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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 21, 2007
DeFazio concerned about gas prices
Reintroduction of legis-
lation
to
address
“skyrocketing gas prices”
was announced by Congress-
man Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)
“The legislation would
increase fuel efficiency stan-
dards as well as lower prices
by cracking down on price-
gouging by OPEC, impos-
ing a windfall profits
tax and increasing competi-
tion in the oil industry,”
among other measures, De-
Fazio said.
Gas prices in Oregon
are currently the fifth high-
est of any state in the coun-
try. DeFazio’s legislation,
the Gasoline Price Stabiliza-
tion Act of 2007, is an up-
dated version of legislation
he originally introduced in
March 2003.
“We need short-term
measures to protect consum-
ers and businesses from
skyrocketing prices at the
pump, and longer-term pro-
posals to reduce our
reliance on foreign oil and
promote alternative tech-
nologies,” DeFazio said.
“The House recently
approved an Energy Bill
that would repeal a variety
of oil industry giveaways
and use that money to sig-
nificantly boost the federal
investment in alternative
and renewable fuels, energy
efficiency and conservation
programs,” he said.
“This is a great start,”
he added, “but we must do
more to ensure that oil com-
panies are not gouging con-
sumers at the pump while
waiting for these longer-
term efforts to bear fruit.”
The DeFazio legislation
includes several short-term
and long-term proposals
to protect consumers and to
reduce U.S. reliance on for-
eign sources of oil, the con-
gressman said.
State burned about tobacco addiction
Public and private enti-
ties charged with preventing
and treating addictions and
mental illness are being
urged by the Oregon Dept.
of Human Services to help
clients quit using tobacco.
A letter was sent to 180
treatment providers, county
administrators, prevention
specialists, health plans and
mental health organizations.
In it, Bob Nikkel, DHS as-
sistant director for addic-
tions and mental health, said
that tobacco cessation has
not been a high enough pri-
ority.
“In many cases tobacco
has been used as a positive
reinforcement ...,” Nikkel
wrote. “Some facilities re-
ward good patient behavior
by allowing them to use
tobacco.”
Nikkel said that people
with addictions or mental
illness are two to three times
more likely to smoke than
the general population.
He added that a Journal
of the American Medical
Association article reported
during 2000 that in the
United States 44 percent of
cigarettes are smoked by
this population.
“As the nation’s leading
preventable cause of dis-
ease, disability and death,
tobacco is even more harm-
ful for this population,” he
said.
He urged providers to
help clients quit tobacco by
encouraging them to use the
free tobacco “quit line” --
(800) QUIT-NOW -- that is
said to successfully counsel
tobacco users, based on past
experience.
Providers are urged to
work with community to-
bacco coalitions and help
clients engage Oregon
Health Plan-financed to-
bacco-cessation services.
Portland liquor store sales $7.23 million
Portland’s Uptown Liq-
uor Store sold $7.23 million
in distilled spirits during
2006, topping the state’s
241 stores in sales for the
year, according to Oregon
Liquor Control Commis-
sion, (OLCC).
Agent Russell Kelley
recorded sales of $4.95 mil-
lion to neighboring bars,
restaurants and other dis-
pensers, and $2.28 million
to walk-in customers.
Agent Charles Wood-
ward’s Tigard liquor store
was second in sales at $5.8
million -- $4.2 million to
dispensers and $1.63 million
to the public. The fifth-
ranked store, Salem East,
had three times more sales
to walk-ins: $4.07 million to
the public and $1.34 million
to dispensers, for a $5.4 mil-
lion total. The agent is
Douglas Powell.
These stores rounded
out the top 20 in sales: Port-
land 10 th Avenue, $5.64
million; Bend East, $5.64
million; Beaverton Town
Square, $5.38 million;
Gresham Troutdale, $5.17
million; Oregon City, $4.77
million; Portland Down-
town, $4.7 million; Portland
Eleventh Ave., $4.58 mil-
lion; Gresham East, $4.46
million; Eugene NE, $4.37
million; Portland 205, $4.3
million; Eugene Downtown,
$4.28 million; Salem South,
$4.2 million.
Also, Portland Haw-
thorne, $4.09 million; Port-
land Jantzen Beach, $4 mil-
lion; Milwaukie, $3.9 mil-
lion; Bend North, $3.86 mil-
lion; and Medford North
$3.8 million.
When the Oregon Liq-
uor Control Commission
issued its first price list in
February 1934, quarts of
Canadian Club whiskey sold
for $5.24.
Fairgrounds ‘fairly’ close to the wire ...
