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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 9, 2004 June 15 set to OK RCC new budget The Rogue Commu- nity College Budget Com- mittee moved a step closer during its May 18 meeting to finalize the fiscal 2004- 05 budget. The panel approved the $27.649 million gen- eral fund budget, with final adoption by the RCC Board of Education set for June 15. The $27.649 million is approximately $547,000 higher than the proposed $27.1 million budget the panel reviewed in April. That amount was described as essentially a “rollover budget” by Lynda Warren, dean of College Services. The slight increase stems from projections for higher enrollment next year, which would produce more tuition and fees, Warren explained. The additional revenue would be used to increase the contingency reserve from $471,000 to $801,000 and to cover costs of addi- tional part-time instructors who may be needed to meet increased enrollment. The budget committee also reaffirmed the com- mitment made in 2003 to hold fees and tuition level for two years. If the board of education adopts the 2004-05 budget as pro- posed, tuition will remain at $59 for in-state students, $71 for out-of-state stu- dents, and $191 for inter- national students. Fees also will remain fixed. The board of educa- tion, which convened after the budget committee, ac- cepted a $10,000 grant from the city of Grants Pass for the Grants Pass Manufacturing Support Pilot Project through the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The project will enable area businesses and manufac- turers to acquire technical expertise needed to stay competitive with global economy. The board also con- ducted a first reading of the panel’s annual reor- ganization. If it receives final approval in June, Pat Huycke will serve as board chairman for 2004-05, tak- ing the reins from Dr. David Trump. Sharon Davidson will be vice chairman. I.V. Chamber presents ‘Route 66’ FREE country music concert in Jubilee Park on Thursday, June 17, 6:30 - 8 p.m. Page 9 ODOT Road Projects map available Want to know where and when you might en- counter orange cones and work zones as you travel around Oregon this sum- mer? The Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) is distributing the Summer 2004 Road Projects Map so that motorists can plan ahead. With 121 projects on the map, this is one of the busiest construction sea- sons in recent history, said ODOT. The increase is fueled in part by the Ore- gon Transportation Invest- ment Act (OTIA). The Oregon Legisla- ture passed a series of funding packages that raise $2.96 billion for highway and bridge construction work during the next sev- eral years. OTIA funding is contributing to 17 pro- jects scheduled for this construction season. “More road projects also means you’re more likely to encounter a work zone,” said ODOT. “When driving through a work zone, remember to slow down; be alert for changes to traffic patterns; and be aware of workers and equipment. In 2002, there were 305 traffic crashes, five fatalities and 290 inju- ries related to traffic in work zones.” The construction map is a helpful guide for gen- eral information about con- struction activity. For cur- rent road conditions, in- cluding construction activ- ity, motorists can log on to www.TripCheck.com or phone 511. The map is available at several locations around the state, including offices of Driver and Motor Vehi- cle Services, truck stops, welcome centers and ODOT offices. Excellent water year seen drying up David Packard looking for his cockatoo ‘Max’ missing; owner wants friend returned “Max” the cockatoo is missing, and his human buddy suspects fowl play. Greatly missing his feathered friend since around 7:30 p.m. on May 31 is David Packard, who recently relocated to Cave Junction from San Diego. “Max,” who’s approxi- mately 10, is a white male Moluccan cockatoo stand- ing about a foot tall. He has a bright orange crest. He is friendly and has an amazing vocabulary. “And he doesn’t bite,” said Packard. The facts about the disappearance are sparse, but deputies of Josephine County Sheriff’s Office are on the alert for the bird as a possible theft case. “Here’s what hap- pened,” said Packard. He went to Shop Smart for something, and left “Max” on a shopping cart handle near one entrance. It was not unusual for him to do so, Packard noted. He was inside for less than five minutes. When he got outside again, “Max” was gone. Some people at the deposit container machines told Packard that his little buddy had been picked up by a young, blond-haired woman, who said that she was going to place an