2008 Woodie Awards
News Briefs
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AROUND WESTERN
Professor of psychology, Rob Winningham, has been honored with the Mario and Alma Pastega Faculty Honors Award for Scholarship by his peers for the 2004-2005 year.
The award is given to professors at the university whose scholarly work contributes to the overall advancement of his or her discipline.
Winningham, who earned his PhD in neuroscience from Baylor University in Texas in 2000, has devoted his career to studying aging and memory loss. He been published in several medical journals and has given over 50 presentations on the subject across the United States.
On Tuesday, May 17, Winningham gave a presentation regarding his recent research on the “Use it or lose it” theory of memory before an award presentation and reception in the Werner Center’s Columbia Room.
AROUND MONMOUTH
Construction of a Walgreens pharmacy and Dutch Bros. kiosk in Monmouth will be held off until at least June, according to city officials.
During a public hearing on May 3, community members expressed opposition while City Council members had questions about a re-zoning of two residential properties that would allow the proposed project at the corner of Highway 99W and Main Street to move forward.
City Staff and Monmouth Planning Commission recommended approval of the site plan and re-zoning of the two lots from their residential designations to commercial zones in April.
Monmouth has received one appeal against the building layout, which will be addressed in June.
Complaints among citizens at the hearing included noise pollution and traffic and congestion within the blocks surrounding the site. In addition, individuals expressed concerns about the zone change, saying it would open the gates for commercial development of more properties along Main Street, which would give way to retail sprawl and threaten several historic homes.
AROUND THE STATE
Landmark school reforms passed by the Legislature in 1991, such as the academic benchmarks of CIM and CAM, would be undone by a bill passed by the House on Monday, May 16.
Under the bill, the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) and Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) would disappear and the Oregon Department of Education would contract out for standardized testing for the 2007 school year.
Currently, the department develops and owns the standardized tests used throughout the state to evaluate students’ performances.
Critics say the reforms passed in 1991 have not produced results and have only burdened teachers with extra work.
But still, others argued that the plan should not be completely thrown out, and that turning to outside companies for standardized tests could subject students to lower-quality exams.
The bill passed the House 34-23 and will now go to the Senate.
AROUND THE NATION
Chicago – A woman was charged Monday, May 16, with strangling her 4-year-old son, according to The Associated Press.
Nicole Harris, 23, was charged with the Saturday, May 14, death of her son, Jaquari Dancy.
According to police, Harris left the boy and his 5-year-old brother home alone with instruction to stay home as she did the laundry. She discovered the boy outside when she returned about 45 minutes later, beat him with a belt and sent him to his room, said prosecutors.
When he would not stop crying, Harris wrapped a sheet from the top bunk of a bunk bed around his neck and strangled him until he stopped moving, and then returned to the laundry, according to police.
The boy’s parents reported finding him on the floor next to a bunk bed. Investigators originally thought the death was a hanging, but Harris told them she strangled him.
St. Louis, Miss. – One of the government’s top forecasters said on Monday, May 16, that the Atlantic Seaboard and the Gulf Coast could be in for another bad hurricane season.
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms, seven to nine of them hurricanes, and three to five of those to be major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph.
“We can’t predict this far in advance how many will strike land.” But given the active season, he said, “be prepared for two or three of these to make landfall.”
The 2005 forecast was based on various factors, including air pressure, winds and surface temperature, said Lautenbacher. Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
AROUND THE WORLD
Kuwait – On Monday, May 16, Kuwait’s parliament passed a law granting women the right to vote and run in elections for the first time.
The decision came after enduring pressure from the pro-Western Gulf Arab state’s reformist government.
Parliament speaker Jassim al-Khorafi said a majority of the all-male parliament passed the law after a long nine-hour session, 35 voting in favor, 23 against and one abstained.
The United States has pressed its allies in the Middle East to reform, citing a lack of freedom has fostered Islamic militancy. The Kuwait government wanted the bill passed before a likely trip by the prime minister to Washington next month, according to news source Reuters.
Upon the decision, people danced and cheered outside parliament. Passing drivers hooted their horns in support and fireworks were lit in the sky.
“This is a celebration for democracy even though it is 45 years late,” said Jassim al-Gitami, head of the Kuwait Human Rights Association.