KEZI

Voters Pass Fire Bond Measure

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:37:33 -0700

By Lauren Mickler

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the motto at the Junction City Rural Fire Protection District. But it paid off.

Tuesday night, 60 percent of voters passed a measure, giving the district $1.8 million.

The chief says that money is desperately needed to keep basic operations going and keep from laying someone off.

Chief Carl Perry says he's grateful for every yes vote and he understands why some people voted no.

"We understand that while they support us, they've probably pretty much had it with government raising taxes, and what we need to do is prove to the no voters that we're not wasting their money. We're truly using it to the best of our ability," Perry said.

Here's a look at how the other Lane County measures fared.

The bond proposed by Western Lane Ambulance District passed. It will get about $4.1 million for operating costs.

The measure from Pleasant Hill's Rural Fire Protection District so far has failed though -- 49 percent to 51 percent.

The Dexter Rural Fire Protection District will get the money it asked for to replace its decades-old water tanker, get some new equipment and cover operating expenses.

However, all of these results are unofficial until the county elections office finishes verifying the ballots within the next 20 days.

Taylor, Valle Will Face Off in November

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:17:26 -0700

By Nha Nguyen

EUGENE, Ore. -- Another council seat's future is up in the air.

Betty Taylor didn't win Ward 2 outright Tuesday night.

She snagged 48 percent of the vote, and Juan Carlos Valle got 42 percent.

That means they'll face off in November.

But what about the third man in the race -- Jim Ray?

The 10 percent Ray got will likely determine the winner come November.

Ray says he would like to see Valle win.

"I think city council needs a new change, and I think for Eugene he's a rising star in the political world. I think he'll do real well in city council and bring some new perspective," Ray said.

While Ray says he took the time to get to know both candidates.

Valle's sincerity and fresh outlook won him over.

Ray says the race was a difficult one.

He says he was often overlooked and wasn't invited to some forums. He thinks that cost him some votes.

Is Facebook Advertising Effective?

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:54:23 -0700

By Nha Nguyen

EUGENE, Ore. -- With GM pulling away from the social media giant, it might make you wonder: How effective is advertising on a site like Facebook?

Many of the people KEZI spoke with say they loved what Facebook allowed them to do -- connect with friends and family.

That's why they joined the site in the first place.

When KEZI asked them how effective they found advertising, the answer was clear.

Student after student agreed that ads aren't just ineffective -- in some cases, they're despised.

The few people who admitted to clicking on ads say they only do it when the product is something they're interested in.

Most people just chose to ignore the ads.

KEZI also asked several people if they thought GM pulling out would hurt Facebook stock sales on Friday.

Most didn't think so since there was so much excitement surrounding the public debut.

Businesses Support Public Transportation

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:28:51 -0700

By Nha Nguyen

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Two lucky winners in the Business Commute Challenge got to test their "big rig" driving skills Wednesday.

Employees from Feeny Wireless and Umpqua Bank took co-workers on a ride through the parking lot.

Drivers picked up passengers and even dodged people in the form of bright orange barrels.

It was a way to raise awareness about riding the bus.

"It's really good for the environment to promote that. I guess less cars on the road and that's gonna create less maintenance overtime. So I think it's good for the economy in general, minus all the environmental savings you could have," said Feeney Wireless President Ethan Ralston.

Trooper Justified in Shooting Kidnapping Suspect

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:17:00 -0700

KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. -- A judge ruled the trooper who shot a man holding a kidnapped woman hostage was justified.

Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Casey Codding -- part of the SWAT team -- shot Alberto Martinez after a standoff.

It was after this the officers were able to take Martinez into custody.

He faces kidnapping, rape, sodomy, assault and menacing charges.

Martinez was recently released from prison in Umatilla County for similar charges.

Farr's Look at the Lane County Budget

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:14 -0700

By Kelsey Card

EUGENE, Ore. -- Eugene City Councilor Pat Farr defeated incumbent county commissioner Rob Handy Tuesday night to become the newest county commissioner.

He'll represent the North Eugene district.

So what is his outlook on the county budget and how does he plan to start fixing it?

Right off the heels of the primary, Farr says he is relieved that the campaigning is over, and he looks forward to walking across this bridge from the city side to the county side.

Farr says the county faces its most difficult budget balancing ever and that the county needs to seek out more sustainable options for long-term goals.

He mentioned the cuts to public safety in particular and says leaders must look for a long-term solution.

In general, Farr says Lane County commissioners must pinpoint ways to boost the local economy for the future.

"So everything is wrapped up in how do we get dollars into the budget and what do we use as the means for doing that? I have ideas, so I'm optimistic we can move in the right direction," Farr said.

Another major issue he pinpointed was a need for the city of Eugene and the county to team up and bring more manufacturing and development to the area.After Farr leaves, that creates an opening on the council, and it's Farr's fellow councilors who will decide who replaces him.

