Page 7
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 7, 2009
IVFD: Large vehicle fire under investigation
Fire of unknown origin
destroyed two recreational
vehicles and their large
wooden enclosure on White
Oak Drive in rural Cave Junc-
tion on New Year’s Eve.
A huge wall of flame
could be seen as Illinois Val-
ley Fire District (IVFD) and
American Medical Response
were dispatched at approxi-
mately 5:37 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Personnel were on-scene until
around 8:30 p.m.
No injuries were re-
ported, and the cause of the
blaze is under investigation,
said IVFD Deputy Chief Jeff
Gavlik. The size and intensity
of the fire threatened the
property owner’s home, but
flames were kept away by the
homeowner and firefighters.
Destroyed were a 34-foot
1989 model RV with an esti-
mated value of $15,000; and
a 23-foot RV with an esti-
mated value of $3,000, said
Gavlik. There was no damage
estimate for a shed at one end
of the enclosure and the en-
closure itself.
Gavlik said that the re-
sponse included two engines,
two brush rigs, and two ten-
ders, including one standing by.
Additionally, Rural/Metro Fire
Dept. responded under mutual
aid to cover IVFD Selma Sta-
tion 2. Approximately nine
firefighters actively fought the
blaze, said the deputy chief.
Two die in Jo County holiday accidents
The recent holiday sea-
son was not without fatalities
in Josephine County, includ-
ing one in which a man has
been charged with man-
slaughter.
On Sunday, Dec. 28 at
8:30 p.m. Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office deputies were
dispatched to the intersection
of Merlin Road and Merlin
Landfill Road after a reported
multiple-vehicle crash.
Merlin resident Kent
Mitchell Hubbard, 46, was
pronounced dead at the scene.
William Thomas Malcolm
Jr., 66, was transported by
American Medical Response
(AMR) to Three Rivers Com-
munity Hospital in Grants
Pass for crash-related injuries.
A preliminary investiga-
tion indicates that Malcolm
was eastbound on Merlin
Road driving a 1994 Cadillac
El Dorado and struck two
vehicles parked on the right
shoulder.
He subsequently was
charged with reckless driving,
driving under the influence of
intoxicants and manslaughter
in the second degree.
In another mishap, a sin-
gle-vehicle crash was re-
ported in the early afternoon
of Tuesday, Dec. 30 in the
100 block of Placer Road in
Sunny Valley. Sheriff’s depu-
ties, Oregon State Police
troopers, AMR and Rural/
Metro Fire Dept. responded.
Days Creek resident Marvin
Wayne Hill, 56, was pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff’s investigators
determined that Hill was driv-
ing his Dodge Ram pickup
truck westbound on Placer
Road when he came upon a
left turn, which he failed to
navigate. The vehicle’s right-
side tires went onto the shoul-
der and he lost control bring-
ing the vehicle back to the
roadway and crashed into an
oak tree on the eastbound side
of the road.
Investigators believe that
excessive speed was a con-
tributing factor. Hill was
wearing a seatbelt.
Hill’s brother told inves-
tigators that the crash victim
was heading home after re-
ceiving news that another
brother had just died due to
natural causes.
OSP lists more problems in Yule period
Preliminary information
for the 102-hour Christmas
holiday period of 2008 indi-
cates that traffic fatalities
were slightly higher and that
Oregon State Police DUII
arrests equaled 2007 figures.
OSP noted an “unusual
DUII arrest of note” on Dec.
26 in the Crooked River
Ranch area of central Oregon.
Upon arrival the trooper
determined a vehicle had only
slid off the highway and was
occupied by a 54-year old
Redmond woman and a dog.
The woman was transported
to St. Charles Medical Center
in Redmond where a prelimi-
nary blood test showed her
blood alcohol level was .469
percent, nearly six times the
legal .08 limit in every state.
She was cited to appear
on a DUII charge.
Otherwise, known fatal
traffic crashes investigated by
Oregon law enforcement
agencies between 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 24, through
11:59 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 28,
show that five people died in
five separate traffic crashes.
During the ’07 Christmas
holiday period, two people
died in two separate crashes.
(Editor’s Note: Factual
information for ‘Blotter’ is
provided by official law en-
forcement agencies. All per-
sons listed are innocent until
proven guilty in a court of
law. Charges can be amended
or dismissed.)
* * *
Friday, Dec. 26
*Following a report of a
pedestrian causing a distur-
bance at the Sterling Savings
Bank drive-up window, a 62-
year-old man was taken to
Three Rivers Community
Hospital in Grants Pass on a
voluntary mental hold.
Saturday, Dec. 27
*In the 28000 block of
Redwood Hwy. a woman
complained that her sister-in-
law was causing a distur-
bance.
*Damage to a sliding
glass door and theft of numer-
ous items from a Wood Duck
Lane residence were reported.
*Arrested on N. Junction
Avenue, Craig Alan Swinney,
52, was lodged in Josephine
County Jail, charged with
violation of a restraining order
(contempt of court).
