UO E-clips, Feb. 8

UO’s economic index up slightly in December (Register-Guard): As a practitioner of the dismal science, University of Oregon economics professor Tim Duy knows murky when he sees it. And that’s what he sees when he looks at Oregon’s economic indicators. “It’s a very interesting economic environment right now,” he said Thursday. “You have a handful of indicators that were pointing south, and continue to do so, and a handful of other important indicators that are not suggesting as much economic weakness. “That is causing a significant murkiness in the economic outlook right now.”

Oregon's indicators troubling (Oregonian): While the U.S. economy's slide has become clear lately, its future remains uncertain -- and sure to vary regionally. Investors hope the Federal Reserve can avert a recession with a series of rate cuts, but some economists say the moves may be too little, too late. Analysts also say that while the government's proposed stimulus package, which would send rebate checks to more than 100 million Americans, could help reignite spending, the lift would be temporary. In Oregon, a monthly barometer of Oregon's near term managed to bump up slightly in December but still shows omens. The University of Oregon's Index of Economic Indicators, released Thursday, increased .2 percent to 102.6.

Fans 1, critics 0 at quiet hearing on UO arena (Register-Guard): When a $200 million proposal to build a university basketball arena draws just one citizen to a public hearing, it might be safe to say it’s not that controversial. But University of Oregon officials and lawmakers didn’t want to read much into the minimal participation in the Legislative Joint Ways & Means Committee’s first public hearing, held Thursday, on the proposal. The plan has been around in various forms for years, and has been pushing toward final approval in recent weeks. Because the proposed replacement for McArthur Court relies on state-issued bonds, it is up to the Legislature to decide this month whether to give the go-ahead.

Ducking parking requirements (Eugene Weekly): The UO has long claimed that it must use city park land for desperately needed parking around Autzen Stadium. But with the announcement of a new baseball stadium in the Autzen parking lot, the UO itself plans to eliminate 1,100 parking spaces around the stadium. In 2000 the city gave the UO the use of park parking lots and land near the Science Factory for a shuttle bus station. The UO said it didn't want bus stops on its land because they "will result in displacement of parking now used for high level donors to the university."