Page A-10 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, March 1, 2017 PATROL . . . Continued from A-7 Pot sales pump $5.3 million more into Oregon *The red and black backpack which was found behind the Cave Junction Dairy Queen on Feb. 21 may have belonged to the troublemaker who has been van- dalizing and burglarizing the business. Contents of the backpack included tools, personal items, and a collection of keys for vehicles, locking gas caps, and post office boxes. *An individual was served with an RO at 12:05 p.m. in the 400 block of Lone Mountain Road. *Five rounds from a .357 were heard on Feb. 18, and a citizen assumed that the gunshots originated from the 400 block of Beebe Drive. The caller thought this was a violation of a stalking order which prohibited a neighbor from owning weapons. There were no eye witnesses, so the violation was logged as unfounded. By Andrew Selsky , Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The marijuana business in Oregon is becoming a bonanza for the state. The Oregon Department of Revenue announced Tuesday it received $5.3 million in marijuana tax payments in January. The grand total of $65.4 million received in the year since Oregon started taxing pot sales is blowing the original estimate out of the water. Outside the Valley *Twenty-five incidents. Friday, Feb. 24 *A woman in the 200 block of Kerby Street received more than 100 threatening and harassing text messages and voice mails from her husband and offspring, who live in the 9300 block of Takilma Road. They told her that she would pay, and they would watch her suf- fer. They claimed to have posted flyers on telephone poles, and they wrote her name and address in bars from Grants Pass to Brookings. She will obtain a restraining order. In January 2016, the state started collecting a 25 percent tax from medical marijuana dispensaries’ recreational sales. A year later, recreational pot shops — which first opened in Oregon five months ago — began charging a 17 percent tax. Meanwhile, dispensaries stopped selling recreational pot. Even though the tax rate has dropped, money is still flowing into state coffers. Still, it is a drop in the ocean compared to an expected $1.8 billion budget shortfall, which the Legislature is now trying to resolve. “The (marijuana tax) numbers ... suggest very strong collection,” said Mazen Malik, CODE . . . Continued from A-1 Dillinger and Dalegowski said current city code provides for up to three volunteer “code enforcers” who’d be provided with training to stay safe and make reports to the council. “We’re going to get this going,” Dillinger said. “Provisions to use volunteer code enforcers have been on the books for at least eight years - but nobody has done it yet,” Dalegowski said. “I know that the current system is imperfect. We do need to go another route, but the city really hasn’t had the resources to deal with these situations - and the citizen complaint method is Outside the Valley *Nineteen listings. Saturday, Feb. 25 *At 8:11 a.m., an ex-husband started the day off on the wrong foot by harass- ing his ex-wife in the 200 block of Kerby Street. He texted that she was going to pay, and she claimed he had nothing to lose. He donned his black cowboy hat and galloped off in his white Dodge Durango, in search of his missing Social Security debit card. Outside the Valley *Fifteen items. senior economist with the Legislature. “Thus it suggests that the transition is being implemented successfully and the consumers are continuing to buy at the rate we saw last year.” Last May, the Legislative Revenue Office quadrupled its estimate of net marijuana tax revenues that the state was expected to receive through June 30 of this year — from $8.4 million to $35 a way to prioritize the situation. There’s some pretty despicable looking places around. But we don’t have an objective way to analyze all these properties.” Former mayor and recent candidate Don Moore said, “If I had been elected I would have put a code enforcement officer on the payroll, which doesn’t cost that much, and they generate revenue with the tickets they write - like when someone parks in a handicap lane.” He said that dealing with junk strewn about properties can be tricky. “It depends on the degree, or if it is a hazard, then the city has to do something. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, but if it causes a nuisance, then it’s a different deal. It’s tough though, the way the laws read, if it isn’t on the public right of way, there’s very little you can do. They can put a lien on properties, but that’s expensive and it takes lawyers. And once lawyers are involved, everybody loses.” million. The actual total pot tax payments are now almost double that revised amount, and five more months of tax collections remain before June 30. Wright suggested that, “If the city codes were enforced and they charged more in fines, maybe people would start cleaning up their act and the city would have more money to work with too.” However effective and timely enforcement strategies seem elusive. Dalegowski also said, “We’re also exploring ways that might be more expedient, with the goal of getting the nuisance removed in a more expedient manner, putting pressure on the owner.” “From a tourism standpoint, those places that don’t conform impact impressions of our town in regards to people visiting, spending money or even wanting to live here,” said acting Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce President Menno Kraai. “We need property owners to step up, because everybody losses quality of life when the property values go down.” Monday-Sunday: 6aM-8pM Serving the Best Cheeseburger with an Attitude! TAXES ARE COMPLICATED. Celebrating 10 years as the Valley’s Bar & Grill Getting your taxes done isn't enough - you need your taxes done right. That's where we come in. We hire and train the most qualified tax professionals to ensure you claim every credit and deduction you deserve so you get your maximum refund. 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