KEZI

Looking A Lot More Like February

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:18:52 -0800

Melissa Frey's Forecast Discussion

A warm front is moving northward through western Oregon at a snail's pace. It brought rain to all of western Oregon yesterday and will do the same for western Washington today. A few lingering showers remain, but those will clear out mid morning.

For about 6 hours today we'll see dry conditions, mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures. Highs in Eugene will be close to 60 degrees!

A weak front is lined up for Friday. We'll see the clouds ahead of this late Thursday followed by scattered showers Friday.

Saturday and the first part of Sunday are looking dry as we're in between storms, but the next one is lined up for Sunday night. Once this storm moves in, there will be several to follow. We'll have good chances for rain and cooler temperatures Monday through Wednesday.

Have a great rest of your Thursday!

Meteorologist Melissa Frey

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Watch Erik's Sportscast From Wednesday, February 8th

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:17:19 -0800

With the baseball season just eight days away, we get our first look at Oregon's team. Plus, find out how Oregon State forward Joe Burton's shoes tell the story of his upbringing.

The Blue Shoes Symbolize Burton's Journey

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:45:57 -0800

By Erik Elken

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- They are hard to miss on the basketball court. Oregon State junior Joe Burton's blue shoes clash with the traditional Beaver colors of black and orange.

But they are far from a fashion statement.

"Every time I look down for free throws and look up at the basket, I always think about I'm Native American," Burton said.

Burton comes to Corvallis from the Soboba Indian Reservation, located about an hour east of Los Angeles, where violence, drugs and alcoholism were easy temptations.

"I'm thankful for making it out of the reservation, even making it to 18," Burton said.

"He had so many opportunities to do the wrong thing, and to not make it, and he pushed all those aside just for the love of the game," teammate and childhood friend Roberto Nelson said.

Burton became the first Native American to receive a Pac-10 scholarship when he signed with Oregon State.

Head Coach Craig Robinson had never been to a reservation until he recruited him.

"I was unaware of the Native American plight," Robinson said. "I was astounded by the poverty."

Burton shows his Native American heritage proudly by wearing his turquoise Nike N-7 basketball shoes, which are part of Nike's N-7 initiative.

Click above to see the shoes up close and find out why they hold so much meaning to Burton.

Thursday Tries To Return To Sunny Skies

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:13:43 -0800

Justin's Forecast Summary:

Light showers pushing north tonight with a warm front pushing up into Washington. Accumulations will be very light and we should start to break up some of the cloud cover overnight into morning. Lows will be in the low to mid 40s with some valley fog by dawn in the valleys.

Thursday a brief push of high pressure should clear out afternoon skies ahead of a cold front and with a stronger southerly wind, push highs back in into the upper 50s and low 60s. This will likely be our last really sunny afternoon for a while. Overnight into Friday, a weak cold front will bring some light morning showers as you head out for work or school.

By the weekend, the storms finally batter the ridge apart and we'll see some scattered showers return for both Saturday and Sunday. Right now it appears that we'll ring in some wetter weather as we go into early next week.

Have a great Thursday!

Chief Meteorologist Justin Stapleton

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If you have weather photos, we'd love to see them! You can upload them on the KEZI.com WxPix page.

Wednesday Night Weather Update

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:13:26 -0800

Wednesday Night Weather Update

Swartout Trial Results in a Hung Jury

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:53:16 -0800

By Jennifer Richardson

EUGENE, Ore. -- Jurors can't reach a verdict in the Angelica Swartout murder trial.

On Wednesday, a judge granted a mistrial after the jury of 12 announced they were hung.

Swartout is charged with murdering her baby. She didn't show much reaction.

The jurors however were visibly upset.

A couple were crying and we noticed one shook her head side to side when the judge declared a mistrial.

Swartout's family was also very upset crying and hugging each other.

The judge asked jurors if they felt with more deliberation time could a verdict ever be reached. They said no.

This means Swartout will stand trial again and she will remain behind bars until a new trial in April.

The trial was centered around the prosecutions belief Swartout smothered her baby while the defense claimed she was never pregnant.

Swartout's defense attorney Gordon Mallon says Swartout's reaction to the mistrial is that that she is strong and will continue to keep fighting.

"The jury worked extremely hard. They had the strength of their convictions and they stuck to their gun, and we will continue to fight for our client's liberty," Mallon said.

The trial lasted nine days and deliberations took four day before coming to this conclusion.

District Attorney Bob Lane says he can't speak because of a gag order.

KEZI tried to talk to a couple of the jurors, but they also didn't want to comment.

Eugene Police Seek Car Break-in Victims

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:52:30 -0800

By Lauren Mickler

EUGENE, Ore. -- Eugene police report progress over the increasing number of car break-ins around the Goodpasture Island Road area.

