Last day to stock up on Nyquil

As of Saturday, July 1st, any product containing pseudoephedrine will require a prescription in Oregon (and only Oregon).

For two years, Sudafed and similar products have been hidden behind the counter in local drug stores and pharmacies, and consumers were required to provide identification. This initial program has led to a 77% decrease in small-time meth production, which is pretty significant. But now, misguided politicians who want to prove they've done something have managed to pass the most draconian cold medicine law in the country.

While I think putting pseudoephedrine behind the counter was a smart move, this extra step is simply inconvenient. If you have a regular doctor, a renewable prescription can be arranged with a simple phone call. But the folks who can't afford to see a doctor in the first place, especially for sniffles, will find it difficult to obtain effective over-the-counter relief.

Also on Saturday, the school zone speed limits will be changing again. In 2003, the legislature decided that it wasn't enough to limit traffic speeds during school hours, but that we should stick to a 20 mph limit at all times, including holidays and the wee hours of the morning. This law brings the school zone limits back into a normal range: 20 mph from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days. Hooray for lawmakers being willing to accept they went too far and actually taking steps to correct something they goofed originally. Hopefully they'll rescind the prescription law above in similar fashion!

Please keep in mind that the traffic signs may not be changed right away in school zones, and the law states the sign must be followed until it is updated. If the school zone speed limit sign still says 20 mph at all times, don't think a Corvallis cop is going to let you slide without a ticket. They have nothing better to do, after all.

Addendum: The article I originally linked claimed that Nyquil contained pseudoephedrine, but it didn't sound right, so I checked their web page. Sure enough, Nyquil will still be available for swilling freely, so please ignore the title of the post. I would change it, but it messes up the link from OR Blogs.

Way to go Beavers!

I haven't been a big baseball fan since Reggie Jackson was still playing for the Yankees and my neighbor Richie and I would have lengthy arguments that basically consisted of "The Yankees are better," and "Nuh-uh, the Mets are."

But you gotta love it when the home team does well. And Oregon State just won its first ever College World Series. It's the first national title Oregon State has held since 1961. The football team may never again reach the Rose Bowl, but apparently we can play ball!

The bane of my existence

I know that this ball of fire keeps us from freezing into little clumps of withered carbon, but when it hits 100° Fahrenheit, I am not a happy person. I'm all schvitzed out. I put in nearly 20 hours of overtime this weekend just for the air-conditioning. Hooray for air-conditioning!

Thankfully, the heat wave will be a brief one.

Circular Reasoning

There have been several letters to the editor recently debating the value (or lack thereof) of traffic circles. Corvallis currently has three of these circles, and the public works department seems enamored of them as traffic calming devices.

According to an article titled "What are the Benefits of Traffic Circles" (PDF) from the July 2005 issue of the City Newsletter, traffic circles eliminate T-bone accidents and head-on collisions. In addition, since most people aren't required to stop, fuel efficiency is improved and pollution lessened. Finally, since the center of the traffic circles have landscaping, neighborhood livability is improved.

Odd, then, that the people who write in most frequently complaining about the traffic circles are the ones who live near them. They claim an increase in accidents and near-misses, difficult crossings for pedestrians and bicycles, and most say they originally wanted a 4-way stop in the first place.

I live not far from the circle at the intersection of Grant and Highland Avenues, and navigate the intersection several times per week. Unlike the lovely wide streets pictured in the newsletter (not sure which intersection that is, but it doesn't look like Corvallis at all), the traffic circle at Grant and Highland is sort of crammed into an intersection that was never designed for it. The plants in the middle are overgrown, making visibility awkward at best.

The biggest problem with them, however, is that nobody seems to know how to use them. If there was a massive education drive to teach people who actually has the right of way, maybe the situation would improve.

So, the basics, for those who don't have a clue: If you approach the intersection and someone is already in the traffic circle, you yield to that person. It doesn't matter which road you're on, if the person is on your left, or if you think your street is the main thoroughfare -- the vehicle in the traffic circle always has the right of way. If that person is driving around in circles, it's too bad for you... they still have the right of way. This does not mean hurry up and try to get through before they reach your side of the circle. This means stop. Wait. It won't wreck your day and better yet, it won't wreck your car. This is the main blunder I see at the traffic circle; people speed up and try to zoom through, despite another car already being in the middle of their turn.

