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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.