Illinois Valley firefighters and American Medical Re-
sponse medics work hard to assist the injured.
Selma center offering
multitude of activities
By MICHELLE BINKER
Staff Writer
The Selma Community
and Education Center
(SCEC) is bustling with
activity these days.
Are you looking for a
volleyball game? Or yoga
classes? How about an
ethnic dinner and music?
Pancake brunch? Movie
night?
SCEC offers a place
for all these activities.
Anyone with an idea for a
get-together is welcome to
rent space and have fun.
“Opportunities
abound,” said Bill Hunt,
the center’s director.
“We’re striving for a di-
verse program.”
January’s schedule is
jam-packed with fun. Yoga
classes are held Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 4:30
to 6 p.m. with a $5-7 slid-
ing-scale fee. A yoga class
for seniors is held Thurs-
days from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
with a $3-5 sliding-scale.
Movie night will begin
Wednesday, Jan. 14, with
free admission to a family
movie and snacks for sale.
The show starts at 8 p.m.
On Saturday Jan. 17,
the first of a planned series
of ethnic celebrations will
kick off with a Greek New
Year party. Beginning at 6
p.m. there will be “great
food, music, Greek danc-
ing lessons and fun.” A
Cajun party is scheduled
for Mardi Gras in Febru-
ary, and celebration of
Welsh Saint’s Day is on
track for March.
The Northwest Earth
Institute’s discussion
group on voluntary sim-
plicity will begin Tuesday,
Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The
eight-week course focuses
on “finding inner peace
without spending every
penny you have,” said
Pamela Tennity, course
facilitator and secretary for
SCEC. The fee for this
course covers the cost of
the book and room rental.
For information, phone
Tennity at 597-2110.
Open volleyball starts
Wednesday evening, Jan.
21. One need not be on a
team to participate, but as
teams form, Hunt hopes to
organize a tournament
A swap meet and pan-
cake breakfast are sched-
uled for Saturday, Jan. 24
at 9 a.m. At this time peo-
ple can learn about classes
and other offerings, meet
instructors and sign up to
participate.
For more information
phone Hunt at (541) 415-
1000.
(Related story on page 8)
1 dead, 3 hurt in I.V. Airport plane crash
Investigation is under
way as to why a twin-
engine private aircraft
crashed while attempting a
stormy night emergency
landing at Illinois Valley
Airport, resulting in the
death of one person and
injuries to three others, all
from Washington state,
aboard the Piper Seminole.
Illinois Valley emer-
gency personnel responded
to a report of a crashed,
upside-down airplane
alongside Hwy. 199 at the
south end of the airport on
Thursday, Jan. 1 at 6:40
p.m. Shortly before, the
Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office was advised that the
craft was diverting to the
airport, owned by Jose-
phine County, for un-
known reasons.
The dead person was
identified as co-pilot Jeff
McLain, 27, of Seattle.
The injured were identified
as the pilot, Mark Ritchie,
23, of Olympia; and pas-
sengers Jacqueline
Westfall, 24, city of resi-
dence unknown; and Ruri
Mirukani Unk, date-of-
birth and city of residence
unknown. Three of those
aboard were flight instruc-
tors.
All three were said to
be in critical condition at
either Three Rivers Com-
munity Hospital in Grants
Pass, or Rogue Valley
Medical Center in Med-
ford. Slight improvements
in their conditions were
noted early this week.
Responding in force,
sheriff’s office deputies,
I.V. Fire District person-
nel, and American Medical
Response (AMR) were the
first to arrive at the crash
site on the west side of 199
alongside Rough and
Ready Creek a short dis-
tance north of the bridge
across the creek. Oregon
State Police also re-
sponded. First on-scene
personnel found Westfall
outside the aircraft near the
upside-down right side,
and the three others still
inside. McLain was dead at
the scene. AMR sent three
ambulances to take care of
the injured.
The tail of the aircraft
faced east, and damage to
the craft appeared exten-
sive. Some 100 yards west
of the crash site, in a direct
line with the downed craft,
the tops of several trees
had been damaged or
sheared.
According to wit-
nesses, the plane at first
sounded as though it was
having engine trouble.
Subsequently, as the land-
ing was attempted, it ap-
peared that the pilot tried
to take off because of
touching down too late to
take full advantage of the
full runway. In attempting
to gain altitude and turn
east for another pass at
landing, the crash oc-
curred.
New Year’s Day
plane crash near
I.V. Airport under
investigation.
Details are being in-
vestigated by the Federal
Aviation Administration
and the National Safety
Transportation Board. Re-
cordings of radio transmis-
sions while in flight appear
to be available.
After aiding in extrica-
tion and medical attention
at the site, I.V. firefighters
were asked to respond
again a short time later in
the form of the district’s
swift water rescue team.
Members retrieved por-
tions of the airplane that
were scattered in the creek
and on a small treed out-
cropping nearby, appar-
ently in the path of the air-
plane as it went down. The
crash site was secured by
Josephine County Search
(Editor’s Note: Infor-
mation for the preceding
story came from Jose-
phine County Sheriff’s
Office and its Emergency
Management Office, Illi-
nois Valley Fire District,
eyewitnesses, other re-
ports and on-site obser-
vations.)
New site on
horizon for
I.V. alliance
Greatness knows itself.
- Shakespeare -
SNOW SMACKS VALLEY - A major storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow on Illinois
Valley late last week, and substantial amounts were still on the ground this week
with temperatures below freezing. The storm caused several power interruptions
around the valley, as lines sagged and others were damaged by trees that fell be-
cause of heavy snow. Many businesses opened late on Friday, Jan. 2 because of
difficulty in traveling. Interstate 5 was closed at Siskiyou Pass and the city of Yreka,
Calif. had no motels or parking left for travelers. On the coast, areas including Cres-
cent City, Brookings and Coos Bay were powerless for a time. Police recommend
that people not travel unless absolutely necessary.
And Rescue prior to the
plane and its parts being
taken to an indoor location
for safe-keeping and inves-
tigation.
The reasons for an
emergency landing were
not immediately known
although it was snowing
and raining immediately
prior to and during the
crash. During rescue op-
erations only rain sprinkles
fell, and there was a chill
wind.
The craft was en route
from Oakland, Calif. to
North Bend, Ore., adjacent
to Coos Bay, where refuel-
ing was to occur. The
plane was then to continue
to Auburn, Wash., where it
had been leased by Auburn
Flight Services of Auburn.
The fatality was the
first at the I.V. Airport in
several years, when a fa-
ther and son died when
they crashed during a take-
off and landing practice.
Subscribe to the ‘Illinois Valley News’
592-2541
There’s no question
that there will soon be an
Illinois Valley Safe House
for abused women and
children.
“We’re nearly there,”
said Chris Mallette, execu-
tive director of I.V. Safe
House Alliance (The Alli-
ance), which began its ef-
forts two years ago.
Currently, The Alli-
ance is working toward a
5-acre parcel with an exist-
ing home within a 3-mile
radius of Downtown Cave
Junction. However, nego-
tiations this week are in the
process of offers and coun-
teroffers, said Mallette.
To begin achieving its
goals, The Alliance is
working to raise $55,000
by approximately mid-
March to purchase a de-
sired site. “If not one site,
there are others,” she said.