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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Letters to the the citizens
editor
just don’t trust the police. For
Illinois Valley News welcomes letters 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 libel-
ous or scurrilous. All letters must be signed,
including name, address and telephone num-
ber. The latter need not be published, but will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 commentary, in-
cluding statements made as fact are strictly
those of the letter writers.)
Reader reminisces
The problem with law enforcement
in the Illinois Valley is more about
lack of trust than lack of funding. The
citizens are poor but not cheapskates.
Community relations are paramount to
getting anything done and like so many
communities from Fergusson on down,
decades (and I have lived here in Takilma
for over 45 years) all we ever saw of the
Sheriff’s Department was when they
came into town, generally in a show of
force, to bust someone for minor amounts
of marijuana: maybe just two or three
plants, seedlings in a green house, and an
excuse to search their home or even seize
their entire property.
Federal drug enforcement funds
flowed like beer at a garden party and
the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office
quaffed it down. Local prosecutors filled
jail beds and dished out prison terms and
now they are asking for more money
for prosecutors and jail beds. What
will the Sheriff’s Office do if next year
Jeff Sessions wants to crack down on
recreational marijuana? Will the bond
levy, we are asked to support be used to
wreck our friends and neighbor’s lives
again?
Somehow our needs never are
protected by the Sheriff’s Office. As
recently as last October 6th reported
gunshots in the vicinity of the Dome
School in Takilma forced immediate
lockdown an evacuation. 911 was
called and it took two and a quarter
hours for the police (a Marine
Deputy and a Forest Service cop)
to finally make it to the scene. They
rummaged around couldn’t find a
gun or shooter and soon left without
even filing a report. Everyone
said, “What do you expect? This is
Takilma,’ and promptly voted “no”
a month later on the soon to be
defeated levy.
What the Illinois Valley
needs is the presence of two police
officers, STATIONED IN CAVE
JUNCTION, 24/7 and patrolling
the streets like real cops do to
protect the citizens and property.
The crime wave will stop and the
Illinois Valley will have emergency
responders available in 10 to 15
minutes. Tell us what it costs and
we’ll get the money. If the SO really
wants our support then they must
tell the community what it will cost
to protect us here (and disavow the
tactics of the past) and together we
will work to make it happen.
Robert Hirning
Cave Junction
Dear editor,
As the framers knew when they
attempted to guarantee us freedom of the
press, citizens need information to check
the powers of government,. Vladimir
Putin knows this too, so he seized control
of Russian news media and eliminated
critical reporters along with opposition
figures. Trump has praised Putin for his
resulting “popularity.” He also has spent
much of his energy trying to bolster and
exaggerate his own popularity.
So it’s not surprising that Trump
has escalated the war on the media. The
information the media provides that is
not flattering to Trump is “fake news,”
and journalists are “the enemy of the
people.” Similarly, he tries to discredit
all traditional sources of information that
might limit his power: the intelligence
community with their “ridiculous” reports
on Russian influencing our election, the
“so-called” judges that find his actions
unconstitutional, the scientists whose
findings, or “hoaxes,” might limit his
power to steer more money toward the
corporate polluters who support him, the
“liberal elite” historians and scholars who
point out that his actions parallel those of
autocrats throughout history.
With so much discredited,
where can we get our information?
Trump repeatedly says, “Believe me.”
To have a confirmed, serial liar as our
primary source of information would
be a serious threat to our democracy,
especially someone who keeps saying
the country is a mess that only he can
fix. Meanwhile, polls show growing
admiration for Putin among Republicans.
Without information, we could easily
become as powerless as the Russian
people.
Jack Dwyer
Selma
Obituaries
John H. Cunningham,
89 , of Cave Junction, died Feb. 21,
2017 at his home.
John was born Aug. 15, 1927
in Bend, Ore. to Grover and Gladys
Cunningham. He grew up in the
Sisters, Bend and Tumalo, Ore. area,
later moving into the Medford area.
During the Korean War, he served in
the United States Army as a Combat
Medic. John came to Cave Junction
in 1959 as the head saw filer for
Rough & Ready Lumber Company
and then continued his career in the
lumber industry at various mills in
Oregon until his retirement in 1984.
