Eugene, Lane County | featured news

A judge considering a motion to dismiss a former instructor’s $505,000 employment discrimination lawsuit against the University of Oregon will consider, among other items, a video recording of a class session in which the instructor asked students if they wanted him to shoot them.

NEW YORK — Stocks are closing mostly higher on Wall Street as traders became more hopeful that a budget deal will be reached in Washington. President Obama said in a speech Wednesday that he thought the budget talks could be resolved in about a week.

WASHINGTON — President Obama warned Republicans on Wednesday against picking another fight over the nation’s debt ceiling, telling business leaders that it’s “not a game that I will play.” Obama said in remarks to the Business Roundtable that he was aware of reports that Republicans may be willing to agree …

PORTLAND — The new chairman of Washington County Republicans has quit, hours after The Oregonian newspaper published an e-mail in which he equated the Democratic Party with communism and called liberalism an “atheistic cult.” Gary Bray said he’s returning to his lumber business.

LONGVIEW, Wash. — The Forest Service says a mining company can prospect for gold, copper and other minerals near Mount St. Helens.

The state is is seeking public comment on a proposal to waive the requirement to provide fish passage at five locations associated along the Highway 20 realignment project. Work has been re-started on the troubled project, which is over budget and behind schedule, under a new contractor in recent months.

The Eugene Police Department is expanding its “targeted enforcement” outreach to an area from East 11th Avenue, through East 19th Avenue and from Oak Street through Alder Street.

Eugene’s city council is asking the public what they think about three options for replacing Eugene’s city hall.

DALLAS, Ore. — Faint hopes that a sawmill in Dallas might cut lumber again have been extinguished as buyers have started bidding on equipment at the closed Weyerhaeuser site. The Salem Statesman Journal reports ( http://stjr.nl/11EwLDP ) a company that specializes in liquidating factories bought the mill in August.

The Ducks will soon be flying south for the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. — but how many Ducks?