Latest news with #PaulEvans
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Everything That Led to the Making of a Celery Bag
I was brought up in a religious family in Buenos Aires. Every Sunday, I'd go to church with my grandma. This picture (below center) was taken at my first communion, in 1982. I'd never worn a tie before; I think I had on velvet trousers. Even at age 10, I was opinionated about how my family dressed, saying things like, 'Maybe you should wear that with a jacket.' I also paid attention to what the statues were wearing, the textures of their garments and the expressions on their faces. That's where my fascination with religious iconography came from. In my apartment in Paris, I have a collection of pieces that belonged to churches (below bottom left). I found these [relics] in the basement of a little store in Puglia, Italy, and was like, 'OK, this I need.' I like the mystery of things that have had a life before me. This is the dining room in my apartment (above right). The 1970s Brutalist table is by the American designer Paul Evans. The mirrored light on the ceiling is by [the Italian designer] Gaetano Sciolari, also from the 1970s. I found the letters 'R' and 'Y' at a flea market in Paris. They were part of a set that spelled 'Harmony,' but that was too long — and my partner's name is Ryan [Benacer, a stylist and fashion archivist]. In my living room, I have a collection of mannequins that I dress with the latest finds for our [clothing] archive. Ryan and I like to put out three to four at a time so that when we're having breakfast, I can see, say, a Martin Margiela look next to me. This is a Comme des Garçons look (above top left) from spring 2023; I love how [the designer Rei Kawakubo] combines fashion and art without fear. As a teenager, I was a goth. I loved the Cure, and then I became obsessed with [the Australian dark-wave band] Dead Can Dance (above right). When I first started thinking about a career, fashion felt odd for a guy, and I was still discovering my sexuality. I studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires. When I turned 21, though, I went to London, where my passion for clothing really solidified. I worked as a bartender and saved money in a sock for four years, and eventually enrolled at Central Saint Martins. This is a look from my 2002 graduation collection (above center), which was inspired by traditional gaucho clothing (above left). My grandmother had a lot of ponchos that I was interested in; I tried to bring in as much craft as possible, to do it the way the Indigenous Argentines would have done. I won the prize that year for best ready-to-wear collection and was offered a place in the master's program. But then Phoebe Philo, who'd just taken over at Chloé, called me to be her right hand for design, and I moved to Paris for the job. Starting at Moschino was like jumping into a pool of cold water. When I was approached in December 2023, they were like, 'Can you start tomorrow?' But I'd already planned a holiday in Argentina. I said, 'Maybe spending time in the Moschino archive could be enough of a trigger for me to do it. Let's go there tomorrow so that I can give you a brief, and then when I come back in January, let's see how it goes.' [Making this collection for fall 2024] felt very spontaneous, and I was super happy with it. This dress (above center) [incorporates] an artwork by [the brand's founder] Franco [Moschino] (above left). What I'm learning at Moschino is that I can reproduce any object as an accessory. I wanted the model who opened the show to feel like a woman who does things like go to the market for fresh vegetables and bread, so we created three items: a handbag made from a fiber that looks like paper, a baguette bag and this celery bag (above right). This interview has been edited and condensed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Disaster prep advocates face pushback over raising seismic standard for new school construction
Future junior high students in Lake Oswego participated in the groundbreaking of their new middle school last October. The school district decided to build it to a higher seismic standard than required under Oregon code. (Photo courtesy of Lake Oswego School District) Most of us would rather not think about what our lives will be like in the aftermath of the Big One – a magnitude 9.0 rupture of the offshore Cascadia earthquake fault. Yet, it's worth considering where you'll go if your house slides off its foundation or your apartment lacks heat, electricity and running water. For many, if not most Pacific Northwest residents, walking to their neighborhood school to find earthquake relief is a reasonable first instinct. The trouble is the majority of Oregon schools were built before the state had a seismic building code and could well be unusable. Emergency preparedness advocates made another try at the Oregon Legislature this spring to raise the standard for new school construction. But it might take a political earthquake to overcome opposition from wary school associations. 