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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Letters to the editor
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 libelous or scurrilous. All letters
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not be published, but will be used to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 discretion of the publisher.
***
(Editor’s Note: Views and commen-
tary, including statements made as
fact are strictly those of the letter
writers.)
Reader labels letter
hate speech
As a faithful reader of the I.V.
News, I appreciate the wide range
of viewpoints and topics the paper
covers in both factual articles and
opinion content. The letters column
keeps me in touch with ideas and
points of view that are sometimes
close to my own, and at other times
quite a revelation ... The single
letter published in last week’s
paper, however, struck me as
dangerously close to “hate speech”
if not actually over the line. The
writer did not advance coherent
arguments in competent English,
but his tone was obviously that of a
frustrated, angry person venting. I
wish that in the future, if you have
only one letter available to publish
and it is this awful, you will
simply publish a section of clean
white space with an invitation to
your readers to fill it with colored
drawings at home. That would
be more creative, fulfilling, and
perhaps even educational. Any
more content as ugly as the letter
from last week could provoke
me to cancel my long-standing
subscription. I’ll be watching for
an explanation of what you were
thinking when you decided to
publish it, especially as it appeared
to be from someone 2/3 of the way
across the country, with no obvious
connection to the Illinois Valley.
What gives?
Sincerely,
Patricia Mersman,
Takilma
Publishers’s note: “Our forum
welcomes all points of view, including
views that are unwelcome to some.”
Reader wants no
restrictions on weed
This week county
commissioners are issuing a
board order that could very well
ban recreational growing on RR
5. It is important to note that
complaints on legal rec growers are
minimal if at all. State law gives
the county the right to regulate
cannabis regarding time, lace and
manner. The state is also making
it more difficult for medical
growers to grow more than 12
plants by tracking, tagging and
storage requirements. Medical
growers would be able to sell up
to 20 lbs. into the legal market.
It is possible that county officials
might view this as commercial
and stop this as an unintended
consequence of this board order.
In a convoluted twist this will
prevent many from complying and
only aid the unregulated market.
It should be noted these efforts by
county officials are a result of a
small minority of bad neighbors
Why make laws that hurt people
that are doing nothing wrong?
Prohibitionist thinking is nothing
new to Commissioners DeYoung
and Morgan, as city councilors in
Grants Pass they banned outdoor
medical grows. Commissioner
Hare has profited as a grower on
exclusive farm land where there
are no restrictions. The economic
improvement of the valley and
county is a direct result of the
cannabis industry. There are many
that will suffer financially if this
cannabis ban happens. The county
officials wanted to raise taxes and
did and now they wish to hurt
people economically. I am not
talking only about growers and
patients but all the businesses that
are suppliers. Please come to a
town hall event that will be put on
by citizens not county officials to
discuss a response. For further info
call 541-660-1505.
Mark Seligman
Selma
Wisdom from Wisconsin
This letter is to thank reader
Jack Faust for maintaining a
subscription to the Illinois Valley
News, and for sharing his opinion
in a recent letter to the editor, I
am amazed at the interest he has
shown in our local communities
and the changing economy
structure here in southern Oregon.
I can’t imagine that Madison
Wisconsin is such a boring place
that a brother like him finds a need
to direct his voyeuristic attentions
to a community over 2,000 miles
from his own. Perhaps he could
try socializing a bit more with
the abundant wealth of educated
people who surround him in his
University laden city...
In his recent letter to the
editor in the July 12, 2017 edition
of I.V. News, his enthusiasm
for showing readers his OCLD
(Obsessive Caps Lock Disorder)
and it’s sardonic use as a tool to
convey his fervent, quasi-emotive
ranting proved truly amusing. Us
folks living out here in the sticks
can sure use a good “I told you
so” from a city dweller who likely
couldn’t even grow mold on a
piece of bread.
I would like to thank people
like Mr Faust for moving so far
away from southern Oregon. Our
little corner of the Earth here is
fine without you
Sunrise Ocean
Cave Junction
Obituaries
Tara Suzanne Whitney , 54, died
May 29, 2017 in Selma. Tara was born
September 5, 1962 in Carlisle, Pa. to Army
medic George Whitney and Susan Palmer
Whitney. She moved to Cave Junction in
1978 and graduated from Illinois Valley High
School in 1980. Tara joined the U.S. Coast
Guard and served from 1980 – 1984. She
received a B.A. from the University of Alaska
in Fairbanks. She accumulated
numerous certificates and awards
from gymnastics in high school
to Morse code in the military. She
traveled and has lived all over the
U.S. and even lived in Cozumel,
Mexico for two years. She sold
diamonds while living there. She
also was in the banking industry for
25 years in the Rogue and Illinois
valleys and she was a notary. She
had the chance to own her own
business called Tara’s Tropical
Plants and Maintenance Services.
