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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2014)
Page A-2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 16, 2014 hands of Congress. I have gone back and forth on this topic and am now firmly planted on the fence. In reality, I really do not have a strong opinion if they expand or not, as the land is al- ready owned by the feds. Changing from Forest Service to Park Service will make little differ- ence in the big scheme of things. Outside of a By DAN MANCUSO, rare hike up Mt. Elijah, I don’t spend any time Publisher in that area. The one problem I do have is that it’s be- ing touted as an economic engine and that’s Last week, the Senate passed the Oregon why we should support it. Supporters say if we Caves expansion bill, which now sits in the have more to do up there, it will keep people in Life in the Valley of Riches Cave Junction longer. But, the problem is we have too few beds to put heads in. This town will not prosper until we have a viable hotel located at the junction to the caves. The few other lodging places in the area cannot meet the demand we currently have. This leaves our visitors heading to Grants Pass or Brook- ings. More often than not it is there, where they lay their heads at night, that they fill their bel- lies. I encourage you to contact the City of Cave Junction to ask them what, if anything, they can or will do about the problems at the Junction Inn. Call the County Health Depart- ment. Contact Building Safety for Josephine County to see how a building is such disarray can continue to operate. Now, why do I think the expansion is a great idea? Science! You can’t argue the science on this issue. The fragile ecosystem of the caves needs to be protected, water is the life blood of a cave. If the water becomes unhealthy, the cave will die. If the cave dies, we really won’t need a new hotel now will we? Dont forget Concerts in The Park this week as Guppy is the featured artist. Thank you for picking up this week’s pa- per, enjoy! ~ djm Letters to the Editor Illinois Valley News welcomes Let- ters to the Editor. Please e-mail them to dan@illinois-valley-news.com POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters to the editor provided they are legible and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters must be signed, including name, 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 The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity.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. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. *** (Editor’s Note: Views and commen- tary, including statements made as fact are strictly those of the letter writers.) Reader claims Walker has no respect Dear Editor, The current Josephine County Commissioner Cherryl Walker recall effort was spawned in early 2013 when residents of Josephine County were shocked by the Commission- er’s attack on personal and property rights after they passed four new solid waste and nuisance ordinances without referring it to the voters. Refusal to agree to allow a vote by county residents, heavy fines, jail, loss of property, un-elected hearings and enforcement goons, operat- ing without legal training or BAR license, would hold a kangaroo court in which a fine must be paid before a hearing was initiated, awakened vot- ers into action to force a vote. Com- missioner Walker strongly favored the ordinances, and did everything possible to stop opposition. When more and more Jose- phine County residents found out the details, they initiated a referendum and mounting an educational blitz, resulting in a tsunami defeat in No- vember 2013 of all four ordinances, with an average 20,881 voters (78.5%) saying “NO!” to the average 5,711 voter (21.5%) pro-ordinance group. Commissioner Walker assumed chairperson position in 2014, and recently, unilaterally disrupted public business meetings, disrespecting gaveled down attendees she dis- agreed with (go to www.badcounty. com for examples), capriciously calling police to enforce non-existent rules and thwart speech, demonstrat- ing her lack of decorum and knowl- edge of county Charter (Section 29.3), which states the people are guaranteed “…freedom of speech, press and assembly and redress of grievances.” What was not widely reported about the Commissioners’ May 21, 2014 weekly meeting was Cherryl Walker’s unilateral agenda change of Item 2, “Requests/Comments from Citizens (each person will be given three minutes to speak)” in the May 14, 2014 and earlier Weekly Business meeting agendas, to item 5, “Requests From Citizens: (Com- mission will hear the request and refer it to County staff or schedule it for future discussion.) The Board is available during the week to meet with citizens”, which followed 11 Administrative Actions and 12 items in the Approval of Consent Calen- dar, effectively denying comments and requests prior to discussion and approval actions regarding those subjects. Josephine County’s Charter Preamble states, “We the people of Josephine County, Oregon, in order to avail ourselves of self-determi- nation in county affairs,…now or hereafter granted or allowed by the constitutions and laws of the United States and the State of Oregon, by this Charter confer upon the County the following powers…”, granting authority to servant officials to act in behalf of Josephine County citizens. Walker apparently also failed to heed the recent Supreme Court case Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission which found: “Speech is an essential mech- anism of democracy, for it is the means to hold officials accountable to the people. The right of democ- racy, for it is the means to hold of- ficials accountable to the people. The right of citizens to inquire, to hear, to speak, and to use information to reach consensus is a precondition to enlightened self-government and a necessary means to protect it.” “For these reasons, political speech must prevail against laws that would suppress it. Premised on the mistrust of government power, the First Amendment stands against attempts to disfavor certain subjects or viewpoints. By taking the right to speak from some and giving it to others, the Government deprives the disadvantaged person or class of the right to use speech to strive to estab- lish worth, standing, and respect for the speaker’s voice. “The Government may not by these means deprive the pubic of the right and privilege to determine for itself what speech and speakers are worthy of consideration. The First Amendment protects speech and speaker, and the ideas that flow from each other.” It’s time to replace Commis- sioner Walker, as it’s apparent she does not respect County resident’s First Amendment Rights or Supreme Court rulings, and therefore, is not qualified and should not