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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
The Valley’s #1 News Source Since 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, September 21, 2016, 1 Section, Volume 79 No. 27 34 arrested in sex offender sweep According to a Josephine County Sheriff’s Office press release, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 through Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, Oregon State Police, Josephine County Parole and Probation and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted Operation Sex Offender Sweep. A task force consisting of the above listed agencies collaborated with the primary mission of locating convicted sex offenders who were not in compliance with their obligation to report as sex offenders per Oregon Revised Statue. Also, subjects with outstanding warrants pertaining to unlawful firearms possession and use in conjunction with drug offenses were sought. Lastly, officers conducted compliance checks on those who lawfully registered as sex offenders to confirm their compliance with Oregon Revised Statue. The three day operation involved over 25 law enforcement personnel throughout Josephine County. Over 80 investigations were conducted for noncompliant offenders; approximately 300 compliance checks were conducted of those who had registered. Thirty-one Josephine County residents were arrested and detained in jail of which two were arrested in Jackson County and lodged there. Three more subjects were arrested and issued citations to appear for minor offenses raising the total arrested to 34. During the course of these arrests, no officers or suspects were injured. The Operation Sex Offender Sweep task force wishes to extend their gratitude to the many Josephine County residents who came forward and provided information during the investigations. The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office also wishes to thank all of the agencies involved for their partnerships and assistance in conducting the operation for without the partnerships the operation would not have been possible. $1.00 Published Weekly Cave Junction, Oregon 97523 Selma gathers for the Tuckers (Photo by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) The J Barley Band with John Nolan (left), Dave Smith and J Barley entertain almost 100 attendees at the Tucker Family Fundraiser held by Cheryl’s Bar & Grill in Selma Saturday, Sept. 17. By Laura Mancuso IVN Staff After the Tucker family lost their 78-year-old home in the Redwood Highway Fire in August, Cheryl Nicholas and Chuck Cavanagh thought they should do something to help. “Chuck and I thought of it; right away after the fire we put out a donation jar for the family and then thought of this fundraising idea.” Nicholas was prompted to help the family because she went to school with one of the Tuckers and has known the family for over 30 years. It was also reported that Nicholas and Cavanagh made a $500 donation to the cause. On Sept. 17 Cheryl’s Bar & Grill in Selma held an event including entertainment from the J Barley Band, a feast cooked by “Selma Phil” and “Grill Tender Bob,” beer donated by Wild River Brewery and Pizza and a live auction. After the event it was reported by Nicholas and Cavanagh owners of Cheryl’s Bar & Grill that the event raised $3,000 and was attended by almost 100 people. “Selma Phil,” who cooked the dinner, helped collect donations for the event and was the fundraising auctioneer, said he felt bad about the family’s house burning down and “loves to cook.” Phil is known to feed the local residents of Selma who are down on their luck. Other local businesses that donated to the fundraising evening were Lions Club, Rock N Soil, McGrew’s, NAPA of Cave Junction, Ewing Irrigation, Taylor’s Sausage and Cartwright’s Valley Meat Co. The J Barley Band (consisting of J Barley, Dave Smith and John Nolan) was the highlight of the evening; many people in attendance came because they heard an announcement about the event at Wild River Pizza’s Open Mic night where the band regularly plays. The band donated their time and songs to the Tucker family. A special song donated to the family was “Imagine That” by Don Williams. The band made it fun by inviting audience members to come sing. Musical guests included Paul and Maureen Hanson, Linda May Housah, Scott Simpson and Renney Doser. Alan and Linda Tucker were present during the evening’s festivities and wanted everyone to know that words could not express how much this meant to them. “You only hear bad things about the Valley but a lot of good happens here and we are thankful for the support.” Gardiner has a vision for Cave Junction Caroline Griffith IVN Contributing Writer A passion for helping the community and building the local economy was what motivated John Gardiner to run for his first term as a Cave Junction City Councilor, and it is that same passion that is pushing him into a re-election bid this November. Gardiner, who has served in the City Council Position 4 since 2012, is about to celebrate his 10-year anniversary in Cave Junction. He and his wife, Christine Perala Gardiner, moved their alpaca farm from Sandy, Oregon to its current location on West River Street in the winter of 2006. A professional civil engineer, with a specialty in river basin management and restoration, Gardiner is proud of the work that he has done as a city councilor to help update the city’s water supply and sewerage functions. Infrastructure is a key city responsibility, and Gardiner believes that the work he has done will help attract federal grants, which are integral to the city’s water treatment system. He has also hosted