Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Page 7
ID theft case
at post office
underscores
security need
…. Millie Watkins - ‘Angel of the Valley’
Where are you from?
Southern California. I came up here in 1948 and
left in ‘53, and I decided then this was where I wanted
to live when I retired.
How long have you lived in Illinois Valley?
Fourteen years. I moved here to get away from LA.
What do you like best about living here?
The mountains, the trees, the animals; everything
about it. I think I might have lived here in a previous
life. That’s what I’ve always thought; something was
like a magnet.
Everyone always knew this was where I wanted to
go when I retired. It took me 20 years just to get back
here on vacation and 36 years to move back up here.
Where do you work?
For the I.V. newspaper. I worked here for about 11
years. And then I also work at Shop Smart Food Ware-
house; I do the demos for taste testing and service the
cards and the Buckmaster coffee dispensing area.
And, of course, I volunteer managing the I.V. Sen-
ior Thrift Store two and a half days a week -- sorting
clothes and that sort of thing.
Are you involved with any local organizations?
One Wednesday a month, my husband, “Buck,”
and I serve up at I.V. Senior Center for the bingo
games. And once a month we have a public breakfast
there and I cook eggs.
Are you married?
Yes. 41 years on Jan. 19. And he even remembered
for the first time. I still think the kids tipped him off,
‘cause I know he never remembers.
What is your favorite kind of ice cream?
Chocolate marshmallow. But you can’t find it, so
what I do is make chocolate marshmallow sundaes. I
also make chocolate marshmallow milkshakes; they are
so good.
- Interview and photo by Shane Welsh
JoCo unemployment falls
slightly during December
Total non-farm payroll
employment in Josephine
County fell slightly in De-
cember, losing 110 jobs
during the month. Those
losses were mostly con-
fined to the seasonally
fluctuating construction,
natural resources and min-
ing, and leisure and hospi-
tality sectors. Throughout
the past year, payroll em-
ployment edged higher in
the county, up by 40 jobs.
Josephine County’s De-
cember preliminary unem-
ployment rate estimate was
7.8 percent, slightly higher
than the previous month
and also up from the same
month one year ago.
In December, con-
struction employment fell
slightly, down by 40 jobs.
Construction employment
has grown by 60 jobs dur-
ing the year.
Another sector of the
local economy that has
benefited from low interest
and mortgage rates is the
financial activities sector,
including mortgage bro-
kers, banks, insurance,
credit unions, and real es-
tate firms. While employ-
ment was unchanged in
December, this sector has
added 60 new jobs during
the past year.
Health care employ-
ment rose during the
month. Ambulatory health
care services added 20
jobs, while nursing and
residential care employ-
ment gained ten jobs in
December. Employment in
the health care and social
services sectors increased
by 80 jobs in the past year.
Leisure and hospitality
sector jobs declined by 70
during December. This
tourism-reliant group of
industries has seen little
growth in Josephine
County during the past
twelve months. Govern-
ment employment was un-
changed in December.
During the past twelve
months, total government
employment has fallen by
320 jobs in Josephine
County. The bulk of the
losses have been in local
education employment
(-320), which includes K-
12 and community college
jobs, and state government
(-40).
With mail theft on the
rise, thieves are looking
harder for opportunities to
steal identity information.
The U.S. Post Office
in Cave Junction has noted
a potential identity theft
problem.
Three open-top waste
paper bins for disposing of
unwanted mail have been
the target of recent con-
cerns.
Postal employee Gary
Noleroth
advised,
“Anything people don’t
want someone else to have,
don’t automatically con-
sider that the trash bins are
safe.”
Although the bins are
emptied each evening, dis-
carded information can
still be stolen throughout
the day.
There is an additional
bin with a secure top
(inside the main lobby)
which should be used
when discarding mail con-
taining Social Security
numbers or other sensitive
personal data.
-Shane Welsh
Survey ...
(Continued from page 5)
mental health is on Caves
Hwy.
So far, response to the
survey has been low, but
Phillips remains optimistic
that the end result will
prove beneficial to all who
participate.
