Today’s Weather: High — 54, showers likely; Low — 42
Helicopter airlifts patient from Eugene home
An air ambulance was involved in a medical emergency on a South Willamette Street home Tuesday afternoon.
Appearing to land on Spencer Butte, officials said the helicopter was necessary for a patient that required immediate medical attention, KVAL reports.
Funnel cloud wreaks havoc in Springfield 
Springfield residents surprised to see what some described as a tornado Monday.
After waking up from his nap Monday afternoon, Springfield resident Phil Port heard whistling sounds coming from outside. He described what looked like a spinning pitch black cloud above. Port, and many other Springfield residents thought it was a tornado.
The National Weather Service did not confirm the storm activity as a tornado, but did confirm it as a funnel cloud. Recent weather made possible funnel cloud formations, forecasters said, and tornadoes are not unheard of in Oregon, KVAL reported.
The Eugene City Council’s ban on plastic shopping bags is getting mixed reviews
Tuesday at the Eugene WinCo grocery store, consumers were faced with the start of a new ban on plastic bags that will go into effect in six months. Some were miffed with having to bring or buy their bags while others rejoiced, The Register-Guard reported.
The Eugene City Council voted 6-2 on Monday to scratch plastic bags from the checkout stand as well as to charge customers 5 cents for each paper bag they use.
Northwest Community Credit Union looks to downtown Eugene for new headquarters 
The latest firm to have plans for downtown Eugene is hoping to buy 1.8 acres of land at East 8th Avenue and Ferry Street.
Northwest Community Credit Union proposed to build a new headquarters there. In a statement, CEO John Iglesias said the credit union has been searching for a location that offers a key hub to extend a growing statewide branch network. To that end, he said they have developed several options for linking the west Eugene and two Springfield locations. Northwest Community President and CEO John Iglesias said in an announcement to credit union employees.
The land is currently home to a community garden, the Register-Guard reports.
Springfield voters faced with two municipal service measures
Two local tax increases will be decided by city voters in the November election. The two proposals are very different, though proponents argue that both measures are essentially about improving the quality of life in Springfield.
Measure 20-195 is a property tax levy that would fund positions in the police department and take care of some operations costs at the municipal jail and court.
The other, Measure 20-199, is a bond measure to pay for expanding Willamalane Park and Recreation District facilities. The money is expected to be used for land purchases along the Thurston Ridgeline, as well as for park renovations and upgrades over the next five years.
The two measures would cost the average Springfield homeowner — with a property assessed at $124,000 — around $200 a year, The Register-Guard reported.