Cold weather may turn Eugene roads into a “skating rink” on the morning of Feb. 5, according to a press release from the Eugene Police Department.

The National Weather Service has warned there will be colder than usual weather in the Willamette Valley and parts of Washington.

According to Melinda McLaughlin, public information director for the EPD, although conditions aren’t expected to be extreme, they are expected to be slick, which can be dangerous “if people aren’t thinking about it.”

The EPD suggests planning out routes in advance, avoiding hilly areas when possible, and to do a check of your vehicle before traveling. McLaughlin also stressed not trusting four-wheel drive to compensate adequately.

In order to increase safety during the Super Bowl weekend, police departments around Lane County will be patrolling for drivers under the influence of intoxicants.

“Enforcement is a way to encourage alternative transportation,” said Sergeant Kyle Williams of the Eugene Police Department, who mentioned taking taxis or buses is the best way to get around after celebrating.

Williams said police departments such as the Springfield Police Department, Coburg Police Department and Oregon State Patrol will be coordinating to make sure they won’t be doubling up on coverage of areas.

According to a Jan. 31 press release from the EPD, officers will be on alert for all types of intoxication, not just alcohol.

“Sober drivers should remember that other drivers might be impaired by alcohol, drugs, fatigue, or distraction, and to travel with extra caution. An increase in marijuana usage during the Super Bowl might also present a hazard that drivers should be aware of due to the participation from states where marijuana has been legalized,” according to the release.

Students returning from the Urban Design Lab in Libreville, Gabon in Africa have learned a whole new meaning of the phrase hands-on.

A group of 13 architecture students, led by Director of the Urban Design Lab Mark Gillem, left for Gabon on Jan. 11 for a week-long design and planning process with students and administration from Universite Omar Bongo, the country’s flagship school.

“Our students became teachers,” Gillem said. “It was a remarkable, life changing experience.”

The trip is part of a partnership with Gabon that the University of Oregon has undertaken to promote sustainable development and growth in the country. Under the Gabon/Oregon Center, students, teachers and policy-makers hope to help the once oil-rich country find outlets of sustainable development. The trip was funded entirely through a grant from Gabon to help promote sustainable growth.

Students in Gabon worked for a week, training and planning for renovations to the Universite Omar Bongo, as well as presenting the plans to a crowd of 1,100 Gabonese students and teachers.

“Our students have said they learned more and accomplished more in a few days in Gabon than they would in an entire term,” Gillem said. The project was part of the student’s capstone project, meaning it was a necessary piece of their graduation requirements.

According to the Gabon/Oregon Center website, “The project has been developed by Global Oregon over the past year, with help from the UO Foundation and many faculty colleagues from UO and partner institutions in the state. It has been approved by the Gabonese National Assembly and is administered on the Gabonese side by the ministry of higher education.”

Later in the year, some UO students will return to help finish planning and in October some Gabonese students will come to the UO to finalize plans. According to Gillem, construction may begin as early as October.

The Gabon/Oregon Center hosted a Gabonese presidential adviser to speak on Jan. 17. There will be an open house for the Gabon Terminal Architecture Studio to showcase student work and future plans on Friday, Jan. 24 in Lawrence Hall 206 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

All around Eugene today will be activism, celebration and stewardship to remember Martin Luther King Jr.

The University of Oregon will be kicking off a week of events to honor the activist. On Monday, the UO Gospel Choir will be hosting a concert from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Beall Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave.

Tuesday, Jan. 21, will see musician Saul Williams give a free presentation in the Erb Memorial Union at 5: 3o p.m. The Black Student Union and the Black Women of Achievement will be hosting a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. on Jan. 22, also at the EMU.

There will be an MLK Awards Luncheon hosted by the UO Office of Equity and Inclusion at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 23 in the EMU Ballroom. Following the awards will be “Community Conversation: Civil Rights and Sexuality” at 3 p.m. in the Mills International Center.

On Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. a free exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will begin with a reception. The exhibit is called ““Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power.”

