News

The Newport Visual Arts Center is on a list of properties being considered for sale by the city of Newport.  The revelation of this in mid-September promptly sparked a mobilization by artists and arts advocates.  On Monday (October 7th), the issue is before the City Council once again. 

Derrick Tokos is Community Development Director for the City of Newport.  He says the city is experiencing a financial crunch, and there is currently little funding available to maintain its existing facilities or buy other property it needs.  This leaves Newport officials asking themselves:

The City of Newport’s Visual Arts Center could be placed on the “for sale” list.  The city says it needs funds for other essential property purchases and is evaluating whether owning a Visual Arts space is appropriate.

The Visual Arts Center is managed by the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts.  KLCC's Eric Alan spoke with OCCA Director Catherine Rickbone about the emerging controversy.

Hot-shot crews and volunteers weren’t the only ones fighting fires in Oregon this year. More than 800 inmates from the state’s correctional institutions worked side-by-side combating blazes.

The State Department of Corrections and the Oregon Department of Forestry have teamed up since 1951 to fight wildfires. Inmates go through the same nationally certified training course as civilians do. DOC Communications Manager Elizabeth Craig says the program benefits both the forests and the inmates.

Mina Wegner first stepped on stage with the Sugar Beets at age 11.  Tonight she celebrates her 18th birthday opening for them at Cozmic in Eugene.  She and her father Jeremy join Frank live on the Saturday Cafe.

The Oregon Mozart Players open their new season under the direction of Kelly Kuo on Saturday, October 5th in Beall Hall on the UO campus in Eugene. The program includes Mozart's "Coronation" piano concerto, featuring the acclaimed pianist Anton Nel, a native of South Africa now settled in Austin Texas. He stopped by the KLCC studios to visit with Eric Alan.

Oregon's health insurance marketplace is still not operating at full capacity.  Technical glitches coinciding with Monday's web-launch mean Oregonians won't be able to enroll online for at least a couple weeks.

On Thursday afternoon, KLCC's Jes Burns spoke to Ariane Holm spokeswoman for Cover Oregon, about what consumers can expect.

Homelessness came to the forefront locally two years ago when members of Occupy Eugene put the issue at the top of their list of concerns. Since then, advocates have continued to press for safe places for people to sleep. The new "Opportunity Village" is a pilot program aimed at giving people a second chance.  Its grand opening is Saturday (October 5, 2013.)

Thirty years ago, many viewed Astoria, Oregon as a grim, drug-infested and alcohol-infused place, down on its luck following the exodus of the canneries and lumber mills that once populated its riverfront. Back then, most travelers to Oregon’s North Coast passed through town along Highway 30 without stopping.

But in recent years, increasing numbers do stop, including several dozen cruise ships each year. So what, exactly, has happened to transform this once-struggling community into a must-visit destination?

The so-called "Grand Bargain" has passed in Salem. Oregon lawmakers have approved all five of the bills on their special session agenda. The package includes targeted tax hikes and tax breaks, as well as cuts to pensions for some retired public employees.

Many of the bills passed with very narrow margins. And some lawmakers who voted for the measures said they were doing so against their better judgment. Here's Republican representative Sal Esquivel.

After a crowded public hearing, the Eugene Water and Electric Board voted to install smart meters only for customers who request it. A number of people spoke in opposition to the wireless meters citing health concerns. EWEB spokesman Joe Harwood says there is no risk.

Harwood: “I’m frankly speechless. I don’t know how to respond to people that think that radio waves are going to somehow cause a health effect. It’s patently ridiculous.”

A group called "Support Local Food Rights" is one step closer to placing a measure on the November 2014 ballot in Lane County. Their initiative would restrict Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, from being planted in the county.

The group's original ballot measure for its "Local Food System Ordinance" was rejected by the County Clerk because it addressed more than one subject.
Kneeland: "We're very excited that we've worked in cooperation with the county to submit an initiative that has been approved for the single subject rule."

Lane County has given a Canadian company a check for 100-thousand dollars as an incentive to expand to Coburg.

APEL manufactures aluminum extrusions in Springfield. It was looking to expand. Lane County Commissioner Sid Leiken says the company was considering going to Arizona. The Board voted unanimously to offer APEL an incentive to re-locate to Coburg.

More than 200 people are expected to show up at the Project Homeless Connect in Newport this Friday.

It can be difficult for homeless people to get around the community to access services. Project Homeless Connect brings providers under one roof. Haircuts, dental care, clothing and help signing up for health care or benefits are a few of the offerings.

Oregon's new health insurance marketplace-- part of the Affordable Care Act-- has run into some glitches on its launch day. Cover Oregon's online system is not functioning properly.

Cover Oregon is not correctly determining eligibility for tax credits, the Oregon Health Plan and Healthy Kids. The problem is expected to be fixed in a couple of weeks. Jason Davis with Lane County Health and Human Services says it's possible to get health coverage, just not through the website.

Next to immigration reform, Latino advocates in Oregon say the second most important issue in their community is undocumented immigrants being allowed to drive legally. Currently they can't, but a new state law—set to take effect in January—would allow it. A group that aims to stop the law from taking hold and refer the question to voters, faces a deadline this Friday.

The weekend brought two heavy rainstorms through western Oregon. The rain made this the wettest September on record in many parts of the state.

Eugene's rainfall was measured at more than 6 inches. The previous record for the month of September was about 5.5 inches in the late 1800s. Astoria got more than 10, also breaking its record for the month.

Andy Bryant is a hydrologist with the national Weather Service in Portland. He says two storms came through this weekend.

Classes start Monday (September 30th) at Oregon's public Universities and community colleges.  Enrollment is down at Lane Community College. Lane has come to depend more on tuition and the school is facing a budget shortfall.

In celebration of the National Geographic's 125th anniversary, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the UO Campus hosts the exhibit National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West, through December 31st. One of the photographers represented in the exhibit, Sam Abell, stopped by KLCC to talk with Eric Alan about photographing the west, and Sam Abell's personal photographic journey. 

On Tuesday, October 1st, Oregon launches its health insurance exchange program-- a key piece of President Obama's health care overhaul. It's called Cover Oregon.

Michael Cox describes the program in a nutshell:

Cox: "Cover Oregon is an online marketplace where customers can come, shop for health insurance, compare plans side by side, access financial help, and get enrolled in coverage, starting in October."

Cox is a communications specialist with Cover Oregon.
He says their goal is to make the process easy.