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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 2005)
Mom’s request for Hwy. 199 guardrails approved by ODOT A good news telephone call from an Oregon high- way official left a Cave Junction mom in tears last week. She’s been working for more guardrails since last year’s death of her son on a section of Redwood Hwy. (199) unprotected by them. “John (John Vial, dis- trict manager for Oregon Dept. of Transportation/ ODOT) told me,” said Corey Allen, “that more guardrails have been ap- proved for portions of Red- wood Hwy. from Sis’s Gap to Hay’s Hill (approximately an 8-mile stretch). “I was so happy at the news,” she said, “that I burst into tears, and I told John I owe him a big hug.” She was told that $700,000 has been allocated for the project, and that the work is to be completed during this coming summer. Surveying has been conducted. Bright paint marks can be seen where the new guardrails will go. Allen’s dedicated, months-long efforts for more guardrails along a traf- fic accident-plagued section of Hwy. 199 followed the death of her son. Allen, assisted by her ex-husband, Darrell, have been working for more guardrails since their son, Josh, 22, died in a pickup truck crash in Sis’s Gap near infamous milepost 23 on July 7, 2004. They have worked with Vial, and attended meetings of the Josephine County Safer Streets Ahead For Everyone group. In addition, letters were written to legislators and others. Plus, the two com- plied a scrapbook of photos and stories demonstrating the numerous traffic crashes that have occurred on 199 between Hay’s Hill and Sis’s Gap, the latter being about a mile north of Eight Dollar Road. CofC sets ‘04 awards Saturday Awards and refresh- ments will be part of the annual general meeting of Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, Feb. 26. The public and free gathering will be held at Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. in Cave Junction beginning at 1 p.m. Chamber President Terri Smith, of Northwest Hairlines, will present the “State of the Chamber” re- port. And members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program will be honored. Nominations for the annual Citizen of the Year, and Business of the Year awards, based on 2004 ac- complishments and commu- nity contributions, have been voted on by chamber directors. The winners in those categories also will be rec- ognized. Honored last year, based on 2003 activities, were “Link” and Jennifer Phillippi, of Rough & Ready Lumber Co., for top citizens. Their recognition was based on reorganizing and reopening R&R in the face of a declining timber indus- try and providing employ- (Continued on page 8) Cave Junction Wednesday, Feb. 23 Variable sunshine, Clouds increasing late High--57, Low--36. Thursday, Feb. 24 Partly cloudy, Evening clearing High--57, Low--34. Illinois Valley High School wrestlers get enthusiastic student body send-off as they head to state competition Wednesday, Feb. 16. (Photo by Shane Welsh) Pagnotta leads I.V. matmen at state Five teammates also place; team narrowly misses fourth place Illinois Valley wrestlers met their goals this year, but they and their coaches have loftier ambitions for 2006. And with the talent and dedication that will remain, even after losing three wres- tlers to graduation later this year, there is little doubt about the fact that I.V. High School will be a superpower next year and beyond. The Cougars’ aims this season were “A” -- to cap- ture the Skyline District title; and “B” -- to place in the top five at the state meet. “A” was met handily Feb. 11 and 12 in Klamath Falls: “B” was met in Salem Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 17-19. *Senior Zach Pagnotta took 1st place at the state competition, winning his 152-pound weight class. *At 130, Jesse Swift took a 4th, and senior Sam Green placed 5th. *In the 119 category, Jacob Miller was 5th; and Paulo Rocha placed 7th. *Senior Wescott Lynch captured 7th at 152. *Overall, with 106 points, the Cougar team was only seven points out of 4th place and a trophy, although winning 5th place in state competition is nothing to be ashamed of. “It was a good year; we’re happy,” said head coach Jay Miller. “However, we now feel that winning the district and state meets next year -- or not less than being among at least the top three teams at state -- is well within our reach.” Miller noted that if two I.V. wrestlers hadn’t had to withdraw from the state mats, it’s likely that the team could have placed 3rd and won a trophy. (The top four teams receive trophies.) “It’s unfortunate, but these circumstances hap- pen,” said Miller. Adam Miller, the #2 seed at 140, withdrew because of back pain; and Lefi Tausaga (171) couldn’t compete due to a skin rash. But the Cougars already are looking forward to ma- jor sweeps next year. “We’re returning 11 kids of 13 who went to state,” said the head coach. “I know that if we work hard and wrestle to our po- tential, we will achieve our higher goals. “They are loftier,” he said, “but we can do it if we knuckle down.” His sentiments were echoed by assistant coach Ted Hall who aids Miller with assistant coach Eric Unger. Hall noted that of the six Skyline freshmen who went to state, “Five are from Illinois Valley,” and that “of the 21 Cougars who went to district, 19 placed. “We are confident,” added Hall, “that we will, of course, take district again, and that we will be a team in top contention