Inside:
Great goings-on
From hikes to
whale-watching
Page 5
Townhall set
Pending bills topic
of Maurer visit
Page 7
Motor mishap
Two injured in
Caves Hwy. wreck
Page 7
Man on the Street
How to spur the
economy?
Page 15
Athletes honored
Winter sports
wrap up
Page 16
A day in the life of a community police officer
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Thursday, March 12
3:30 p.m.
Josephine County Sher-
iff’s Office Deputy George
Gasperson pulls into Cave
Junction in a black-and-
white patrol car. He’s been
on duty since 2 p.m., when
he reported to the main of-
fice in Grants Pass. There,
he checked voice messages,
e-mails, got supplies and
charged his cell phone.
Gasperson, 31, is the
deputy assigned to the city
of Cave Junction through its
contract with the sheriff’s
office. He said that being
dedicated to the community
has its advantages.
“You get to be a lot
more proactive rather than
reactive,” Gasperson said.
For the past few months, he
has patrolled Cave Junction
regularly, and has become
quite familiar with the area
JCSO Deputy George Gasperson conducts a traffic stop on Caves Hwy. (Photo by I.V. News )
as a result.
“I get a lot of good
feedback and comments
from the community,” he
said.
4 p.m.
Dispatch receives a
complaint about someone
riding a quad motorcycle on
Laurel Road. That report is
relayed to Gasperson, who
responds to the scene.
Gasperson turns from
Caves Hwy. to Laurel, slow-
ing down before pulling into
a driveway. He exits his
patrol vehicle and asks a
man at his front door if he’s
seen any such vehicle driv-
ing around. The man re-
sponds that he hasn’t, so
Candidates
emerge for
Oregon Guv
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Even though the 2010
election is still several months
away, candidates already are
lining up to replace Gov. Ku-
longoski, who can’t seek re-
election due to term limits.
Among Democrats, there
has been speculation about
any number of possible con-
tenders. They include Con-
gressman Peter DeFazio, for-
mer Oregon Secretary of
State Bill Bradbury, former
Gov. Kitzhaber, Portland City
Commissioner Randy Leo-
nard; and Steve Novick, long-
time activist and former U.S.
Senate candidate .
The list is much shorter
among Republicans, whose
party hasn’t elected a gover-
nor since Vic Atiyeh left of-
fice in 1987.
Congressman Greg Wal-
den and former U.S. Sen.
Gordon Smith have been
mentioned as candidates, al-
though both have indicated
that they will not run. Pixel-
Works co-founder Allen Al-
ley, who had a strong show-
ing running for Oregon state
treasurer against Democrat
Ben Westlund last Novem-
ber, has announced his candi-
dacy and begun campaigning.
Also lining up for a run
is Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-
Central Point), whose district
includes Cave Junction.
Atkinson, 39, began
serving in the Oregon House
of Representatives at the age
of 28. He was re-elected to
his Senate seat last year, and
has launched a Website,
www.jasonatkinson.us. It
mentions a “gubernatorial
exploratory committee” on its
main page.
In 2006, Atkinson placed
third in the Republican guber-
natorial primary against for-
mer Oregon Republican Party
(ORP) Chairman Kevin Man-
nix and Ron Saxton. Saxton
won the primary, but lost the
general election to Kulon-
goski.
Atkinson said that the
results of that race, and the
2008 election, prove that Re-
publicans must “get back to
the fundamentals” and stick
to their principles.
“The reason voters were
turned off is they didn’t see a
difference between Democ-
rats and Republicans,” he
said. “They want to see fresh
(Continued on page 14)
Gasperson moves on to the
next house, with similar
results. He reports back to
Dispatch via radio that he
was unable to locate the
quad, then returns to patrol.
While driving around
the Shop Smart Food Ware-
house parking lot, Gasper-
son recognizes a bicycle
rider as someone with a
warrant for failure to appear
in court. The rider gets off
of the bike and goes inside
the store.
Gasperson makes an
inquiry through dispatch,
and learns that the warrant
stems from a charge of driv-
ing under the influence of
intoxicants. He is instructed
to cite and release the man,
but inform him that skipping
court again will result in a
trip to jail.
The suspect has yet to
emerge from the store, so
Gasperson pulls the patrol
car to a position where he
can see both sets of doors.
A woman approaches
Gasperson in the parking lot
and informs him that her
son has run away again.
Gasperson promises her that
he will keep an eye out for
the teen-ager.
Several minutes later,
(Continued on page 9)
Suit filed in
motorcycle/
car incident
(Clockwise from top, left) Don Moore, Terri Hill and Dulcie Moore; Harvey & Joy Shinerock; Scott Taylor, Patricia Dees
and Terry Taylor; Bill Reid, Terri Hill and Dulcie Moore. (Photos by Illinois Valley News )
C of C honors I.V.’s 2008 outstanding
Mayor Moore announces traffic signals scheduled at Hwy. 199/River Street
Startling news about installing traffic
signal lights at Hwy. 199 and River Street
in Downtown Cave Junction, announced
by Mayor Don Moore, was among high-
lights of the Illinois Valley Chamber of
Commerce annual awards dinner.
