YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937
Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXX No. 14
$1.00
Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Court ruling
blocks $1.4
billion timber
class-action suit
(Photo courtesy of Cary Riley for the Illinois Valley News)
At the Cave Junction Lions Club Classic Car Show held Saturday, June 24 a ceramic pug adds some humor
to the 1967 Mercury Cougar display in the searing heat.
Despite the hot weather last weekend,
Valley events were successful.
“We loved the venue with all the trees and lots of people went
swimming. We almost filled up the big field with people.”
Susan Gustafson, Dome School co-administrator.
Judy Hoyle
IVN Contributing Writer
The 15th annual Hope Mountain
Barter Faire, sponsored by Youth
Empowerment & Support (YES) a
benefit for Takilma’s Dome School went
off without a hitch June 23 - 25 at Lake
Selmac.
“It was very successful,” said
Susan Gustafson, Dome School co-
administrator. “We loved the venue with
all the trees and lots of people went
swimming. We almost filled up the big
field with people.”
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go
toward the $325,000 building expansion
project that’s slated to be completed by
fall.
Another weekend event, the 10th
annual Taste of I.V. June 23 was also a
hit. Reggie Boltz hosted the Boys and
Girls Club fundraiser at his Rock‘N R
Ranch in O’Brien.
“It was a beautiful night and we had
great participation. We so appreciate the
support of the community, especially the
restaurants,” stated Boys and Girls Club
special events director Rene Ludwig.
Dinner included chicken and tri-tip
from Taylor’s, pork verde and a beef dish
from Carlos’ Restaurante, wraps from
River Valley Restaurant, cheesy potatoes
from McGrew’s and side dishes from the
Shop Smart deli.
Beverages included an assortment of
beer from Wild River Brewing and Pizza,
wines from Augustino Estate and blended
drinks from Dutch Bros.
When asked how the heat affected
the event, Ludwig said, “We had ice
cream cakes from Dairy Queen, so we
had to eat that pretty quickly because of
the heat. You never know in June. One
year when Bridgeview Winery hosted,
it was cold and rainy. We had about 100
people, and we’d like to see 200, so yes, I
think the weather was a factor.”
Ludwig summed up the experience
by saying, “It was a great event, so
beautiful by the lake and Reggie and
Deb were so hospitable, such gracious
hosts. All the funds raised will stay in the
Illinois Valley to support our mission.
I’d also like to thank club director Jenna
Larkin and her dedicated staff of kids who
helped us unload the tables and chairs,
set-up and tear down and all the work in
between. That saved us money too.”
Also over the weekend, the Cave
Junction Lions Club Classic Car Show
was held June 24 and was impacted by
the heat.
CJ Lions Club President Sherry
Overstreet said, “We had 42 cars show
up and three vendors, but the foot traffic
wasn’t what it usually is. Last year we
had 84 cars, but the heat affected us two
years ago, too. We only had about 40
cars then, as well. The car owners further
away don’t come when it’s that hot.”
When asked if the weather
would change their plans in the future,
Overstreet said, “We’re going to keep it
the same time, the last Saturday of June.
We’ve done this for 18 years and it’s
been very successful for our mission of
providing eyeglasses and hearing aids for
the needy. All our proceeds for this event
and also our Turkey Bingo go toward that
program.”
She added, “We are looking for
more members. We meet 6 p.m. the
second and fourth Thursdays of the month
at River Valley Restaurant.”
By Sunday, the weather had cooled
somewhat, making for a pleasant day at
Rusk Ranch Nature Center’s Nature and
Art Festival.
Children happily played and ran
through the sprinklers as families toured
the Butterfly Pavilion and Lady Bug
House among other exhibits.
O’Brien resident Gordon Lyford
has kept weather records for 24 years and
reported, “Generally in the Illinois Valley,
the daily increase from the minimum to
the maximum, the difference is only 40
degrees, but on Saturday, the high was 51
degrees hotter than the low. Contrast that
with two weeks ago, when it was raining
and so cold you could see your breath.”
Lyford added that average
precipitation for the year in O’Brien is 80
inches, but since Oct. 1, he’s measured
132 inches. He added that the “water
year” standard nationwide runs from Oct.
1 to Sept. 30.
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - A judge has ruled that
Oregon counties can’t sue the state government in
the face of a $1.4 billion class lawsuit that seeks
damages for logging practices.
The June 20 decision reverses an earlier ruling
by the same judge which stated that counties could
seek damages from state government, the Capital
Press reported.
The new ruling by Linn County Circuit
Court Judge Daniel Murphy considers counties
subdivisions of the state and therefore they can’t sue
the state government for money.
The lawsuit, filed in March, accuses the state
of Oregon of insufficiently logging state forests. The
suit states the 14 counties gave the state forestland
expecting to receive a portion of logging proceeds in
return.
The counties involved in the suit include
Linn, Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia,
Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln,
Marion, Polk, Tillamook and Washington.
Murphy said he’s “well aware this
interpretation contradicts” his previous ruling, but
the case was complex.
“Like peeling a very large onion, this case
contains complex layers of legal issues and theory
that can take time to unravel,” he said.
Under Murphy’s ruling, counties would still be
able to seek an injunction or order to make changes
to Oregon’s logging practices.
The counties have repeatedly said they are not
interested in changing logging practices, but rather
want to get the compensation they feel they deserve
from timber revenues.
The counties’ attorney, John DiLorenzo, said
their next step may be to amend the lawsuit or go to
the appellate courts for clarification on sovereignty
immunity.
Ralph Bloemers, an environmental attorney,
doesn’t see much hope for the counties’ complaint
after Murphy’s latest ruling.
“The case should be dismissed,” he said.
The Capital Press was unable to reach Oregon’s
attorneys for comment.
City’s code
enforcement
is not loitering
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
When Mark Dillinger, member of Cave
Junction’s City Council, ran for office he promised
to create a solution for reducing the various
unpleasant features of the city, most importantly
reducing the amount of loiterers. However, after
winning the election, Dillinger found that most of
the necessary codes were already in place and that
the real problem was that nobody was enforcing
them. Since this discovery, he has tasked himself
with personally enforcing city code as a volunteer.
SEE CODE ON A-3
Fatal rollover
backs up 199
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Buckle Rash bassist Tooj McGruder in the groove Sunday, June 25 at
the Barter Faire located at Lake Selmac.
It’s not a massage, it’s not even deep tissue, it’s Rolfing!
Jeff Staab is open for business in Downtown Cave junction for those interested in getting Rolfed.
Read more on page 5.
On June 25 a single vehicle incident resulted
in the death of a California man causing 199 to be
shut down in both directions and causing traffic to
backup for many hours.
According to the Oregon State Police the crash
occurred when a black Ford car driven by David
Soloman Sharpe, 44, of Redding, California was
traveling northbound on 199 near mile post 27.
Sharpe exited the roadway on the east side of
the road and rolled several times. Sharpe was ejected
from the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at
the scene.
The vehicle also contained a 17-year old
female with no known injuries.