UO E-clips, Sept. 16

ECONorthwest clients find that the numbers don't lie (Portland Business Journal): During its 34-year history, economics consulting firm ECONorthwest has woven itself firmly into the fabric of Oregon life. Obtaining an economic study from ECONorthwest has become almost de rigueur for any company or industry seeking information on its scope and impact. … Ironically, the most famous of its studies is one that was neither published nor even publicly acknowledged for several years. In 2004, the firm was asked to study the economic feasibility of a new basketball stadium for University of Oregon, one that would require $200 million of state bonds to match a $100 million pledge from Nike Inc. founder and Oregon alumnus Phil Knight.

Winston discusses possible utility fee (News Review): A proposal to charge residents a $4 a month “transportation utility fee” to fund the city’s Dial-a-Ride service, Umpqua Transit and street maintenance was discussed at a workshop Monday night. The workshop was attended by about a dozen community members who shared concerns with the Winston City Council about the proposed fee, which would be added to monthly sewer bills. Commercial properties would be assessed by the amount of traffic to the business. … Based on research conducted by the University of Oregon, 38 cities statewide have implemented some kind of monthly fee to pay for similar programs and services, said Stevens.

Seeds of Lehman's destruction (Portfolio.com): When the Federal Reserve helped push through a deal in March that saved Bear Stearns from filing for bankruptcy, did the central bank also ensure that Lehman Brothers would eventually fail? The Fed's justification for the deal that sent Bear under the protective arms of J.P. Morgan Chase and put $29 billion of Bear's assets on the Fed's balance sheet was that markets were too jittery to handle a failure of the size of Bear. … Writing on the Economist's View blog, the University of Oregon's Tim Duy agrees: "Fed officials likely now understand the can of worms they opened with the Bear Sterns bailout."

UO student challenges University's new basketball arena (KEZI News 9, with video): A University of Oregon student is challenging his school's efforts to build a new basketball arena. Jonathan Bowers says UO should keep McArthur Court, which is the oldest college sports arena in the country, so he's appealing the Eugene City Council's decision to vacate a right-of-way on East 13th Avenue and clear the way for a new arena.