Page 3
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Fire danger notification ‘doomed’
(Continued from page 1)
SELMA SPOTLIGHT - Selma Center is the site for
“Echoes of the Siskiyous,” a coffee house-type gathering
that will begin Thursday, Aug. 6. The plan is for eclectic
artists to come together at 6 p.m. each Thursday for open
mic sessions, hosted by songwriter Patrick Dodd, who is
joining with “Dessert First.” The scene is open to songwrit-
ers, poets, singers, actors, storytellers, dancers, comedians --
all performance artists. Coffee, soft drinks, dinner and pas-
tries will be served. Vegan selections will be available.
Shows will be recorded, with selections to be played on Ra-
dio KSKQ and Hope Mt. Radio. Phone 956-1513 or visit
patrickdodd.com for more information.
TALENT SCOUT - The Illinois Valley Lions Club
annual Labor Day Festival is coming up fast, and a talent
show again will be held. Amateurs of all ages can partici-
pate for cash prizes. The schedule: Juniors on Sept. 1 at
noon, Intermediates on Sept. 2 at noon, and Adults on Sept.
3 at 3 p.m. The deadline to enter is Aug. 29: Late entries
will not be accepted. For information and to sign up, phone
“Donna” at 596-2719, or “Sue” at 592-2252.
BINGO LINGO - Although winner-take-all bingo
was planned at Illinois Valley Senior Center on Saturday,
Aug. 11, it’s been canceled. The reason is that there would
be a conflict with bingo games in the Josephine County
Bldg. in Downtown CJ the same day during the Wild
Blackberry Arts & Crafts Festival.
NOTEPAD - Wordsower International’s Jason
Nightingale will present a Scripture Festival on Sunday,
Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. at Takilma Bible Church at 10343 Takilma
Road during an all-congregations service ... A free barbe-
cue picnic for youth 12 and older will be held by Illinois
Valley Boys & Girls Club on Friday, Aug. 3 and Thursday,
Aug. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ... A free concert featuring
“King Cotton Jazz Band” will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.
7 at Riverside Park in Grants Pass as part of the GP Cham-
ber series … Blackberries are the number-one anti-oxidant
food per serving of 1,130 grocery store products tested, said
Oregon Dept. of Agriculture. Plus, based on animal testing,
an extract from fresh blackberries reduces cancerous tumors
and prevents cancer cell spreading … Actual headlines:
*Student suspended over hot sauce. *Minorities in short sup-
ply. *Reach out to abuse victims, counselors told. *Smoking
organ causes stir at nursing home.
LAST WORDS - I have found it advisable not to give
too much heed to what people say when I am trying to ac-
complish something of consequence. Invariably they claim
it can’t be done. I deem that the very best time to make the
effort. (Calvin Coolidge)
Tribe disputes land sale
By MICHELLE BINKER
Staff Writer
The buyers of two par-
cels of Illinois Valley real
estate have found their recent
purchases contested by a Na-
tive American group that in-
sists the properties are tribal
land which should never have
been offered for sale.
The Quiet Title action
was filed in Josephine County
Circuit Court Tuesday, July
24 by Chief John Gray Eagle
Newkirk, of Central Point, on
behalf of the Latgawa Native
American Indian Tribe. The
suit alleges that the defen-
dants wrongfully appropri-
ated the real property for their
own benefit, identity theft,
and elder abuse. Newkirk is
84 years old.
Among those named in
the action, along with the
buyers, are the sellers, Chief
Hidden Wolf and his wife
Mary Jane Wolf; First
American Title Co.; James
Dole, attorney; real estate
agents Kendon Leet and
John Jones; and a notary
public.
The land in question --
totaling 65 acres straddling
the East Fork of the Illinois
River in Takilma -- for dec-
ades was home to the New
Age Mission Church
(NAM).
NAM is reported by the
Oregon state attorney general
as having merged with one
organization, Wolf Spirit So-
ciety, which then was merged
with Newkirk’s Confederated
Tribes - Rogue-Table Rock,
the surviving not for profit
organization, which assumed
the assets. Much legal wran-
gling has ensued between
interested parties. However, a
title search made since the
beginning of this year showed
Latgawa, which is not a fed-
erally recognized Indian tribe,
still holding the title,
On Thursday, July 26,
Newkirk, using a badge
identifying himself as a
tribal official, served papers
to one of the buyers residing
on the Takilma Road prop-
erty. The action brought the
attention of Josephine
County Sheriff Gil
Gilbertson.
“I heard there was
someone down here flashing
a badge and playing police,”
Gilbertson said later that
afternoon.
“Mr. Newkirk has agreed
that if he has anymore papers
to serve,” the sheriff said, “he
will contact us and we’ll up-
hold the law,”
“I find the whole situa-
tion fairly comical and re-
petitive,” said Leet. He
stated that Newkirk has tried
repeatedly and unsuccess-
fully to secure rights to the
property through the legal
system.
First American Title in
Grants Pass referred all in-
quiries to its Portland office.
Dole did not return a phone
call from this reporter last
week and was then said to
be unavailable until Aug. 6.
27893 Redwood
Benefit Dinner
for the
breast cancer foundation
Hwy.
Friday, August 3rd
Please join us for great
food , music , & wine !
