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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Holiday weekend traffic fatalities lowest since ‘99
Preliminary information
indicates that Thanksgiving
holiday period fatalities were
down this year to the lowest
reported level since 1999, as
only two people died because
of traffic-related crashes on
Oregon highways, said Ore-
gon State Police (OSP).
Last year, four people
died in four separate crashes.
According to Oregon
Dept. of Transportation
(ODOT) Crash Analysis &
Reporting Unit, Oregon po-
lice agencies have reported
two fatalities from 6 p.m.,
Wednesday, Nov. 26, through
11:59 p.m., Sunday, Nov.
30. Both fatalities were on
Interstate 5, the first happen-
ing Thursday night near mile-
post 278 at the Donald/
Aurora interchange; and the
second Sunday night in the
Portland metropolitan area.
There has never been a
zero fatality year for this holi-
day period since 1970 when
ODOT began tracking holi-
day fatality statistics. The
highest number of reported
traffic fatalities for this holi-
day period occurred in 1973
and 1996 when there were 11
fatalities.
Preliminary reported
information indicates that
OSP troopers arrested 53
drivers on the charge of driv-
ing under the influence of an
intoxicant (DUII). The OSP
Portland Area Command
(AC) office reported the high-
est number with 10 DUII
arrests followed by the Salem
AC (9), Klamath Falls AC
(7), and Central Point AC (6).
Last year OSP troopers
reported 61 DUII arrests,
down from 68 reported DUII
arrests for the 2006 Thanks-
giving holiday period.
Other OSP statistical
information including speed-
related citations, reported
traffic crashes responded to
by troopers, and disabled mo-
torists assisted may be avail-
able later.
Library group surpasses fund-raising goal of $300k
Supporters of Josephine
Community Libraries Inc.
(JCLI) supporters were awe-
struck Monday, Dec. 1 to
learn that not only had the
group achieved its goal of
meeting a $300,000 match-
ing-fund grant from the
county, it had far exceeded it.
When the Josephine
Board of County Commis-
An active flue fire at 570 W. River Street in Cave Junction at
3:49 p.m. Monday afternoon, Nov. 24 was extinguished by Illi-
nois Valley Fire District firefighters. They dropped small bags of
dry-chemical extinguisher powder into the chimney, rather than
flood the residence with water, said Maintenance Battalion Chief
Kris Sherman. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News )
sioners agreed to reinstate the
$300,000 matching funds
grant on Oct. 14, JCLI had
raised a total of approxi-
mately $230,000. With news
of the county grant, the com-
munity rallied around the
group and memberships
poured in -- the group has
now raised $357,270 in cash.
Doug Walker, president
Subscribe to the I.V. News -- it's good for you!
And subscriptions make great Christmas presents.
Phone 592-2541.
of the JCLI Board of Direc-
tors, pointed out that the out-
pouring of support from the
community “shows the peo-
ple of this county believe in
libraries enough to donate
their hard-earned money” to
the private, nonprofit, non-
governmental group.
While the community’s
support raised the group’s
fund-raising number to the
necessary $300,000 level,
other grants helped to put it
over the top and added im-
measurably to the group’s
morale, said Walker. Espe-
cially notable were grants
from Zonta Club of Grants
Pass, $10,000; Four Way
Foundation, $20,000; and
Oregon Community Founda-
tion, $25,000.
“We’re so thrilled that
the community has stepped
up to show its love for librar-
ies,” noted Jen Roberts, JCLI
board member. “As we raise
additional funds, we’ll be
able to open the branches,
add hours of operation, and
build up our collection, so it’s
especially encouraging that
we’ve gone above and be-
yond our goal at this early
stage.”
Don’t let festive holiday cooking become burning issue
Acting State Fire Mar-
shal Randy Simpson is re-
minding Oregonians to prac-
tice cooking fire safety when
preparing holiday meals.
From 2003 through ‘07,
there were 1,367 reported
cooking-related fires in Ore-
gon causing four deaths, 105
injuries and $8.6 million in
property loss.
“Every year there is an
increase of cooking-related
fires during the holidays,”
said Simpson. “Taking a few
simple steps can keep you
and your loved ones from
having a tragic holiday.”
Cooking safety tips:
*Keep a close eye on
your cooking; never leave
cooking food unattended.
*Keep your cooking area
clean, including stovetop,
oven, and exhaust fan.
*Keep potholders, dish-
towels and other combusti-
bles away from stove burners.
*Heat cooking oil slowly
and watch it closely, as it can
ignite quickly.
*Watch your sleeves.
Loose sleeves over burners
can ignite or catch on handles
of pots and pans, spilling hot
oil and other liquids.
*Keep a fire extinguisher
in your kitchen and know
how to use it.
*With the increased use
of turkey fryers, be sure to
use them outdoors and away
from combustible material.
“If you’re cooking your
turkey in a deep fat fryer, do
it outdoors and never leave it
unattended,” advises Simp-
son. “Hot oil is extremely
dangerous, so don’t use tur-
key fryers on a wooden deck
or in your garage.”
Place the fryer on a flat,
stable surface and do not
overfill the unit with cooking
oil. Do not move the fryer
once it has been started, and
only place turkeys that are
completely thawed in them.