'Let's be clear, the Cascadia Earthquake will most likely be the most powerful natural disaster in modern U.S. history, and we must be bold in our efforts to build a strategic resilience vision for Oregon,' said state Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth. Evans introduced a measure in the Oregon House that would require new schools to be built stronger and to include disaster shelter features as a condition of receiving state construction support. House Bill 3707 would apply in earthquake country west of the Cascades and in Klamath County, but it didn't receive a hearing or have a work session scheduled by the March 21 deadline to keep bills moving. 'What we're proposing in this bill is to have a nominal increase in the cost of construction basically to give local jurisdictions a pool of places to use as shelters as needed,' explained Portland architect Jay Raskin, a longtime earthquake preparedness advocate. Current seismic codes require public buildings to be built strong enough so they don't fall down in a quake. But you might not want to go in afterwards until repairs take place. The proposed legislation would direct new schools to be designed so they can stay open with the lights on in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake or another natural disaster such as a catastrophic winter storm. In building code terminology, this entails a targeted step-up from the current 'life safety' construction standard to an 'immediate occupancy' or 'functionally usable' standard. This matters to millions of Northwest residents because buildings erected in the near future stand a good chance of being violently shaken by an earthquake. The most recent magnitude 9 rip of the offshore Cascadia Subduction Zone happened over three centuries ago, in 1700. Seismologists say that means the region is now well into the window for the next catastrophic temblor. Additionally, the Northwest faces risks from a multitude of shallow crustal faults and deep slab quakes. Each of these is capable of unleashing up to 7.0-7.5 magnitude shaking in a more localized area. A similar schools-as-shelters proposal brought forward by the Oregon chapter of the American Institute of Architects failed to advance during the 2023 legislative session. The prospects for Evans' bill this session are looking increasingly shaky, too. The chair of the House Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans Committee, Rep. Thuy Tran, D-Portland, has not granted the proposal a committee hearing, which means the bill will soon fall by the wayside. Tran did not reply to a request for explanation. 'The school districts are worried about every little dollar because of the difficulty of passing bond measures,' Raskin said in an interview. 'One of our fears is that they just don't believe us when we have documented facts that it basically doesn't cost that much. They think it must cost more. It's a bit frustrating.' A contract lobbyist who worked on the earthquake preparedness issue on behalf of the architects said opposition from schools associations in Salem is blocking the targeted building code changes. Two intertwined objections are in play. One argument that the Oregon School Boards Association advanced beginning in 2023 was to maintain local control: It should be a local decision what seismic standard to follow because they are paying the lion's share. The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators also reportedly voiced concern to the bill sponsors about the added cost of the proposed seismic strengthening. The school administrators lobbying arm said the state government would need to cover the incremental construction costs to win its support. Both OSBA and COSA declined to provide an on-the-record comment to the Capital Chronicle this week. Oregon lawmakers are reminded almost daily about earthquake safety design because their workplace, the Oregon State Capitol, is undergoing a $595 million renovation and seismic retrofit. Project manager Jodie Jones said the Capitol is being upgraded in some respects to the 'immediate occupancy' standard and other parts might take a few weeks to come back into service after a quake under the 'life safety' standard. While not giving Evans' bill a hearing, the Legislature does appear to be advancing a bill that would send plaques to retrofitted public schools that memorialize the late Senate President Peter Courtney for his support of seismic rehabilitation. Officials in Washington state are also examining whether to toughen the building code for certain new construction such as schools to improve disaster response and recovery. But like in Oregon, the path to implementation is as bumpy as an earthquake-buckled road. The 2024 Washington Legislature allocated $361,000 to the state Emergency Management Division to conduct a wide-ranging feasibility study to examine the costs, benefits and applicability of targeted building code upgrades. The state agency hired a project manager late last year, but then put the majority of the study funding on hold in anticipation of having to take budget cuts. Department spokesperson Karina Shagren said the agency would still try to deliver a preliminary report with some findings to the Washington Legislature by a mandated June 1, 2025 deadline. But she said what happens after that would depend on further direction and funding from lawmakers. While policymakers in Northwest state capitals dicker, some school districts are