"The council would have up to 90 days to appoint an interim councilor, and they can either do direct appoint or create some kind of a process," said Jan Bohman with the City of Eugene.

That process could mean accepting applications for the temporary position.

The official council position -- Ward 6 -- will then be open in the next May election.

The last time this happened was in 1997 when Jim Torrey was elected mayor.

Olympic Track and Field Trial Tickets Released

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:21:14 -0700

By Lauren Mickler

EUGENE, Ore. -- The Olympic Track and Field Trials are just around the corner, and tickets for the events are now on the way to their owners.

If you're one of the lucky ones that already has your hands on some tickets, organizers say you should be seeing those in the mail this week.

When you open that envelope, you'll see eight iconic gold medalists, each on the ticket for the event they specialized in.

They include Oregon native Dick Fosbury, who's on the ticket for day four when the high jump competition will take place.

"We wanted to honor the history of track and field, so we chose gold medal winners who represent the sports that have finals on each of the days that correspond with that ticket," said TrackTown12 organizing committee member Marilyn Milne.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 15,000 single-day tickets had been sold.

We're just five weeks away from the trials. And if you don't have tickets yet, there are still single day tickets left, but organizers say they're going fast.

Longest May Dry Stretch in 20 Years Coming to an End

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:52:43 -0700

Meteorologist Melissa Frey's Forecast Discussion:

If you've lived in Oregon for more than a year, you know this many dry days in May is not normal!

We've seen 11 dry in a row so far and I expect to add at least another five to that, for a total of 16. The last time we had this long of a dry stretch was back in August when we went from August 26th to September 16th and last year we had to wait until July to see this many dry days in a row.

The last time we had this long of a dry stretch in May was back in 1992 when we had 17 days in a row with no rain. That was also the driest May on record for Eugene with just 0.14" of rain.

There is an end in sight though, as a front is on the horizon, which if it holds together, would bring in rain for Monday night.

Wednesday will be the last day under this ridge of high pressure. We're looking at mostly sunny skies and another day in the mid 70s. As high pressure moves on to the east and low pressure begins to move in, we'll see the marine layer get thicker with each day, and move further east. For us this means the morning clouds will stick around and will be harder and harder to burn off. This will shave our temperatures for the end of the week with highs Thursday and Friday in the mid 60s. By the weekend, high pressure will be back and we'll see more sunshine. Highs will be back in the low 70s for both Saturday and Sunday.

The winds will shift back around to the west Sunday afternoon, bringing in the next batch of clouds which look to bring rain by Monday night.

Have a great rest of your Wednesday!

Meteorologist Melissa Frey
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Watch Erik's Sportscast From Tuesday, May 15th

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:02:00 -0700

We introduce you to identical twins on the Duck softball team. Plus, what the Duck baseball players are not being truthful with us about the team's ranking, at least according to their coach.

May 2012 Primary Election Results

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:48:24 -0700

Here are the results as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, May 15. Click on the video above to watch our Election Day coverage.

Lane County:

City of Eugene - Mayor
Piercy 63%
Prociw 28%
Walrod 7%

City of Eugene - Council Ward 2
Ray 9%
Taylor 46%
Valle 43%

Lane Co. Comissioner - North Eugene
Farr 59%
Handy 30%
Sindi 9%

Lane Co. Comissioner - South Eugene
Sorenson 56%
Stahl 43%

City of Springfield - Mayor
Bean 37%
Lundberg 62%

City of Springfield - Council Ward 1
Sattler 44%
VanGordon 55%

City of Springfield - Council Ward 3
Moore 71%
Smith 28%

City of Springfield - Council Ward 4
Mann 32%
Ralston 66%

City of Springfield - Council Ward 6
Brew 59%
Kirschenmann 39%

Measure 20-193 - Western Lane Ambulance Service
Yes 53%
No 46%

Measure 20-194 - Pleasant Hill RFPD
Yes 50%
No 49%

Click here for more Lane County election results.

State:

Secretary of State - Democrat
Brown 90%
Wells 9%

Attorney General - Democrat
Rosenblum 62%
Holton 37%

State House District 11 - Republican
Lovelace 55%
Daniels 44%

State House District 12 - Democrat
Lively 66%
Mann 33%

Click here for more state election results.

Benton County: Click here for results

Douglas County:

Douglas Co. Commission - Pos. 1
Morgan 54%
Ware 45%

Douglas Co. Commission - Pos. 3
Robertson 71%
Garcia 16%

Measure 10-115 - Umpqua CC District General Obligation Bond
Yes 28%
No 71%

Click here for more Douglas County election results.

Coos County:

Coos Co. Comissioner - Pos. 1
Messerle 46%
Main 33%

Coos Co. Comissioner - Pos. 2
Sweet 43%
Bishop 19%

Coos Co. Comissioner - Pos. 3
Cribbins 38%
Gurney 21%

Click here for more Coos County election results.

