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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2009)
Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Public boozin’ not amusin’ to CJ city councilors This was the issue in which I was going to continue raving about a recent trip Down South, and even include a peachy beachy photo. But as the damp, cold weather here is depressing me (the lowest temp while we were in San Diego County was 72), I am taking the easy way out. The following from the Internet was sent by daughter Vicki Kap- lan, and good friend Virginia Gilliam. I’m taking advantage: Dear Dogs and Cats, The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your plate and food, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue sleep- ing on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not nec- essary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm. For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bath- room. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. I have been using the bathroom for years -- so canine or feline attendance is not required. The proper order is: kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat butt. I cannot stress this enough. To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following on our front door: To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets: *They live here. You don’t. *If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it “fur”-niture. *I like my pets a lot better than I like most people. *To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly. And remember that dogs and cats are different from kids because they: Eat less, don’t ask for money all the time, are easier to train, normally come when called, never ask to drive the car, don’t hang out with drug-using friends, don’t smoke or drink, don’t have to buy the latest fashions, don’t want to wear your clothes, don’t need billions of dollars for college, and -- if they get pregnant, you can sell their children! By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer A public hearing on an ordinance that would prohibit drinking alcohol on public premises drew positive com- ments from citizens and words of caution from a for- mer mayor during the Cave Junction City Council’s Mon- day night, Jan. 26 meeting. The pending ordinance, which had a first reading in city hall, would cover parks, city parking lots and city buildings. Offenders would be fined $500 if convicted. Cave Junction resident Ed Arthurs spoke in favor of the proposed rule. So did real estate agent Anita LeGaux, who said that the presence of intoxicated homeless people in public has become a seri- ous issue. “I’m happy to see that there’s something being done about this,” LeGaux said. “It’s created a poor image for our beautiful little city here.” Business owner Sally Palmer asked councilors what the city was trying to accom- Joel Perkins plish by passing the ordi- nance. Mayor Don Moore responded that it will give Josephine County Sheriff’s Office deputies a tool to use when dealing with problem drinkers. Moore said the ordi- nance is only part of the solu- tion, but that it is a step in the right direction. “It’s a start,” said Coun- cilor Margaret Miller. Immediate past mayor, Tony Paulson, said that while he agreed with the intent of the ordinance, state law con- siders alcoholism a disease. Because of that, Paulson said, the ordinance likely would be thrown out in court if it were met with a challenge. Paulson produced min- utes from previous council meetings where similar solu- tions were debated. He re- quested that the ordinance be forwarded to the municipal court judge to determine its constitutionality. Russell Carpenter told councilors that he used to take his granddaughter to Jubilee Park, but stopped do- ing so because of the open alcohol use and the behav- ior that often accompanies it. “I don’t use the park anymore, and it’s time we take it back,” Carpenter said. Victor Arias agreed, and said that he has wit- nessed many instances of public drug use and sales. “Let’s move these drunks somewhere else,” Arias said. A second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for the council’s Feb. 9 meet- Councilor Margaret Miller, Mayor Don Moore and City Recorder Jim Polk. (Photos by Michelle Binker, I.V. News ) ing, in city hall. The council also held a public hearing regarding a development agreement for Bellau Woods Estates. The applicant, Grants Pass developer Michael Mas- ters, said the matter has been before the council several times. He said that Lindilu Lane was built according to a plan that was reviewed by an engineer hired by the city. However, water has collected at the end of the street and onto a neighboring property owned by the Quate family. Masters proposed two possible solutions for the problem. One would be to have a stormwater retention pond at the end of the street. The other would involve se- curing an easement for the Quate family’s property to pipe out the water. The agree- ment covered the second sce- nario. “We feel that’s a good, fair solution,” Masters said. But Joel Perkins ques- tioned how the project was allowed to proceed in the first place. “I’m in opposition of things being done without proper procedure,” Perkins said. He characterized the proposed agreement as “a benefit 100 percent for the developers. “There’s many, many, many problems here I can’t even begin to address,” Per- kins said, adding that a final plat plan should have been approved prior to any con- struction on the subdivision. Moore acknowledged that “there were some mis- takes made,” and said that City Attorney Pat Kelly had asked for the matter to be continued to the council’s Feb. 9 meeting. “We’ll get this ironed out,” Moore said. In other matters, the council: *Unanimously approved park requests for Illinois Val- ley Little League to use Jubi- lee Park and its snack bar from Feb. 15 through Sept. 15 and the Cave Junction Lions Club to use amplified sound for its June 27 car show. *Held a public hearing for the first reading of an or- dinance to transfer the owner- ship of the city’s street lights to Pacific Power. ized,” (Illinois Valley News, Jan. 21): Don’t be fooled by Forestry Action Committee’s (FAC) Director/Board Presi- dent Susan Chapp. In an Oct. 31, 2008 Ore- gon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) final order, the commissioner, Brad Ava- kian, found that: *Chapp’s unsubstanti- ated assertions are decidedly disingenuous; *Chapp’s credibility was further undermined by her admission that she asked Robin Wilson to create a false record; *Chapp’s testimony con- flicted with prior statements she made to the (IRS) during the wage investigations, con- tradicted other credible testi- mony, and was internally inconsistent; *“Respondent’s (Chapp) apparent mismanagement of grant funds is not a valid de- fense;” *“Respondent’s igno- rance of the law does not ex- empt it.” Present board members who are manipulated by Chapp need to know that they are financially responsible for what she does. Former board members and employees who were fooled by Chapp might want to contact Elizabeth Grant at Oregon Dept. of Jus- tice, (971) 673-1880 or email charitable.activities@doj. state.or.us to let her know what they know about illegal or unethical behavior at FAC. Brought to you by the folks at IVHS Activities Calendar The Valley’s Tax Experts Has Joined Forces With... The Nation’s Tax Experts Same Great Preparers & Same Great Service! 