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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2002)
Vote in the Nov. 5 election Daylight-saving time ends 27th Biscuit Fire overview Tuesday A community education meeting about the Biscuit Fire and its effects on plants and wildlife will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the county building in Cave Junction. The free, public meeting is co-sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service Illinois Valley Ranger District, Siskiyou Field Institute, and Forestry Action Committee. The forest service will provide a brief update about the Bis- cuit Fire chronology, and current and future restoration plans. There also will be a talk on the effects of the fire on plants and wildlife. Those attending will be able to ask questions about the pres- entations. For more information telephone Sue Parrish, 592-4459; or Susan Chapp, 592-4098. After exhaustive checking to be sure of correct informa- tion, it’s time to announce that daylight-saving time will end at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27. Really -- Sunday, Oct. 27. Most people reset their clocks upon going to bed on Saturday night, Oct. 26. Remember: spring ahead, fall back, meaning that clocks should be set back one hour. Fund-raiser on weekend for ill boy Unemployment figures in county list improvements By BRITT FAIRCHILD Jared Moran hasn't yet learned to tie his shoes, or ride a bike, but he knows plenty about going to see a doctor. At the end of May, the 3- year-old was diagnosed with Henoch-Shonlein Purpura (HSP), a rare disorder that affects the blood vessels of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and joints. Anyone may develop HSP, but it is usually seen in children between 3-10 years old, and is more common in boys than girls. The cause of HSP remains unknown. "They don’t have a defi- nite treatment for it,” said Vir- gie Moran, Jared's mother. She said that the symp- toms of the disorder were pre- ceded by a bad cold that had infected many in Cave Junc- tion throughout the month. Toward the end of his cold, Virgie said that Jared com- plained that one of his feet hurt. Next, she noticed that his legs were swollen. A skin rash developed next. The most worrisome sign was blood in her son's urine. While generally mild, the disorder can cause serious problems in the kidneys, as in Jared's case. Besides HSP, he also has developed nephrotic syn- drome, an illness that causes protein loss in the kidneys. “Just by looking at him, you wouldn’t think he was sick,” Virgie said, noting that her son is active and happy most of the time. A small red cast with blue shapes that Jared wears on his right arm seems the only ex- ternal sign of a problem. It covers the pic line, an intravenous line that extends from Jared's arm to his chest, which allows him to intrave- nously receive his regular 450mg dose of the steroid (Continued on page 10) Virgie and Jared Moran Bill Hickerson on his memorable ride. Hickerson demonstrates pedal power Bicycle tour covers 500 miles from Idaho border to Oregon Coast By BRITT FAIRCHILD Bill Hickerson’s ultimate goal is to ride his bicycle across the United States. But for now, he’s settled on Oregon. From Sept. 9 to 15, Hick- erson, a 20-year volunteer firefighter with Illinois Valley Fire District, participated in Cycle Oregon. It’s an annual bike ride across the state, with routes that change each year. This year some 2,028 rid- ers of all ages from around the world participated, traveling more than 500 miles -- from Nyssa, on the Oregon/Idaho border, to Florence, on the Oregon coast. “Cycle Oregon is proba- bly the premiere bicycle ride on the West Coast,” said Hickerson, who works for the city of Cave Junction. He first participated in the ride during 2000. The ride, he said, isn’t meant to be a race, but a relax- ing journey through the state’s beauty and wonder. “You’re riding along, and the stuff pops out at you,” he said. “It’s basically a tour of Oregon, he added, noting that’s just fine with him. Participating in the event allows Hickerson a temporary escape from life’s stresses. His job as a city water treatment plant operator -- plus responding to valley emergencies as a volunteer firefighter at Station 1/Cave Junction -- keep him busy. During the race, he said, “I have only one goal: to get from point A to point B.” An especially rewarding experience for Hickerson this time around was seeing the McKenzie River from a bike. “I’ve always wanted to ride that,” he said, noting that, “It’s beautiful.” Other mo- ments stick in his mind too. Perhaps the most memora- Fire station open house An open house at the new Holland Loop Fire Sta- tion was conducted on Sunday, Oct. 20. Visitors were able to see a new look for Illinois Valley Fire District, as the rest of the stations, including Sta- tion 1/Cave Junction are in bad repair. And other than the Cave Junction Station, the facilities are lacking for volunteer firefighters in the way of rest- rooms and areas for cleaning up responding to emergencies. In addition the existing stations are not large enough to accommodate equipment, meaning that some of it has to be kept outside. The district is seeking voter approval of a bond measure in the Nov. 5 election to update stations and pay off a loan for the Holland Loop site, thereby saving interest payments. ble -- taking a buckboard ride in the town of Ironside after finishing cycling that day. “I only rode the thing 15 min- utes, and I was sore,” he said. Hickerson added that he enjoyed talking with some of the older residents in some towns, where the cyclists camped overnight. The camps, he said, reminded him of fire camps, except that at the bike camps “people wear Lycra instead of yellow and green.” Hickerson paid $750 to participate in the ride. The fee covered meals, camping areas with showers, and a semitruck and trailer to transport his gear from camp to camp. Although a physically strenuous ride, Hickerson said he feels that it is a good activ- ity for anyone. “It’s definitely an adven- ture,” he said. “People don’t even know what’s in their backyard.” Seasonally typical in- creases in local education- related employment account for most of Josephine County’s gain of 350 non- farm payroll employment jobs in September, said Oregon Employment Dept. (OED). Total employment during September was listed at 27,661 vs. 27,426 the month before. During the past year, pay- roll employment has de- creased by 90 jobs. Septem- ber’s unemployment rate in Josephine County fell to 6.7 percent from 7.6 percent in August, said OED. The county’s jobless rate for Sep- tember 2001 was 8.2 percent. Manufacturing was un- changed from August. A loss of 20 in lumber and wood products was countered by a gain of 10 in other durable goods, and a similar increase in non-durable goods. During the past year, manufacturing has shed 30 jobs. Lumber and wood products employment also has fallen by 30, while the remainder of durable goods manufacturing added 10 jobs, said OED. Transportation and public utilities added 50 jobs during the month, with a seasonal upturn related to the start of the school year accounting for most of the uptick. But during the year, said OED, this sector has lost 120 jobs. Retail trade employment was off by 70 in September, with losses in eating and drinking places (-30) and in other retail trade (-40). Through the year, trade em- ployment is up 100 jobs, with wholesale trade (+40), eating and drinking places (+10), and other retail trade (+50) all gaining jobs. OED said that services employment declined by 120 in September. Health services shed 30 jobs, while the re- mainder of the services indus- tries reduced employment by 90. Social and educational services were up slightly for the month, while amusement and recreational services, and hotels and lodging places lost jobs during the month. Through the year, services employment is down by 130 in Josephine County, accord- ing to OED. Local government educa- tion employment added 510 jobs for the month, and is 50 above the year-ago number. The remainder of government employment showed little change in September. During the past 12 months, said OED, non-education local govern- ment has increased by 70. Fire District seeks funds In September, 63 percent of Illinois Valley voters sup- ported construction of four new fire stations at Selma, O’Brien, Holland Loop and Cave Junction. But due to the 50 percent turn-out requirement, the bond is back on the Nov. 5 vote-by- mail ballot. Dave Toler, chairman of Friends For I.V. Fire, ex- plained that the need “to sup- port our volunteer firefighters still very much there, and that given the wide support ex- pressed in September,” he be- lieves that the valley is recog- nizing how important this is. Toler said that the cam- paign message has continued to focus on three major points: *Ensuring that the valley has an effective fire force. (Continued on page 10)