Early Wednesday morning, Eugene police arrested two men for allegedly breaking into unlocked cars on Goodpasture Island Road, between Happy Lane and Goodpasture Loop.

Police say this area has been hit hard recently, so they have been spreading the word to residents about crime prevention, as well as increasing patrols in the area.

This arrest came after a tip from a neighbor.

"A citizen actually called us and reported them being suspicious, and that they appeared to be trying to break into vehicles, so we responded in a very short amount of time," said Officer Steven Chambers.

Police wouldn't release the names of the suspects, but they say the men have been involved in break-ins near the Goodpasture area and their arrest should help decrease the number of car break-ins in that neighborhood.

Police are still trying to identify what cars were victimized.

If you have any information about stolen property, police ask that you call them at 541-682-5111.

Police Impersonator Gets Two Years Probation

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:51:54 -0800

By Jennifer Richardson

EUGENE, Ore. -- A Eugene man admitted Wednesday to impersonating a police officer.

Daniel Alloway pleaded guilty.

He'll spend two years on probation along with 10 days in jail.

Assistant District Attorney Jay Hall says he wishes the sentence could have been harsher, but the law dictates this punishment for impersonating an officer without a criminal history.

"It is a very serious activity. In our society, we accord police officers a lot of power and they get a lot of respect. So when someone holds themselves out to be a police officer, it is a very serious thing," Hall said.

Hall says police wanted to wait to arrest Alloway so they could gather more information but he was going to be deployed to Thailand with the National Guard.

When officers searched Alloway's apartment, they found police badges, uniforms, guns, ID cards and patches.

Hall says there could still be more victims in this case.

If you have any information, call Eugene police.

Police arrested Alloway at his Whiteaker apartment in late January on 26 counts of impersonating a police officer and at least one count of obstructing government administration.

Alloway, a member of the National Guard, portrayed himself as Officer Dan Baker for at least a year, making traffic stops, assisting citizens with so-called investigations, and even volunteering with local kids at the Hosea Youth Project.

31 Marines Return to Oregon

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:51:03 -0800

By Kate Renner

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- After a tour in Afghanistan, the community welcomed home a group of 31 local heroes.

The first round of Marines arrived Wednesday afternoon, and a second round is expected Wednesday night.

Earlier, a bus of 25 Marines were welcomed home to a patriotic return.

Lance Corporal Andrew Clark can finally snuggle with his daughter Lillian. She was born on July 14, 2011.

"They left three days after she was born," said Andrew's wife Ashley.

Now it's catch-up time.

"Hopefully having her warm up to me and spending time with my family," LCpl Andrew Clark said.

Ashley says she sent pictures as Lillian got bigger, but there's nothing like the real thing.

"There's no words that can describe how amazing that feeling was. For him to be able to see her, that was the hardest thing the entire deployment was knowing how much he was missing," she said.

"I don't like missing out that much," LCpl Andrew Clark said.

These fathers, sons, boyfriends, and brothers were all missed dearly during their 11 months away from home.

"It was an amazing feeling. I missed them more than anything. It was awesome," said LCpl Derek Caylor.

What's even more awesome is the sense of accomplishment these men now hold dear.

"We left with 31 people, and we came back with the same amount. It was a good trip," said LCpl Aaron Neuman.

The full tour for these Marines will be 400 days. Seven of those months were spent overseas in Afghanistan.

The active tour of duty will be complete by April with most of these men returning back to normal life as a reservist.

Oregon State Superintendent Says Schools are Changing

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:50:40 -0800

By Lauren Mickler

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Education says public school enrollment dropped for the fifth year in a row.

State Superintendent of Schools Susan Castillo says while the report shows a just under one percent decrease in K-12 enrollment, it's not the number of students that's significant, but more the types of students enrolling.

Castillo says the economy has a lot to do with the decrease in enrollment.

Unemployment affects family dynamics. Families are moving and numbers are shifting. An even bigger shift has been the changing demographics of students enrolled in Oregon schools.

"We've seen a significant increase in the number of students in who live in poverty, a very significant increase in English Language Learners and in students with special education needs," Castillo said.

Of those, the largest increase has been in English Language Learners, with almost four times as many ELL students enrolled in Oregon schools since 2000.

Castillo says these groups of students often require more attention.

At a time when budgets are tight and staffs are stretched thin, Castillo says acknowledging these changes will make it easier to reach achievement goals.

As far as numbers go, Eugene saw the largest change in enrollment in the last year, decreasing 1.9 percent from the 2010-2011 school year.

