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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2006)
50¢ Logging protestors cultivating sit-in on $8 green bridge Gatherings to protest logging -- including a sit-in on the Eight Dollar Road green bridge -- and to com- memorate the late forest activist Joan Miller Norman, are planned for next week. Persons opposed to some Illinois Valley har- vesting planned by the Bu- reau of Land Management (BLM) are to congregate and camp at the green bridge over the river Mon- day, March 13, and Tues- day, March 14. “Join us (Monday) as we camp at the green bridge and remember Joan, and network for this year’s cam- paigns,” reads a flier. It identifies neither a sponsor for the assembly nor related activities. It adds that on Tuesday, “We start the morning with a memorial, peaceful sit-in on the bridge, and a Cele- bration Walk beginning at the bridge and ending at BLM in Grants Pass.” The walk is to end Fri- day, March 17 with a “chance to confront BLM,” according to the flier. Protesters apparently are up in arms because of BLM’s five planned timber sales: the East Illinois, West Fork Illinois, Althouse Sucker, Tennessee Lime, and South Deer. They de- scribed them as “insanity.” Mrs. Norman died at 72 on July 23, 2005 in a head- on motor vehicle accident on Hwy. 199 a few miles south of O’Brien. She had been arrested twice on the green bridge during 2005 for refusing to leave during a protests against Biscuit Fire salvage logging. Her second arrest in March resulted in her spend- ing three weeks in the Jose- phine County Jail. She had said, “I don’t know what else to do to stop the log trucks, so I am sit- ting down again.” Another of her quotes is, “Tell them to get some fire in their bel- lies and come to this gate of paradise and help us defend it. Tell them to come. I will be here.” Because of the protests a year ago, BLM and the U.S. Forest Service closed Eight Dollar Road to the public while logging contin- ued. The road was closed from approximately mid- March until July 31 after being extended from July 1. Another flier, from Tal- ent-based Oregon Heritage Forests, also was received. The basic position stated is: “The Bureau of Land Management has be- gun revising management plans for Western Oregon public forests. Currently protected old-growth forests are at-risk, threatening streams, view and possibly your property. “It doesn’t have to be that way. Act today to pro- tect your interests in public land management.” Murder attempt listed A Cave Junction man wounded by sheriff’s depu- ties has been charged with attempted murder. Kurtis K. Korff, 39, was arraigned Thursday, March 2, in Josephine County Cir- cuit Court. He was being held without bail in the county jail after being re- leased from Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland. He also faces charges of first-degree burglary, and second-degree assault. KURTIS K. KORFF He has been granted a court-appointed attorney, with arraignment scheduled for Friday, March 10. 5 arrested in O’Brien home invasion ruckus Illinois Valley varsity girls celebrate following their vic- tory vs. North Bend, giving them a ride to the state championship bracket. Emily Dudley (below) cuts the victory net. (Photos by Dale Sandberg) I.V. girls bite Bulldogs to earn ticket to state Cougars to play top-ranked 27-0 Burns It was a net profit night for Illinois Valley’s girls, as the Cougars put a leash on the North Bend Bulldogs 40-36, earning a berth at the 3-A state tournament. In an intense contest against the defending state champion in Ken Mann Me- morial Gym on Friday night, March 3, Illinois Val- ley kept fans spellbound, culminating in a breath- taking finish. It was a classic sports plot: Cougars trailing 38-36. Approximately 21 seconds left in the game. Senior point guard Emily Dudley gets two free throws. She could tie the game by sinking one basket. But she makes both. Result: Illinois Valley triumphs 40-36, and many in the audience swarm onto the court, while the “victory net” is cut down. So on Wednesday, March 8 in Corvallis, I.V. was to face the Burns Hilanders, another 3-A powerhouse top-spot team with a 27-0 record. The Cougars, who took first place in the Skyline Confer- ence, have a 21-2 mark. Only eight teams at- tained the state show. Besides Dudley, I.V.’s team effort vs. the Bulldogs included a game-high 20 points from junior Sheena Cole with 8-of-11 shooting. Dudley ended with 10 points. In the crucial fourth period she was 2-for-4 from the field. Her contributions included a major 3-pointer with some five minutes on the clock, and she was good for 3-of-4 charity shots in the final period. Another Cougar stand- out was Shannon Loock, a junior reserve post. She turned in two important field goals to end the third with