Monday will see a number of other events around Eugene, including Stewardship of Hendricks Park Forest! , which will focus on removing invasive ivy from Hendricks Park. Snacks, tools and gloves will be provided. F.M. Wilkins Shelter, 2200 Summit Ave., 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The annual MLK March in Eugene, which last year drew Danny Glover, among other celebrities, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at 2300 Leo Harris Parkway next to Autzen Stadium, and will end at The Shedd, 285 E. Broadway, for celebratory events.

There will be a community celebration at 6:30 p.m. at the Ragozzino Performance Hall, Building 6, at Lane Community College.

Eugene Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to a medical emergency on 13th Avenue and University Street around 1 p.m. today.

A woman was sitting on the side of the road talking to emergency medical technicians before being put into an ambulance.

EMT’s declined to comment on the emergency.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine has released its list of the 100 best values in public colleges and universities, placing the University of Oregon at 100.

In last year’s list, the UO came in at 98.

“We are proud to have been included again on the Kiplinger’s list of elite institutions for value,” said Roger Thompson, the UO’s vice president for enrollment management in a Dec. 12 press release.

The magazine started the list in 1998, and each year the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been ranked number one.

“This year’s top 100 schools have made admirable strides to maintain academic integrity and standards while meeting the financial needs of their students,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

According to a benchmarking performance released by UO interim Provost Scott Coltrane in November, Oregon is out-performed in a number of areas including six-year graduation rate, student to tenured faculty ratio and average spending per student.

According to the same report, the UO spent an average of $29,532 per student. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill spent $86,337 per student in the same year.

A section of the ceiling in the EMU collapsed from water damage around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. It is unclear whether the damage is related to weather conditions

As of 2:20 p.m., UO maintenance had been called about the incident, although no one has responded. Crews have been on campus for the better part of the day, dealing with reports of leaks and other maintenance problems.

Updates to come. Video of the ceiling leak was also captured.

Events on campus scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 8, including the Black Student Union Kwanzaa Event and the UO Gospel Choir and Ensembles 30th Anniversary Concert, have been cancelled according to a UO alert.

The Knight Library will be open at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The rest of the campus will be closed.

Campus operations is working to reopen campus on Monday, Dec. 9, for regularly scheduled operations. Any updates will appear on UO Alerts.

According to the alert, “The City of Eugene is under an ice-snow emergency and driving conditions remain hazardous. The public is advised that if they don’t need to travel, to stay home. If you do have to come to campus, please use extreme caution and consider using LTD.”

A winter storm warning has been issued for the South Willamette Valley on Friday, Dec. 6.

Snow accumulations of up to four inches are expected between 2 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Roads are also expected to be icy.

Any information on closures for the University of Oregon will be reported on the front of www.uoregon.edu as early as 5:30 a.m., according to Joe Mosley, assistant director of strategic communications.

Story updated at 6:55 p.m.

Those displaced from the Nov. 23 fire at the Campus Twins apartments may not have to go another day without a place to live.

According to Haley Hash, a former resident of Campus Twins, Von Klein worked out a new apartment for her and her boyfriend, John Queant, Monday night.

“We have somewhere to go which is the most important thing,” Hash said.

According to  Lacey Epley-Watson, Von Klein assistant property manager, while all tenants were given the option of moving into a new Von Klein property, about a dozen of the tenants decided on a different option.

“I tried to make it a smooth transition for all of them. It was convenient because we were able to keep their pricing the same,” Watson said.

Lucas Thompson, a former resident of Campus Twins, said on Monday he was directed to a new building and shown an apartment.

“The building manager basically just handed me a key,” he said.

Thompson’s lease agreement did not change from what it had been at the Campus Twins location. Thompson’s former apartment was directly next to the apartment where the fire began.

Tenants will be able to enter Campus Twins to finish collecting their possessions after new lighting is installed in the building.

The fire started around 4 p.m., on Nov. 23 in apartment 2A. Within minutes, several emergency response units were on the scene and had blocked off Alder and Hilyard streets.

The cause of the fire was an overloaded outlet, according to Lacey Epley-Watson, the Campus Twins building manager.

Apartment resident John Queant was the first to discover the fire. He kicked down the door to the apartment and saw the fire in the corner.

Campus Twins will be restored and remodeled, and Von Klein hopes to have the property open by the beginning of next school year, according to Watson.