(Continued from page 1)
with the county as the gov-
erning board of all the
county’s services and a pro-
gram within the county that,
by statute, really is answer-
able to a fair board,” Hill
stated.
“The activities that hap-
pen at the fairground are
dictated by the fair board,”
she said. “That puts that
county service in a unique
position compared to other
county services.”
Raffenburg said that the
commissioners expect to
exercise financial oversight
over fair operations, with the
fair board handling day-to-
day matters.
“Our position is very
clear,” Raffenburg said.
“From an administrative
standpoint, the fair manager
reports to the county chief
operating officer. From an
operational standpoint, the
‘Rainy Day’ plan OK’d
Historic legislation es-
tablishing a General Fund
“Rainy Day” account was
signed into law Friday,
March 16 by Gov. Kulon-
goski.
Oregon was one
of six states without such a
fund, but with the Education
Stability Fund. With the
bills signed into law Friday,
Oregon now will have full
protection for education,
human services and public
safety funding during future
economic downturns, ac-
cording to the governor.
With the bills, “We
have built a roof over our
heads, and when the next
economic storm comes,
we’ll be ready,” the gover-
nor said.
“We will continue to
provide vital services,” he
said, “and we will have ful-
filled our most solemn obli-
gation as elected officials to
protect health, safety and
future of the people
of Oregon.”
House Bills 2707 and
2031 will establish a reserve
fund to cover future revenue
shortfalls. Specifically, they
are:
*Retain an estimated
$290.3 million of the antici-
pated 2007 corporate in-
come tax kicker to finance
the reserve fund.
*Require the ending
balance of the General Fund
(up to 1 percent of its appro-
priations) to be placed in the
fund, an estimated $138.4
million this biennium.
*Provide $24.8 million
in tax rebates to small busi-
nesses with less than $5 mil-
lion in Oregon sales.
*Set strict economic
criteria and require a three-
fifths vote of the Legislature
to access the fund.
*Limit the amount that
could be drawn from the
account in any biennium to
two thirds of its total value.
*Designate that interest
earned on the fund will be
committed to the fund.
*Cap the size of the
account to 7.5 percent of the
prior biennium’s General
Fund revenues.
fair manager reports to the
fair board.”
McBee said that the
MOU “will probably be
ready” by March 28.
In terms of achieving
solvency, McBee said that a
series of community fund-
raisers have been scheduled,
including a barbecue
chicken dinner, dance,
grandstand show and silent
auction.
McBee said she is opti-
mistic that these measures
will be enough to raise the
$93,000 that the fair still
owes the county.
“Between all of these,
we’ll be fine,” McBee said.
“We’ll make it.”
Raffenburg said that the
fair board needs to recog-
nize the overall severity of
the situation, and should act
accordingly.
“There is no doubt that
the fair board is dealing with
a crisis,” Raffenburg said.
“Hopefully, they will get it
resolved before the money
stops.”
A PICKUP TRUCK vs. bicycle accident was
reported at 2:28 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at
294 Thompson Creek Road, said Josephine
County Sheriff’s Office. A young girl suf-
fered a foot and ankle injury, and was taken
for medical care by her mother. Illinois Val-
ley Fire District (IVFD) and American Medi-
cal Response responded. Other informa-
tion was unavailable. (Photo by Dale &
Elaine Sandberg/IVFD Media Dept.)
Lorna Byrne cites honor roll students
Lorna Byrne Middle
School has announced the
Second Quarter Honor Roll
for students attaining a mini-
mum grade-point average of
3.0 or better, based on indi-
vidual student performance
in all classes.
4.0 and Above
*Sixth-grade: Taleesun
Baker, Anthony Trey Dil-
ley, Artesia Hubbard, Ellie
Jantz, Andrew Keith,
Alexandria Manninen, Kia
Parrish-Haim, Miranda
Stiles, Catherine Vawter,
Kayla Young.
*Seventh-grade: Thea
Barker-Cortrecht, Myana
Dhenin, Anastasia Green-
berg, Angelina Heath, Sierra
Heikka, Zachary Kay, Xenia
Velasco.
*Eighth-grade: Ryan
Andrews, Jeremiah Berger,
Gregory Crombie-Fujita,
Winona Gallegos, Marissa
Litak, Audrey Mechling,
Kieran Rose, Cassandra
Thurman.
3.5-3.99
*Sixth-grade: Bruce
Arnett, Tracy Arnold,
Morgan Barnes, Clarabelle
Compton, Taylor Guion,
Hannah Kanig, Michael
Rathburn, Jovany Sanchez,
Kevin Scott, Krysten Siver,
Jordan Sussman, Daniel
Vega.