at state. “With the talent we have already, we will be a power for years to come.” Miller added that new wrestlers likely will add even more to the team’s strengths. “A lot of our wrestlers in Salem came real close to winning medals,” said Hall. “We’re a happy bunch.” Besides those who achieved the winners’ circle at state, and the two who had to withdraw, other I.V. grapplers who earned the right to compete in Salem through their district accom- plishments are: Larry Ragsdale, Jerrad Miller, Jacob Ellis, Anthony Miller, and Duke Scott. And I.V. will lose senior George Middle to graduation. By CHRISTINA HILL Correspondent Security fencing to pre- vent materiel loss will be provided at no cost for new Illinois Valley Fire District station construction sites. Chief Harry Rich, dur- ing a board meeting at ad- ministrative headquarters Thursday night, Feb. 17, mentioned that he had cause for concern about the lack of security at the building sites for the new stations being built in Selma and Cave Junction. “Steel prices are up, and nuts and bolts will grow legs and walk away,” said Rich. “Batzer (Batzer Inc. of Med- ford), the company building the stations, raised some security issues concerning the unassembled buildings once they are delivered to the sites. “As a little added pro- tection, Batzer said they will put up temporary fencing at no extra cost to us,” the chief said. “If I have to,” he said, “I’ll go camp down there and make sure nobody takes anything. I don’t want the same thing to happen to us as what happened to Batzer when the Grange Co-op down in Grants Pass was being built. “Somebody drove their tractor down there and hooked up to one of the big long Batzer trailers and drove off. I don’t know how nobody noticed a big long trailer with Batzer down the side of it driving off. “But now, somebody is enjoying thousands of dol- Contractor will erect security fences at Cave Junction and Selma locations to deter theft of building material lars worth of Batzer’s tools,” the chief noted. According to Rich, Monday, Feb. 28, is the de- livery date for the steel, and “Batzer is moving rapidly on our project.” Deputy Chief Jeff Gav- lik added to the meeting by announcing that three fire- fi gh t e r s a r e t a k i n g “Wildland Fire” classes and that three others will be tak- ing a class on flammable gas and liquids. “We currently have six students in the EMT class and they are doing well,” said Gavlik. “They should finish in mid-March and the state test is in April.” The next IVFD board meeting is set for March 17 at 7 p.m. at IVFD headquar- ters, the former site of Fire Mountain Gems. Disc golf teams plan big fling at new Lake Selmac course Approximately 50 play- ers will compete at Lake Selmac on Sunday, Feb. 27 in the Southern Oregon Winter Series disc golf com- petition. Spectators can attend at no charge. The event near the Boy Scout area, with a total of 36 holes, will begin at about 9:30 a.m. and last until around 4 p.m. Participants will be from disc golf clubs includ- ing those in Grants Pass, Medford, Roseburg and Eugene, according to a spokesman. Legislative hotline due March 1 Josephine County commissioners announced that they have set up a legislative telephone hotline with four legislators to obtain updates on various measures. The hotline sessions, which the public can attend, will be held on first and third Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3 p.m. in Room 154 at the county courthouse in Grants Pass starting March 1. State Sen. Jason Atkinson, and Reps. Gordon Anderson, Dennis Richardson and Susan Morgan will be asked to pro- vide updates on measures they are dealing with. “It will also give them a chance to hear our concerns on issues that might affect us locally,” said the commissioners. Saturday, Feb. 26 Scattered showers, Mild evening High--58, Low--37. Sunday, Feb. 27 Partly cloudy, Evening showers High--55, Low--36. Tuesday, Mar. 1 Liquid sunshine, Soggy evening High--54, Low--37. improvements for highway safety.” In the latest crash, on Feb. 11, two women in one car went down a 140-foot embankment, unprotected by guardrails on Hay’s Hill. Both are recovering from their injuries. Regarding the good news she’s received from ODOT, an elated Corey said, “I can’t believe it; it’s just fantastic. I can hardly wait until the guardrails are installed.” Work on new fire sites continues to progress Friday, Feb. 25 Variable clouds, Decreasing late High--59, Low--35. Monday, Feb. 28 Increasing clouds, Chance of rain late High--54, Low--36. The pickup truck their son was driving went off 199 and struck a tree. He was dead at the scene, 21 days from his 23rd birthday. Besides his parents he left behind his fiancée and young child. In addition to their other efforts, including noting the various crashes through the years, the mom and dad “carefully checked” the roadway. That resulted in their listing “17 areas that need EQUESTRIAN TEAM RIDES HIGH - The Illinois Valley High School equestrian team did an exceptional job at its first meet early this month at Jackson County Expo. Members are (not in order) seniors Kaylah Arnett, Echo Reagan and Brent Rollins; junior Sara Arnold; sophomores Kelsey Arnett, Angel Cavallo, Tony Cavallo and Tif- fany Thom; and freshmen Nicole Farr and Abram Mahoney. Results of the meet will be in next week’s issue. (Photo by Michael Costello of MC Graphics and Images) Four out of five puppies agree that the ‘Illinois Valley News’ is the place to go.