People are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would require all new tolls on state highways to go to a public vote before being implemented. They need 200,000 signatures to get this on the ballot. From there, people can vote as to whether they want this new rule or not. Polls are a regressive tax, like sales tax, that impacts low-income and working class people the most.

General info: https://votebeforetolls.org/ To add your name (requires a printer and mailing a letter) https://votebeforetolls.org/ip4-esheet-packet-2023-08.pdf

If you've never heard DeVotchKa, stop reading right now, fire up your music player of choice, and start listening.

from eugene reddit:

Hey y’all! I’m a PR student at the UO working on a campaign to promote an upcoming exhibit at our local art museum. Would love to gather some community input via the linked survey. We would greatly appreciate your input and responses! 🙏

Is it just me or the borderline fascist anti-homeless rhetoric just simply out of control? Not only do you have entire topics with hundreds of posts advocating for forced institutionalization, calls for vigilante violence, and downright genocidal discussions daily -- the mods seem completely absent at all from these topics. Scroll to the bottom and you see 10-20 down voted posts that are unbanned accounts that are outright calling for or admitting to committing violence openly.

The only thing they respond to and delete are people who push back against these people -- certain community members (in particular a member with two street names as their handle) on that reddit are so aggressive with reporting to reddit admins directly that almost anyone who would argue back has been banned.

The entire subreddit is landlords just astroturfing for Springfield-esque laws to outlaw being homeless, in a town with eviction rates that have spiked 18% since '22 (statistic from DHS report 2023) and in a state that has used state and federal welfare funds to prevent 83,000 evictions and counting since January '23 (stat from Gov. Tina's report on homelessness, Jan. '24). Our state is drowning in corruption embezzles funds and misused capital and we are indulging and breeding right-wing hatred on our cities main social media outlet.

Can someone do something about the apparent fact that the entire mod crew of /r/Eugene are Nazi adjacent right-wingers who have cultivated an echo chamber of shit?

Numbers are derived from calls published on the EPD and SPD dispatch logs.

Note that not all calls are published (e.g. Suicidal Subject), not all calls result in dispatch of an officer, and not all calls are actionable (i.e. an officer is dispatched, but the person/problem is not found).

All Calls (except Traffic Stops)

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014   50,042   28,534
 2015   51,669   28,772
 2016   51,366   29,838
 2017   49,580   29,855
 2018   45,683   28,736
 2019   47,141   27,501
 2020   47,078   24,705
 2021   47,088   24,611
 2022   45,046   25,001
 2023   44,021   23,055

Traffic Stop

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014   17,018   11,401
 2015   13,710   10,603
 2016   11,894   10,212
 2017   10,905   10,932
 2018    8,908    9,184
 2019    9,834    8,928
 2020   12,901    6,253
 2021   10,738    5,241
 2022    8,748    4,440
 2023    9,651    5,737

Criminal Trespass

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014    2,821    1,067
 2015    3,385    1,201
 2016    4,287    1,354
 2017    3,827    1,320
 2018    4,590    1,332
 2019    5,216    1,352
 2020    4,885    1,412
 2021    5,014    1,536
 2022    6,239    1,676
 2023    6,553    1,704

Shoplifter(s)

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014      120       39
 2015      121       50
 2016      128       81
 2017       72       80
 2018       68       47
 2019      111       29
 2020      301        6
 2021      375       22
 2022      506       18
 2023      504       16

Dispute

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014    4,074    1,864
 2015    4,250    1,931
 2016    4,944    2,054
 2017    5,261    1,897
 2018    5,337    1,942
 2019    6,125    2,136
 2020    6,456    2,186
 2021    6,526    2,030
 2022    6,144    2,059
 2023    5,839    1,738

Disorderly Subject

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014    2,191      673
 2015    2,786      742
 2016    3,183      757
 2017    2,783      662
 2018    3,203      716
 2019    3,404      676
 2020    3,472      911
 2021    3,744    1,052
 2022    3,053      937
 2023    2,814      758

Prowler(s)

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014      183       96
 2015      222      113
 2016      206       92
 2017      199       93
 2018      240       92
 2019      233       84
 2020      394       80
 2021      664       84
 2022      667      115
 2023      695       98