National:

President - Republican
Romney 72%
Paul 12%

U.S. House 2nd Dist. - Democrat
Segers 75%
Sweeney 23%

U.S. House 4th Dist. - Democrat
DeFazio 90%
Robinson 10%

Click here for more results.

Pat Farr Leads Commissioner Race

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:43:32 -0700

By Jessica Debbas

EUGENE, Ore. -- The race for Lane County Commissioner - North Eugene spot wasn't as close as many expected it to be.

Candidate Pat Farr took the lead against Rob Handy pretty quickly Tuesday night.

When the first round of results came in at 8 p.m., Farr led by a large margin with about 60 percent of the votes, and that figure stayed steady through the night.

There were lots of smiles and cheers for the Farr campaign.

Farr is currently a Eugene city councilman, but now he's the Republican county commissioner candidate.

"All the days and weeks of knocking on doors and most people smiling, I guess those smiles were real," said Farr. "I'm happy."

"There was some very negative campaigning some 'Karl Rove' tactics that now have arrived in Lane County. And that, combined with getting out spent 2 to 1, is not a good sign for any campaign." said Handy.

Earlier this month, current commissioner Handy alleged Farr was running a smear campaign, saying Handy asked for a $3,000 donation to help Handy pay for a settlement in a county lawsuit.

Handy says the voters have spoken and he's personally disappointed.

He plans to focus now on his duties as a county commissioner for the remaining seven months of his term.

Chambers Twins Help Duck Softball Host First NCAA Regional

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:41:26 -0700

By Erik Elken

EUGENE, Ore. -- Lindsey and Kelsey Chambers have been playing softball on the same team since they were five years old.

"My whole life she's [Kelsey] been right there next to me on the field," elder twin Lindsey said.

"We kind of know what each other's thinking, not telepathically, but we know what each other's thinking like I'll know that she's covering the steal, or if I'm covering the steal, we kind of just look at each other, and we know," Kelsey said.

The identical twins make up the starting left side of the Duck softball team's infield, with Lindsey at third base and Kelsey at shortstop.

For both, being a Duck was a childhood dream as they say they grew up in Duck gear. Their father, Ron, attended the University of Oregon.

They have combined to hit 45 total home runs and 167 RBI in their four year careers leading up to Thursday's NCAA Regional against Portland State.

Their chemsitry helps them on the field, but unlike most siblings, they say they rarely have any big fights.

"We'll get tired of each other for maybe like ten minutes and then after that we're just like, alright let's go do something," Lindsey said.

"The worst fight was in high school when I took her jeans. She got really mad and it took like two hours for us to make up."

Aside from the occasional wardrobe argument, there is one thing they will never agree on - who is better. According to Kelsey's team bio, one of her nicknames is "good twin".

"That was just a joke," Kelsey said. "But I think I'm the good twin because I just am, I don't know."

"No one's ever called her the good twin," Lindsey said. "And if they do they come right back at me and say, 'But you're the better twin'".

One thing they can both vehemently agree on, is their desire to end their long softball careers with a national championship.

"It would mean so much to do it at my dream school, as a senior to end my career, with my sister ... it would be an amazing experience," Lindsey said.

The quest for that storybook ending begins Thursday at 6 p.m. at Howe Field against Portland State.

Piercy Wins Third Term

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:33:21 -0700

By Jennifer Richardson

EUGENE, Ore. -- Kitty Piercy secured her third term as Eugene's mayor Tuesday night.

As soon as the first results posted, Piercy and her team knew they were looking good.

Piercy beat out Kevin Prociw and Jon Walrod in this primary.

Piercy says the focus must continue to remain on economic development and jobs because there are so many families that are still struggling in this economy.

She says under her watch the city will keep plowing forward with the regional prosperity plan with a focus on the reinvigoration of downtown.

"I am very pleased and happy, happy to have it over with in the primary -- means I don't have to do the long haul to November. I want to thank the voters for voting for me," Piercy said.

Piercy went on to say she is happy to be moving forward as a city.

Piercy says she wasn't too surprised by the win and her sleeves go back up again Wednesday.

Tuesday Night Weather Forecast

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:49:44 -0700

Tuesday Night Weather Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Justin Stapleton

Students Have Mixed Feelings About Primary Election

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:49:07 -0700

By Lauren Mickler

EUGENE, Ore. -- The majority of University of Oregon students only live in Eugene for four to five years, which is why many of them say they don't feel a need to participate in local elections. But some say they feel like they should have more of an input.

If they're registered in Lane County, they can vote here, but do Oregon students care about municipal or Lane County elections?

Some say they don't vote because they feel overlooked by candidates and are uninformed about the election.

Others say they aren't planning on staying in Eugene after they graduate and don't see a reason to vote.

But on the other side of that argument are the students who see it as a privilege and a chance to represent themselves and future Ducks.

And for those who are informed, they say they plan to use that knowledge in this election.

City and county officials were on campus Monday collecting ballots, and many of the students KEZI talked to said they made sure they got their ballot in the box.