John was a member of the
Eagles Lodge in Lakeview, Ore.;
a member of the Oregon Sawfilers
Association; and also a member of
the American Legion and Veterans
of Foreign Wars, the latter of which
he served as commander two times.
During his life, he also served
as a Cub Scout Leader and had been
a square dance caller. He enjoyed
hunting, fishing and gardening.
Survivors include his wife
of 39 years, Betty Cunningham
of Cave Junction and three sons,
Richard Cunningham of Portland,
Ore., Edward Cunningham of Cave
Junction and William Hoffman of
Eagle Point; two daughters, Betsy
Staten of Eagle Point and Sandy
Miller of Medford; 17 grandchildren
and many great grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by two
sisters; Mildred Couch of Bend, Ore.
and Mary Deach of Hood River,
Ore., and by two children: Robert
and Dennis Cunningham.
Remembrance may be made
to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation,
3 Columbus Circle 15th floor, New
York, NY 10019.
A committal service will be at
1 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, 2017
at Eagle Point National Cemetery.
Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in
charge of arrangements.
Please visit the obituary and
sign the family guest book at www.
since1928hull.com.
John Cunningham
I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
541-592-4110
Save the date
March 1 – April 5
Workshop Scheduled for Cave
Junction~Living Well with Chron-
ic Pain, March 1 – April 5. Meets
once a week on Wednesdays from
2 – 4:30 p.m. Call for more infor-
mation and registration required.
Learn new ways to control pain and
improve activity; learn better ways
to talk to your doctor and family
about your health; solve problems
and get the support you need. Sign
up Now: Call Living Well Southern
Oregon 541-864-9611 or Pre-Reg-
ister online at www.sohealthyor-
egon.org.
March 3
Alliance Community Garden
Pea Workshop. Friday, March 3, 1
p.m. there will be a pea planting
workshop at the Alliance Com-
munity Gardens (behind the Safe-
house Alliance and DMV). The
I.V. Garden Club tends two beds
in the Community Gardens and do-
nates the produce to the local food
banks. There will be a planting
demonstration in those beds along
with instructions for growing your
own peas. There will also be a free
seed give-away while supplies last.
Stop by and see what the Commu-
nity Gardens are all about. This
year there will be weekly garden-
ing instruction available from The
Master Gardeners and the I.V. Gar-
den Club to help you learn how to
garden and grow your own food.
Garden beds are available through
the Community Garden Coordina-
tor Laura Kupac at 425-445-5337.
March 7, 14 and 21
Tuesdays 5 -7 p.m. Parenting
tools, Learning Fun Nights at Ev-
ergreen Elementary School, 520 w.
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
River St. CJ For sign-up call Erica
at 541-592-3136.
March 4
IVHS 2017 All night safe and
sober graduation party fundraising
event: Saturday, March 4, Serving
breakfast at the I.V. Senior Center.
on St. Patrick’s Day and support
our Farmers Market and Local Ra-
dio Station, KXCJ. If you would
like to enter chili in the contest or
volunteer, please call Sarah at 541-
415-0434 or email to cjfarmersmar-
ketinfo@gmail.com.
March 18
March 11
IV Little League’s Annual
Chili Feed & Cook-Off, with Silent
Auction and Live dessert auction.
Live band the Holland Loopers,
fun for the entire family Saturday,
March 11 at the County Building
from 5:30-8 p.m.
March 11
Ready-Set-Go! Cave Junction.
Be prepared for an emergency by
attending free public meeting. CJ
Library, Saturday, March 11, 4-5
p.m. Learn what to have in your
“go-bag”; shelter in-place or leave
- necessary home supplies; evacua-
tion assembly locations; and more.
Meeting conducted by IVFD Com-
munity Emergency Response Team
(CERT) members.
March 17
Chili Cook-Off, Cave Junc-
tion Farmers’ Market and KXCJ
Benefit Dinner Friday, March 17,
6 p.m. Kerby Belt Building, 24353
Redwood Highway, Kerby
The Chili Cook-Off is a test
of the best chili as tasted by the
people. For a donation of $5-20,
you may eat all the chili and corn-
bread you want and vote for your
favorites. Local wines and craft
beers will be sold. Entertainment
will include Irish tunes played by
the Oregon Woodpickers and folk
music by Southbound. Come party
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
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
Ready-Set-Go! Selma.