Linn County Sheriff's Office to Make Cuts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:50:15 -0800

By Heather Turner

LINN COUNTY, Ore. -- The bad economy has caught up to the Linn County Sheriff's Office, forcing drastic cuts to stay in operation.

The Linn County Sheriff's Office will cut 23 positions and close 48 jail beds by the end of this month to save $1.5 million.

"It's the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my career," said Sheriff Tim Mueller.

Sheriff Tim Mueller had to tell 13 of his co-workers they're out of a job. The rest of the positions cut are currently vacant and will not be filled.

The cuts, effective February 29, stretch through almost every department.

The jail lost 11 control room operators, a nurse and four sergeant positions.

In support services, two community resource specialists and one dispatcher are gone.

For civil, one deputy and one service aid, and for criminal, two deputies are all gone.

"When a citizen needs help, they're going to get ahold of a dispatcher, a deputy is going to respond, detectives are going to investigate the major cases, and I'm going to have a functional jail to lock these people up in that go out there and commit those crimes, and that's my commitment to the people in this county," Sheriff Mueller said.

The cuts will also close 48 beds, leaving the jail with 182 instead of the current 230.

There will also be funding cuts to the dive team, patrol reserves, the mounted posse, search and rescue, jail mental health, and training, and Linn County will suspend its SWAT operations.

Sheriff Mueller says things aren't looking good for the following year either. In 2013-2014, they expect at least another $800,000 in cuts.

Green Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:36:48 -0800

By Kelsey Card

EUGENE, Ore. -- Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.

If you're out to buy the perfect gift but want to go easy on the environment, there are plenty of options.

Whether you're after cards candies or flowers, there are plenty of local green options on that red and pink holiday.

Marché Provisions thinks of sustainable both in terms of where your money goes, to local businesses and what's sustainable for the earth.

They've got the sweets and the relaxing treats.

"Regionally made small batch caramels and chocolates," said manager Leah Pearl. "Bubble baths made with vegetable soaps, soy candles in recycled glass containers."

Right across the way is Rhythm and Blooms, a self-sustaining local flower shop that offers extravagant bouquets.

They grow about 85 percent of their own flowers locally.

If you're looking to spend a bit more, New Twist features two jewelry designers that are 100 percent green and use all recycled materials. One is local.

"She uses 100 percent recycled metal as well sterling silver, gold, this is a sapphire, and then a drusy and another type of drusy agate. We also just got in some new Valentine cards. You can actually put them in the ground and they will grow wildflowers," said New Twist manager Jodi Auxier.

If you're looking for a romantic getaway, the new Inn at the 5th offers almost entirely local amenities. Not to mention the whole building is recycled.

KLCC Prepares for 11th Annual Microbrew Festival

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:13:03 -0800

By Kelsey Card

EUGENE, Ore. -- If you like good music and good beer, add the KLCC Microwbrew Festival to your to-do list this weekend.

In its 11th year, the event is bigger than ever, featuring 57 breweries.

The festival will also serve an afternoon crowd for the first time ever.

About 400 volunteers help to make the festival a huge part of what helps KLCC pay its bills.

"We've done a lot more publicity this year than we have in the past, so hopefully we'll get more people in the door. We're selling advanced tickets for the first time and we've already sold 1,300," said KLCC Marketing Director Gayle Chisholm.

Last year the festival brought in $107,000.

Organizers are confident they'll bring in more this year.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday and opens again Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Lane Events Center.

Archbishop Urges Catholics to Act Regarding Contraceptives Mandate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:45:29 -0800

By Kate Renner

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Catholic Church thinks its religious freedoms are being threatened by the US government's mandates for all employers' health coverage to include contraceptives.

Locally, St. Mary's Catholic Church is taking a stand.

On Sunday, Father Liam Cary catered his homily toward the issue, saying he thinks it's an affront to the church's conscience.

"I just wish our fellow citizens would realize this is a sizable part of the American population that has made a sizable contribution to the welfare of our country and we want to continue to do that. So I think it's a matter of the right to consider freedom of conscience or freedom of religion," Father Cary said.

In Sunday's bulletin, the church included a strong letter condemning the health care mandate from the Archbishop of Portland.

It urges the Catholic community to pray, learn more about the issue and contact Congress, urging lawmakers to reverse legislation.

Eugene Drafts Local Version of Corporate Treatment Resolution

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:28:30 -0800

By Lauren Mickler

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene city council Wednesday talked about a national resolution involving the treatment of corporations.

Resolution 5055 would amend the Constitution.

Corporations would no longer get the same treatment as individuals in matters of free speech, campaign spending and other political matters.

The city of Eugene is just one of many cities across the country looking at adopting a local version of Resolution 5055.

Councilor Alan Zelenka presented a draft of the city's resolution at the meeting.

The council will hold a public forum about it next week.