choosing on their own accord to embrace the schools-as-shelters building standard. Those places include Beaverton, Eugene, Seaside and Lake Oswego. Beaverton School District leaders decided to build all of their new schools, including the new Beaverton High School and Raleigh Hills Elementary now under construction, with extra structural bracing and more tie-downs on mechanical systems. Each new school also gets an emergency generator and exterior couplings to receive clean water from tankers. Eugene School District 4J recently completed three new schools after passage of a 2018 construction bond. The administration there decided to build the gym and cafeteria portions of the new schools to a higher seismic standard so the community could count on having those large spaces in an emergency. An unusual resilience feature of the brand new River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego is its microgrid. This school can stay open with lights and heat on thanks to a combination of solar panels, generator and battery storage onsite even when the surrounding neighborhood goes dark. Mary Kay Larson, director of communications for the Lake Oswego School District, said the incremental cost of attaining the higher seismic standard added about 1% to the River Grove school's construction tab. She said the district is now building a new middle school, which will be its third new building constructed to the 'immediate occupancy' standard with natural disasters in mind. 'It's not a decision taken lightly,' Larson said in an interview. 'But if we're going to invest in these buildings, let's build them to last. Especially in an earthquake, we want them to be standing.' Larson said the schools-as-shelters and emergency relief design features were a selling point to voters without kids in the district's schools during recent bond elections. 'It has worked in our favor with our voters,' Larson said. A retired facilities administrator who worked on the first wave of Beaverton's quake-ready schools agreed, while also mourning the missed opportunities elsewhere to build new schools to a higher standard. 'Every project that is executed not meeting the shelter and seismic standards is an opportunity lost,' Richard Steinbrugge said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon bill proposes significant changes to state's primary election system: What to know
A bill under consideration at the Legislature proposes significant changes to Oregon's election system. House Bill 3166 would open primaries to all registered voters regardless of party affiliation and create a 'unified primary ballot' for all candidates. Under current law, nonaffiliated voters are unable to vote in most primary elections including primaries for congressional, gubernatorial, other statewide offices and legislative candidates. Political parties can open their primaries but most in Oregon, including Democrats and Republicans, hold closed primaries. The proposal is the latest iteration of reform attempts to enfranchise nonaffiliated and minor party voters. Nearly 1.1 million registered voters in Oregon are nonaffiliated. They represent about 36% of all registered voters in the state. 'I believe and others in my community believe it's time that we do something with our election system that allows more people to participate more fully in the whole process,' Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, the chief sponsor of HB 3166 said during a Wednesday public hearing. The bill also is sponsored by Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth. An amendment to the bill would require all candidates for partisan and nonpartisan offices in Oregon to appear on the same primary election ballot regardless of political party. The top two candidates would advance to the general election ballot. The change would exclude candidates for president and vice president of the United States. The bill also would require candidates to have a political party's endorsement before using a party's label on the ballot. Lively said he believed the changes would result in a better reflection of what Oregon voters 'actually believe.' Ballot measures in 2008 and 2014 to open Oregon's primary elections failed. There also was a campaign in 2024 to open primaries through a ballot initiative, but it fizzled after the political action committee All Oregon Votes was unable to attract funding to gather signatures. Mike Newman, a member of All Oregon Votes, said the group is eager to see whether the legislative effort succeeds. The Oregon Election Reform Coalition was involved in shaping HB 3166. The coalition consists of the Independent Party of Oregon, Oregon Progressive Party, Common Ground United We Stand, Veterans for All Voters, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Progreso Latino, Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network and Vote Run Lead Action. 'The time is right for this open primary reform,' said Lainie Block Wilker, co-founder of Oregon Election Reform. Closed primaries are 'fueling' polarization, Wilker said. She called opening the primary 'the most impactful reform' lawmakers could implement to improve voter turnout and decrease polarization. Common Ground United We Stand was founded by former state Rep. Charlie Conrad, a lawmaker who left the Republican party last year. He said national politics have heightened tension, and at the state level, a significant group of voters are barred from having their voices heard and another group which he referred to as 'the exhausted majority' have become disengaged. 