Keep children away from the
cooking unit, and use a ther-
mometer to gauge food tem-
perature.
Make sure the oil is com-
pletely cool before removing
it from the fryer, and never
attempt to use water to extin-
guish or cool hot oil.
Oregonians are reminded
to have smoke alarms on
every level of their home,
outside each sleeping area
and in every bedroom. Test
smoke alarms monthly. Re-
place smoke alarms that are
eight to 10 years old.
For more on home fire
safety visit egov.oregon.gov/
OSP/SFM/Home_Fire_Safety
_Campaign.shtml.
Child safety seat use information available from I.V. Fire
The widespread use of
car seats for children has re-
duced the number of injuries
and fatalities on U.S. roads,
but experts agree that more
needs to be done.
“Every state requires that
children under the age of 4 are
secured while riding in a car,”
noted Ray Palermo, director of
public information for Teach-
ers’ Insurance Plan. “Yet de-
spite the laws and warnings,
car crashes are still the single-
largest cause of death among
children younger than 14.”
It is estimated that half of
the approximately 1,500 fa-
talities each year could be
prevented with the proper use
of a child car seat.
Although state laws vary
and parents should check to
ensure they are complying
with all local regulations, the
insurer offered general guide-
lines for parents.
Start right: The best way
to get children in the habit of
using safety restraints is to
learn from parental example.
The driver, all adult passen-
gers and all infants and chil-
dren should be safely secured
before starting the engine.
Infants up to 20 pounds:
Infants from birth to 1 year
old and less than 20 pounds
in weight should be secured
in an infant car safety seat on
the back seat of vehicles, fac-
ing the rear. This avoids in-
jury from an inflated airbag
and will be less of a distrac-
tion for the driver. If a vehicle
lacks a back seat, deactivate
the airbag for that trip, but be
sure to reactivate it when an
adult is the passenger.
Infants 20+ pounds: In-
fants from birth to 1 year and
more than 20 pounds should
be either secured in a con-
vertible safety seat or in an
infant seat approved for their
weight. The seats should be
secured on the back seat of
the vehicle, facing the rear.
Children 20 to 40
pounds: Children older than 1
year who weight 20 to 40
pounds should be secured in a
child safety seat in the back
seat of the vehicle, facing
forward.
Children 40+ pounds:
Children who have outgrown
their child safety seat, but are
still too small (less than 4-9)
to use the standard adult
safety belt in the car, should
use a booster seat. The lap
Oregon Lions mobile med van gains donation
Albina Fuel, of Portland
and Vancouver, has donated
$25,000 to the Oregon Lions
Sight & Hearing Foundation
specifically for the fuel and
operating costs of the Mobile
Health Screening Unit Pro-
gram (MHSU).
This year-round program
provides free community and
school screenings statewide.
Most of the charges are cov-
ered by the foundation and
sponsoring Lions clubs.
For example, Illinois
Valley Lions Club has
brought the unit to its annual
Labor Day Festival, and Cave
Junction Lions Club engages
it for its annual Classic &
Custom Car Show.
CCB 174891
Adults - $6
Children 12
& under - $3
Christmas
SALE
Saturday & Sunday, December 6 & 7
Gifts for ALL!
Gifts from Dinnerware to Underwear?
Gift wrapping available
OPEN Christmas Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Edsen Donato, DPTSc, PT, OCS, CHT, CSCS
Ed Goll, DHSc, PT
Joint Replacement
Jeff Wood, MS, PT
Back & Neck Injury
Jim McCall, PTA
Sports Injury
Austin Nickerson, PTA
Certified Hand Therapist
Three Convenient Locations
Grants Pass
(541) 476-2502
1619 NW Hawthorn Ave. #109
Cave Junction (541) 592-6580
218 N Redwood Hwy.
Glendale
(541) 832-2765
300 Pacific Ave.
Gait/Balance Training
Anodyne Therapy
Aquatic Therapy
Auto Claims
Work Related Injuries
Accept Medicare
Assignment
Blue Cross Preferred
Provider
Most Insurance Plans
Accepted
Member APTA &
NW Rehab Alliance
592-6609
* Biscuits & Gravy * Pancakes
* Eggs * Bacon * Sausage
* Coffee, Milk, Juice
Special buys on TOYS & MANY other items
Free movies at
I.V. High Friday
Illinois Valley High
School will become a theater
for all ages with two free
movies on Friday, Dec. 5,
according to Cheryl Winters
of the I.V. Booster Club.
The event from 5 to 10
p.m. will include two holiday
movies: Polar Express and
Elf. The club will sell fresh
popcorn and snacks at low
prices. Winters said it’s ru-
mored that Santa will appear.
Volunteers are needed to sell
refreshments or help in other
ways. Phone Cheryl Winters
at (541) 660-7428.
I.V. Booster Club is
sponsoring the event as a
community “Fun-Raiser.”
belt should sit across their
hips and the shoulder belt
should not cross neck or face.
Information about proper
installation and use of child
safety seats is available from
Illinois Valley Fire District. It
has three state-certified
safety-seat inspectors on staff.
Phone 592-2225.
Concrete
Remodel
New Construction
Lue-van-o’s
The Little Shop of This and That
234 Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction
in Western Plaza next to True Value
592-4700