Bethel News

Neighborhood activists told KVAL News reporter Tom Adams that the Bethel neighborhood has a lack of jobs in the immediate neighborhood,  which forces more people to drive to work elsewhere in the city.

The result? Traffic snarls. 

"Which only compounds the issue of everybody getting on to these two main collector streets during rush hour time," said Heather Hannah with the Active Bethel Citizens committee.

Those main streets are Barger and Royal. Hannah said Lane Transit District could help with more routes.

"We have no transit center; we have no express bus service," she said.

The Salvation Army in Eugene will begin its annual Christmas bell ringing with a "Kettle kick-off" at noon this Saturday, Nov. 21, in front of the grocery entrance at the W. 11th Fred Meyer store.

A tuba ensemble band will play Christmas carols, then bell ringers will stand for the remainder of the afternoon until 6:00 pm. Major C. Joe Murray, Corps Officer and Lane County Coordinator made a decision to begin bell ringing a bit earlier than usual, due to the late Thanksgiving date.

Traditionally, bell ringing begins the day after Thanksgiving. Several stores will begin this Saturday. Others will wait until Nov. 27, and one chain, Albertson's, will begin Dec. 7.

Funds collected in the red kettles will not only assist with Christmas applications but will carry over throughout the winter months. People in the Eugene Springfield area are quite generous about dropping their dollars into the kettles.

Eugene police responded to a report of a car into the buildling on West 11th Avenue Tuesday night near Bailey Hill Road around 9 p.m.

A woman driving a white van reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. 

Police say she crossed lanes of oncoming traffic and crashed into the State Farm Insurance.

The building is not damaged but the front of the van was smashed in.

The driver was taken to the hospital to get checked out.  She is expected to be okay.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Thieves cut their way into a shed and stole paintball guns from a church youth group by cutting through the lock after destroying the reinforced metal shroud installed to try and prevent thieves from striking again.

"You feel so defiled when people come in and steal this stuff, which is God's stuff -- it belongs to him," said Pastor Greg Kaminski, who has been with Westside Baptist Church on Echo Hollow Road for 30 years.

The $10,000 worth of paintball guns and other equipment are used by a youth camp operated by the church.

This is the third time thieves have hit the church in the last year.

In December 2008, thieves stole $12,000 worth of paintball equipment.