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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2005)
Page 7 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, October 5, 2005 Food stamp rise Clarke among four leaving sheriff ... Oregon’s nearly 218,000 food-stamp house- holds will receive slight increases as of Oct. 1. Individuals receiving the maximum benefit will get a $3 rise to $152 per month. A family of four getting the maximum benefit will go from $499 a month to $506. The changes affect approximately 428,750 people, said Oregon De- partment of Human Ser- vices. The average amount of food stamps per Oregon household is approxi- mately $174. (Continued from page 1) Pacific Power prez piqued Effective Tuesday, Oct. 4, an overall price rise of approximately 3.2 percent went into effect for Pacific Power customers. The increase order, ap- proved by Oregon Public Utilities Commission (OPUC), also reduces the proposed rise by $26 million “to account for tax deduc- tions for costs that have never been borne by custom- ers,” said Judi Johansen, PacifiCorp president & CEO. Pacific Power filed its rate case in November 2004 “to recover increases in op- erating costs including fuel, purchased power, pension and health-care costs.” Pacific Power said that it is analyzing OPUC’s or- der and “considering its full range of legal options.” Caregivers workshop at Lovejoy “Caregiver 101” work- shops on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lovejoy Hospice office con- ference room, 939 S.E. Eighth St., Grants Pass, are offered by Lovejoy and Lin- care Inc. The workshop is for all friends and family members who are or will be taking care of a loved one at home. The workshop covers topics from how to keep people independent to total care of a patient. Hands-on skills are taught, and participants will be given the opportunity to practice each skill. A workbook will be provided for each registered participant. Pre-registration will be accepted until Fri- day, Sept. 30. A continental breakfast and beverages will be offered. Participants are encour- aged to bring lunch or go to a restaurant. The cost of the workshop is $15, and schol- arships are available. “Caring for your loved one can be stressful and challenging when you don’t know some basic skills to make life easier on every- one,” noted Judi Hill, Lovejoy nurse and work- shop developer. “After 39 years of nurs- ing and hundreds of families asking, ‘How did you do that?,’ I decided it was time to teach a class of basic care-giving hands-on skills,” she said. “Besides basic skills,” she added, “we will cover topics such as advanced directives, and communica- tions skills to help families talk about the choices they have in their care.” Co-presenter is Kath- leen Wingerson, a registered respiratory therapist and health-care specialist for Lincare. For more information and pre-registration phone Lovejoy Hospice at (888) 758-8569. peace of mind in a solvent, positive and inviting work- ing environment from Brookings that has lured us away. “Fighting the bad guys was easy,” he said, “but dealing with the county commissioners and taking it from both directions has finally worn me out down. For those who remain, I hope the commissioners will try and improve the hand dealt,” Clarke said. Daniel said that his of- fice will advertise soon to replace the officers who are leaving. He also noted that county commissioners have reduced paid leave, and dumped matching employee contributions to a deferred compensation account. And because of what appears to be an impending loss of approximately $15 million in “safety net” money to help fund county operations, there is an air of uncertainty for long-term employment. Besides being a super- visor, Clarke is a deputy medical examiner, the ca- nine coordinator, and foun- der of Josephine County Friends of the K-9. He has served as officer-in-charge of the Illinois Valley Sub- station, and city of Cave Junction contract officer among other tasks. He is taking his K-9 partner, “Peeko,” with him to Brookings. It’s unlikely that he will be put to work because at 7-plus years, the animal is near the retirement age of 8. But he will remain certified through February and might be called upon to assist, Clarke said. “Peeko” was purchased and trained through the Friends’ private money. His upkeep costs also are paid by the group. Deputies who serve as handlers also help pay for maintenance from their own pockets. Clarke said that has loved working for the sher- iff’s office, and that, “I love the independent and proud spirit of Illinois Valley, and have always defended it to the best of my ability. “Many a time, when a slur toward the Cave Junc- tion/Illinois Valley area was made, I could respond easily that the people of I.V. were willing to entertain and take it upon themselves to have a dedicated contract deputy, unlike others in the county. “Also part of my fond- est feelings is the ownership that the people in Illinois Valley took in the law en- forcement officers assigned to the substation while it existed.” He added that in his ex- perience, “The contract dep- uty still and always has only been able to cover 40 hours a week. When the sheriff’s office had other staffing in the valley for day shift, swing shift and graveyard shift, a greater amount of security and the ability to get things done was possible. “It was a ‘full meal deal,’ Now that those other deputies are not available, and only the CJ contract deputy remains, some feel that they are getting less service with the 40 con- tracted hours. Not so. It just feels that way because be- fore it was 40 hours plus a lot more from others. “While these thoughts are mine and do not neces- sarily represent the sheriff’s office -- if the strong and independent people of Illi- nois Valley came up with some options in what spe- cific amount of police, jail- ers, probation, mental health and DA’s (they are all con- nected) -- and put it to a vote like for a taxing district, then maybe the other portions of the county would catch on and want to join and make this county a greater place.” Daniel said that the sheriff’s office will miss Clarke, and that he is a good officer who will be difficult to replace. Linda Sallman 128 S. Redwood Hwy. Cave Junction OR 97523 541-592-4541 Across from Select Market on Redwood Hwy. Open Mondays - Fridays, 9 to 5 Auto - Home - Life - Commercial Horizon Village invites the public to join us for our Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 8th, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. We will serve apple cobbler, pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. The ‘Old Time Fiddlers’ will entertain us with their lively music. The event will be held at our gazebo on University Road in Grants Pass (follow the balloons). Go west on 199, left on Hubbard Lane, then right on University. Phone Sandy at 955-0777 for more information.
