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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2005)
50¢ A Christmas tale: Family, friends combine for ‘holiday pickup’ Larry Smith admires his pickup truck, which was refurbished through a grass-roots labor of love. (Photos by Bryan Harley) By BRYAN HARLEY IVN Staff Writer Cave Junction resident Larry Smith, 49, has owned his 1972 Ford F-150 4x4 truck since he was 18. Miles of memories have been logged behind its steer- ing wheel. Even after the clutch went out five years ago, he still couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it. A little paint, some new tires, a little work under the hood -- Larry sensed that one of these days he was going to get that old truck running again. Then came the diagnosis. Larry & Annette Smith have had a rough 2005. Each suffered the loss of one of their parents this past year. In May, Larry was diagnosed with colon can- cer. Chemo treatments fol- lowed. Drained by the effects of the radiation, Larry’s dream of restoring his prized truck sat rusting in the yard gathering fallen leaves. That’s when his adoring wife, Annette, seized the initiative. “Larry’s the type that always gave to those who were in need and never asked for anything in (Continued on page 10) Smith and son as he gets his first glimpse. Cave Junction fire death investigated as homicide Oregon State Police Arson Squad detectives from Cen- tral Point sift through debris after a Cave Junction structure fire in which a body was found. (Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg/Illinois Valley Fire District) A homicide investiga- tion is under way following discovery of the charred remains of a white male at a major structure fire in the city of Cave Junction. Missing is Curtis Dylan Willie, 28, who rented a sin- gle-wide mobile home and lived alone at 208 1/2 Caves Ave., said Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO). A transient, Benjamin Allen Tolle, 28, was found with one of the victim’s two vehicles after the blaze, re- ported at approximately 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Tolle was arrested in Illinois Valley by JCSO under out- standing warrants at ap- proximately 10 p.m. the day of the blaze. Besides the missing vehicle, officers found some of Willie’s personal belong- ings near the destroyed resi- dence. The items were re- covered. The body of the uniden- tified victim is similar in physical description to that of Willie, said JCSO. His family in Tennessee is coop- erating with the investiga- tion, and dental records are to arrive soon. The body in the home was taken to the state morgue in Central Point, and an autopsy will be (Continued on page 10) County job market has high marks Letters to Santa, including some from yesteryear, begin on page 13, as well as holiday greetings from a number of valley merchants. By adding 900 payroll jobs since November 2004, Josephine County’s job- growth rate outpaced Ore- gon’s statewide rate, which during that time was the sixth fastest in the country. So said Oregon Employ- ment Dept. (OED), which announced Friday, Dec. 16 that due to seasonal declines in leisure-and-hospitality the Josephine County jobless rate during November this year rose a notch to 6.2 per- cent from 6.1 in October. During November ‘04 the county unemployment rate was 7.7 percent. OED noted that last month in the county 32,804 persons were employed, out of a civilian labor force of 34,984. Jackson County’s job- less rate was 5.0 percent, up from 4.9 during October. In Josephine County, said OED, employment fell during November in a num- ber of industries. “With a much wetter November than the previous month, construction em- ployment slipped by 20,” said the agency. It added that during the past year, “The construction sector added 170 jobs. With build- ing permit data still showing no signs of a slowdown, employment should remain strong in the coming months. “Data show 740 resi- dential building permits is- sued through October,” OED said. “During the same period last year, 661 resi- dential-unit permits were issued in the county.” Retail trade in the county last month “bucked the trend of many sectors,” gaining 70 jobs. Sectors posting slight employment losses were transportation, warehousing and utilities (-20), financial activities (-30), professional and business services (-20), federal government (-10) state government (-30), and “other” services (-20). With the tourist season in its typical seasonal re- treat, employment fell by 170 during November, re- ported OED. Most published sectors recorded job gains during the past 12 months, OED noted. It listed those gaining the most as manufacturing (+240), retail (+250), whole- sale trade (+100), profes- sional and business services (+70), health care and social assistance (+80), and local education (+70). Last month’s seasonally adjusted rate for Oregon was 5.8 percent. The U.S. rate was 5.0 percent. Josephine Interagency Narcotics Team member gains top enforcement honors Illinois Valley Wednesday, Dec. 21 Cloudy, Rain Likely High--52 Low--35 Thursday, Dec. 22 Mostly Cloudy High--48 Low--34 Friday, Dec. 23 Cloudy & Cool High--49 Low--35 Saturday, Dec. 24 Clouds Continue High--50 Low--33 A HEAD START FIELD TRIP to Illinois Valley Fire Dis- trict’s (IVFD) Station 1 in Cave Junction occurred Fri- day, Dec. 16. One boy (photo immediately above) wore a shirt proclaiming his desire to be a fireman some day. I.V. firefighters and American Medical Response personnel conducted a tour for the children. (Photos by Dale & Elaine Sandberg/IVFD) Sunday, Dec. 25 Merry Christmas!! Mostly Cloudy High--49 Low--33 Monday, Dec. 26 Rain High--50 Low--32 Tuesday, Dec. 27 Partly Cloudy High--50 Low--33 Detective Pete Jenista, a member of the Josephine Interagency Narcotics Team (JOINT), has been honored as 2005 Oregon State Nar- cotics Officer of the Year by the Oregon Narcotics En- forcement Association (ONEA). Jenista is a member of the Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety, who has been assigned to JOINT since 2000, said JOINT Detective Sgt. Ken Selig, of Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. ONEA President Ron Nelson presented Jenista the prestigious award dur- ing the recent annual ONEA conference in Wilsonville. Jenista was given the award for his dedication and hard work in narcotics and drug enforcement in Jose- phine County, said Selig. The award-winning detective is frequently the lead investigator in many of the narcotics and drug cases worked each year by JOINT investigators. During the past year, JOINT investiga- tors have removed from the streets of Josephine County: *More than 13 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of more than $108,000. *Seven methampheta- mine manufacturing labs. *Some 4,500 marijuana plants associated with four separate organized crime groups operating in Jose- phine County. *The seizure of slightly more than $3 million in criminal asset forfeitures. Jenista and JOINT in- vestigators work closely with the federal court sys- tem; thereby saving Jose- phine County thousands of dollars in local prosecution costs, Selig noted. Jenista has played a key role in the enforcement of drug laws that reduce Jose- phine County’s metham- phetamine production and drug dependency, said Selig. Under the ONEA sys- tem, Oregon is divided into four districts. District 3 comprises Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and Josephine coun- ties. Jenista was chosen from all districts in the state to receive the ONEA award for narcotics enforcement.