meetings with the Oregon Department of Transportation about their plans for Highway 199, which included plans for needed sidewalks and bicycle lanes within the city. “I personally took great satisfaction from the vote to become a ‘Bee- Friendly’ City, and the vote to support the extension of the Cave’s Monument to protect the headwaters feeding the River Styx, and, ultimately, our city water supply,” Gardiner said. When asked if he had any regrets about his first term as a city councilor, Gardiner brought up the current lawsuit that the city is embroiled in over the legality of licensing cannabis related businesses. “I’m sorry that the city spent over $30,000 on seeking injunctive relief for allowing cannabis dispensaries a city license,” he said. “We’ve missed a great opportunity to benefit early from the ‘green gold rush’ and only recently voted unanimously not to tax future sales because it was clearly unethical, given our outstanding court case over the last couple of years. Other cities have taken a more pragmatic approach.” As a city councilor, Gardiner voted against pursuing the lawsuit. As a board member of several local organizations, including the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization, I.V. Wellness Center, Spiral Living Center and Rusk Ranch Nature Center, Gardiner often acts as a bridge to enable more ways to benefit the youth of our community. “Getting youth involved in civic issues has to be a powerful way forward,” he said. One aspect of Gardiner’s vision for the future of Cave Junction involves the development of a City Parks & Recreation Master Plan, which could help the city to win grants to expand parks and recreation facilities. He also supports the ‘localization’ of our economy and would like to see more people spending their money at locally owned businesses, and is a supporter of the arts. “My vision for CJ is that it shows real leadership in realizing the Strategic Plan, created by hundreds of Valley residents and now up for implementation,” said Gardiner. “This is a personal challenge because so few councilors were involved in the process, but I am part of the leadership group on Valley security and safety, along with other key organizations. I am also promoting positive change in areas such as community development and beautification, which is known to reduce crime.” One thing that Gardiner has learned throughout his city council term, and his years of civic involvement, is how to work with groups. “I’ve learned the power of teamwork based on good communication skills,” he said. “No one can achieve much in isolation.” Dillinger wants to seize opportunities Caroline Griffith IVN Contributing Writer It’s not what he sees happening in Cave Junction that has motivated Mark Dillinger to run for City Council Position 4, it’s what Mark Dillinger he doesn’t see happening that has inspired his jump into local politics. “I don’t see a lot of things unfolding with the current city council,” said Dillinger in a recent interview. “I see a lot of opportunities being passed by.” Dillinger and his wife moved to Cave Junction six years ago, after he retired from a career as an hotelier in Southern California. A cousin who lived in the Rogue Valley had shown him some pictures of the area, and, as he said, “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and had to come check it out.” He had always wanted an acre of land on a body of water, and that is exactly what he found here in Cave Junction. He says he is never going to move. When asked what his vision is for the future of the city, Dillinger replied, “Mayberry. No, I shouldn’t say Mayberry, but everybody wants to feel a little more secure.” One of the ways to accomplish this, according to Dillinger, is to empower the city to enforce existing laws. “Code enforcement is what is needed,” he said emphatically. He has taken it upon himself, as often as once per week, to walk his street talking to the “vagrants” that he sees panhandling and drinking alcohol in public. He talks to them respectfully, “I talk to them like they are people,” and asks them to move along. As a member of the city council, Dillinger would work to get our contract law enforcement agent, Deputy Lehman, to follow a similar approach. “Lehman is worn thin, but he is a very nice person, a very respectful person, and if he could walk the streets of Cave Junction, he may have some affect on the people on the street.” The way Dillinger sees it, the city of Cave Junction is in a “distressed situation.” As he describes it, the city is putting band- aids on top of band-aids, working to deal with immediate problems without fixing the underlying issues at the core of the bad situation. “We need to peel the band-aid off. Start fresh.” One of those underlying issues, as he sees it, is the structure of the common council as laid out in the city charter. “The city charter needs to be changed,” he said. “Councilors should serve for two years, not for four.” After serving for a few years, “your fresh ideas become fewer and fewer, especially in my age bracket,” he joked. These fresh ideas and creative solutions are fundamental to Dillinger’s vision for the city. “If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got,” he said. He also advocates for more city-held workshops because, “I don’t think a meeting a month can fix the big problems we are dealing with now.” Dillinger describes himself as pragmatic, brash, and big on compromise. “I believe in compromise, without it we get nowhere.” “I am running because I wanted to have a voice. I think that we need an alternative voice. I have no hidden agenda,” he added. “The things I want are for the city, not for me.”
