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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2004)
Protests planned on Biscuit WWII vets memorial at Selmac Recovery project final EIS released; Greenpeace coming Removing 370 million board feet of fire-killed wood from the Biscuit Fire area is proposed, and indi- cations are that Green- peace and possibly Earth First! will conduct “eco- resistance” efforts in and around Illinois Valley this summer. In addition, the plan includes a pioneering re- search proposal for a Landscape Management Experiment on Restoring Late-Successional Forest Habitat. Cave Junction-based Siskiyou Project has tried to communicate with Greenpeace, and it is not involved with that organi- zation’s plans, said Don Smith, Siskiyou Project executive director. “We’re pretty much out of the loop,” he said. In connection with Biscuit Fire salvage, Greenpeace earlier an- nounced that it would es- tablish its first “forest res- cue station” in the country on public land in Josephine County. The Greenpeace sta- tion is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land at the Kelsey- Whisky Timber Sale site, approximately 35 miles northwest of Grants Pass. (Continued on page 13) Waiver set for aiding Medicaid TO SAVE A LIFE - Illinois Valley volunteer and staff firefighters, with American Medical Response medics, stayed with an injured Nathan A. Ross, 20, of Washing- ton state, who fell asleep and crashed his pickup truck on Redwood Hwy. in Selma just south of Fort Hay Ranch at 6:35 a.m. on Friday, May 28. The care and Music, food, crafts features of Shining Stars Festival Southern Oregon’s largest music festival will be back in Illinois Valley on Friday through Sunday, June 4, 5 and 6 at Lake Selmac under sponsorship of The Shining Stars, a not-for-profit organization A waiver from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to help Oregon improve its nurs- ing home industry is ap- plauded by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). The waiver will allow Oregon to provide better Medicaid reimbursements to the state’s nursing homes. And it will attract additional Medicaid matching funds, according to the senators. Rate increases “will be used to enhance working conditions for employees and improve the quality of care they provide to cli- ents.” Oregon’s reimburse- ment rates were estab- lished in July 2002. They reimburse less than 80 per- cent of the amount that facilities spend to care for Medicaid clients during 2004. With this waiver, Ore- gon will move out of the bottom third of state rank- ings of Medicaid nursing facility payments. Illinois Valley High School’s varsity softball team reached quarterfinals in the state playoffs. See page 11 extrication took nearly 90 minutes, as the vehicle cab was crushed and the pickup was in an awkward posi- tion. Jerry’s Towing came to help; and Ross was taken by helicopter to Rogue Valley Medical Center, where he was treated for various injuries, none of them ap- parently life-threatening. HONORING MILITARY VETERANS - American Legion Auxiliary Unit 70 members placed flags at Laurel and Deer Creek cemeteries on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 to honor veterans who gave their lives serving this raising funds to benefit valley youth. The third annual Shin- ing Stars Festival will fea- ture performers covering a wide variety of musical genres throughout the weekend, on an outdoor stage “with first-rate, pro- fessional sound.” On Sunday afternoon, a festival highlight will be the Dell ‘Arte Community Theatre Performance. This internationally known troupe will give children and adults the opportunity to participate in interactive drama. Added the sponsor, “Shining Stars Festival is woven together by an army of volunteers donating ser- vices, supplies and time. Even the musicians, for- feiting usual fees, come from around the country to raise money for Illinois Valley youth and soak up great atmosphere. “Craft and food vend- ing booths encircle the fes- tival bowl area. Folks can choose between quiet en- (Continued on page 8) nation. Junior auxiliary member Matt Ollis (left) places a flag on a grave at Laurel Cemetery, and member Mi- chelle Colbert (right) places one at Deer Creek Ceme- tery. (Photos by Shane Welsh) By SHANE WELSH Staff Writer “Freedom is not free. It must be earned and pro- tected from those who would conquer it and op- press us,” said Dwight Ellis, Vietnam veteran. Ellis, director of the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce, was master of ceremonies for a celebra- tion on Saturday, May 29 at Lake Selmac, held in conjunction with the inau- guration of a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was led by members of the Illinois Valley High School Cou- gar Band, led by T. Lund, playing U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps songs, followed by the “Star Spangled Banner.” Ellis gave a speech before more than 100 vet- erans and Oregon resi- dents, praising their “selfless dedication and patriotism” that helped save this nation during WWII. During the past eight years, nearly $200 million was raised to build the Washington, D.C. memo- rial. It took four years to decide where it would go and what it would look like, and the last four years for fund-raising. (Continued on page 8) Nicole Navarro Navarro top Oregon idol By CHRISTINA HILL Correspondent Illinois Valley is filled with talented residents. And 16- year-old Nicole Navarro, a junior at Illinois Valley High School, is no exception. Navarro, who has been singing for the past five years, recently won the Oregon state title in Amer- ica’s High School Idol Contest. The singing competi- tion is open to talented high school students. It is a non-profit organization that offers scholarship op- portunities to gifted sing- ers, like Navarro. Navarro, also known as “Idol Ore- gon,” won a $2,500 schol- arship and an all-expenses paid trip to compete in New Orleans for the na- tional title. “The winner at nation- als will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a re- cording demo,” said Navarro. (Continued on page 3)