If two cars are approaching the intersection, the person who gets there first has the right of way. This is not an invitation to gun the engine in order to beat the other car by a few seconds. If you approach the traffic circle at the same time as another driver, the vehicle on the right has the right of way. If you are coming from opposite directions, it is probably safe for both of you to enter the circle. If there is a bike in the intersection, the rules apply just as they do for cars. Bikes are considered vehicles in Oregon, which means a bike in the traffic circle has the right of way. If there is a pedestrian, have some pity and let the poor sot cross. They may not get another chance if it's rush hour.

I think traffic circles work well if streets are designed with them in mind, and they work well in larger cities where drivers are used to them. Or maybe not. At the Place Charles de Gaulle traffic circle in Paris, I've seen cars rounding L'Arc de Triomphe several times before successfully escaping onto a feeder road. So maybe the question should be, where's the love for the old-fashioned traffic light?

Paperworks closing this weekend

Downtown Corvallis is about to lose one of its best quirky little shops. After 22 years, the owners of Paperworks have decided it's time to retire.

I'm crushed. Paperworks is one of those stores you can't walk past without wandering in, especially if you're moving slowly because your tummy is full of New Morning Bakery's chicken salad. There are racks of unique paper hanging throughout the store... Asian prints, linen stationery, bright metallics, hand-crafted natural papers, plus numerous ribbons and leaves and artsy crafty bits. The walls are decorated with origami and various collage projects.

I have a secret stash of various papers from the store that I bought because I couldn't help myself, even though I'm not a particularly artistic person. I've used some of their strange papers as gift wrap and have a few sheets saved for a découpage project I may never actually start. I'll have to run down there this weekend and pick up a few more, even if they'll sit in a box in my closet until I retire.

The good news is that Paperworks will continue on as an internet store, but I'll miss the brick and mortar presence. It's a browsing store, and you can't oooh and ahhh as easily while staring at your computer monitor.

Jack Burright still in the wrong

After my previous column about sheriff candidate Jack Burright and his fake diploma, I've received several letters defending Burright's honor. The latest such letter included an earnest plea to go to Burright's website and read his letter explaining his side of the story. In the interest of fairness, I did so.

Mr. Burright blames the newspaper for his current troubles, accusing the Gazette-Times of calling him a "high school dropout" and alleging that he "bought a phony college diploma without earning it." He goes on to explain that he can't be considered a dropout, because he completed his GED two years later. Okay, fine. Nobody really cares about that part. It's the bogus college degree that is the sticking point for most. Mr. Burright may believe that he earned his phony diploma, but in the real world, universities don't say, "Hey, buddy... you've done well. Have a degree!" (Unless Burright is renowned enough for an honorary degree, but I'm guessing no.)

Burright claims that he truly believed that Farington University was "an online university that could apply the college credits [he] had already earned, plus other training and experience, to earn a college diploma." He was "delighted" that Farington evaluated his life experience and previous transcripts and declared that not only was he eligible for instant graduation, but he could do so summa cum laude. (The funniest part, personally, was that Burright reflexively censored the "cum" with asterisks, so it reads summa *** laude. I wanted Obi-Wan Kenobi to step in and say, with a wave of his hand, "This is not the word you are looking for." But I'm also a geek.)

Okay, so now I've read Burright's self-defense, and it seems we are left with a choice: We either believe that Burright intentionally cheated the system and lied about it later, or we have to face the fact that he's not smart enough to distinguish between actual accredited universities and diploma mills. And he should be sheriff? Either he believes in bending the rules, or he's not a very good investigator. Anyone else want to explain why he's the man who should run our county law enforcement agency?

More on the Womack/Capuia murders

It looks like both Shawn Womack and Cevelino Capuia have basically confessed their guilt to police.

