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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2008)
Toler plan Inside: Manager proposed for JoCo State grant loss City has money to cover expenditure Page 3 Miller time Wild River’s Jerry Miller marks 70th Page 5 By WALLY AIKEN For IVN His goals for restructuring the current county governing organization were announced by Josephine County Board of Commissioners Chairman Dave Toler during a press conference at the county courthouse in Grants Pass Thursday, Jan. 24. His plans call for a re- duction of the commission- ers’ positions to a half-time status with a corresponding reduction in salary. The money saved would then be used to hire a professional county manager who would be directly answerable to the commissioners. With the proposed pay cut, approximately $150,000 would be available. With the loss of former Chief Operations Officer Marie Hill; and with commis- sioners Dwight Ellis and Jim Raffenburg voting to not hire a chief accounting officer for the county, there is a situation wherein there are three elected officials operating as county managers, Toler said. He added that this forces the commissioners to deal as Harley fever? I.V. Lions roll out 2008 low-rider Page 7 Cougar matmen I.V. wrestlers keep winning Page 12 Car show honor Ben Milner chosen as ambassador Page 12 Suit against feds pushed for O&C funding solution Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Mt. Hood) has formally requested that the Oregon Dept. of Justice investigate and pursue legal ac- tion against the federal government on behalf of Oregon’s rural counties to secure funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. In a letter to Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, Mets- ger asked the Justice Dept. to determine if Oregon has a “protectable interest” in the funding that supports rural schools and funds a majority of county road maintenance work. If so, Metsger said, “The state needs to defend our rural communities and sue for restoration of these funds, if that is what it takes to ensure the federal government meets its historic re- sponsibility to these communities.” Despite efforts from Oregon’s Congressional delegation, Congress has failed to restore the funding that expired this month. The result is a significant effect to public safety, commu- nity livability and transportation infrastructure, the senator said. The federal funding is designed to compensate rural counties for the loss of federal timber receipts that have dwindled during recent years due to federal regulation. “In my transportation tour of Oregon last fall I have seen first-hand the devastating impacts this funding loss means to working Oregonians,” Metsger said. “It is time the state speak up and say loudly that lack of action on this important issue is unac- ceptable.” Metsger is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and a candidate for Oregon secretary of state. He says that with an economic downturn gripping the state and the nation that this funding loss will be magnified. (Continued on page 8) I.V. class eyes past Illinois Valley High School students in Kirsten Valenzuela’s Around the World Expeditionary Learning class toured his- torical areas of Illinois Valley, including Rough & Ready Canyon (top) and The RCC gains $25k grant for I.V. entrepreneurial site A $25,000 grant from the Ben. B. Cheney Foundation, awarded to Rogue Community College, will be used to support design and construction costs of a business entrepreneurial center in Illinois Valley. The RCC Board of Edu- cation has accepted the grant. The Illinois Valley Entre- preneurial Center will provide education and community development support to stimulate job creation and economic development. Con- struction is scheduled to be- gin early this year adjacent to the RCC Illinois Valley Edu- cation Center at the Kerby Belt Bldg. Completion of the project is expected during summer 2008. The Ben B. Cheney Foundation makes grants in communities where the Che- ney Lumber Co. was active. The foundation’s goal is to improve the quality of life in those communities by making grants to a wide range of ac- tivities. Other funding for the Illinois Valley Entrepreneu- rial Center includes a $300,000 USDA Rural De- velopment Agency grant, $5,000 from the Four-Way Foundation, and $25,000 from Josephine County. The RCC Board also accepted several other grants Tuesday, Jan. 15: *A $10,000 grant from the Gordon Elwood Founda- tion to pay for testing students with disabilities taking classes at RCC. The Gordon Elwood Foundation distributes grants for educational, human ser- vice, and other charitable purposes, with a principal geographic focus in Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Curry counties. *A $7,500 grant from the Anna May Family Founda- tion. The grant will fund scholarships for RCC stu- dents pursuing workforce and short-term training courses that do not qualify for stan- dard financial aid. The Anna May Family Foundation sup- ports S.W. Oregon tax- exempt programs that en- hance the well being of eco- nomically disadvantaged and vulnerable people, emphasiz- ing children, women, elders and minorities. *A $5,000 grant from the American Association of Uni- versity Women for the second annual Pay Equity Confer- ence, designed to inform women and girls about educa- tional choices that can im- prove their earning potential. There is still time to order your Valentine ads and greetings. See page 8. Ice and snow contributed to a number of motor vehi- cle mishaps in and around Illinois Valley during the past several days. Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD) and American Medical Re- sponse went to a crash (right) near Sis’s Gap at milepost 23 Thursday, Jan. 24 at 10:54 a.m. The driver was trapped but was helped out and refused medical treatment. A vehi- cle fire (top photo) out Eight Dollar Mountain Road was extinguished by IVFD Monday morning, Jan. 28. No one was around the pickup truck. (Photos by Dale & Elaine Sandberg, IVFD Media Dept.) Dovetail Joint in the former Masonic Tem- ple in Kerby with Jerry Work (right). They then offered presentations on their ideas for the future. (Photos by Roger Brandt) By JOY MESSERLI For IVN To help students see “how amazing their home in the Illinois Valley is,” Kirsten Valenzuela, a teacher at Illi- nois Valley High School, adjusted her Around the World expeditionary learning class lesson plan to include a section on the valley. The lesson plan revolved around field trips to areas in the valley that have under- gone historical transitions. After all the trips were com- pleted, the 16 students had three days to pair up, choose a location in the valley, de- velop a vision for its future and prepare a presentation. As part of their presenta- tions, students had to touch on four main points: *History and resources of their area. *Points of interest. *Their personal vision for the area’s future. *And “should Nature or industry be involved with their plans?” On Wednesday, Jan. 23, when the students presented, 13 community members came to support them. Later, asked if she expected that many people, Valenzuela replied, “I thought I would have five or less. To have 13, I was totally overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe it.” To relax the students, Valenzuela had the guests from the community intro- duce themselves before pres- entations. During this time Jill Talise, a valley artist known for her giant Takilma pup- pets, also expressed her feel- ings toward the students and their ideas. “Everyone in the com- munity matters. Your ideas do too,” said Talise. What were the ideas pro- posed by the students? One pair suggested developing old Browntown in the Holland community into a tourist at- traction. The students felt that this historic mining district (Continued on page 8)