'We just want people to vote,' Conrad told the Statesman Journal. 'To have that opportunity to have their voices heard and have a say.' Opposition to the proposal centers on language in the original bill, which would have advanced the top five candidates of the unified ballot into a ranked-choice voting election. That language was removed in the proposed amendment. Voters in 2024 rejected Measure 117, which would have established ranked-choice voting in Oregon. Opponents said passing the bill as introduced would ignore voter's rejection of ranked-choice voting. During the Wednesday hearing, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, expressed concerns about changing to open primaries. 'It turns major parties into minor parties,' she said. 'I find this to be just completely turning our elections upside down in a way that just is not necessary.' Drazan, who won the Republican nomination to run for governor in 2023, pointed to Betsy Johnson, an unaffiliated candidate, who had 'no problem' getting on the gubernatorial ballot. 'The challenges with this bill go far beyond, from my perspective, simply ranked-choice voting,' she said. Preston Mann, political director for Oregon Business and Industry, said OBI was concerned the bill could exacerbate the problem of political parties wielding too much control over the primary system. 'Party officers and leaders who often hold more extreme views than rank and file party members would wield significant influence over the endorsement decision,' Mann said. Disallowing a candidate from labeling themselves as a member of a registered party without that party's endorsement 'injects an element of undemocratic political strategy into our elections,' Mann said. The window to submit testimony for the bill closes at 8 a.m. Friday. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@ or on X @DianneLugo This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon election bill would open primaries to all registered voters
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gun control vs. gun rights: More than 2 dozen Oregon firearm bills introduced this session
Gun control vs. gun rights continues to be a hot-button issue in Oregon, with more than two dozen bills relating to firearms introduced this legislative session. None have yet to gain serious traction for a combination of reasons. A barrage of bills is clogging the system, Measure 114 is facing ongoing court challenges, and the state has already reformed several gun laws in recent years. Many of the record 3,317 bills, resolutions and memorials introduced this session will inevitably die. Separate state and federal challenges have left Measure 114, a sweeping expansion of Oregon gun laws voters narrowly passed in 2022, in legal limbo. Even without the muscle of Measure 114, which would require Oregonians to apply for and obtain a permit before purchasing a gun and outlaw large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, Oregon has some of the strictest gun safety laws in the nation. It ranks just outside the top 10 by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (No. 11) and Everytown for Gun Safety (No. 12). The Giffords Law Center annually ranks states based on new and preexisting gun laws. Oregon's grade has risen from a D+ to an A- in the past 10 years and has what the organization recognizes as the 11th-strongest gun laws in the U.S. 'We probably could be doing a better job publicizing what we have on the books, but there's still more work to do,' said state Sen. Lisa Reynolds, D-Portland, a chief sponsor for a handful of firearms-related bills this session. Here is a look at some of those and others introduced this session. Senate Bill 697 would limit gun possession for people who are under 21 years old with exceptions for certain groups such as police officers and military personnel. The bill is also known as the Russell Paul Evans Act, after the late grandfather of Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, and a carryover from a bill introduced by Evans during the 2023 session. House Bill 2006 received a public hearing but died in committee upon adjournment. While Senate Bill 697 addresses concerns about the role of young people in gun violence incidents, including mass shootings, opponents argue it infringes on the Second Amendment rights of 18- to 20-year-olds. The bill would make it illegal for someone under 21 to use or possess semiautomatic rifles or shotguns, and it would have a significant impact on high school trap shooting, one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. An estimated two-thirds of firearms used in trap shooting are semiautomatics. Senate Bill 429 would implement a mandatory 72-hour waiting period for transfers of a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver from the time a gun dealer requests a criminal background check and has received an approval number from Oregon State Police. Supporters say waiting period laws delaying