts that they have the votes to pass them. But Oregon lawmakers have yet to put those claims to the test. By...

Florence, Ore., Home Builders Association to Hold General Meeting.
August 12, 2003

Eugene, Ore., Residents Oppose Fast-Track Plan for Auto Mall.
August 13, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 13--Some north Eugene residents are trying to put a speed bump in the way of Kendall Automotive Group's fast-track plan to convert a former Kmart building to an auto mall. Kendall has asked the city to drop a...

Judge Vetoes Best Buy at Springfield, Ore., Mall.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 14--Best Buy, scouting the Eugene-Springfield area for a place to put a store, won't be able to move into the vacant former Emporium spot at Gateway Mall in Springfield. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Albert Radcliffe...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., Retail Notebook Column.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 14--What's in a name? Jerry Rizza is about to find out. Rizza is converting his former Taco Time restaurant near Valley River Center in Eugene to a hamburger outlet he's calling In or Out Burger. ...

Eugene, Ore., Council Drops Fee to Pay for Roadwork.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Bill Bishop Aug. 14--The Eugene City Council voted 5-3 on Wednesday to repeal a controversial road maintenance fee it passed in December intended to help it catch up on an estimated $93 million backlog of roadwork. The fee...

Oregon Legislators Push Forward with Major Spending Bills.
August 14, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 14--SALEM, Ore.--The Senate pushed through bare-bones budgets for human services and community colleges, as the House followed suit with approval of a university-system spending plan. Progress on the three...

University of Oregon Weighs Seven Potential Sites for Basketball Arena.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 14--The University of Oregon has made the tough choice to replace its loved but aging basketball arena. Now comes what arguably may be the hardest part: where to put it. UO President Dave Frohnmayer must decide...

New Coffee Bar-Music Club to Open in Eugene, Ore.
August 14, 2003

First Tests Come Clean for Oregon Beaches.
August 15, 2003... Byline: Winston Ross Aug. 15--FLORENCE, Ore.--The waters of the Oregon Coast are probably as clean as they look, according to the first round of tests in a new state program. Of samples taken from 52 beaches, none required public...

Lane County, Ore., Food Bank's Board Discusses Staff Audit.
August 15, 2003... Byline: Susan Palmer Aug. 15--FOOD for Lane County's board of directors met Thursday evening to consider the results of an audit of credit card use by food bank staff members in a marathon session that had gone on for six hours and was...

Oregon House Speaker Lets Moderates Craft Budget-Balancing Package.
August 15, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 15--SALEM, Ore.--An angry House Speaker Karen Minnis said Thursday she'd reluctantly allow a group of moderate Republican lawmakers to push through a package of taxes and one-time revenue to balance the budget....

Oregon University System, Union Final Offers Due Today.
August 15, 2003... Byline: Greg Bolt Aug. 15--Negotiators for the Oregon University System and its classified employees union are at loggerheads over a new contract and have until later today to reach agreement before the clock starts on a potential strike....

Bank's Eugene, Ore.-Based Parent Announces Dividend of 9 Cents a Share.
August 15, 2003

Lane County, Ore., Unemployment Dips Slightly.
August 15, 2003

Pizzeria Opens in Pendleton, Ore.
August 15, 2003

Moderates in Oregon Legislature Exert New Clout in Budget Debate.
August 18, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 18--SALEM, Ore.--For most of the year, the Legislature's moderate Republicans have been a beleaguered bunch. They've suffered the verbal slings of Democrats, who accuse them of talking big about tax reform and...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., On the Job Column.
August 18, 2003... Byline: Dan Grinfas Aug. 18--QUESTION: My new employer required me to sign an agreement to arbitrate any claims that arise in the course of my employment. I've been unemployed and really need this job, so I went ahead and signed. But is it...

Creswell, Ore., Herbal-Product Maker Sells to Nation's Naturopathic Doctors.
August 18, 2003... Byline: Jody Rolnick Aug. 18--CRESWELL, Ore.--For Ken Koenig, an irresistible combination of ingredients -- timing, a chance to return to Oregon, and a way to stay in a familiar industry -- lured him from an upscale Vail, Colo.,...

Creswell, Ore., Herbals Sells to Nation's Naturopathic Doctors.
August 18, 2003... Byline: Jody Rolnick Aug. 18--CRESWELL, Ore.--For Ken Koenig, an irresistible combination of ingredients -- timing, a chance to return to Oregon, and a way to stay in a familiar industry -- lured him from an upscale Vail, Colo.,...

Job Interview Goes Best If You're Prepared.
August 18, 2003... Aug. 18--Some people believe it's enough to just be themselves in a job interview. But remember: you are in a highly competitive selection process. You must know how to sell yourself, explain your skills and experience, and show that...

Eugene, Ore.-Area Mills Receive News of Shutdown.
August 18, 2003... Aug. 18--Weyerhaeuser Co. on Friday announced that it will permanently shut its laminated lumber mill in Junction City and its cardboard plant in North Bend, eliminating nearly 200 jobs. The moves were announced on the same day but are...

Gasoline Supply Woes Hit Wallets of Eugene, Ore.-Area Motorists.
August 19, 2003... Byline: Edward Russo Aug. 19--Brandy Means of Eugene thought she would take her family camping Labor Day weekend, but her plans have been thwarted by fast-rising gasoline prices, she says. Since mid-July, retail gasoline prices in the...

Judge Green-Lights Eugene, Ore., Hospital Lawsuit.
August 19, 2003... Byline: Tim Christie Aug. 19--U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty will allow a jury to hear most of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's antitrust lawsuit against PeaceHealth this fall. Haggerty, ruling on a motion for summary judgment...

Latest Budget Plan in Oregon Includes Surcharge on Income Taxes.
August 19, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 19--SALEM, Ore. -- The Legislature's latest plan to raise taxes and balance a budget faces a key hurdle today when the Senate is expected to vote on the $1.3 billion package. The tentative deal, negotiated...

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., Development Report Column.
August 19, 2003

Willamette Valley Vineyards of Turner, Ore., Posts Second-Quarter Profit.
August 19, 2003

Shorthanded Eugene Activists Rally to Oppose Bush during Oregon Visit.
August 20, 2003... Byline: Diane Dietz Aug. 20--While the rest of the state naps through the summer doldrums, Eugene's activists are finding much to protest but so little time. On Thursday, for instance, many are torn between protesting President George...

Tax-Raising Budget Plan Squeaks by Oregon Senate.
August 20, 2003... Byline: David Steves Aug. 20--SALEM, Ore.--The Senate on Tuesday approved a budget-balancing package with nearly $800 million in tax increases, setting up a showdown today in the Republican-controlled House. The Senate's 19-11 tally...

Hynix Faces Tariffs Overseas, but Not on Chips Made in Eugene, Ore., Plant.
August 20, 2003

Lane County, Ore., Group's 'Employer Visit' to Focus on Radio, TV Production.
August 20, 2003

President Bush to Air Forest-Thinning Plan in Tour of Oregon.
August 21, 2003... Byline: Scott Maben Aug. 21--A smoke-filled Oregon forest again will serve as the backdrop for the White House to pitch a controversial plan to thin national timberlands when President Bush descends today on Central Oregon. As part of...