Week of 06/20/2009 - 16:00 to 06/27/2009 - 15:59

The City of Eugene plans to close one of the most popular bike commuter routes in Eugene this summer for repairs.

The city will close sections of the Amazon off-street bike path starting July 6 with work scheduled to be completed by the end of August. Unlike most road repairs, the sections of the bike path under construction will be entirely closed in both directions with bikers and pedestrians forced to take more dangerous alternative routes.

One detour suggested by the city includes south Willamette Street, where citizens have complained of hazardous narrow sidewalks and no bike lanes for decades without the city taking any action to solve the pressing problem.

The city has not disclosed exactly when various sections of the Amazon bike path will be closed during the phased reconstruction from 19th to 31st avenues. The city said it needs to reconstruct the cracked concrete path now because it did a poor job of building the foundation of the path in the 1970s.

The path runs through sensitive restored wetlands, sites with endangered plants and along Amazon Creek. The city's website does not mention any special environmental precautions for the highly visible heavy construction project. In the past, city projects have violated the city's own ordinances designed to protect waterways from construction runoff.

From the city's project website, here's the map of the project and detours:

Terra Firma Botanicals is in the process of moving to a new warehouse space. Terra Firma manufactures a wide variety of natural and organic personal care products. Owner River Kennedy has been in business since 1982 and is still expanding; the new location will allow Terra Firma to double their capacity. Through the first half of 2009, some 25 new retailers have begun to carry Terra Firma’s products around the country. River’s products include herbal salves, tinctures, syrups and massage oils. The transition to the new site in west Eugene is scheduled to be complete by the end of July.

You can find Terra Firma products at a variety of local retailers including Market of Choice, Cappella, Sundance, Saturday Market or online at www.terrafirmabotanicals.com

After 10 years downtown, first in the Meridian Building at 18th and Willamette and then on East 8th Avenue, Letterhead will be closing. Owners Aimee Allen and Ken Herrin said they are closing the store not as victims of the recession but more as a reaction to the economic problems that have long faced our downtown core. In their press release, they cited “The voter rejection of Measure 20-134 felt like a slap in the face to those of us laboring to make downtown into a more vibrant place.”

Letterhead was a unique store downtown, selling everything from stationary to gifts to custom event invitations. They decided not to try to sell the store after realizing they would have had to carry financing and would be left with the inventory if a new owner failed. It will probably take about two or three more weeks, give or take, to sell off their inventory and shut the place for good.

Small businesses are the foundation of the economy in Eugene and Lane County but they don't get nearly as much love as they deserve. Look here for news, gossip and speculations about what's happening in retail, wholesale, the trades, professions, entertainment, health care, the service industries, and nonprofits. Did we forget anybody?

This blog is interactive, so join the discussion and let's have some fun with it. All we ask is that you stay on topic and be respectful of folks who are trying hard to make a living in scary times.

After a flurry of unconfirmed reports (well, reports only by TMZ, which was apparently good enough for pretty much nobody on a topic this big), the L.A. Times confirmed that Michael Jackson died today. He was 50. The New York Times ArtsBeat blog is getting updated very frequently with further information.

I heard the news on Twitter, where speedy updates about Jackson's condition have been replaced by memories and great links to YouTube videos, photos and more highlights of an incredible career. Comments about Jackson quickly overtook posts about Farrah Fawcett (RIP, Charlie's angel!) and news out of Iran with remarkable but unsurprising speed. There's a ton of coverage out there, which makes sense; is there any pop music fan, at least within a certain age range, to whom Jackson wasn't relevant at some moment or another?

I've stopped paying attention to Jackson in recent years, other than to marvel, momentarily, that he, Prince and Madonna had all reached or passed the 50-year milestone. Really? Really. But I distinctly remember buying Thriller on LP when I was a kid. I think I bought it in a department store; I seem to remember racks of clothing surrounding the little LP-shelf island. At some point each week, we could bring records to school to listen to, on headphones, with friends, and my kid-self was very excited to bring that one in and tap my little feet in time with "Beat It."

What's your earliest — or best — Michael Jackson memory?

And who else votes for a day of wearing single sequined gloves in his honor?

Can't afford health care? Don't have a job that gives benefits? Don't qualify for a plan? Some folks in Portland have a plan: Wear a medical alert bracelet to alert others of your plight:

The goal of www.uninsuredwristband.com is to "Help put a face on the health care crisis," and for only $3.99 (free shipping!) you can do that.

Go to http://uninsuredwristbands.com/ to follow the wristband's progress and support the project.

Where can you earn more than $100,000 a year without a college degree, no experience and near total job security in this wretched economy?

The Eugene Police Department is holding a career night for police officers tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Emergency Services Training Center, 1705 West 2nd Avenue.

The salary range for Eugene cops is $48,588 to $61,984. With double pay overtime and lavish healthcare, retirement and other benefits, total compensation could easily reach six figures. The slim job qualifications don’t appear to match the fat salary. If you are a high school drop out, a GED will suffice.

Oh, and it’s almost impossible to get fired or disciplined. Eugene officers who have punched handcuffed people in the face or shot unarmed people dead have been reinstated by state arbitrators with full back pay.

A fire late last night at the Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School has destroyed a 4J building with seven classrooms, according to Eugene Police.

Police called the cause of the fire "suspicious" and are investigating. The fire was first reported at 2:45 am Wed. by a neighbor who saw smoke and flames at the east end of the building.

School District 4J leases the building near 29th and Lincoln streets to the Montessori Charter school. In the past the district has talked of selling off the building and adjacent buildings leased by the Village charter school along with surrounding playing fields to a developer. The site behind the Market of Choice in South Eugene formerly housed 4J's Willard neighborhood school.

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