Sunday, Dec. 28
*Some 8 miles up Illinois
River Road, Matthew J. Cor-
According to ODOT’s
Fatality Analysis Reporting
System (FARS) statistics, an
average of four fatalities have
occurred each year during this
holiday period during the past
10 years.
One of the ‘08 fatalities
occurred Dec. 24 when a 21-
year old Shady Cove man
died in a single-vehicle crash
on Highway 234 northeast of
Gold Hill. Speeding and alco-
hol are possible contributing
factors, OSP said.
OSP preliminary DUII
enforcement statistics show
that troopers arrested 50 im-
paired drivers. Troopers ar-
rested nearly 50 DUII drivers
during the same ’07 period,
and 59 DUII drivers during
the ‘06 Christmas holiday
period.
The OSP Bend Area
Command office reported
nine DUII arrests, followed
by OSP offices in Portland
and Central Point areas, each
with eight DUII arrests. Six
of the OSP Central Point of-
fice arrests were on Saturday,
Dec. 27.
A NHTSA national study
shows that the daily death toll
from impaired driving crashes
during the Christmas and
New Year’s holiday periods
is significantly more than for
the rest of the year. The report
showed that from 2001 to
2005, an average of 36 fatali-
ties occurred per day on U.S.
roadways as a result of
crashes involving an alcohol-
impaired driver.
That number rose to 45
per day during the Christmas
period and to 54 per day dur-
ing the New Year’s holiday.
Winter steelhead season under way
Winter steelhead season is under way in coastal rivers and
streams. Recent cold, wet conditions have made fishing condi-
tions challenging, but look for fishing to improve as water levels
fall and water clarity improves, said Oregon Dept. of Fish &
Wildlife.
Outdoorsmen are reminded that they need a new license to
hunt or fish as of Jan. 1. Game bird validations and tags are good
through June 30, 2009 but a new tag is needed to hunt cougar as
of Jan. 1.
tez, 18, was cited on a charge
of cutting firewood without a
permit.
*A domestic disturbance
was reported on Patton Bar
Road.
Monday, Dec. 29
*Vandals broke into
school buses parked near Ev-
ergreen Elementary School
and discharged fire extin-
guishers inside. Estimated
cost of damage and clean-up
was between $500 and $800.
*Numerous items were
reported stolen from a W.
Lister Street residence. It was
said that thieves entered
through a window.
*Two people were said to
have been assaulted by youths
who fled from CJ 76 service
station around 8 p.m.
*A man claimed to have
been assaulted on S. Old
Stage Road.
*Transients were said to
be hanging out near the front
of the Josephine County Bldg.
in Downtown CJ, where they
had a heater plugged into an
exterior power outlet. Neil
White, 57, was cited on a
charge of second-degree
criminal trespassing.
Tuesday, Dec. 30
*On Westside Road a
man complained that his
neighbor had left a radio play-
ing loudly and unattended
outside for at least two hours.
Also, he thought the radio,
which was pointed at his
house, might have been stolen
from his trash.
*A resident of N. Junc-
tion Avenue reported hearing
five gunshots at 6:53 p.m.
*Theft of prescription
medication was reported by a
Fir Drive resident.
*Damage to a fence and
“Satanic” sayings penned on
the door of a Glendon Drive
residence prompted a report
of third-degree criminal mis-
chief.
Wednesday, Dec. 31
*A rural Cave Junction
man reported receiving mail
and telephone calls for a man
he did not know. He thought
it might be a form of identity
theft.
*Arrested in Downtown
CJ, Peter A. Struyck, 55, was
lodged in Josephine County
Jail on a warrant charging
failure to appear on a con-
tempt of court charge.
*On Holland Loop a
caller said that two men, ac-
cusing his brother of theft,
threatened “to shoot their
whole family and throw them
in the woods.” They were
Cave Junction resident Charles Beatty Worden
II, 60, was cited by Oregon State Police fol-
lowing an accident on Caves Hwy near Red-
wood Hwy. at 11:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4.
OSP cited Worden on charges of DUII, driving
while suspended, and driving without insur-
ance. His blood-alcohol content was meas-
ured at .26 percent. Worden was taken by
American Medical Response to Three Rivers
Community Hospital in Grants Pass where he
was treated for a head injury and released. A
deputy took the driver’s dog to his home.
(Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg, Illinois
Valley Fire District Media Dept.)
Mussels providing muscle for new glue
An inspiration that began
when a researcher at Oregon
State University at Corvallis
watched mussels being
pounded by ocean waves has
evolved into a new wood
adhesive that is creating jobs
for U.S. workers; drawing
interest from all over the
world; and leading a major
shift away from formalde-
hyde-based composite wood
products.
Academic and industry
experts cite a growing interest
in green, sustainable building
products as part of the trend,
along with stricter regulations
and building standards that
have been passed in Califor-
nia and may spread else-
where.
Plywood panels bonded
with this adhesive are being
marketed as “PureBond” by
Portland-based Columbia
Forest Products. Also, the
adhesive is now being made
available to other manufactur-
ers, and research is continu-
ing to explore the full range
of possible uses.
