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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2007)
Page 4 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 9, 2007 Fatal crash near Wonder Pacific N.W. fire season prediction: dry, severe A Grants Pass man died, his wife was critically injured, and another person seriously injured in a two-vehicle head- on collision Thursday, May 3 on Hwy. 199 a short distance south of the Wonder Store, said Oregon State Police. The collision, near Wa- ters Creek Road approxi- mately 13 miles south of Grants Pass, was reported near 3 p.m. Traffic on the highway in both directions was stopped for around an hour because of the crash. Said OSP: “A 2001 Toy- ota four-door driven by Ar- thur Chatman, 65, from Grants Pass, was reportedly northbound near milepost 13 negotiating a right curve. The car crossed the centerline and crashed head-on with a southbound 2004 Ford pickup truck. Chatman was pro- nounced deceased at the scene. He was using safety restraints. “His passenger, Phyllis Chatman, 67, also of Grants Pass, was taken by American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance to Three Rivers Community Hospital (TRCH) in Grants Pass with critical injuries. “The pickup’s driver, Christine Parke, 55, from Brookings, was using safety restraints and suffered serious injuries. She was transported by AMR to TRCH. Her passenger, Jeff Grif- fin, 24, from Brookings, was using safety restraints and not injured.” OSP troopers from the Grants Pass office are con- tinuing to investigate. Alco- hol was not a contributing factor. Oregon Dept. of Transportation, Rural/Metro Fire Dept., and Illinois Valley Fire District provided assis- tance at the scene. Support the merchants who advertise in the ‘Illinois Valley News’ (Continued from page 1) Drought predictions are more diverse, showing drought of varying severity in western Oregon and Washing- ton, most of California and the Southwest, Florida, Wyo- ming, the Northern Plains, and northern Wisconsin and Min- nesota. Wetter than normal conditions are anticipated in the Ohio Valley, Maine, west- ern New York and one area that’s traditionally very dry – the Llano Estacado of West Texas and New Mexico. Various computer mod- els and programs were used to produce these projections, and there was a pretty strong agreement among different models, the scientists said. This suggests that the level of confidence in the predictions should be reasonably high. According to Neilson, a moderate El Nino condition – referring to circulation pat- terns in the tropical Pacific Ocean that affect weather all over the world – seems to be shifting toward a weak La Nina event. Ordinarily, that would produce conditions a little drier in the Southwest and wetter in the Northwest – but so far, Neilson said, some of the drought conditions in parts of Oregon, Washington and Northern California ap- pear to be very persistent. Beyond current weather, fire concerns in the West are largely a reflection of recent history, Neilson said. “We’ve heard a lot of discussion and talk about thinning of western forests to reduce drought stress and improve forest health, but in actual practice that hasn’t occurred on a broad scale,” he said. “Combined with fire suppression or exclusion and a fairly moderate climate in the past 50 years, that has led to extreme fuel buildups and excess biomass in many west- ern forests,” he added. “There’s a lot of material out there ready to burn.” Man who escaped from OSP patrol car recaptured A handcuffed Grants Pass-area man was found Wednesday night, May 2 after he broke out an Oregon State Police trooper’s patrol car window and escaped for a brief time along Interstate 5 in the Grants Pass area. Near 9 p.m. a trooper responded to a reported crash along the I-5 lanes for northbound traffic near mile- post 54. He found a 1979 Chevrolet pickup truck that had crashed off Foothill Drive and onto the I-5 shoulder. The driver, David John Porter, 29, subsequently was arrested on a charge of driv- ing under the influence of intoxicants (DUII). He was handcuffed and placed in the trooper’s patrol car. As part of the investiga- tion the trooper returned to the crashed pickup and found three firearms inside, one of which was a reported stolen shotgun. While searching the vehicle, the trooper was un- aware that Porter had kicked out the left-rear passenger window and escaped. The trooper returned to the patrol car to place the firearms in the trunk at which time he discovered the es- cape. Another trooper and a Josephine County Sheriff’s Office deputy with a police dog were dispatched to help search for Porter. “After approximately 15 minutes,” said OSP, “a re- morseful Porter came back to the scene from where he was hiding across the freeway in bushes” along the lanes for southbound traffic. Porter was lodged in Josephine County Jail on charges of DUII, reckless driving, first- and second- degree criminal mischief, third-degree escape, and first- degree theft (stolen firearm). He also was cited on charges of driving while sus- pended, and driving unin- sured. DON’T WASTE YOUR GAS GOING TO GRANTS PASS COME CHECK US OUT AT KIGHTS KRAFTS CARDS CARDS CARDS CARDS CARDS 5O¢ ea 3 for $1.00 CARDS & GIFTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS 2027 DEER CREEK RD. SELMA 597-4190/4995 Treehouse Florist & Gifts An Unforgettable Gift... For an Unforgettable Mom has the perfect gift for Mom! Mother’s Day is May 13th!! Hanging Baskets Beautiful Fresh-cut Flowers Unique Gift Selection 0RWKHU·V'D\&DUGV Exquisite Blooming Plants Balloon Bouquets HUGE! Loaded with color! We also have: Blooming Rhododenrons Blooming White & Pink Dogwood Bird Baths Statuary & Fountains Ord e Ear r ly!! Teleflora Florist Delivering to ALL of the Illinois Valley and the Big Blueberry!!! 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