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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2010)
Inside: Plans for the land Land use group eyes I.V. issues Page 4 Police blotter Life stranger than fiction Page 7 Kerby Water District: Service to begin by July 1 By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Doc Bashford and Sharon Satmor have spent the past six months preparing the newly named Bigfoot Cavern in Kerby for a grand opening. Many fixtures already are in place, including a gi- gantic Sasquatch statue, an Internet jukebox, and tables and bar stools. But two items have been holding them up — pro- longed wet winter weather and delays in completion of the Kerby Water District (KWD) project to provide a piped-in H 2 0 supply to the community. “Water is our main is- sue,” Bashford said. “We have everything but water.” Fortunately for the cav- ern’s co-owners and other Kerby residents, the project continues to move toward completion. The project was funded largely by a commu- nity development grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). John Plute, chairman of the KWD Board of Directors, said that the main pipeline to bring water from the city of Cave Junction to Kerby has been laid. “It’s chlorinated, Food for free TRSD summer meal sites listed Page 9 CCA successes Christian Academy lists graduates Page 13 Moving up Lorna Byrne eighth graders celebrate Page 16 cleaned, flushed and tested good,” Plute explained. The second phase of the project involves installation of service lines to businesses and residences, Plute said. Additional delays were caused by that, but Plute said it actually will save KWD members around $3,000 each. “We had some funds left over from the grant. We con- vinced USDA to allow us to hook up service lines to peo- ples’ houses,” Plute said. “They rarely grant that proc- ess, but they did it for us. “Right now, 113 people are going to receive the water pipeline, but the icing on top is that this allows them to get hooked up onto the grid, as opposed to having it be an out -of-pocket expense.” June 1 was the original project completion date, Plute said. Grants Pass-based firm Copeland Paving & Gravel Workers were outside of Bigfoot Cavern in Kerby on Monday, June 7 making the push toward the water pro- ject’s completion. (Photo by Scott Jorgensen, Illinois Valley News ) IVHS sports Spring season athletes honored Page 16 has two crews working to install the service lines, ac- cording to Plute. “We figure they can do five installs per day,” he said. “In three weeks, they should be completed with everyone.” Before crews could con- nect the service lines, KWD had to conduct minor envi- ronmental impact statements, Plute said, and obtain permis- sion from residents to have personnel enter their prop- erty. A master water meter for the project already has been installed, Plute said. “What we’re doing now is working with the city, be- cause it’s going to do the maintenance,” he said. “When Copeland installs the meters, we’ll log them on and set up the record-keeping for that, and it will all be done electronically. “We’ll give the city a $172,000 system develop- ment charge, and that pays for us hooking up to them.” Plute said that KWD also is in the process of finalizing the paperwork to close out the grant. He added that officials from the state and USDA already have completed a (Continued on page 3) Smokejumper project week set June 14-18 By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Next week, volunteers from many states are going to roll up their sleeves and make some much-needed improve- ments to some facilities at Illinois Valley Airport, the former Siskiyou Smokejum- per Base. Members of the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum Project have scheduled a pro- ject period from Monday, June 14 to Friday, June 18. Projects at the airport, off Hwy. 199 a few miles south of Downtown Cave Junction, include roofing the parachute loft, restoring the interior and exterior of the administrative building constructed in 1936, and painting the structures. Cave Junction resident Roger Brandt has spent the past few years trying to estab- lish the museum at the air- port. That vision took one gigantic step toward reality on May 17, when the Jose- phine County Board of Com- missioners signed a 10-year lease with the non-profit (Continued on page 6) RADE raid nets more than 50 pounds of mushrooms Members of the Illinois Valley High School 2010 graduating class anticipate receiving their diplomas in Ken Mann Memorial Gym on Tuesday, June 1. (Photos by Scott Jorgensen, Illinois Valley News ) IVHS Class of 2010 takes center stage By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Tuesday morning June 1, Illinois Valley High School staff members still were unsure if the 2010 graduation cere- mony should be held indoors or outdoors. But as the day progressed, Mother Nature’s unpredictable spring weather had the final say, and the event was set for Ken Mann Memorial Gymnasium. Proud parents, friends, well-wishers and community members packed the gym for the ceremony to honor the school’s 75 graduating seniors in the Class of 2010. The appearance of flowered arch bearers marked the beginning of the cere- mony, at which point IVHS teachers en- tered to a heroes welcome. A snare drum rattle provided the proper cue for the graduates to take their stroll amid camera flashes, smiles and more than a few tears. Principal JoAnn Bethany said that the graduates had so far accumulated some 5,000 hours of classroom instruction dur- ing their lives. That adds up to $50 per hour, she said, when taking into account the $250,000 difference in lifetime earn- ings between graduates and dropouts. Bethany described the high school experience as a “swinging bridge” be- tween childhood and adulthood and igno- rance and knowledge. “This is not the end of your journey,” she said. Prompted by the principal, many graduates stood to show that they plan to continue their education. Approximately a dozen stood to indicate their decision to join the military, earning an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. Introduced by students Sarah Parker and Jeff Coots, popular IVHS teacher Gary Enoch told the graduates that adult- hood has its fair share of challenges. “Life gets a whole lot tougher from here on out,” noted Enoch. Kirsten Valenzuela, also an IVHS teacher, was the keynote speaker. She provided a bit of advice for salutatorian Heidi Unger, who is known for her many extracurricular activities. “In the near future, please make time for yourself,” Valenzuela said. In introducing Unger, Bethany also had some kind remarks. “Heidi has the heart of a servant,” Bethany said. The speeches by Unger and valedic- torian Eddie Goynes included many anec- dotes about teachers, classmates and friends, as well as expressions of hope for the future. Other highlights of the ceremony were a rendition of the classic Beatles song, All You Need is Love, by the IVHS choir; and senior Rebeckah Kaberline performing the class song, The Climb, made popular by Miley Cyrus of the tele- vision show, Hanna Montana. Marijuana and psilocybin mush- rooms with a value potential of hun- dreds of thousands of dollars were seized in rural Cave Junction from sites with state-of-the-art indoor growing equipment. In all, more than 50 pounds of psilocybin mush- rooms, two sophisti- cated psilocybin mushroom-growing operations, 372 marijuana plants, a Psilocybin mushrooms large indoor mari- juana-growing op- (Photo courtesy OSP) eration, a loaded handgun, more than $5,000 cash, and other items of evidentiary value were seized as a result of a multi-county narcotics investiga- tion. Sgt. Jim Johnson, of the Oregon State Police Drug Enforce- ment Section, said that search warrants were served Wednesday, June 2, by the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team and Medford Area Drug & Gang Enforcement (MADGE) team. Arrested in the 100 block of White Oak Drive, off Fernwood Drive, was Bonnie J. Burton, 39, of Cave Junction. She was lodged in Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass on the following charges: Two counts each of unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of marijuana; two counts each of unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of psilocybin mushrooms; and two counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor, and first- degree child neglect. Also, four counts of false application for vehicle registration and false swearing for vehicle registration; and one count of be- ing an adult using a minor in the commission of a controlled sub- stance offense. (Continued on page 7)