“Our research has finally
achieved the type of broad
commercial and environ-
mental impact that we always
thought was possible,” said
Kaichang Li, an associate
professor of wood science
and engineering at OSU. He
also is an expert in wood ad-
hesives and composite mate-
rials.
“As more uses evolve for
this adhesive, there should be
even more environmental
benefits,” Li said. “It’s also
creating jobs here in Oregon
and the U.S., and helping the
North American forest prod-
ucts industry compete more
effectively with imports.”
Traditional urea-
formaldehyde adhesives com-
monly have been used for
making various wood com-
posite panels. But the toxic
formaldehyde the panels re-
lease has raised concerns
about cancer, indoor air qual-
ity and other health issues.
The new adhesive is one
of the first of its type that can
cost-effectively replace urea-
formaldehyde. It originally
was developed by Li after he
watched mussels clinging
tenaciously to rocks while
being pounded by large
waves on the Oregon coast.
Fundamental research on
the chemistry of mussel
byssus – small threads that
attach them to rocks and other
advised of their options.
*Two kids were said
skateboarding on the roof at
Evergreen Elementary School
at 2:56 p.m.
*Gunshots reported at
6:44 p.m. were thought com-
ing from a camp south of
Rough & Ready Creek
bridge.
*A former Millie Street
resident said that his room-
mate signed for a prescription
methadone delivery and then
stole the pills.
*A woman complained
that she and her nephew were
nearly struck by a vehicle on a
parking lot in Downtown CJ.
The driver was warned about
his driving habits.
*After booming noises
were reported on Boundry
Avenue around 10:45 p.m.,
the owner of a home-made
acetylene cannon was advised
of the noise ordinance and
against setting off an explo-
sive device within the city.
Thursday, Jan. 1
*A man on Little Gray-
back Road reported finding
his cat shot to death and its
body “smashed all over his
front porch.” He said it was
the second of his cats killed in
two days, and he believed the
situation to be a continuation
of previously reported harass-
ment.
Friday, Jan. 2
*An unsecured door at
the Cave Junction water treat-
ment plant on N. Sawyer
Avenue was found to be the
source of a 2:41 a.m. alarm.
*Redwood Hwy., Laurel
Road and Lakeshore Drive
were partially blocked by
fallen trees in the early morn-
ing. County Public Works
was advised.
surfaces – revealed a protein
with an unusual chemical
composition that allowed the
mussels to stick tightly to
surfaces despite being inun-
dated in water. Later studies
discovered that a similar pro-
tein could be created by
modifying cheap, abundant
and environmentally benign
soy protein.
With collaboration and
support from Columbia For-
est Products and Hercules
Incorporated, which is now
Ashland Chemical, further
work was conducted to bring
the basic discoveries to com-
mercial use.
“These companies had
the vision and willingness to
invest in this technology, and
now it appears to be really
paying off for them,” Li said.
The adhesive is now be-
ing used in hardwood ply-
wood, particleboard, medium
density fiberboard, and other
wood composite panels. Fur-
ther uses are anticipated.
Search and Rescue academy
(Continued from page 1)
and minimum attendance
requirements.
Active-duty SAR mem-
bers also receive training on a
variety of snow craft, water-
craft and several types of spe-
cialized off-road vehicles.
Advanced training is avail-
able for qualified members
wishing to participate in rope
and wilderness rescue, in
conjunction with American
Parenting
Raising Children to be Tomorrow’s Leaders
Come join
Bridges to Motherhood
Pregnancy Center
592-6058
319 Caves Hwy., Cave Junction
PregnancyCenterIV.org
Medical Response’s Reach
and Treat team. There are
also specialty sub-units of
SAR, including a K-9 search
unit, swift water rescue team,
dive rescue team and an ur-
ban SAR team trained for
structural collapse rescue.
SAR is an all-volunteer
unit, funded entirely through
community donations and
grants. They are the primary
search agency for the county,
and actively participate in a
variety of rescues and large-
scale emergencies.
For more information or
to register for the SAR acad-
emy, contact Josephine
County Emergency Manage-
ment at 474-5300 or e-mail
sar@co.josephine.or.us.
Elementary Schools Lunch
Menu Sponsored by
H OMETOWN E
INTERIORS
592-2413
THURSDAY, JAN. 8
Fruit & yogurt parfait, popcorn
chicken, pepperoni or veggie
pizza, turkey salad sandwich,
chicken salad wrap, chef or
garden salad.
FRIDAY, JAN. 9
Super sloppy joe, hamburger,
Italian griller, totally turkey
sandwich, classic wrap, Cobb
or garden salad.
MONDAY, JAN. 12
Crispy corn dog, hamburger,
rib-B-que sandwich, totally
turkey sandwich, cleaver club
wrap, garden salad.
TUESDAY, JAN. 13
Big beef taco Tuesday, chicken
nuggets, pepperoni or cheese
pizza, super duper sub, crispy
chicken wrap, chef or garden
salad.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14
Cheesy macaroni, chicken
burger, hamburger, tuna tor-
pedo sandwich, it’s Italian
wrap, popcorn chicken garden
salad.