EUGENE, Ore. — Measure 20-213 affects a broad bracket of people, as it pertains to Lane County public safety and particularly to services that the sheriff says will be cut if it doesn’t pass.

There was no organized opposition toward Measure 20-213, but those in favor of the levy were gathered at the Nines Golf Course Tuesday night waiting anxiously to see if the measure could be the measure that succeeded.

Since 1974, 14 of the county’s public safety levies have failed, nine of them back to back.

Sheriff Tom Turner says this time would be different.

“This is the closest I’ve ever seen it, and felt it. It feels very positive, it feels like this is going to happen,” Sheriff Turner said.

Sheriff Turner says this time he’s more involved and so is the community.

“Compared to the past, it was ‘well I hope that works out, I don’t know much about it.’ Well we have absolutely inundated people with the information, as much as we possibly can, and that is what feels so different,” Sheriff Turner said.

Other than distributing information, he says they spent more time receiving input from the community. Taking surveys of exactly what community members wanted and were willing to pay for and those requests are the only ones that made it on the ballot

“The community supports this, this effort. They don’t support more. They don’t support something different. They support this effort. So we’ve stuck very close to everything that people say they wanted,” Sheriff Turner said.

Sheriff Turner says in the past they’ve looked at what the sheriff’s office wanted and then asked for it, but this is the community’s levy. Public surveys indicated that residents were willing to pay for jail beds and youth services, so that’s what the levy is asking for.

There are still people who don’t want to support any of it and he acknowledges those are the relationships that need more work.

“I’ve heard everything from I don’t want a tax, to I don’t want this, to I don’t trust government, all the variations of that theme. I’m hoping that I’ll have the opportunity to re-install that trust. This has taken a tremendous amount from in house and from the community and I want that trust re-installed, that’s what I’m hoping to get to,” Sheriff Turner said.

EUGENE, Ore. — A controversial issue on Lane County’s May 2013 Special Election ballot is Eugene’s city service fee.

As the clock was winding down, both sides continued to battle it out Tuesday for those last-minute votes.

Whether it was making phone calls or passing out any remaining fliers, folks on both sides of Measure 20-211 were out to get the vote.

The measure is designed to pay for several different services.

“Measure 20-211 specifically funds four detectives in the police department, one fire crew at station, two in the Whiteaker, one Cahoots van, the Sheldon and Bethel libraries, the Sheldon pool,” said Chris Wig, Eugene Cares Campaign Manager.

Those are just a few.

“The reason why Eugene is such an awesome place to live is because of our services and the only way to guarantee that those services will be funded for the next five years,” Wig said.

While opponents may agree these things are important, they argue we all need to look at the bigger picture.

“We are saying it’s not about the services, it’s about the money,” said Bonny Bettman McCornack, No on 20-211 Committee Member. “If they can’t afford to fund essential services, then why are they funding non-essential services and making wasteful expenditures like tax breaks and tax exemptions.”

Ultimately, while their views may differ, both sides agree no matter what happens, it’s up to the citizens to make sure government leaders are doing right by them.

“I just want to encourage everyone to vote and have their say,” Wig said.

“It takes citizens having a vigilant commitment to providing the checks and balances to their local government,” McCornack said.

Both sides are holding a watch party. Supporters will meet at The Bier Stein on Willamette Street for the final results. Their opponents will gather at a committee member’s home.

EUGENE, Ore. – Members and parents of the 4J School District have to wait until Tuesday night to find out if the 4J bond measure will pass.

Parents say they’ve worked hard to get the word out and would be surprised if the measure didn’t pass.

The $170 million bond measure would replace four aging school buildings, improve technology, update instructional materials and upgrade security.

Parents say the bond measure isn’t a want, but it’s a necessity because the schools are cramped.

“You have things like at Roosevelt, many parents don’t understand why there’s an open campus, they think it’s some strange, you know, history culture thing, it’s not. The cafeteria has 100 seats; there’s 600 kids in the school,” said 4J parent Sabrina Parsons.

EUGENE, Ore. — The Eugene Mission is expanding services, allowing the nonprofit to assist more clients with food, shelter and clothing, but now the mission is preparing to cut a major program.

Come June, the Eugene Mission is cutting its recycling program.

Long before there was the red box for DVDs came the red box for collecting newspapers, magazines and phone books. The Eugene Mission began its recycling program in the 1960s. To date, there are close to 1,000 boxes at approximately 600 locations. After 50 years, the program is coming to a close.

It comes down to economics. At the height of the recycling program, the Eugene Mission collected 400 tons of newspapers each month. A profit maker, it provided 50 percent of its operating budget. That was in the ’90s.

Since then, prices for recycled paper have decreased. Collections have dwindled while expenses to collect the papers like gas have gone up.

“A couple years ago we hit the breaking point and now we will go into the red if we continue and that’s just not good stewardship,” said Dana Eck, Senior Director of Operations.

Doing away with the program opens up new opportunities. For Eugene Mission clients who assist with collections, they can sign up for a new one-year Life Change Program still working at the mission while receiving assistance to improve their lives like addiction therapy, employment assistance and GED attainment.

It’s still not clear how the Eugene Mission will utilize the newspaper recycling center. The goal is create a project where clients can learn life skills, earn wages and turn a profit.

First up is turning in the red boxes. Recycling service ends June 15. The Eugene Mission will collect the boxes or you can keep your box are your business or church for donation of $50.

Many of you might be familiar with the green truck that used to roll down the street picking up those newspapers. Starting June 1, it’s going to be auctioned off in a silent auction to benefit the new Life Change Program.