Survey forms are
available at following loca-
tions: the Senior Center,
Pharmacy Express, Home
Valley Bank, Sterling Sav-
ings, the county office
building, Dr. Kathy Mech-
ling’s office in Selma, Dr.
Jim Nordal’s office in
Cave Junction, Kerby Post
Office, Selma Community
Center, Riverside Physical
Therapy, New Life Natural
Foods, Grange Hall, River
Valley Village mobile
home park (rec. room), and
the ‘I.V. News’ office.
Med center
(Continued from page 1)
adult softball season and
the Concerts in the Park
sponsored by I.V. Cham-
ber of Commerce.
*Approved a liquor
license application from
Nacho Mama’s Restaurant;
*Approved an ordi-
nance to amend municipal
code allowing the city to
recover 100 percent of the
principle amount assigned
to a collection agency by
adding the collection fee to
the balance due.
*Authorized a resolu-
tion to permit recreational
use of city parks consistent
with other areas regarded
as outdoor recreational
areas under Oregon Re-
vised Statutes, and as such
are “use-at-your-own-risk”
areas. This effectively re-
moves the city from liabil-
ity for personal injury ex-
cept where the city is neg-
ligent or has failed to cor-
rect something under its
purview.
*Voted to pay an in-
voice from Reed Construc-
tion totaling $56,018.40
for work completed on
sidewalks in Downtown
Cave Junction.
-Michelle Binker
Subscribe to the
‘Illinois Valley News’
592-2541
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH - Swollen with the recent rainfall, the Illinois River flows
mightily at the Illinois River ‘Forks’ State Park south of Cave Junction. For anyone
interested, peace and solitude abound during the winter months when the occa-
sional sunny day brings a welcome respite from the cold and wet.
(Photo by Michelle Binker)
Health services get boost of $2.75 mil.
U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.) and Gordon
Smith (R-Ore.) recently
announced $2.75 million
in Federal funding for Ore-
gon health and human ser-
vices programs.
These funds are in-
cluded in the Fiscal Year
2004 omnibus funding
measure that will now be
signed into law by the
president.
The bill also requires a
National Institutes of
Health (NIH) study to con-
sider the affordability of
prescription drugs to
American consumers when
taxpayer funded drug tech-
nologies are transferred to
the private sector - as in
the case of Taxol, a power-
ful anti-cancer drug origi-
nally derived from a tree
found in Oregon.
“From keeping rural
nurses up-to-date in their
profession to securing
mental health programs,
making prescription drugs
more affordable and ex-
ploring new fields like
nanotechnology, these
funds will improve the
lives of Oregonians and
bring them better health,
education and job opportu-
nities,” said Wyden.
“Advancements in
health services and educa-
tion come at a critical time
for Oregon,” said Smith.
“With this bill Oregonians
will have more help pro-
viding a dependable level
of assistance and social
services.”
Some Oregon projects
that received funding are:
*Southern Oregon
University’s AuCoin Insti-
tute for Ecological, Eco-
nomic and Civil Studies
will receive $75,000 to
provide educational train-
ing to federal wildlife and
resource employees and
help them work more ef-
fectively with policy mak-
ers and the public.
*Asante health Sys-
tem, a not-for-profit health
care organization in Med-
ford, will receive $75,000
to help implement a new
technology system at its
southern Oregon medical
facilities to reduce medical
errors and deliver health
care more effectively in
rural areas.
At Sen. Wyden’s re-
quest, the legislation also
requires the National Insti-
is open
Saturdays:
9:30 a.m.
to
2:30 p.m.
Hours: Mondays - Saturdays
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
For more information
phone (800) 922-1025
tutes of Health (NIH) to
report to Congress on how
it can or cannot ensure that
taxpayer-funded drugs and
inventions are offered to
American health consum-
ers at an affordable price.
In the past, NIH failed
to make sure that consum-
ers see price benefits for
prescription drugs when
the agency transfers tax-
payer-funded drug tech-
nologies to private citi-
zens.