Capuia claims that Womack was the triggerman in both cases in Portland, but admitted driving the stolen cars away from the crime scene. Womack himself admits to kidnapping Capuia's girlfriend and shooting her. She knew about the crime and had mentioned it to her roommates. According to court documents, the murder weapon was found in Womack's car. In the apartment Womack shared with his girlfriend, there were items belonging to the dead men in Portland, including their ID cards and the car seats used by the twin daughters of one of the victims.

If these initial reports are true, then I hope Capuia and Womack just plead guilty to spare everyone further pain. I also hope the reporters who have been harrassing Womack's parents stop bothering them at home.

Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree.

Sometimes, the apple falls so far from the tree it should be granted a new zip code.

The town is abuzz with the news of the recent dramatic arrest of Shawn Womack, a Corvallis resident who, along with his friend Cevelino Capuia, has been charged with murdering two men in the Portland area, as well as possibly a third victim, Capuia's 17-year-old girlfriend. Womack and Capuia were caught driving Honda Civics owned by the two Portland victims. Other than that, no possible motive has been discussed in the news. Some reports indicate drugs may have been involved, but nothing concrete is known.

I've debated for several days whether or not I should tackle this topic at all, but finally decided I would... only because I know Shawn Womack's parents. To protect their privacy, I will not give their names or explain how I know them, but they are known and loved by many, so that part isn't anything exceptional. But knowing the two of them makes this news all the more shocking. They are the sort of couple you want to befriend... warm, generous, kind-hearted. They are a loving pair who share that love with anyone who crosses their paths. They have spent their lives working hard, raising their children, taking care of their aging parents, giving back to the community and with the grace of what my snarky friends and I refer to as "good" Christians, the kind who are devout and faithful, without being self-righteous and pushy.

To watch them go through this is horrible. They don't deserve it. I know that the families of the victims are suffering in a vastly different kind of hell, but to put it bluntly, they are outside my monkeysphere. I don't know them, so the degree of empathy is lessened.

Womack's parents found out about their son's arrest by watching the news. They haven't spoken to their son; as of Monday, he hadn't bothered putting them on the jail visitor list yet. To say they are stunned and devastated would be a huge understatement. Shawn ran for president of his community college last term. He was working hard at school and doing well. He had just fallen in love in a big way. This doesn't make any sense to them at all. But because he ran from police, because he resisted arrest, and most damningly, because he was driving the stolen car of a murder victim, they are not defending him. They are simply trying to understand how. Why. We all are.

For now, the rest of us are watching them struggle to get up every morning and go on with their lives. They are both still working, still going to church, still doing kind deeds for their friends. Somehow, they still manage to think of the people around them. Me? I'd either be hospitalized, heavily sedated or both. I am amazed by their strength, but heartbroken by it, just the same.

Former Corvallis resident becomes first female leader of American Episcopal Church

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the diocese of Nevada was elected presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church on the 30th anniversary of the ordination of women in the American church. She is the first female leader of the American Anglicans and the first woman elected to a position of this status amongst all the Anglican churches worldwide. Her election may shake things up a bit, considering the American Episcopalians have also elected the first openly gay bishop and several Anglican branches in more conservative countries don't recognize women bishops at all.

At the time of her election as bishop of Nevada, Ms. Schori was assistant rector at the local Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan and was the senior (bilingual) priest of the Spanish Episcopalian church here in Corvallis. She also served as dean of the Good Samaritan School of Theology and visiting professor of religious studies and oceanography at Oregon State University.

Her ties to Corvallis are extensive, dating back to her studies at Oregon State University, where she received two advanced degrees in oceanography before she became ordained. I personally find it very cool that she managed to obtain a pilot's license, get married and become a mom, while delving into extensive studies in both oceanography and divinity.

What I don't find very cool is that the Corvallis Gazette-Times simply reprinted a wire story about Ms. Schori without once mentioning that she is a hometown girl. So from at least one of the locals, way to go Bishop!