Be
prepared for an emergency by at-
tending one of these free public
meetings. Selma Fire Station, Sat-
urday, March 18, 10 a.m., 1 p.m.,
and 3 p.m. Learn what to have in
your “go-bag”; shelter in-place or
leave - necessary home supplies;
evacuation assembly locations;
and more. Meetings conducted by
IVFD Community Emergency Re-
sponse Team (CERT) members.
will be participating in a national
celebration to welcome home Viet-
nam Veterans. The event will be
held at the same venue as last year.
Riverside Park Trevillian Pavillian
304 SE Park Street, Grants Pass,
OR 97527.The event will start at 10
a.m. and conclude around 2 p.m. A
BBQ lunch, service providers and
guest speakers will be at the event.
Please come and show your sup-
port. All are welcome!
March 31 & April 1
IVHS 2017 All night safe and
sober graduation party fundraising
event: Bagging Groceries at Shop
Smart from 4-7 p.m. Friday, March
31 and from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Satur-
day, April 1
April 1 & 2
March 23
Local Legends, Thursday,
March 23, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Lorna
Byrne Middle School (LBMS), A
free community event highlighting:
Dinner provided by LBMS, dis-
plays by LBMS students about lo-
cal loved ones who’ve died, IVHS
students and community members
and presentation: “Coping with
Loss through Support, Education,
Music and Movement.” Anyone is
invited to put together a display
honoring his or her lost loved one.
Displays will be shown on school
cafeteria tables and are limited to
the width of a three-fold with a
small area in front where a note-
book, memory box, and/or some
small items can be placed. Contact
Nicole at Healthy U to participate
at 541-592-4888.
Josephine County Fairgrounds
and Event Center Home and Rec-
reation Show for 2017. Spring is
here, and that means two things…
Home Improvements and Outdoor
Recreation! The Home and Recre-
ation Show at the Josephine County
Fairgrounds and Event Center in
Grants Pass has something for ev-
eryone! Products and services for
your home, inside and out, plus
RVs, boats and more to help you
enjoy the great outdoors. Admis-
sion is FREE, so bring the whole
family and enjoy all the demonstra-
tions. Gates open Saturday, April 1,
9 a.m. -5 p.m. and Sunday, April 2,
10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Special demonstra-
tions daily Saturday and Sunday by
the Southern Oregon Fly Tiers and
other vendors.
April 8
March 29
The Grants Pass Vet Center
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine
County - $35
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $36
One year in all other
Oregon counties and
out-of-state - $43.00
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
Ready-Set-Go! O’Brien. Be
prepared for an emergency by at-
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Editor -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Classified Ads -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition -
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
tending one of these free public
meetings. O’Brien Fire Station,
Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m., 1 p.m.,
and 3 p.m. Learn what to have in
your “go-bag”; shelter in-place or
leave - necessary home supplies;
evacuation assembly locations;
and more. Meetings conducted by
IVFD Community Emergency Re-
sponse Team (CERT) members.
Continuing
*The I.V. Senior Thrift Store:
Join the crew and make new friends.
You don’t need to be a senior citi-
zen to volunteer at the store. Call
us at 541-592-6630. Open Monday
– Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
*The C.J. Substation hours
are changed. Open hours are now
Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to
1 p.m. The phone number for the
substation is 541-592-5151.
Volunteers are needed to ex-
pand support service hours to the
public. Applications are avail-
able at the substation or on-line
at http://www.co.josephine.or.us/
Files/Volunteer%20Application.
Mar%202014.pdf.”
*Cave Junction Patrol, LLC
is looking for volunteers. CJ Pa-
trol is a private citizen volunteer
orgnanization dedicated to effec-
tively addressing heretofore-un-
checked property crime in our city
and neighborhoods. The primary
mission of CJ Patrol is to prevent,
interrupt, report and decrease prop-
erty crime in the city of Cave Junc-
tion. Call 541-592-9665, cjpatrol.
org. Monthly meetings are first
Thursday at 6 p.m. at Wild River
Pizza, 249 Redwood Hwy.
DEADLINES:
News, Classified and
Display Ads,
Announcement 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.