continue as Commissioner for the people of Josephine County. Please sign a Recall Petition (Source: www.walkerrecall.com) to give people the right to recall Com- missioner Cherryl Walker on the November ballot. Robert Thomas Cave Junction I llInoIs V alley F uneral D Irectors www.since1928Hull.com Obituaries James Edward Camp, age 78, of O’Brien, died Saturday, June 28, 2014 in Cave Junction. No services are planned. Private inter- ment will be at Laurel Cemetery in Cave Junc- tion. Illinois Valley Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations may be sent to Rogue Valley Humane Society, 429 NW Scenic Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526. Please sign the family guest book at www. since1928hull.com. James was born March 8, 1936 in Wister, Oklahoma. He graduated high school in South- ern California. On May 2, 1955 in Las Vegas, Nevada he married LaVanda Frazier. During his lifetime he owned and operated several businesses including an upholstery business where he upholstered both furniture and the interior of vehicles. In 1970 he moved from Loma Linda, California to O’Brien. He owned his own semi truck, delivering food to WinCo Save The Date July 20 The Rusk Ranch Nature Center will offer a free Nature & Art Festi- val, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20. There will be a juried Fantasy Recycled fashion show among other events, vendor booth space is $20. For further information, call 541- 592-4444. July 21 Precious Dirt is cancelling their meeting for this month, however…As a catalyst for the Freedom from Pes- ticides Alliance, giving voice to their work and support for their efforts to qualify a pesticide ban for Novem- ber’s ballot this month, we are want- ing to help keep the needed focus on their signature gathering efforts. As of July 8, FPA still needs another 600 signatures to qualify for November’s ballot and meet the August 6 dead- line. It is our sincere hope all who are able can help in this effort, so FPA can manifest this important goal for our community as well as our future. July 26 Chamber of Commerce presents a Bluegrass event at the Trout Pavil- ion, Lake Selmac. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. $4 parking, $15 admission, chil- ren under 12 free. Lawn seating, food and beverage vendors. Aug. 2 Summer Reading Wrap-up Sat- urday, August 2 @ 12 noon. 541-592-4110 and the Department of Corrections. In 2009 he retired. James was a member of the Cave Junction Seventh Day Adventist Church and was very close with his fellowship. He enjoyed gardening including fig trees and grapes; his cats; surfing the internet; read- ing; woodworking; leather carving and build- ing furniture. While living in O’Brien he up- holstered the O’Brien vintage police car. He tried to be a good example. Survivors include a daughter, Jamie L. Camp of O’Brien; a sister, Kay Zabolski of Carson, Washington and three grandchildren and a brother, Lewis Camp of San Diego. Preceding him in death was his wife, La- Vanda Camp on July 29, 2012; a granddaugh- ter, Marie Jean Martinho in 1989 and a son, Edward Allen Camp in 1969. Obits continued on A-9 For more listings go to www.ivcalendar.org Barb from IRVAC will be mak- ing steam-punk art, IV library team will be awarding prizes to all summer reading participants and free refresh- ments will be supplied during story time! Josephine Community Libraries - IV Branch 209 W. Palmer St., CJ 541-592-4778, josephinelibrary.org Aug. 16 It’s The Berries: Saturday, Au- gust 16, 2014 ~ 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are now accepting applications for vendors inside and outside. Outdoor spaces must bring your own tables. $20 with a $5 refund for a cleaned space. RCC/Belt Building 24353 Redwood Highway, Kerby, OR. Res- ervation Deadline is August 12, 2014. Last day for refunds is August 14, 2014. Contact Hazel Griffith, 541- 592-6433 or Jean Shubert, 541-592- 6150. Aug. 2&3 Illinois Valley Little League is hosting the annual Blackberry Festi- val on Saturday, August 2 and Sun- day, August 3. Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. & Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Great food, Music and Vendors- Activities for the kids!! Aug. 16 Join us along the 80 mile stretch of US Highway 199, from Highway 101 to I-5, featuring yard sales and special events on the third weekend in August, 2014. There’s no charge to participate, just set up your yard sale in a safe place! For more infor- mation, go to our blog at http://hw- y199yardsale.blogspot.com or call 707-720-9379 and leave a message. Held on the same weekend as “It’s the Berries” at the RCC/Belt Building, 24353 Redwood Hwy Kerby, OR Ongoing Healing Hearts and Hooves, therapeutic horseback riding program has begun our 2014 season. Sunday classes at 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. @ 4411 Holland Loop Drive, Cave Junction. Call 541-659- 1798 or 541-596-2272 for volunteer or student information. Summer 2014 Country Blues Rock Guppy Whimsical duo Dawna Crocker & Rosie: Coffee House singer songwriters East Fork County Bluegrass Ras Cricket and the Cultivators: Reggae June 26 • The “J” Barley Band July 4 • No concert scheduled July 10 • Lonesome Road: Country Blues Rock July 17 • Guppy Whimsical duo July 24 • Dawna Crocker & Rosie: Coffee House singer songwriters July 31 • East Fork County Bluegrass Aug 7 • Ras Cricket and the Cultivators: Reggae July 17 • July 24 • July 31 • Aug 7 • Illinois Valley News Published weekly by W.H. Alltheway, LLC Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction OR 97523 Illinois Valley News is published at 221 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Telephone (541) 592-2541 FAX (541) 592-4330 Since 1937 periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction OR 97523 P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820 SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $30.50 One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $32.50 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $39.00 Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions. Remainder of subscription will be donated to the charity of your choice. News - Dan Mancuso dan@illinois-valley-news.com Circulation - Kimberly Potter office@illinois-valley-news.com Advertising / Composition Dan Mancuso dan@illinois-valley-news.com Mailroom - Millie Watkins Office Manager-Laura Mancuso laura@illinois-valley-news.com DEADLINES: News, Classified and Display Ads, Announce- ments and Letters 4 P.M. FRIDAYS POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ encour- ages letters to the editor pro- vided they are legible and not libelous or scurrilous. All let- ters must be signed, including name, 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. Letters are used at the discre- tion of the publisher.