Edit: At 11:50 p.m., an article by Carol Reeves of the GT about Ms. Schori's local ties was indeed posted on the newspaper's website, and will show up in print in the Monday edition of the paper. Looks I was a couple hours premature with my condemnation, so my apologies for jumping the gun.

Won't someone think of the children?

Monday evening, at Corvallis High School's graduation ceremony, math teacher Rob Cornell was one of the keynote speakers. I want to emphasize this following point right upfront, as many in the community don't seem to understand this part: the graduating students took a vote and Cornell was selected by a majority to give this speech. Students wanted to hear what Cornell had to say.

And he had a lot to say.

To summarize, he talked about what makes America great, or not so great, and asked provoking questions about the actions of our government and citizenry of late. His own thoughts were fairly obvious throughout, but he concluded by telling students that they must decide the veracity of the statements he had fed them... that the important message he was trying to send was to actually think about these issues and participate, vote, be an educated consumer... not crawl under a rock of avoidance or float along with the current stream of public opinion simply because that would be the easy thing to do.

Before he was finished, some people in the audience began to boo and a few apparently walked out. There has been an ensuing flurry of letters to the editor in the paper, many from people who claimed to be offended by his "extreme opinions on what's going on in the world." Those are the words of one member of the graduating class, who also claimed to feel sorry for the families Mr. Cornell offended.

Wow. So asking students to think, analyze and make decisions on their own, as opposed to swallowing opinions of their parents or sound bites on TV is extreme? I find it terribly sad that someone so young has already closed her mind to this extent, unless she really just stopped listening before Cornell reached the part emphasizing that students decide for themselves whether they agree with him or not. The opinion of another student was printed this morning, restoring my faith in the idealism of youth.

My own teenager will be entering Crescent Valley High School in another year. We chose CVHS for a number of reasons, but Mr. Cornell's speech almost made me reconsider.

Only in Oregon

This morning, I headed over to the Benton County Fairgrounds to browse the Wednesday Farmers Market. I often shop at the Saturday morning market, but have never made it to the mid-week market.

The place virtually reeked of strawberries, which was fantastic. In Safeway last weekend, I considered buying a pint of strawberries, until I realized that they were from Southern California, had actual pesticide warnings on the container, and the bottom ones were turning to mush. This is strawberry season in the Willamette Valley, so how absurd would it be to buy these substandard berries from 800 miles south?

So this morning, I picked up a pint of local berries, all completely perfect and tasty (we're halfway through the pint already, just snacking) for less than the pint in Safeway cost. I also found some fresh spinach and a sweet onion that was nearly as big as my head, which is sitting proudly on the counter until I figure out what to make for dinner tomorrow night.

The really odd part of the morning was seeing a guy pull up to the market in his mini Hummer. The little bit of environmental friendliness he shows by supporting local farmers and eating organic produce sort of withers in the face of his absurd waste of natural resources. Even more bizarre was the "Keep Tahoe Blue" sticker on the back. Is he joking or schizophrenic? I can understand having a genuine need for a pickup or SUV if you live in the boonies, have a large family or need a truck for work. But nobody needs a Hummer.

Do your part... adopt a homeless kitty today!

Last week, the Democrat-Herald and Gazette-Times published an article about the dismantling of Camp Boondoggle, a homeless encampment in Albany. The camp has been in existence for about 40 years, but the city council decided it was time for the remaining residents to move on and posted eviction notices a few weeks ago.

The article last week focused on the work of Jody Harmon, a 50-year-old survivor from Southern Oregon, who invests a huge amount of time and money into the thankless work of trapping and fixing feral cats. By her estimate, she has trapped thousands... 200 at one grass seed warehouse alone.

Ms. Harmon went to Camp Boondoggle last week and helped rescue 11 cats that were living at the camp. There are about 20 remaining, and she plans to go back to pick up the rest that are left behind when the tenants move on. Despite the GT's editorial page claim that the pets were all available for adoption through SafeHaven Humane Society, a no-kill shelter in Albany, the shelter was mostly full and only accepted two of the cats. The other nine went home with Ms. Harmon. Two have since been adopted, but she has picked up a few more since then, and several still need good homes. The cats can be seen at Ms. Harmon's Petfinder site.