204 W. Lister St. Cave Junction, OR 541-592-3667 Concrete Remodel New Construction 592-6609 CCB 174891 Illinois Valley News www.illinois-valley-news.com An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-publishers: Bob & Jan Rodriguez Editor-in-Chief: Michelle Binker Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction OR 97523 P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330 Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com Volume 71, No. 46 Staff: Zina Booth, Brenda Encinas, Scott Jorgensen and Millie Watkins Website design and maintenance by Ashgrove Visual Arts Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 5 P.M. THURSDAYS (Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be accepted until noon Fridays with an additional charge.) POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. Gener- ally, one letter per person per month at publisher’s discretion. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the publisher’s opinion. POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,” DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS & NOTICES: All submissions must be hand-delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publication. Submissions must be resubmitted weekly if the item is to run more than one week. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $22.80 One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $26.40 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $36 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction OR 97523 (Editor’s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter- writers.) * * * Typed, double-spaced letters are considered for publication. Hand-written letters that are double- spaced and legible also can be considered. “Thank you” submissions are not ac- cepted as letters. Meddlesome hobbyist From Christopher Smith Cave Junction Kudos to Scott Jorgensen for a great article on Holger Sommer (Illinois Valley News, Jan. 21). The article seemed fair and unbiased. I got a chuckle about how Sommer refers to his meddling in other people’s affairs as a “hobby.” This is some hobby. It seems that his “hobby” has cost some resi- dents of Josephine County their jobs and others their dream homes. And all for what gain? If it is true that people lost their jobs due to Sommer’s med- dling, he ought to support those folks and their families until new jobs can be found. I also understand that Sommer has a nice large house in Mer- lin. Does he have enough room for those who can’t build their new homes thanks to his meddling to move in with him? It seems that Sommer is an intelligent fellow who likes to share this intelligence with others whether they asked for it or not. He should stick to those who actually invite his intelligence such as Joel Perkins. While I may or may not agree with Perkins’ issue with Barlow Sand & Gravel, it is my understand- ing that he sought the advice and “expertise” of Sommer. It seems that all the rest that I hear about Sommer is him poking his nose where it is not asked. I still don’t see where a Merlin resident has any business dictating what goes on in the city of Cave Junction or this end of Jose- phine County. Perhaps to solve all of this Sommer ought to come up with a new hobby to de- vote all his free time to. There is always coin collecting, tying flies, painting, knitting, sewing, bird watching, kite flying, and so on. The list of possible hobbies that do not interfere in other people’s affairs is endless. The numbers are grim From Carol Dickson Cave Junction Every time I turn on the news or open a newspaper, I am saddened and sickened to see the greed and dishonesty at the highest levels of our way of life: the businesses failing, the businesses laying off employees, and huge cor- porations asking for bail-outs. This is not someone else’s problem in some other place. These are our friends and families losing businesses and jobs. In researching on the Internet, I found the fol- lowing statistics for Josephine County: unemployment rate - 10.9 percent (11/08), average family annual income $31,229, per capita income $17,234 (11/08), 11.30 per- cent of families and 15 per- cent of the population below the poverty line, 1,408 fore- closures (foreclosures.com). Admittedly, the research is crude and in all likelihood the numbers are more grim. In addition, those with invest- ments who tried to insure their retirements have lost in excess of 30 percent value. In the face of this situa- tion, we have government at all levels asking for more money from its citizenry. I fear that in the not too distant future the only thing left will be the government and Wal- Mart. Who is going to bail us out and how do we stop the runaway train? Sounds a bit like socialism to me. FAC findings of fact From Hazel Reagan O’Brien In response to the front page article, “Fraud charged; FAC possibly victim- 592-3556 Cave Jct. 469-7545 Brookings 471-7487 Grants Pass 773-7487 Medford THURSDAY, JAN. 29 * 21st Century 3:30 p.m.: scrapbooking, drumming, cooking, scholarship essay writing * Wrestling at Hidden Valley @ 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY, JAN. 30 * Basketball vs. Henley JV boys @ 5:30 p.m. Varsity boys @ 7 p.m. * Basketball at Henley JV girls @ 5:30 p.m. Varsity girls @ 7 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 31 * Wrestling at Cottage Grove @ TBA MONDAY, FEB. 2 * 21st Century 3:30 p.m.: yoga, running/walking, welding, drama club, homework help TUESDAY, FEB. 3 * 21st Century 3:30 p.m.: brain bowl, theater/improv, sewing, guitar lessons, scholarship essay writing * Basketball at Hidden Valley JV boys @ 5:30 p.m. Varsity boys @ 7 p.m. * Basketball vs. Hidden Valley JV girls @ 5:30 p.m. Varsity girls @ 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 * 21st Century 3:30 p.m.: yoga, running/walking, cooking, drama club, researching your family history (All 21st Century events are open to parents of students at any I.V. school. Also open to homeschoolers.) Illinois Valley Computer Service “Service at your door” Microsoft Certified Professional 116 N. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction www.ivcsonline.net Zane Blankenship 541-761-4351 Tony Mistretta 541-761-4321 zane@ivcsonline.net tony@ivcsonline.net
