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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2017)
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXX No. 3 $1.00 Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley Shoot-out on Redwood injures 1 (Photo courtesy of Liam Douglas for the Illinois Valley News) Illinois Valley Fire District, along with American Medical Response, attend to a man shot in the chest on Redwood Hwy. Sunday, April 9. Oregon State Police are investigating. By Dan Mancuso IVN Staff Many Cave Junction residents were alarmed by the sound of gunfire early Sunday morning, which sent one man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his chest. Andre Wright, 32, was in stable condition at press time. According to multiple eyewitnesses who spoke based on anonymity, said a party of four came into Art’s Red Garter. The three males and one female headed to the pool table area and that’s when trouble started. Allegedly, the argument stemmed over whose turn it was to play on one of the pool tables. Witnesses said that bar security was able to separate the groups and sent one out the front door and Wright’s group out the back door. One resident said he jumped out of bed upon hearing the shots, “It sounded like two different calibers, one was much louder than the other,” and by the time the witness was able to get a look at the street, said, “All I to still be in the area.” saw was someone cradling the kid in the The release continued, “IVFD middle of the street, it’s pretty sad.” responders staged six blocks away until the Witnesses said, after the shooting the scene was secured by law enforcement. The gunman jumped scene was secured into a white Ford by Oregon State SUV and sped Police (OSP) 21 off. minutes after the According call came into 911. to a release from IVFD medical the Illinois Valley responders arrived Fire District one minute later. (IVFD), “911 The patient was dispatch advised semi-conscious IVFD of an active with a gunshot shooting outside wound to the a business in the chest. The patient IVFD Fire Chief Dennis Hoke 100 block of S. was stabilized Redwood Hwy. and transported Dispatch also to Rogue Valley advised there may be multiple victims. AMR Hospital in Medford. IVFD and Community ambulance who was transporting the patient Emergency Response Team remained on from the previous call took an alternate route scene until 0503 assisting OSP keeping to avoid the area as the shooters are reported Redwood Hwy closed. “ The Illinois Valley Fire District has a clear policy that they will not respond into a scene where members may be placed in harm’s way. As stated in the past by Chief Dennis Hoke “The Illinois Valley Fire District has a clear policy that they will not respond into a scene where members may be placed in harm’s way. This policy is in place in every fire department across the nation. It is extremely frustrating to IVFD emergency responders to have the training and equipment to provide basic and advanced life support but must wait until the scene is safe for the emergency responders to enter. Safety of the emergency responders is paramount. They are not trained or armed like law enforcement. This policy is necessary to ensure the safety of each member of IVFD. “ OSP detectives assigned to the Major Crimes Section in Central Point responded and are investigating the incident. There have been no arrests made in connection with this shooting. Anyone with information regarding this event is encouraged to contact the Oregon State Police Southern Dispatch Center at 541-664-4600. Laurel Cemetery down on its luck Jason McMillen IVN Contributing Writer Laurel Cemetery, a historic site in Cave Junction, has found itself in a progressively more difficult situation as the years go by and would benefit greatly from volunteers; especially volunteers with grant writing experience because grant money might become the cemetery’s only option for reprieve. Keith Webb, the manager and only official worker of the cemetery, reportedly does his best to keep the place running because his family has been involved for years. Webb works a regular job as a mechanic in addition to operating the cemetery. “It would be nice if somebody just takes it over,” Webb admitted, “I really don’t want to do it. Nobody else wanted to deal with it and everyone kind of abandoned it. It has to function somehow. I’m trying to do what little I can to keep it going.” Although there is a rumor that the cemetery is so poorly staffed that it’s very difficult to get a loved one buried there, a representative from Hull and Hull Funeral Directors said that they haven’t experienced any such problem. However, the cemetery is often unkempt because of a shortage of volunteers. Recently, someone reported Laurel Cemetery to the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board because they had supposedly lost their paperwork and couldn’t get in contact with a staff member. Brenda Biggs, investigator for the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, said that she was not at liberty to discuss an active complaint but added that there hasn’t been any disciplinary actions regarding Laurel Cemetery in the past. In addition, Biggs said, “Cemeteries are allowed to go back to nature. The law does not require any sort of maintenance. Cemeteries are the private property of the owner. The owner is allowed to make their own rules and regulations for the general care and maintenance of the cemetery and grounds as well as for the interment of remains within their property. SEE LAUREL ON A-10 Get ready for ‘Cavetown Underground’ RiverStars Performing Arts presents “Cavetown Underground”, adapted from the Hadestown soundtrack by Anais Mitchell, April 14 and 15, 7 p.m. Lorna Byrne Middle School. “Cavetown Underground” culminates three years of work creating RiverStars Performing Arts, which is made possible by funding from the Oregon Community Foundation’s visionary Studio to School program. Students are dancing up a storm to tell a tale about the place they live in based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice. We feature two stunning and gifted young performers who have been acting and dancing in the Valley for the past five years, Na’amah Ocean as Euridice and Isadora Millay as Orpheus. The young lover’s story sets up a tale of epic tragedy and forewarning that contains useful metaphor for our potential, good and bad, in the Illinois Valley. More than 40 other youth and community members take to the stage to bring the myth alive with cinematic dancing and acting. RiverStars Performing Arts annually produces two original plays, a holiday piece in the winter, and a version of “Our Town” in the spring referred to as “Cavetown.” This original work frames important discourse about our place in Southern Oregon, and both reflects and shapes our culture. We seek to empower the 50 plus youth in our program to imagine, create and share their own stories, dreams and visions for the Valley. This year, the Hadestown soundtrack by Anais Mitchell has provided cathartic lyrics for the children to probe their current condition in the world. “Cavetown Underground” is also an excellent example of effective arts integration, where a classic Greek tale, found in state learning standards, is told and understood through the arts. SEE CAVETOWN ON A-10 (Courtesy photo for the Illinois Valley News) Cavetown actors ready to entertain.
