UO E-clips, March 18

UO wins round in arena land-use debate (Register-Guard): Eugene city planners have reaffirmed their initial finding that the University of Oregon does not need a conditional use permit to build its proposed basketball arena. The decision gives the UO a win in the arena project's first land use test, although the decision is unlikely to be the final word. Members of the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, who sought the ruling, said beforehand that they would appeal if the decision went against them. That appeal would be heard by a city hearings official, whose decision could then be appealed to the state Land Use Board of Appeals.

Researchers make case for standardised analysis of cardiac imaging (Hospital IT Europe): For the sake of accuracy, medical professionals should use the same software for comparing and analysing diagnostic heart images taken from different time periods and laboratories, a team of researchers has concluded. ... The database used in the study to compare the various results was created and maintained by Santiago Lorenzo of Argentina, a doctoral student in the University of Oregon's department of human physiology. Lorenzo adapted the results into Microsoft Access.

NBA scores big by filling sports lull (Fox Business): The NBA carries the professional sports world on its back from the end of the Super Bowl through February, and up to the start of the nation's pastime, Major League Baseball. This annual window is a vital opportunity for the NBA to shine, especially with recent image problems stemming from an ugly 2004 brawl that spread into the stands, a referee that gambled on games and players in trouble with the law. ... "Any time you can own a piece of the calendar and generate some attention for your business, it's critical," said Paul Swangard, managing director at the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. "It's their time to shine."

State Democratic party’s numbers get boost as primary approaches (The Register-Guard): Thousands of Oregon voters have been reregistering as Democrats -- and more are expected to join them as that party’s Oregon presidential primary approaches. The tight delegate race between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama remains close, catapulting Oregon’s late-in-the-game May 20 primary from nominating obscurity to potential relevance. … University of Oregon political scientist Joseph Lowndes said it’s difficult to say whether the Democratic Party’s converted Republicans would be part of a historic shift -- or simply a blip in this year’s primaries.

Electronic records considered public in Oregon (Associated Press): Brian Prawitz believed it was a simple request: Show me the e-mail. The answer was, sure, but it will cost you $7,800. Welcome to the electronic world of Oregon public records. Just because a record is public doesn't mean it won't cost a bundle to have it extracted from a database and edited, or vanish because new communications gizmos aren't designed to archive text messages. Oregon journalists say these technical problems have joined some persistent problems, such as old-fashioned footdragging by public officials, in getting information needed to hold officials accountable.