*Seventh-grade: Tyler
Bryant, Jazmyn Danko,
Joshua Free, Daniel Gomez,
Jullian Hanson, Christopher
Heise, Fred Hults, Danielle
LaVassaur, Andrew
McLaughlin, Rachel Miller,
Benjamin Milner, Jonathan
Nichols, Travis Robbins,
Mason Smith, Jamie Sowell,
Levi Vasquez, Kristen
Vidales, Brandi Wollerton.
*Eighth-grade:
Jesse
Bethke, James Buck,
Matthew Coultas, Tyler
Delaney, Nicholas Dowd,
Taylor Harris, Roger Hults,
Kayla Johnson, Cynthia
Moore, Brittany Mosely,
Hailee Parker, Curtis Paul-
son, Rhiannon Quall, Casey
Robertson, Sabrina Van
Tassel, Geneva Vasquez,
Ashley Webb.
3.0-3.49
*Sixth-grade: Kelly
Armijo, Mathew Brock,
Gregorio Duarte, Montee
Gallegos, Seth Hammer-
smith, Taysha Hodge,
Elizabeth Jenkins, Mason
LaFlamme, Mariah Oneto,
Brandon Parker, Ariana
Ray, Keven Smith Jr.,
Police arrest two transients at
GP site said to be drug house
Grants Pass Police ar-
rested two transients and
have three other suspects
facing possible charges in
connection with a “drug
house” on Portola Drive.
Portola Neighborhood
Watch was praised by
Grants Pass Dept. of Public
Safety for its role.
Officers searched the
house and found marijuana,
cocaine, methamphetamine,
scales and packing materi-
als, and several firearms.
Arrested and jailed were
Jeremy Paul Pullin, and
Ramona Ann Donnersbach,
both 34. She was taken un-
der a Jackson County war-
rant charging failure to ap-
pear (FTA) on a charge of
possession of meth.
Pullin was arrested un-
der four FTA warrants; two
for possession of meth, and
one each for second-degree
theft and driving while sus-
pended.
Possible drug charges
have been referred to the
Josephine County District
Attorney’s office against
Cynthia N. Vullmahn, 55;
Stone Wright Baxter II, 35;
and Robert C. Edwards, 50,
all of 1991 Portola Drive.
Natane Stewart.
*Seventh-grade:
Stephanie Agee, Joshua
Badgett, Ashley Barto,
Georgia Bricker, Myiha
Giles, Briana Grabarz,
Makayla Gunn, Meghan
Householder, CeCe Imerti,
Carly Jensen, Krista Joines,
Caitlyn Jones, Robert Low-
den, Amanda Mastro,
Greyland Miller, Alexandria
Pipkin, Felisha Ripley,
Jessie Rollins, Brandi
Rough, Kaitlyn Skiles, Rose
Summers, Chase Weir,
Destiny Yoshiwara.
*Eighth-grade: Zachary
Anderson, Lindsey Aria,
Cody Baker, Burt Barker,
Bryan Biggs, Cody Chiver-
ton, Brooke Crocker, Ericka
Dean, Taylor Degiulio,
Karley Deters, Augustine
Duarte, Aleesia Hennings,
Alexander Hess, Ashley
Kreiser, Bradley Loyd,
Celilo Nordal, Meghan
Poore, Ralph Reyna, Mason
Roberts, Dylan Skidmore,
Breanne Smith, Statia Sny-
der, Laurissa Tausaga.
Pregnant and Feeling
Overwhelmed?
Free, confidential help
is available.
Pregnancy Center
592-6058
www.pregnancycenteriv.org
To the Root:
High Blood Pressure?
Preventing disease progression with
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Elevated blood pressure can have many
causes. TCM can identify the causes specific to your
body and lifestyle and help your system to heal with
treatment. Blood, qi, phlegm stagnation, stress and
deficiency may all contribute to elevated blood pressure.
Bringing down the numbers is not enough — stagnation
must be removed. Chinese medication can treat blood
and water or phlegm stagnation safely (without
dangerous chemicals) at the root.
Illinois River Acupuncture
592-5041
Mon., Wed., Fri.
Jo Anne Stone, M.S., L.Ac .
I OWE YOU!
OU!
That’s right, Uncle Sam could owe you money. If you paid federal excise tax on long-distance
phone service during the last three years, you may be eligible for a telephone tax refund.
The standard refund is $30 to $60 and for some people, who had large phone bills, it could be
even more. Go to IRS.gov for details. Or dial 1-800-829-4477 and select recorded tax topic #611.