EUGENE, Ore. — A man led the Eugene Police officers on a short chase Tuesday morning and then barricaded himself inside his home for hours.

Officers surrounded a home in the River Road area for hours, urging a man locked inside to turn himself in. Neighbors say this isn’t the first time they’ve had problems with the man.

In the normally, quiet neighborhood neighbors noticed a car driving slowly down their street, the driver peeking into their driveways.

“Officers went out to take a look and they found the subject and the car when they tried to stop him he ran from the officers a very short pursuit ensued,” said Sgt. Wayne Dorman, Eugene Police Department.

The chase ended at the man’s home.

“I don’t know him personally; I know they used to rent this house and then his mom bought that house for him and they all moved over there,” said neighbor Jacquelyne Mace.

For hours just a five officers negotiated with the man, 28-year-old Denny McKendrick, to try and get him to come out of his home.

For neighbors, the behavior wasn’t a complete surprise.

“A lot of traffic in and out and our neighbors have noticed there are marijuana plants in the backyard,” Mace said.

Nor was it the first time police have been called to the home.

“We’ve called the police and a lot of them will just take the report and tell us that because of budget cuts we can’t do much right now,” Mace said.

Eventually the man surrendered to police.

“We’re going to take him down to the police department and interview him more about what was going on,” Sgt. Dorman said.

Officers say they removed a number of items from the home, including a gun.

“Right now we’re just holding onto that for safekeeping,” Sgt. Dorman said.

McKendrick faces charges for eluding by vehicle, driving with a suspended license and three counts of theft in the second degree. Officers say McKendrick was driving around taking lawnmowers out of neighbors’ front yards.

Oregon catcher Alexa Peterson:

Oregon infielder Courtney Ceo:

Oregon catcher Janelle Lindvall:

PHILOMATH, Ore. — The Philomath School District hopes voters will pass a levy that would allocate more funds to them.

The school district has made several big cuts and has more to face.

The levy would help to minimize impacts on class size, school days and instructional time. It would help diminish cuts in physical education, music, foreign language and advanced college classes.

The Philomath School District estimates the levy will raise nearly $3 million over five years.

Tuesday’s Weather Discussion from Meteorologist Melissa Frey:

What a spring! We had 23 days with no rain, day after day of above average temperatures and just .28″ of rainfall for the month of May. This week is going to look quite a bit different!

An area of low pressure is moving in Tuesday, and will stay through Friday. The center of this storm will stay centered pretty much over the Pacific Northwest all week, this will act like the center of a wheel, which will rotate smaller storms, like spokes, through western Oregon. At times these waves will bring rather strong rain showers, hail showers and much cooler air. We could also see thunderstorms firing up this afternoon.

High temperatures will drop about 20 degrees for much of western Oregon Tuesday. The valley will only make it to the low to mid 50s mid week. The freezing level will drop to about 3,000 feet late Tuesday and will stay below the passes through Thursday. This means snow is on the way for the Cascades passes and ski resorts!

By Friday night most of this storm will be wrapped up, but we may see a second storm moving in Sunday. At this point Memorial Day Weekend is at least looking warmer, with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s.

Have a great day!

-Meteorologist Melissa Frey

Drop by a note on Facebook and Twitter! I love to see your weather photos and hear what the weather is like in your area.

Do you have a weather question you’ve always wanted to ask a meteorologist? Now’s your chance! Submit your questions here, and I’ll answer them on-air Thursday morning.

EUGENE, Ore. – If you’d like an active dog with some personality for your home, this one is for you.

Dodge, our KEZI 9 News Pet of the Week, is 1-year-old dachshund/miniature smoothed hair mix.

Dodge is currently staying at Greenhill, but if you’d like to adopt him or volunteer at Greenhill Humane Society, click here or call 541-689-1503.

EUGENE, Ore. — Despite Eugene being a bike-friendly town, it’s not unusual to see bike theft. It’s the most recent theft numbers that have surprised police.

When you lock your bike, Eugene police recommend something more than just a chain or cable. They say it’s as easy as buying a good lock. There are a lot of bike locks out there, but there’s only one type the police recommend.

“The most important is to use a high quality metal u-lock. This one specifically is referring to a Kryptonite, but the whole thing comes down to it needs to be a nice heavy quality,” said Sgt. Lisa Barrong, Eugene Police Crime Prevention Unit.

The heavy metal is what Eugene police say will keep those thieves from being able to cut through the lock. Officers say it’s a simple step that can keep people from being part of the 64 percent spike in thefts.

“They put it on their front porch and think it’s going to be safe there or in a car port or in a bike rack because there’s a lot of people around. That is not possible. There really is no safe place to leave a bike unlocked unless it’s inside your residence,” Barrong said.

In 2012, thefts were at about 100. But just in the first quarter of 2013, they’re at nearly 175.

“If you look at us comparison across the country per capita we’ve been right up there, usually in the higher numbers, as far as number of bike thefts per year. But this increase is so significant that it really has us concerned,” Barrong said.

“You’d think they’d be more respectful considering how bike-friendly it is with all our trails and stuff, you know, but I also think that makes it more likely for there to be an interest in bicycles and stuff. So I think that it has to do with the theft,” said Eugene resident Aaron Luke.

One woman told KEZI 9 News her, her husband’s and child’s bike have all been stolen and the criminals steal at times of the day you wouldn’t expect.

“They’re starting to do it in the daytime. They’re very upset and hurt their kids go out to ride their bike and their bike’s not there,” said Eugene resident Bobby King.

If you’re looking for a good bike lock, they’re easy to find. You can pick one up for between $20 and $40.