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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2003)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523 April 30, 2003 Page 7 The results of many committees have already thrown much darkness on this subject and it is probable that if they continue, we shall soon know nothing at all about it. - Mark Twain - Bill revising dogs vs. cat hunts eyed By MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE After nearly an hour of spirited debate, the House last week voted 35-23 to approve a bill that would lift a voter- approved ban on hunting cou- gars with hounds. Six Democrats voted with the Republican majority in approving the legislation, while four GOP House mem- bers sided with Democrats in voting “no.” House Bill 2436 now goes to the Senate. Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) said it probably will be as- signed to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The proposal overturns an initiative approved by voters in 1994 and reaffirmed two years later to outlaw hunting of cougars and bears with dogs. Also banned was the practice of baiting bears to lure them within rifle range. Rep. Jeff Kropf (R- Sublimity) said repeatedly during debate that the issue was public safety. Opponents said that supporters want a repeal to allow sport-hunting using dogs. "This does not deal with safety," said Rep. Floyd Pro- zanski (D-Eugene). "It is all about trophy hunting." Prozanski said that hunt- ers will pursue cougars look- ing for a trophy animal. If the cougar is small, they move on without killing it, he said. If the true aim is safety, Prozanski argued, "Then House Bill 2436 should have contained two provisions -- all cougars successfully tracked must be shot, and hunts must be limited to overpopulated areas. "Those are the animals we should be looking for, not tro- phy cats," he said. Rep. Terry Beyer (D- Springfield), who supported the bill, said the number of cougars in Oregon has in- creased five-fold since pas- sage of the initiative. "This puts the manage- ment of the cougar population back in the hands of the Ore- gon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)," she said. Because the cougar was declared a game animal by the 1967 Legislature, ODFW sets seasons and bag limits for it. Other opponents argued there has never been a death from a cougar attack in Ore- gon and that ODFW now has the authority to use dogs to destroy problem cougars. That includes animals, mostly young males looking for a territory, that wander into populated areas and po- tentially pose a threat to live- stock, pets and humans. Three cougars were shot near Blachly in rural Lane County last week after they were spot- ted near the high school. Gov. Kulongoski had promised to veto the bill when it lumped bears in with cou- gars. A spokesman for Kulon- goski stopped short of saying that the governor would still veto the new version. "He hasn’t seen it yet," said press aide Marion Hammond. "But he is cer- tainly opposed to the ap- proach." IVHS Grad Night fund-raiser Saturday, May 3 LITTLE LEAGUE OPENING PITCH - With Illinois Valley Little League President Sonny Moore on the mound, the 2003 sea- son officially began with indoor ceremonies in Jubilee Park on Saturday, April 26. The pavilion, because of lots of rain, was filled with eager Little Leaguers, parents, and other sup- porters. The event included free hot dogs, as well as raffles and other activities. Games will be played in Jubilee Park. (Photo courtesy of Joanne Snook) Community college funding gets raise By MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE When the co-chairmen of the Ways and Means commit- tee released their budget this month, it marked a turning point for Oregon’s 17 commu- nity colleges. Instead of making more reductions, lawmakers de- cided to add $10 million to the appropriation for community colleges over what Gov. Ku- longoski had recommended. Rick Levine, president of Rogue Community College, couldn’t be happier. Along with the presidents of Portland and Lane commu- nity colleges, Levine had laid out a dire scenario for the two- year institutions under the funding recommended by the governor: $407 million, down nearly $50 million from the current biennium. Their dreary litany in- cluded program cuts, salary freezes, layoffs, tuition hikes — the list was long. Just after testifying, the presidents learned that Ways and Means wanted to add more money. And the committee mem- bers appeared ready to fight for the increase, even though the governor recommended that community colleges be cut by $10 million, to $397 million. "It isn’t going to solve all their problems," said Rep. Susan Morgan (R-Myrtle Point) of the legislative bump. "But we were very unhappy with the governor’s recom- mendation." Morgan is chair- man of the education subcom- mittee. "We’ll try to work through our differences with the governor," said Sen. Steve Harper (R-Klamath Falls), vice chairman of Ways and Means. "But communities are now a top legislative priority." As budgets go, $10 mil- lion is pretty thin gruel to spread among 17 community colleges. Portland Community College will get the lion’s share, 25 percent. "I’m not complaining," a grateful Levine said. "This really helps us." He said that RCC would receive an addi- tional $400,000 during the next two years if the $10 mil- lion stays. The co-chairmen’s budget also includes another $6 mil- lion in scholarship aid for low-income students in danger of being priced out of two- and four-year institutions be- cause of escalating tuition. The education subcom- mittee was to begin shaping the budget last week. Levine said, however, that he has no option but to pre- pare his institution’s budget based on what the governor recommends. However, the strong sup- port from legislators is giving community colleges new hope. House Ways and Means co-chairman Randy Miller (R- West Linn0 said that he would like to provide even more money. The governor’s priority is to increase funding for K-12, a spokesman said during a me- dia briefing on his revised budget. The governor did not cut his original $5.05 million re- quest for schools. The co- chairmen’s budget recom- mends spending $4.83 billion, with another $162 million in savings for schools if Public Employees Retirement System reforms pass. Like other institutions, RCC is struggling to keep more expensive job training programs in place. "If will be very difficult to attract companies to the state if we can’t provide a skilled workforce," Levine said. Without the money, the colleges will have no option but to offer more academic preparation and personal en- richment programs because they are much cheaper, Port- land Community College president Jesus "Jess" Carreon testified. "You want us to be a full- service institution, but how can we afford it?" Carreon asked. Oregon’s unemployment rate shows rise Oregon’s seasonally ad- justed unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent in March from 7.3 percent in February, re- turning to the 7.6 percent level of January, said Oregon Em- ployment Dept. (OED). Since May 2002, Ore- gon’s unemployment rate has remained within a narrow range of between 7.2 percent and 7.6 percent, OED said. Oregon continues to ex- perience a high unemploy- ment rate vs. the national av- erage. The state’s rate is now nearly two percentage points above the U.S. unemployment rate, which remained at 5.8 percent in March. Oregon’s rate has been above the U.S. rate since Feb- ruary 1996, a time of rapid economic expansion in the Portland metro area when Oregon’s unemployment rate Illinois Valley Library Hours: *Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. *Saturdays - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. *Closed Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays 592-3581 was 5.7 percent, OED said. In March, 154,074 Orego- nians were unemployed. Al- though close to the total num- ber of unemployed in the prior month and in March 2002, this high number of jobless in the state reflects the difficult eco- nomic times for Oregon. In comparison, during the boom times of 1996 through 1999, the total number of un- employed in the state was typically near 100,000. In 2000, nearing the end of the long economic expan- sion, typically fewer than 100,000 Oregonians were un- employed. To compare to the last economic downturn, in 1992 and 1993, it was common to see Oregon’s total number of unemployed at close to 120,000. All-Congregations service Sunday, May 4, 6 p.m. Valley Evangelical Free Church Old Stage at Laurel Roads Hearfelt thanks to all - The family, friends, firemen and absolute strangers. 5 Star Mobile PC Service Free Pickup & Delivery!* No Fix/No Charge! Senior & New Customer Discounts! 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