Held in the Junction Inn lounge, with
complimentary wine by Bridgeview Vine-
yards & Winery, the event Saturday night,
March 14, drew a crowd of some 80 per-
sons. Attendees included Chairman
Dwight Ellis and Commissioner Dave
Toler of the Josephine County Board of
Commissioners; and Jodi Wainwright,
president of the Grants Pass Chamber.
Music was provided by Jefferson.
Following dinner, I.V. Chamber
President Terri Hill and Secretary Dulcie
Moore presented an Architectural Excel-
lence Award to Bill Reid, of Oregon
Mountain Real Estate. Reid last year had
the exterior of the Cave Junction-based
business revamped. Work included a new
color scheme to replace the previous
“Chips” Combs Krypton green; plus fas-
cia treatment, sidewalks and pillars.
Reid, whose real estate agency pro-
vides the chamber Website as a commu-
nity service, noted that the chamber con-
tinues its interest in promoting community
events through means including the site.
Contact ivchamberofcommerce@cavenet.
com.
Hill, who operates Northwest Hair-
lines; and Don Moore, the latter immedi-
ate-past chamber president and no relation
to Dulcie, provided an upbeat message for
the crowd. They cited the beauty of Illi-
nois Valley and its many fine businesses
and other features that serve to help make
the community attractive. Being “open,
caring and sharing” will go a long way to
advance the valley economy through en-
couraging tourism and boosting business,
Hill noted.
Hill and the mayor singled out
Bridgeview Winery’s Lelo Kerivan, who
spearheaded the campaign, including
funding, to replace the “Welcome” bill-
board on Hayes Hill. She introduced the
sign designer, Jay Maust, of Signs by Jay.
The thrust of the sign, to “experience Illi-
nois Valley,” was emphasized.
Chamber Director Jim Frick, of Har-
ris & Taylor Century 21, continued the
program with Dulcie Moore by presenting
various awards. Singled out for special
recognition were “hometown” successes
Patricia Dees, of Sterling Savings Bank;
Scott Taylor, of Taylor’s Country Store;
and Terry Taylor, of Taylor’s Sausage.
The 2008 Business of the Year
Award resulted in a tie, with Taylor’s
Country Store and Oregon Caves Chev-
ron, run by Jeff & Karen Stiles, taking the
honors. Accepting the country store award
were Charles “Chuck” and Marilyn Tay-
lor, parents of Scott and Terry.
Other nominees for the business cita-
tion, based on overall contributions to the
valley as voted by chamber directors: Illi-
nois Valley Pregnancy Center, It’s a Burl,
Outback Septic Services, and River
Mountain Printing.
Nominees for top citizen of ‘08 were
Tina L. Palmer, Lynn Boucher Johnson,
and Bob Rodriguez.
Palmer, a volunteer with I.V. Preg-
nancy Center, was recognized in late-2007
under a recognition program of the U.S.
Dept. of Health & Human Services. She
received the President’s Exemplary Vol-
unteer recognition for her lifetime
achievement as a Pregnancy Center Vol-
unteer. She continues to be involved in
several of the center’s programs designed
to assist men and women in times of need
related to pregnancy.
Boucher Johnson, a longtime valley
supporter, has led the Cave Junction Cares
program for the past 19 years. During
each of those years, she has planned and
organized free meals and a warm location
at Jubilee Park in Cave Junction for
Thanksgiving and Christmas. All comers
are provided a holiday dinner; and at
Christmas, toys are given to children by
Santa.
Rodriguez, a chamber director since
1987, and a former board president, has
been publisher of Illinois Valley News
since February 1986. He was chosen for
the top citizen honor. The day following
the presentation, the award recipient said:
“There are so many community-
minded volunteers and others who work
so hard, and who deserve this award more
(Continued on page 4)
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Illinois Valley resident
Stan Strange has filed a civil
lawsuit stemming from an
August 2007 motor vehicle
incident near O’Brien.
On Aug. 27 that year,
Strange was riding his motor-
cycle southbound on Hwy.
199 with his friends and fel-
low motorcyclists, Glen Sey-
bold and Louis Pombo.
Everything was fine,
Strange said, until a 1984
yellow Mercedes driven by
Eric Harris Hill, according to
law enforcement records,
encountered the bikers. At the
time, Hill was a student at
Southern Oregon University
in Ashland. So were his pas-
sengers, Alexander Golden;
and Hill’s then-girlfriend,
Samatha Pettigrew.
Strange contends that
Hill attempted to pass Pombo
“and pushed him right to the
side of the road” before pass-
ing Seybold on the right.
“He shoved him into
oncoming traffic,” Strange
claims. “(Then) he tried to
run me off the road all the
way to O’Brien.” He reported
the same accusations to law
enforcement.
Strange continued, stat-
ing that traffic subsequently
stopped down the road, at
which point he got off his
motorcycle to confront Hill.
While waving one of his fin-
gers at Hill, Strange said, his
hand was inside the Mer-
cedes. That move led to dis-
aster, Strange said to law en-
forcement.
“He rolled the window
up, drove off and drug me
down the road 15 to 20 feet,”
Strange declares. “They used
the car as a weapon.”
After that, the bikers
went to the nearby McGrew’s
Restaurant & Lounge to re-
port the incident to law en-
forcement. Strange said that a
restaurant patron cleaned and
bandaged his arm, which was
injured in the fracas, while
the bikers drank water and
(Continued on page 9)