UO E-clips, July 19-21

Public hearing on UO arena tonight (KVAL.com, watch video): The public can weigh in tonight on a proposal for the City of Eugene to turn over portions of Villard Alley and E. 13th Avenue to the University of Oregon to support construction of a new basektball arena. The UO wants to build the arena where the old Williams Bakery stood before it was demolished earlier this spring. The new building will stand along Franklin Boulevard to replace the historic Mac Court as home turf for the Ducks. In order for the plan to move forward, the University of Oregon is asking the city to release ownership of the right-of-way on part of Villard Alley and a portion of E. 13th Street. Members of the public are invited to give testimony. The hearings begin at 7:30 p.m. at the City Hall council chamber. The city council can release its ownership if it finds the request is in the public interest. No council decisions are expected tonight. The target date for the arena to open is November 2010. The UO applied for a conditional use permit for the arena June 30.

Say it ain’t so, Civic! (Register-Guard): The Eugene Emeralds lost their baseball game Sunday afternoon, their four runs falling short of Tri-City’s five. But Civic Stadium scored a shutout. In an admittedly unscientific survey of baseball fans -- some slathering relish and mustard on hot dogs or hamburgers, others religiously keeping their scorecards, and one too young to talk -- no one was in favor of letting the 70-year-old ballpark go the way of the other baseball park dinosaurs. For those who haven’t been keeping score, the future of Civic Stadium, built in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, is up for grabs. Its owner, the Eugene School District, doesn’t want it any more. The University of Oregon, bringing back baseball as a UO sport, wants to build its own new baseball stadium next to Autzen Stadium, and when they build it, the Ems are likely to come along.

Halting climate change starts at home (Register-Guard guest viewpoint by Bob Doppelt): Who would have thought that purchasing local cherries rather than Morellos grown in Germany could help solve the climate crisis? That’s what Rhonda Smith found when she began to look to reduce her climate footprint. Like Smith, you don’t need to wait for government action to tackle the climate crisis. You can begin to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions today. Your efforts can create significant personal and social benefits. Home is the best place to start reducing emissions because households are the ultimate end users of most of the energy consumed, and thus are directly or indirectly responsible for most of the emissions.

Students learn at UO summer band camp (Register-Guard): It was something to behold. Ninety-two highschool students, from as far away as Alaska and California, doing synchronized “boga” on the 50-yardline in massive Autzen Stadium. That’s right, “boga,” as in marching band yoga. At a show for family and friends Saturday, graduates of the University of Oregon’s marching band summer camp demonstrated some of the yoga-inspired stretches with which they began each morning of the weeklong camp.

Saving Face (The Sunday Paper, Georgia): Chaudhry Rashid was arrested in the early morning hours of July 6 at his Jonesboro residence and charged with the murder of his daughter, Sandeela Kanwal. Rashid allegedly strangled his daughter to death because he felt that her choice to divorce her estranged husband would disgrace him and the rest of his family. … Anita Weiss, a professor of international studies at the University of Oregon, says that while honor killings still occur in Pakistan, the majority of Pakistanis reject the practice. “Today, in 2008, it is something that is not accepted. It is something seen as an abomination” to the majority of Pakistanis.

Oregon players establish memorial fund for fallen teammate (Statesman Journal): University of Oregon football players have established a memorial fund to cover the family's funeral and medical expenses following the drowning of teammate Todd Doxey, who died Sunday in the McKenzie River. Dominic Glover, Javes Lewis, Jeff Maehl and Will Wallace all enrolled at Oregon with Doxey last fall as part of the Ducks' 2007 recruiting class, with Maehl the only one of the five players not to redshirt last season.

Friends, Family Say Goodbye To Star Athlete (nbcsandiego.com): More than 2,000 mourners attended funeral services Monday for former Hoover High School football star Todd Doxey. The 19-year-old died in a swimming accident in an Oregon river on July 13. … Doxey's funeral was held at the Rock Church at Liberty Station in Point Loma. His coffin was carried into the church by teammates and friends, draped with a bright red Hoover High school and green University of Oregon banner. (Story and video)