Illegal Burning

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014       88        8
 2015      110       11
 2016       91        9
 2017      139        5
 2018      156        7
 2019      247       12
 2020      482       21
 2021      443       14
 2022      626       39
 2023      876       50

Person Stop

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014    9,511    2,489
 2015    8,314    2,157
 2016    6,766    2,139
 2017    6,168    2,145
 2018    3,200    2,064
 2019    3,384    1,537
 2020    2,796      909
 2021    1,604      468
 2022    1,461      351
 2023    1,012      633

Illegal Camping

 Year   Eugene   Springfield
------ -------- -------------
 2014      753      143
 2015      826      172
 2016    1,149      243
 2017    1,180      277
 2018      908      352
 2019      708      448
 2020      347      368
 2021       97      438
 2022      690      588
 2023      717      245

Year 2023 Summary (top 40 incidents, Eugene & Springfield combined)

   %       Count    Incident Type
-------  --------  ---------------
 18.66    15,388    Traffic Stop
 10.01     8,257    Criminal Trespass
  9.19     7,577    Dispute
  4.33     3,572    Disorderly Subject
  3.34     2,751    Theft
  3.31     2,729    Suspicious Condition(s)
  2.41     1,985    Traffic Hazard
  1.99     1,645    Person Stop
  1.88     1,547    Burglary
  1.64     1,353    Alarm
  1.62     1,338    Warrant Service
  1.60     1,319    Criminal Mischief
  1.59     1,311    Suspicious Subject(s)
  1.47     1,214    Driving While Suspended
  1.35     1,114    Unauthorized Use of Vehicle
  1.31     1,078    Motor Vehicle Unknown
  1.27     1,045    Theft from Vehicle
  1.25     1,032    Abandoned Vehicle
  1.17       966    Loud Noise
  1.17       965    Hit and Run
  1.17       962    Illegal Camping
  1.12       926    Illegal Burning
  1.11       915    ATL Drunk Driver
  1.11       913    Disabled Vehicle(s)
  1.10       908    Assist Outside Agency
  1.06       877    Assault
  0.96       793    Prowler(s)
  0.93       770    Found Property
  0.85       704    Reckless Driving
  0.81       665    Unknown Problem
  0.77       635    Suspicious Vehicle(s)
  0.75       616    Dog(s) at Large
  0.68       563    Motor Vehicle No Injury
  0.68       558    Missing Person(s)
  0.63       520    Shoplifter(s)
  0.60       494    Shot(s) Fired
  0.56       459    Animal Complaint
  0.53       440    Disorderly Juvenile(s)
  0.50       416    Animal Cruelty
  0.44       362    Theft ID

cross-posted from [email protected]: https://lemmy.world/post/10995574

Cascades Raptor Center in Oregon sustained heavy damage in a snowstorm this month. Lorax the Great Horned Owl was missing after its enclosure was crushed by a falling tree.

From KOIN News

When keepers at Eugene’s Cascades Raptor Center arrived onsite Tuesday morning after the winter storm swept through the area, they became immediately concerned when a Great Horned Owl named Lorax was missing from her damaged enclosure.

Keepers, including Lorax’s trainer Carrie Lorenz, recounted how they all immediately went into “action mode,” removing tree debris and making sure the bird wasn’t trapped under the rubble.

“As we were heading back with our axes to clear the tree, we were calling out for her just in case. All of a sudden we heard her calling back to us,” said Lorenz. “We ran up the hill towards her call, and there she was: perched in a tree near another aviary. It was the biggest relief imaginable…I put out my glove and she flew right down to it, which was the best feeling in the world.”

Lorenz continued, “As trainers, we spend a lot of time developing a strong relationship between us and the birds we work with. I’m so glad our relationship with Lorax was strong enough that she trusted me, and flew right down to the glove even after that traumatic experience.”

Additionally from NBC16

The destruction of Lorax’s enclosure is just one of the many damaged areas at Cascades Raptor Center due to the severe weather that took place January 13-16, the Center stated.

Fallen trees and electrical damage have made the center inaccessible and dangerous, forcing a closure that may last weeks as the Center struggles to repair the walkways, parking lot, and damaged aviaries.

