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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2017)
Happy Birthday Laura Michelle Smith! Illinois Valley News Wednesday, February 1, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXIX No. 46 $1.00 Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley Bringing levity Bill to tackle employer drug testing Jason McMillen IVN Contributing Writer A Senate Bill entitled 301, filed by the Oregon legislature, will prevent most employers from screening their staff for the presence of substances legal under the laws of Oregon, most notably THC, which is the primary active compound in marijuana. SB 301 amends ORS 569A.315 which protected workers’ rights to smoke tobacco. The following is the law as proposed and the words in brackets represent the current version of the law. “659A.315. (1) It is an unlawful employment practice for any employer to require, as a condition of employment, that any employee or prospective employee refrain from using [lawful tobacco products] a substance that is lawful to use under the laws of this state during nonworking hours, except when the restriction relates to: (a) A bona fide occupational [requirement.] qualification; or (b) The performance of work while impaired.” Bona Fide, latin for “good faith,” is defined according to Law.com as signifying honesty, the “real thing,” and in the case of a party claiming title as bona fide purchaser or holder indicates innocence or lack of knowledge of any fact that would cast doubt on the right to hold title. What “bona fide” will mean to employers has yet to be elaborated upon by a credible source but it will likely mean that professional drivers and other jobs that can be a public safety hazard will still be able to screen their employees for any and all substances that were used at any time, including off work hours. Furthermore, the bill states that, “This 2017 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2017 Act takes effect on its passage.” The changes were introduced, first read, and referred to the president of the Senate’s desk as of Jan. 9. On Jan. 17 it was, according to legiscan. com, “Referred to Judiciary.” However, at this time there are no meetings currently scheduled for further discussion. It is unclear if the changes will apply to businesses that operate at a multi-state level but if it’s anything like current marijuana laws it will likely override federal law. The following are the members of the committee in charge of this bill: Chair Senator Floyd Prozanski, Vice-Chair Senator Kim Thatcher, member Senator Michael Dembrow, member Senator Dennis Linthicum, and member Senator James Manning Jr. SEE BILL ON A-10 (Photo by Dale Sandberg, IVFD Media Dept) Illinois Valley Fire District’s Jamie Paul (left) receives an award for her questionable sense of humor with Deputy Chief Jeff Gavlik and Chief Dennis Hoke during the annual awards banquet held Jan. 28. Public safety workshop held By Laura Mancuso IVN Staff “We are all paying for the lack of law enforcement,” said Jean Ann Miles at the workshop “Solutions to Public Safety” at the annual Illinois Valley Health and Wellness Fair held at the Illinois Valley Senior Center Jan. 28. This workshop included a panel discussion with local public safety advocates and community input. Miles, a participant at the workshop wanted everyone to remember that we were all sacrificing each and every day without law enforcement. The workshop began with Healthy U’s health fair coordinator Lindsey Gillette collecting written questions and feedback regarding public safety solutions from the audience and then Healthy U’s Executive Director Nicole Rensenbrink asked all the public safety advocates a series of questions before opening up a commentary segment to the audience. The panel consisted of Sergeant Webb from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD) Chief Dennis Hoke; Illinois Valley Safe House Alliance Executive Director Chris Mollette; Jimmy Evans, co-founder of CJ Patrol; and station manager Keeeth of KXCJ Radio with Rensenbrink moderating the workshop and close to 30 participants in the audience. All the panelists agreed that the Illinois Valley was a beautiful place to live with great people in its community but had many challenges that included public safety and the lack of law enforcement. Sgt. Webb expressed how he feels that one of the main challenges is not having a budget and proper staffing and said, “We are unable to be proactive, we have to just go from ‘call to call to call’ and not doing things to prevent crime; only responding to crime.” When Rensenbrink asked him what an example of what they [sheriff’s office] could do to prevent crime was, he responded, “If we were able to go to troubled neighborhoods and patrol that would be one way we could be proactive. We don’t have the staff to patrol … today there is only three deputies to serve the whole county.” SEE SAFETY ON A-10 Gender-based violence sees decrease Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer The National Coalition against Domestic Violence (NCADV) has reported that the Violence Against Women Act’s (VAWA) 25 grant programs, which were created to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence and dating violence, have been extremely effective. Since VAWA’s passage in 1994, gender-based violence has decreased nationwide by almost two-thirds. Here in the Illinois Valley, the I.V. Safe House Alliance (IVSHA) has been able to employ VAWA funding to increase the number of sexual assault survivors accessing services from 4 percent to 14 percent in 2016, according to IVSHA Executive Director Chris Mallette. During 2016, programs, shelters, advocates, law enforcement and other public and nonprofit entities received almost $453 million to combat gender-based violence. In a related development, officials of the new Women’s Foundation of Oregon released a report last week titled, “Count Her In” which is the first comprehensive look at Oregon women and girls in nearly two decades. According to this report, Oregon women have the nation’s highest rates of reported depression and heavy alcohol use. Over half say they’ve experienced sexual or domestic violence, one of the worst rates in the country. “When you read this list, it’s just irrefutable that Oregon has a problem with gender equity,” said Sue Hildick, president of the Chalkboard Project and the board chair for the new foundation. The report was created by analyzing surveys and federal and state reports. Nearly half of respondents say they’ve experienced a childhood traumatic event such as abuse or neglect and nearly a quarter say they have been raped. The IVSHA was formed in the Illinois Valley in 2000 as a result of two assault survivors who contacted like-minded community members. And by 2002, the organization began providing direct services to victims of sexual and domestic violence. Currently, IVSHA’s services include crisis intervention, safety planning, emergency shelter, food and transportation, assistance obtaining protection orders, public benefits including SNAP and TANF and crime victim compensation. SEE VIOLENCE ON A-10 Kerbyville Museum gets help from Cow Creek Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation (CCUIF) recently awarded a grant of $7,500 to the Kerbyville Museum to help fund a new roof for the main building. In addition to applying for grants, the museum board has been actively raising funds for over six months toward the Roof Project, which is projected to cost $42,000. Individual cash donations and in-kind pledges for the Roof Project from 82 people and businesses have already amounted to over $10,500. This means around $18,000 still needs to be raised by the end of summer 2017. In an interview, Kerbyville Museum board secretary Dennis Strayer stated, “The roof is deteriorating and I don’t think we’re going to make it through another winter, especially if we have another winter like this one!” Strayer is also the curator of the Kerbyville Museum’s 50,000 item collection. “The roof is failing in a number of areas,” Strayer said. “Standing in the parking lot, you can actually see the diagonal pattern where the plywood under the shingles is buckling. Water is leaking into the felt layer and also staining the ceiling. The most recent re-roofing project was about 20 years ago.” Strayer pointed out that the plywood roof should have been replaced during that re-roofing project 20 years ago, but there wasn’t enough money for the added expense. The project was funded at the time by the Illinois Valley Community Response Team (IVCRT). The IVCRT later became the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO). “This time, the Roof Project will include replacing all the plywood and we’re also using better shingles. All these new materials will have a 50 year guarantee,” Strayer said. In response to the award, Kerbyville Museum Board President Linda Butler stated, “We are so grateful to the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation for their support in granting $7,500 toward the new roof. Without the support of the community and organizations such as the CCUIF, we would not be able to complete this vital repair work.” SEE ROOF ON A-10
