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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2002)
Page 4 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Taylor’s plan for liquor OK by council During a 22-minute meet- ing of the Cave Junction City Council on Monday evening, Nov. 25, the council voted 4-0 to recommend approval for a liquor license for Taylor’s Country Store. Councilman Sandi Lund was absent. The recommendation for approval will be forwarded to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. November general elec- tion results showed that Mayor Ed Faircloth, running unchallenged, received 284 votes. Dan Fiske, running un- challenged for Position 1, re- ceived 283 votes. Tom Green and Tony Paulson ran for Po- sition 2, with Paulson win- ning, 180-143. Rita Dyer ran unchallenged for Position 3, with 270 votes. During the public com- ment section of the meeting, business owner Sally Palmer addressed the council, “I have lived here many years,” she said. “This is the first year I have seen so much construc- tion. I would like to know how many homes have ap- plied for water and sewer?” She also asked the board how much money was put into savings. After awaiting a reply and receiving none from the coun- cil she said, “You can answer me next time.” --Sharon Silva The world is advancing. Advance with it. - Giuseppi Mazzini - Linnie Mae Howard WALT JUERGENS Water, water everywhere By SHARON SILVA Better not call longtime Illinois Valley resident Walt Juergens a witch. “I prefer to be called a diviner,” said the Selma resi- dent. And he noted that, “The more you do it the better you get, if you have the ability to water divine.” Juergens, a painter by pro- fession and owner of Walt Juergens Painting, found a long time ago that when it comes to water divination, he is a natural. “Thirty-five years ago an old timer I knew showed me how to do it,” said Juergens. “I knew I could divine the first time I did it. Some may recall that when we acquired “Nitro” the cat, I thought that he might be from Mars, as his mostly white coat was tinged red. Turned out that the red was not from the sands of the closest planet to Earth, but some of that outstanding red clay stuff from O’Brien. Living with us, “Nitro” became quite affectionate and had the endearing habit of trying to trip us. This he generally accom- plished by trying to rub against our legs while we were in motion. But he’s taught us how to be more careful, and so we stopped lurching about the house while muttering about “that darn cat.” “Nitro” enjoys going outside. He also enjoys being inside. He likes to run out when one door is open; then whine about coming back in; and then dash out another door first chance he gets. And he’s quick. He can snatch a morsel of food off your plate faster than you can say, “Hey, that’s mine, you thieving feline.” “Nitro” is a cool cat, able to leap tall ladders in a single bound; faster than a speeding dog in pursuit; and more powerful than yesterday’s bean burrito. As of this writing, our buddy “Nitro” is back living in O’Brien with a new mom. She’s renamed him “Angelo Crook- shank,” which Jan and I think is highly appropriate. His new “owner” had just experienced the death of her 4-month-old kitten, who looked, she said, a lot like the former “Nitro.” So when Crossroads Animal Hospital phoned to see if we were looking for a new home for him, we agreed to the change with some reluc- tance. Now we’re down to five cats, and we kinda’ miss 7-month- old “Nitro.” But we hear that he’s doing well, and is happy in his new surroundings. And no doubt he’s continuing to be affection- ate, that pesky little guy. Oops -- I should have told the new mom about his talent for tripping. Oh well, she probably knows by now. So long, “Nitro,” be a good boy. “So I picked the brains of every water diviner I ran across. That’s how I learned. After you do it for a while, you get a feel for it. You can feel whether you have five, 10 or 20 gallons per minute of water beneath you. “When you are over wa- ter,” he said, “the divining rod always pulls straight down. Depending on the force of the pull is how I know how many gallons of water I’m over. “Artisan wells have a dif- ferent feel; the stick kind of bumps. Surface water only pulls the stick a third of the way down, and it’s wider than deep water.” Juergens works closely with valley-based well driller Chuck Gill. Juergens divines, Gill drills, and then reports back to Juergens with the re- sults of the well. “I really appreciate him getting back to me with the results of these wells,” said Juergens, “Chuck lets me know the depth, flow and so- dium content of each well I divine. This is how I keep my skills sharp.” Juergens prefers to use an elm forked stick to divine with. He uses a metal welding rod to determine which way water flows, a 5-foot straight limb to determine water depth, and a spinning ball on a chain to determine the sodium con- tent of water. “This really works,” said Juergens, “Hey, it’s better than throwing a rock over your shoulder.” Juergens can be contacted through 597-4136. Linnie Mae Howard, 92, of Cave Junction, died on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2002 at Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. at Fountain of Life Assembly of God Church in Cave Junction. Private inurnment will be at Hawthorne Memorial Gar- dens in Grants Pass. It’s the family’s wish that memorial contributions be made to Meals on Wheels Inc., 110 E. Main St., Ash- land, OR 97520; or Rogue Valley Humane Society, 429 N.W. Scenic Drive, Grants Pass, OR 97526. Mrs. Howard was born on July 12, 1910 in Ada, Okla., one of 11 children. She lived in Arizona, Bakersfield and Redding, Calif., other parts of Oregon including Merlin, and moved to Cave Junction in 1974. In California she operated restaurants in Cottonwood and the Redding area. She owned and operated pet shops in the Bakersfield area. She was a member of Fountain of Life Assembly of God Church and Illinois Val- ley Grange 370 in Cave Junc- tion. She raised birds, Chihua- huas, poodles, and goats. When she was younger she enjoyed fishing and hunting. Survivors include her daughter, L. Diane Meyer, of Dorris, Calif.; 10 grandchil- dren; 17 great-grandchildren; and th re e gr e at- gr eat - grandchildren. Two husbands, Jim Aber- nethy and Chuck Howard, a son, Don Abernethy; and a daughter, Judy Merrick, died before her. Chapel of the Valley Fu- neral Home is in charge of arrangements. Nina M. Seefeldt Former Illinois Valley resident Nina Marguerite See- feldt, 96, of Grants Pass, died on Wednesday, Nov. 27 ina Grants Pass convalescent hos- pital. A graveside service was held on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Laurel Cemetery in Cave Junction. Illinois Valley Fu- neral Home was in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Seefeldt was born Nina Roadruck on June 16, 1906 in Spokane, Wash. In 1926 in Spokane she married Milton Seefeldt, who died on June 19, 1981. She owned and operated the Christian Supply Center on G Street in Grants Pass in the 1960s. Survivors include two sons, Milton Seefeldt, of Silverton, Ore., and Bill See- feldt, of Reedsport, Ore.; two daughters, Florence Sackett (Continued on page 5) for Valley businesses sponsored by Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce Decorations must be ready for judging by Saturday, Dec. 21 Entry deadline Friday, Dec. 13 Business_________________________________ Address__________________________________ Circle: Indoor or Outdoor Send or deliver to I.V. Chamber in the I.V. Visitor Center P.O. Box 312, Cave Junction 97523 Phone: 592-3326 Chain Link Specialist 592-6192 Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. most Saturdays Evening & weekend appointments available Custom designs, appraisals & quality repairs by graduate gemologists