Reparations to the damaged infrastructure and removal of all fallen trees are estimated to cost the Center over $30,000, and will take hundreds of hours of labor from Cascades staff and volunteers.

“Closing our doors is always a hardship for the Center,” said Executive Director Julie Collins. ”But in this instance, it is a must. We have a lot of hard work to do to make the Nature Center safe for our guests. One of our biggest threats right now are the large number of widowmaker branches hanging over newly constructed aviaries; getting those branches removed safely and quickly is necessary to protect both the staff and the site.”

The animal hospital is open during repairs, and emergency fundraising is going on as well. Damage was also severe in the Bald Eagle enclosure as well, but it sounds like it was found safe as well.

Here are pictures of the damage from the NBC article.

Comcast made it through the whole icepocalypse, then died sometime last night after the ice started finally melting.

I logged in this morning from my phone and it said it'd be repaired by 1pm. Still out now 9:30PM.

Took off work today because no internet, tomorrow not sure if I should try to limp along on tethered mobile or risk driving to a coffee shop or the library (if it is open).

Any idea what is up? My power (EWEB) has been just fine in SE, just 2-4 second long glitches every couple hours. Why did Comcast choose to take a dump right at the end of this?

https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=ORZ008&warncounty=ORC039&firewxzone=ORZ604&local_place1=Eugene%20OR&product1=Ice+Storm+Warning&lat=44.0499&lon=-123.0884

Yep, they're predicting more ice tomorrow before things finally begin to thaw out.

I love it! No goddamned cars blasting around all day and night anymore. Enjoying it while it lasts.

According to EWEB, there are a little more than 3500 people in SE Eugene affected by a power outage.

https://www.eweb.org/outages-and-safety/power-outages/power-outage-map

I'm one of them. :(

I don't really know how to describe what's coming down at the moment. It's not snow, it's not rain, and it's not hail. It's some unholy amalgamation of the three. I went out with an umbrella and it sounded like hail hitting it, but by the time I got back home it was coated in a layer of pebbly ice.

This afternoon, it's supposed to get juuuuust warm enough to maybe add a layer of slick half-melted water to everything before it refreezes.

So... Mind your footing, and if you can avoid driving today, do so.

Any The House of the Dead arcade cabinets in Eugene? Dying to play it the way it's meant to be played

New Post on my Personal Website: Scoping out the Eugene-Springfield Fediverse

I recently wrote up a new post for my personal website about the Fediverse in relation to the Eugene-Springfield area, and figured I'd share it. Let me know what you think!

@eugene

#Eugene #EugeneOR #EugeneOregon #Springfield #SpringfieldOregon #Oregon

Received this text a few minutes ago:

4J: 4J: SEHS is on secure/lockout, along with Roosevelt, out of abundance of caution. No immediate threat. Police responding. Students safe inside.

Same fake threats hit Churchill and Roosevelt. Sigh...

Stop The Presses, Literally — The Eugene Weekly Falls Victim to Financial Crime

A new article from @doublesidedmedia provides a pretty good summary of the embezzling of funds at @eugeneweekly

@eugene

#Eugene

'Tis the season to get that tree out of your house and put the chair you moved to make room for it back where it belongs! I'm curious what people are doing with their trees this year.

They're good. I'd like to go see em live sometime.

My wife and I have been playing a bit of tongue-in-cheek "bingo" while driving around town, so I decided to draw up an actual bingo board with some of the things we look out for. We'd love ideas for more squares if y'all have any suggestions!

If you're a long time reader of the EW you may have noticed the paper has been cost cutting lately. I assumed it was effects from the pandemic, but they're actually been the victim of embezzlement. Here are some bits from the article.

There will be no print paper edition of EW, for the first time in more than 20 years. And we are fighting like hell to print another one.

Shortly before Christmas, we discovered that EW had been the victim of embezzlement at the hands of someone we once trusted.

We’ve discovered that many companies we do business with ... haven’t been paid in months. EW employees who thought they were paying into retirement accounts have learned the money never arrived at its destination. We had to lay off the entire 10-person staff EW three days before Christmas. One of our biggest creditors, our printer, says it will print EW again only if we pay upfront.

Just wanted to let people know it's finally open. If you live in the area, it's super-convenient, and really well-designed!