Envelopes open to reveal many answers.

Byline: Bob Welch The Register-Guard

Mysterious concrete blocks on the Amazon Trail, secrecy envelopes in your ballot packets and orange fencing at Cook's Chasm - an array of intrigue awaits you in the May Q&A:

Question: In the lobby of the Robinson Theatre is a portrait of the man for whom it's named, Professor Horace Robinson. I've seen several movies with Edward G. Robinson and see a lot of resemblance in the two men. Are they related?

Answer: Robinson, 97 and living at Sheldon Park in Eugene, tells me "to my knowledge, we're not related."

Question: Will our vote count if our ballot is not in the secrecy envelope? And how many voters don't use them?

Answer: It's not mandatory that your ballot be inside the secrecy envelope, Lane County elections official Annette Newingham says. But it must, at least, be in the other envelope with your signature on it. People like the added security, she says. "Some other county tried to save money by not including those and voters came unglued," she says. Less than 5 percent of voters, she estimates, don't use the secrecy envelopes.

Question: What point size was used for the tiny names in The Register-Guard's list of finishers in the Eugene Marathon?

Answer: It took 5.6-point Helvetica Narrow.

Question: Why no LTD bus service to and from the Eugene Airport?

Answer: Two reasons, according to LTD spokesman Andy Vobora. "We don't start early enough to get folks to the airport and many late-arriving flights come in after our service day ends." And the number of flights doesn't justify regular service. Studies, Vobora says, show that few travelers see bus transit as an option. "The reality for most air travelers is that saving a couple of dollars on gas and parking doesn't interest them."

Question: Along the Amazon Trail, I notice large, stone-faced, concrete blocks placed in front of many lamp posts, at least near the west end. What's the story behind these blocks?

Answer: For now, they're temporarily there to prevent thieves from stealing the copper wire in the junction boxes beneath them. Underground copper wire is used to link the lamps in the park. As of late, the value of such wire has increased dramatically, making it a hot item for thieves, who sell it to scrap-metal dealers.

Last year, the city of Eugene had $400,000 of the stuff stolen, says Johnny Medlin, Eugene's parks and open spaces director.

Question: Could the found "Ruger Pistol 22L Rifle" in the lost and found ad in The Register-Guard (May 1) be the missing gun from the 1983 Diane Downs case in Springfield?

Answer: The Springfield Police say they have no reason to believe it's the same weapon Downs used to murder one of her children and wound two others. First, it was not found in Springfield but in a car purchased from Portland by Gordon Wakeman of Wakeman Auto Sales in Springfield. Second, Downs' pistol was believed to have been a .22 Ruger Mark IV, not a 22L. Wakeman turned over the weapon to police. A records check couldn't trace the original owner of the gun, said Sharon Ransdell, Springfield Police's property officer.

Question: Why has the observation site at Cook's Chasm, near Cape Perpetua, been closed off with orange snow-fencing?

Answer: When a new bridge replaced the old one at the spot, the Oregon Department of Transportation incorporated a nice viewpoint into the design. Unfortunately, ODOT didn't galvanize a handrail and it rusted badly.

The handrail was removed last fall and, for safety reasons, the viewpoint was temporarily closed. It's now fixed. Though this wasn't exactly a NASCAR-quick fix, the orange fencing was removed earlier this week and the rail is in place for the big Memorial Day weekend.

Note: In last month's Q&A, I said it was Churchill's band in a scene from "Animal House." True. But Sheldon's was also in the movie.

Bob Welch can be reached at 338-2354 or at [e-mail].