ad to find the owner. She drove away in a blue SUV, it was reported. Since then, Packard has received no word about “Max,” and has seen no ads seeking the bird’s owner. “I just want him back,” said Packard. He’s the son of CJ residents Mark and Karen Boney. The bird is worth approx imatel y $2,000, he said. Packard has lived with “Max” for the past two years, since a co-worker at the senior retirement home where they worked gave him the critter. “She had to find a new place for him,” said Pack- ard, “as her husband told her it was either him or the bird.” During his work at the retirement center, “Max” often perched on Packard’s shoulder while he worked with handicapped and Alz- heimer’s patients. They have a close friendship, and Packard misses him. Plus he’s worried about his welfare. “Max,” like others of his breed, has the mentality of a 4- to 5-year-old child, and picks out his own fruits and vegetables for meals. Packard and his family have been driving around the area trying to find “Max.” He will come to any- one who calls his name, as he can fly for short dis- tances with his clipped wings. His extensive vocabu- lary includes, “Love bird,” and “come back.” He also makes a whispering noise like several people talking, and he enjoys being petted like a cat. Anyone with informa- tion about the bird’s whereabouts can phone 592-3109. A lot of people are hoping for a reunion of man and cockatoo. Tell your friends you saw it in the ‘I.V. Noose’ Phone for an appointment NOW! (800) 753-2940 For a Free Hearing Test More than 30 years experience Grants Pass Hearing Center IN CAVE JUNCTION DATE: Monday, June 14 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. LOCATION: Select Market OTHER HOURS BY APPOINTMENT St. Patrick of the Forest Catholic Church Celebrations during June will continue with the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ on Sunday, June 13. Scripture readings from Paul and Luke con- tain passages related to breaking bread and distrib- uting food. They are great stories that remind us of how the Lord provides for his people. A folk singer is a person who gets rich singing about how wonderful it is to be poor. - George Viola - Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects. - Will Rogers - The chances of an ex- cellent water year for Ore- gon agriculture have liter- ally dried up the past cou- ple of months as a warm, dry spring has replaced the wet, snowy winter across most of the state. The end result is a summer of mixed results for irrigators depending on where they live and how much water they need. “Water conditions for agriculture have been up and down this year, at best,” said Jon Lea, hy- drologist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conser- vation Service. “In January, we had a lot of rainfall around the state and some really good snow levels in the higher elevations. Right up to the first week of March, every- thing looked good. Then it sort of stopped.” The snow pack, so im- portant for Oregon’s 27 major irrigation reservoirs, peaked out a month earlier than normal. March usu- ally brings with it a good amount of snow - up to 20 percent of Oregon’s snow- pack is developed during the month - but the weather turned warm and dry right through April, turning a potentially very good water year into one not so rosy. “It’s almost as if we didn’t get 20 percent of our snowfall this year,” said Lea. “By the end of March, we were already seeing snow melt even in the higher elevations. That’s at least a month early.” Mountain snowpack is critical to healthy stream flows that end up in irriga- tion reservoirs around the state. Much of Oregon ag- riculture, especially east of the Cascades, depends on a good supply of water pro- vided by the reservoirs. Whereas the 2003 wa- ter year started slow and ended strong following a wet and cool spring, this year got off to an impres- sive start. Statewide snow- pack through February reached about 130 percent of average. Some locations had precipitation 140 per- cent of average during the wet, cool, early winter in Oregon. While many Orego- nians enjoyed the nice weather in March, the lack of additional snow in the mountains did nothing to solidify the prospects of having plenty of water in the summer. Riverside Physical Therapy A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts. - Sir Joshua Reynolds - 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 Full Rehabilitation Services: Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU Cave Junction Office 218 N. Redwood Hwy. (541) 592-6580 grants Pass Office 1619 N.W. Hawthorne Ave. Suite 109 (541) 476-2502 Jeff Wood, M.S., P.T.