Local animal shelters are always filled to capacity, so Ms. Harmon's task of lowering the feral cat population is a daunting one. It also costs a good deal of money. The GT directed donations to SafeHaven, despite the fact that most of the cats in the article are being cared for by Ms. Harmon, who manages to care for these cats, including having them spayed or neutered, on a shoestring budget. Hearing this, Heartland Humane Society offered to fix a few of the cats for free, but there is still a need for more assistance.

So, what can you do? Well... do you have room for another cat? Can you spare a few dollars towards Ms. Harmon's cause? Alternatively, could you offer to pay to fix one cat (POPPA, Inc, a local non-profit, provides low-cost spaying and neutering for local residents), provide a month's supply of cat food, or buy a couple boxes of Advantage flea control? If you can, please contact Jody Harmon at bluestray@yahoo.com.

Also, if you currently have pets of your own, get them fixed! It is completely irresponsible to breed your pets, intentionally or not, when there are thousands who need homes already. Too many idiotic college students adopt cute kittens and then abandon them when they move. Too many people are also still supporting backyard breeders, but that's another blog entry by itself.

Just a brief congratulations...

... to all the students graduating from Corvallis High School and Crescent Valley High School tomorrow. Huzzah! Go out into the world and do something, all right? My generation seems to have slacked off horribly, and never mind about those pass-the-buck Baby Boomers. ; )

OSU students told to take a hike

A tuition hike, that is.

The Oregon Board of Higher Education just approved tuition increases for all seven public universities in the state, averaging 3% for each. Oregon State University students will see an increase of 4% in tuition and fees for the 2006-2007 school year, bringing the estimated tuition and fees to $5,643 for a typical student taking 12 units per quarter.

Interestingly enough (to me anyway), that figure is $6 more than I paid for out-of-state tuition when I first came to Corvallis to attend OSU in 1990. Tuition for Oregon residents that year was a mere $1,878. In a mere 16 years, tuition has tripled, which explains why the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave Oregon an F grade in higher education affordability.

Meanwhile, thanks to Oregon's unique "kicker" law, the state government will soon be mailing over $1 billion back to Oregon taxpayers. We are an extremely anti-tax state, and now our children are going to pay for it instead. Or they can just keep working for McDonald's. Nice priorities, folks!

How to keep the kids out of trouble -- Part III

The end of the school year is upon us, so I'll try to wrap up the synopsis of summer programs today.

The Corvallis/Benton County Library kicked off its summer program this evening with a festival aimed at motivating teenagers to read over the summer. In addition to traditional reading programs and book clubs, the library offers several other activities throughout the summer, including a Dance Dance Revolution contest next Monday, rock climbing and disc golf sessions, and a teen all-nighter in July. The library does offer similar activities for younger kids, as well. In addition, through a partnership with the City of Corvallis, kids can use their library cards for free bus rides to the library via Corvallis Transit.

There are lots of classes, field trips and other organized activities offered through the Corvallis Parks and Recreation Division, although registration started in early May, so some are already filled. Everyone in town should have received a schedule in the mail several months ago listing classes offered, but the schedule is also available online (PDF).

The Corvallis Boys and Girls Club keeps its clubhouse open during the summer for a mere $30/week for kids old enough to not need constant babysitting. They do offer a more formal day camp for younger kids, as well. For a slightly higher cost, Oregon State University's KidSpirit program offers a slew of summer programs for kids of all ages, with everything from rock climbing to language lessons to arts and crafts to leadership classes.

Kids from 6th to 12th grade can find volunteering opportunities throughout the summer through the Youth Volunteer Corps here in town, doing everything from planting flowers and picking up litter in city parks to corralling kids at Osborn Aquatic Center. There are also volunteer programs where kids as young as 8 can tend the animals at Heartland Humane Society, kids 12 and up can spend time reading to senior citizens at Samaritan Heart of the Valley nursing home, and kids 15 and up can deliver flowers and such at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Hopefully there's enough information here to give local parents some ammunition when the cries of "I'm booooored" start sometime in July.