For information &
reservations: 592-2009
ture was comfortable with
that,” said Ballou. “If peo-
ple had that liability cover-
age with the average home
owner policy, it would not
really come out of the home
owner's pocket. It’s some-
thing that's handled in nor-
mal coverage.
“It was never anybody's
intention to put the average
property owner in the likely
situation of not being able to
pay for the cost of the recov-
ery bill and losing their
home.”
Ballou said that the po-
tential $100,000 assessments
have not only upset home
owners, but also have caused
a more trying situation for
ODF officials.
“That made it a bit diffi-
cult to get some people to get
beyond that and just focus on
really trying to accomplish
the core task, which is work-
ing toward making their
homes less at risk from fire
damage,” Ballou said.
Oregon Rep. Ron
Maurer (R-Grants Pass) was
scheduled to meet with Bal-
lou on Monday, July 30.
Maurer, who represents most
of Josephine County, said that
the legislative intent of SB
360 was quite different than
what the law actually pro-
duced.
“The implementation of
the law isn't necessarily a
direct correlation with the true
intent,” Maurer said. “I’m not
quite sure everybody did their
homework. It’s unfortunate
that this letter was sent out to
19,000 people without having
a full-fledged plan in place.
Ballou also met last week
with Oregon Sen. Jason At-
kinson (R-Central Point).
Atkinson characterized the
1997 legislation as “a solution
searching for a problem.”
“I’m failing to see what
they’re trying to fix by putting
this liability back on the prop-
erty owners,” Atkinson said.
“If anything, Southern Ore-
gon property owners have
proven themselves to be not
only good partners, but won-
derful stewards of the land.
When we’ve passed laws
regarding fire protection, fire
cleanup, brush removal or
slash removal, property own-
ers were the first to step up to
the plate and help the fire load
be reduced.”
Atkinson said that it is
unfair for the state to punish
citizens while the federal gov-
ernment owns most of the
land in Josephine County and
fails to properly manage it.
“You can’t say that if fire
breaks out on government
land and it goes to a private
piece of property that the
owner is liable,” Atkinson
said. “People have every rea-
son to be outraged.”
Atzet said that he learned
much from the July 18 meet-
ing, which turned into a deba-
cle, and that public input will
be solicited and considered
before any further action is
taken.
“What we saw was the
way democracy should
work,” Atzet said. “Overall, I
feel good about it. What hap-
pened was a lot of people
with a lot of concerns came to
voice their concerns. We have
pages of input that people had
given us.”
Atzet said that he and
Josephine County Forest
Land-Urban Interface Classi-
fication Committee chairman
Tom Link are already in the
process of going through the
feedback given them by resi-
dents. Once they have fin-
ished, Atzet said, they will
meet again with ODF offi-
cials, and another work meet-
ing will be scheduled.
“Of course, it will be
open to the public, as they all
were,” Atzet said.
Ballou said that ODF
will send a letter to the same
home owners who received
the initial notice, with an-
swers to frequently asked
questions. Meetings will be
scheduled throughout the
county in the fall, as ODF
officials will be busy with fire
season until then.
Another public hearing
will be scheduled after the
town hall meetings, Ballou
said.
“I think we’ll be able to
take a calmer, more reasoned
approach to it once fire sea-
son is over,” Ballou said. “If
folks can bear with us until
then, we'll be able to answer
their questions to the best of
our abilities.”
Nifty Gifty
Thrift
Saturday, August 4, 10-2
across from Shop Smart on Watkins
School Sports Physicals
August 20 to September 14
at LBMS Student Health Center
Reduced price - $15
Physicals required every two years
for participation in sports.
Appointments necessary
592-4111
* Biscuits & Gravy * Pancakes
* Eggs * Bacon * Sausage
* Coffee, Milk, Juice
Recalled Curry sheriff found
guilty in sexual abuse trial
Mark Metcalf, immediate
past Curry County sheriff, has
been found guilty of 11
counts in his sex abuse trial in
Coos County Circuit Court in
Coquille.
Metcalf was recalled by
Curry voters in June after
accusations by three women
employees of Curry County
Sheriff’s Office. He was con-
victed on July 19 of four
counts of third-degree sex
abuse, four counts of harass-
ment, and three counts of
official misconduct.
Each of the 11 misde-
meanors carries a maximum
penalty of one year in jail and
a $5,000 fine. The verdicts
came from a six-person jury
in a four-day trial held in
Coos County because of the
situation surrounding the for-
mer sheriff’s recall in Curry.
Metcalf was the subject
of an investigation by Oregon
Dept. of Justice after the three
women complained of inap-
propriate behavior. The in-
vestigation led to a grand jury
indictment in January.
Sentencing was set for
Aug. 14 in Curry County.
After the verdict, the defen-
dant was not remanded into
custody although the state
had sought that.
(From Curry Coastal Pilot,
Brookings)
Adults - $5
Children 12
& under - $2.50
Support the I.V. Lions -- Buy a Harley raffle ticket!
Available at Taylor’s Sausage and Century 21.
Phone 592-2252 or 287-0290
IVCDO Meeting Schedule
Making Things Happen!
August, 2007
Day
Date
Meeting
Time
Location
Mon
8/6
Community Relations
5:30-6:30 p.m.
IVCDO Office
Operational Oversight &
Projects & Programs
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Executive Comm.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Board/Workshop
Meeting
6 - 9 p.m.
Wed
8/8
Thurs 8/16
Visitor Center
Visitor Center