the purchase by a few days can reduce gun homicide and suicide rates and allow for more thorough background checks. Opponents argue the bill has no provisions for OSP accountability or timely response to the application, leading to what they would expect to be an indefinite waiting period. House Bill 3076 would direct the Department of Justice to study the establishment of a state gun dealer licensing program, which sponsors believe necessary to deal with a handful of bad-faith gun dealers who skirt regulations and whose guns sold are disproportionately found among those used in crimes. Opponents argue a state-level licensing program would be redundant. Oregon gun dealers already need a Federal Firearms License from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and they must renew it every three years. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require dealers to obtain a license, including Washington and California, to engage in the retail sale of firearms. House Bill 3742 would allow members of the Legislature and their staffers with concealed handgun licenses to possess a firearm in the Capitol, a response to concerns for their safety walking to and from vehicles and an increasingly hostile political climate. The bill comes four years after armed protesters breached the security at the Capitol, which was closed to the public at the time. That same year, lawmakers passed a bill banning firearms in the Capitol. Oregon gun rights organizations and CHL carry permit holders are outraged. 'We adamantly oppose this attempt to, once again, elevate the members of the legislature over the people they work for,' the Oregon Firearms Federation posted on its website, calling it an 'outrageous insult' to deny citizens this right while allowing legislators to be armed. Senate Bill 696 would create the crime of unlawful transport, manufacture or transfer of a rapid-fire activator, a device attached to a firearm to increase the trigger rate and mimic automatic weapon fire. The crime would be punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The bill also would create the crime of unlawful possession of a rapid-fire activator, punishable by a maximum of 364 days in prison, a $6,250 fine or both. Matching House Bills 2396 and 2780 would automatically qualify a person to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm if they hold a valid concealed handgun license. A permit-to-purchase system, part of Measure 114, has yet to be established, let alone defined or resourced, because of the ongoing court challenges. The permit system would require anyone who wants to buy a firearm in Oregon to pass a background check and take a firearms safety course first. No permit is currently required, and a gun can be given to a buyer after three business days, even if the background check is unfinished. Three identical bills have been introduced, two in the House (2606 and 3074) and one in the Senate (243), requiring the Department of State Police to study the efficiency of background checks for gun transfers. All three bills direct the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to the judiciary no later than Sept. 15, 2026. Senate Joint Resolution 27 proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution establishing a right to carry concealed firearms. The resolution would refer the proposed amendment to the people for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election. Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@ and follow her work on X @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon gun control legislation among barrage of bills in 2025
BBC News
21-02-2025
- BBC News
More knife bins installed in North Yorkshire after trial success
Additional knife bins have been installed in North Yorkshire after thousands of weapons were taken off the streets during a council said more than 1,800 bladed items had been disposed of in a knife bin since it was introduced in Harrogate in January 2023.A further 20 bins have now been installed in various locations including Ripon, Knaresborough, Scarborough, Skipton and Paul Evans said while knife crime in North Yorkshire was much lower than average, officers had to deal with "the catastrophic effects of knives falling into the wrong hands". The council said items could be deposited safely and anonymously in the bins before being collected and destroyed by part of the rollout, police have made an interactive map with information about where the bins have been placed. Heather Phillips, the council's executive member for corporate services, said bringing in more bins was not an admission there was a problem in the said it was "more an opportunity for people to take preventative measures to safeguard members of their family, their neighbours and others where they live"."If we can prevent just one knife or bladed article getting into the wrong hands, then these bins will have proven to be worthwhile," she Evans said: "I'd encourage people to use the new online map to find their nearest bin, then wrap their knives in cardboard to safely dispose of them. "You won't get into trouble for transporting knives to these locations, and you'll be helping to keep North Yorkshire safe."Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