The Fuss Over Franklin

Dominating Corvallis school news recently has been the topic of what to do with Franklin School.

Franklin School is a K-8 charter school, the only charter school in the Corvallis School District, that focuses on a Core Knowledge curriculum. The school also happens to be in the way of the new and improved Corvallis High School's master development plan, which means the building is scheduled to be demolished sometime in the next three years.

The looming question is: What to do with the Franklin students?

There are three options currently on the table. The first is to split the program and have students attend either Wilson Elementary or Cheldelin Middle School, depending on grade level. Another option would be to move the program in entirety to the former Harding Elementary School, which was closed due to declining enrollment several years ago. It would cost approximately $1.7 million to bring the building up to current earthquake code before Franklin students could be moved there.

The third option, the one that nobody seems to want, is to disband the charter school and have kids attend according to district boundaries.

So really, why is that third option being ignored? Franklin is costing the district $309,000 per year in operating costs, and for what? A recent study by the National Education Association has shown that charter schools offer no educational benefit over regular public schools. Indeed, looking at a district snapshot summary of local schools, Franklin fares no better than several other schools in Corvallis. It's a good school, but all Corvallis schools are decent schools according to national standards.

Parents and kids alike become attached to the schools the children attend. But sometimes school closures are simply better for the school district, which seems to be the case here. Corvallis school enrollment continues to decline, a trend that will lead to further school closures and consolidations down the road. At some point, parents will have to accept these decisions, rather than raise a stink and threaten recalls of school board members as they did with the recent decision to close Inavale.

How to keep the kids out of trouble -- Part II

Today marks the opening of the outdoor pools at Osborn Aquatic Center. OAC is fantastic, managing to be both kid and adult-friendly.

The kids mainly want to play outside at Otter Beach, with the waterslide, geysers, water channel and beach entry. There is also an outdoor lap pool, in addition to the indoor Olympic pool and therapy pool for those of us who are not exactly sun-worshippers. There are exercise classes and swim lessons for those who need them, including a junior lifeguard training program and individual lessons if you don't want to be in a swim class with a bunch of hydrophilic toddlers.

Prices are quite reasonable. A pass for the entire summer for one person is $85 (as long as you live in the district) or $140 plus $10 per person covers membership for the entire family. Tickets can also be purchased for single admission or in 15-visit blocks. For the luxury of giving the kids something to do every single afternoon, if they so choose, the 3-month pass is a complete bargain.

Even dogs are welcome, if only for a single day every year. At the end of the season, OAC holds a Dog Day, where people can bring their puppies to play in the outdoor pools.

Ukelady

We saw the ukelele woman again this afternoon. This time, she was strolling down Grant Avenue strumming a yellow ukelele. The last one was blue.

She is an enigma. She travels around the neighborhood playing as she goes, but she doesn't smile and looks sort of unhappy.

Thank you for not smoking

Eight years ago, Corvallis became one of the then-few cities in the U.S. to ban indoor smoking in all public venues, including restaurants and bars. Local tavern owners protested vehemently, claiming that there would be a mad rush toward smoke-friendly businesses in neighboring towns. Some claimed that they would end up bankrupt within a year.

It never happened. No bars closed because of the new law. Beer sales didn't decline whatsoever. The economic impact was virtually nil, other than a mild decline in video poker sales. However, considering the Oregon Lottery's announcement that lottery revenues have broached the $1 billion mark this year, I don't think the state has to worry about the efficacy of poker machines as a fundraising tool.

A new study by the Oregon Air Monitoring Project has just been released showing that bars and restaurants in Corvallis have the lowest levels of pollution in the state. That registers a "duh" on the stating the obvious scale, but it's still good to have the public reinforcement of ordinances that are still considered overly stringent by many.

Corvallis has gone above and beyond a simple indoor ban, at this point. Smokers can't light up within 10 feet of any public entrance and last year, the Corvallis city council banned outdoor smoking in public parks.

Now if only someone could convince my neighbor to stop chucking cigarette butts on my lawn, I'd be ecstatic.