Tara raised three bright and
beautiful girls in Grants Pass. She
divorced her spouse and never
remarried.
Her
hobbies
included
gardening, tropical house plants,
and photography with a 35 mm
camera, going to the river and
escaping to the tropics.
Tara was preceded in death by her
parents George Whitney and Susan Palmer
Whitney. She is survived by her sister, Andrea
Whitney Jones (Steven); her daughters, Ashlie
Hammers of Phoenix, Ore., Kelsey Johnsrud
Whitney of Selma and Taylor Hammers
Whitney of Selma; and three grandsons.
There will be a potluck memorial for
Tara at Griffin Park in Grants Pass Aug. 26
from noon – 6 p.m.
I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
541-592-4110
Save the date
July 19
“Stay at Home & Beat the Heat”
Fundraiser for the Illinois Valley
Family Coalition July 19 at 12:30.
We will have the drawing Live on
Facebook. If people in the valley like
the page they’ll be able to see them
announce the drawings of the win-
ners. See Facebook.com/Illinoisval-
leyfamilycoalition.
July 20
Circle of Stone will play the
Concerts in the Park. FREE ADMIS-
SION! Sponsored by the I,V, Cham-
ber of Commerce. 6 to 8 p.m. Thurs-
day Evening at Jubilee Park, CJ.
July 24
7 p.m. in the Council Chambers
of City Hall, 222 W. Lister Street,
Cave Junction, Oregon, the Common
Council of the City of Cave Junction
will meet in a regular session.
Aug. 3
I.V. by Candlelight Walk af-
ter Concerts in the Park (6 - 8 p.m.)
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
Bring your candles and show com-
munity support for public safety.
Nachos, Hot Dogs and more avail-
able at Softball Concession Stand.
Continuing
*Illinois Valley Community
Watch Meeting every Monday from
5 - 6 p.m. at Wild River Pizza, 249
Redwood Hwy. – Cave Junction. A
Public Safety Outreach Campaign
effort with all I.V. Neighborhood
Watch Groups – representatives, in-
cluding businesses and churches, and
support for anyone wishing to start a
neighborhood watch. Includes a 2-
way hand held radio program briefing
from 4:20 - 4:50 p.m. Contact Guent-
er - 541-415-1929 / ivwatch541@
gmail.com.
Summer Reading Program sign
ups are still happening at the Illinois
Valley library! Our free program runs
through Saturday, Aug. 5. Join us on
Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for
crafts sponsored by Illinois River
Valley Arts Council. For more infor-
mation contact Roberta Lee at 541-
592-4778. I.V. Branch, Josephine
Community Libraries, 209 W Palmer
St, C.J.
Concerts in the Park - Summer
2017 FREE ADMISSION! Spon-
sored by the I.V. Chamber of Com-
merce 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday Evenings
at Jubilee Park, CJ:
July 27, Dale and Sharon Hop-
per – old-time country classics;
Aug 3, Kelly Thibodeaux &
Etouffee – rhythm and blues and
Southern rock;
Aug 10, Fire Your Boss – post-
Apocalyptic folk core.
Please bring your own seating.
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
*The I.V. Senior Thrift Store:
Join the crew and make new friends.
You don’t need to be a senior citizen
to volunteer at the store. Call us at
541-592-6630. Open Monday – Sat-
urday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
*The C.J. Substation hours are
changed. Open hours are now Mon-
day and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The phone number for the substation
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.
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 Patrol is a
private citizen volunteer orgnaniza-
tion dedicated to effectively address-
ing heretofore-unchecked property
crime in our city and neighborhoods.
The primary mission of CJ Patrol is
to prevent, interrupt, report and de-
crease property crime in the city of
Cave Junction. Call 541-592-9665 or
visit cjpatrol.org.
*Committee Meeting STATE
OF JEFFERSON Josephine County
1st Thursday of each month at 5:30
p.m. Black Forest Restaurant, Grants
Pass and 3rd Thursday of each month
at 6 p.m., Wild River Pizza in Cave
Junction.
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
*Come join the Cave Junction
Lions Club at River Valley Restaur-
rant, at 6 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th
Thursday of each month. We are a
co-ed club and are always looking
for community minded people that
are dedicated, hard working, whether
physically limited or not and most of
all, like to have fun.
We host the Classic Car Show
in late June and Turkey Bingo in ear-
ly November. So if you like to have
fun and like to help make great things
happen, to provide glasses, hearing
aids, scholarships and support for our
community and so much more.
Come by and see what we do
or give us a call, 541-592-9243 Nina
Horsley, vice president or 541-295-
7579 Sherry Overstreet, president.
First and third Mondays of the
month, 7 p.m. in the Council Cham-
bers of City Hall, 222 W. Lister Street,
Cave Junction, Oregon, the Common
Council of the City of Cave Junction
will meet in a regular session.
DEADLINES:
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Display Ads,
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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.