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:
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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.
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MANSFIELD R. CLEARY
Attorney at Law
General Practice in
Illinois Valley since 1980
Practice includes but not limited to:
Bankruptcy - Eliminate
financial problems
Living trusts - Avoid probate
Estate planning - Wills,
power of attorney
Domestic relations
Auto accident - Personal Injury
Criminal - DUII
Real Estate contracts - Foreclosure
592-2195
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