I.V. leading 33-32. Earlier, the Bulldogs led 31-24. Overall, the Cougars recorded 22 rebounds, with Sarah Houston accounting for eight. Last year I.V. lost to Junction City in overtime with a state position at stake. (See additional photo on page 11) Good luck at state, Cougars! Described as “armed and dangerous,” a woman wanted in connection with an officer-involved shooting incident near O’Brien was arrested Wednesday after- noon, March 1 after turning herself in, said Oregon State Police. OSP, working in con- junction with Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Major Crime Team investigators, took into cus- tody Sherie Irene Wright, 48, in the Cave Junction area. Detectives charged her with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, sec- ond-degree assault, first- and second-degree theft, and unlawful possession of a weapon. She was taken to Jose- phine County Jail. In the Feb. 26 incident in the 37000 block of Hwy. 199, two JCSO deputies opened fire at Cave Junction resident Kurtis K. Korff, 39, who was in a vehicle and who “accelerated toward one deputy.” He had slipped in mud, but was able to re- gain his feet. The deputies had re- sponded at approximately 8:20 p.m. to a 911 call from William Neith, 38. He reported that three to six people entered his resi- dence; held him at gunpoint; and assaulted him with the handle of the firearm before he was able to escape. OSP said that while the officers were interviewing Neith, a vehicle with five men inside approached and was ordered to stop. The driver stopped and backed up; then exited the vehicle. Korff then got into the driver’s seat, OSP said. He “allegedly accelerated to- ward the deputy,” OSP said. Korff was struck in his head, and taken by Ameri- can Medical Response to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. He later was transferred to Ore- gon Health & Science Uni- versity in Portland. Upon being released there, OSP arrested him un- der a state Parole & Proba- tion warrant charging failure to appear on an unspecified charge. Also arrested in connec- tion with the incident: Aaron Dean Yoshiwara, 35, who was driving the vehicle initially; and James S. Towe, 30, and James Aaron Sherman, 20. They each were charged with first-degree burglary, sec- ond-degree assault, and first- and second-degree theft. Michael Martinho, 25, was arrested on the same charges, plus being charged as a felon in possession of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon. All were taken to county jail. The patrol deputies who responded, who were rou- tinely placed on paid admin- istrative leave, were identi- fied as Jim Geiger, 30; and Brad Johnson, 44. They have been with JCSO for 8 1/2 and 5 1/2 years respec- tively. The investigation is continuing, according to a report by OSP. State police gain grant for extra patrolling on Redwood Hwy. corridor near GP Oregon State Police (OSP) has been awarded a grant of approximately $17,000 to provide extra enforcement on Redwood Hwy. near Grants Pass, a roadway considered one of the 10 most-dangerous in the state. The Redwood Hwy. Safety Corridor is one of seven around the state to be selected by Oregon Dept. (ODOT) of Transportation. “Safety corridors are sections of state highways that ODOT has identified as having a fatal and serious injury crash rate that is at or higher than 110 percent of the three-year statewide av- erage for a similar type roadway,” said Anne Holder, ODOT Safety Divi- sion Statewide Roadway Safety Program manager. OSP received funding to work 273 overtime hours during 2006 in the Redwood Hwy. Safety Corridor. Dur- ing March 1996, ODOT designated the approxi- mately 7-mile stretch of highway south of Grants Pass as a safety corridor due to higher than average crash problems. “This area is especially dangerous due to the large number of driveways and cross-streets, which creates a high number of vehicles entering and exiting the highway,” said OSP Sgt. Jeff Fitzgerald. “This danger is height- ened by the amount of traf- fic on this highway,” he said, “which is increasing as the population grows. “Redwood Hwy. has been considered one of the 10 most-dangerous in Ore- gon. Speed limits have been reduced to deter the danger, but the high number of of- fending drivers is continu- ing. We are hoping that an increased presence will pre- vent drivers from taking unnecessary risks.” During 2005 alone, OSP responded to approxi- mately 102 motor vehicle crashes on Redwood Hwy. (Hwy. 199) and arrested 72 people on a charge of driv- ing under the influence of an intoxicant. Many of these crashes involved injuries and three involved fatalities. New legislation has created increased fines for people traveling more than 30 mph on roadways. Fines are also increased for viola- tions committed within a Safety Corridor.
